Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-03-18

ting in every hour possible in making
/ speeches and seeing their constituents
and other people Van Vert had put
/ in some very telling work in several
/ places where it would do The most
good, but in two or three presincts it
was found that a strong sentiment in
favor of his opponent had developed, and
/ must be overcome by some means if he
! hoped to win. Unfortunately, he was
( worried, and his actions showed it; on
one or two occa sions while speaking he
! had given way to puerile bursts OF tenn
per that by no means enhanced his
! chances for success. Some of the older
heads had warned him that by making
! Sluring remarks about his opponent he
would only hurt himself, to which he
/ responded by the childlike query:
We'll, if a woman doesn't want to get
herself talked about she'd better keep
cut Of politics"
This he practically repeated to a mix
ed crowded C0novers schooIhouse. in
enc of the strc~g Cow districts" on
Friday night before election, adding
N~>A4A1ON oNAAS SAclI pCNl Sl1lS III lSl cSl-
ed III the future welfare of their child
rem are willing tc intrust their cary
training to the hands and methods of
che who SO far forgGJs her womanh0od
as to stand as candidate for a public
office OF course he regretted the re-
mark almost as soon as it was uttered,
and recognized that the silence with
which it was received was the silence
Of a disapprovaI too strong to find ex-
preston in words. But it was too late
for regrets, and he expressed none.
The next afternoon came q brief but
pointed note from Miss Smith, in which
she gently reminded him that his your
had evidently led him astray, SO far as
TO forget that she was practically de-
fenseless, and that in speaking of her
as he had he had been both unmanly
and ungentlemanly. This coming, as
it DID, at time when he was mentally
cursing himself for an ass and brute
did not tend to sooth him, for he knew
that every word the note contained was
true. So, instead of answering it as
man should, he wrote at the bottom Of
the sheet: You have DC business in
politics if you don't want to stand the
consequences" then signed it end
mailed it to the original sender An
hour later he was sorry he had done SD,
and tried to get the letter out of the
postoffice, but failed.
Thus it was that he next evening, a )
he rode along the lonely trail leading
TO the "enemy's country" where he W
to address a big meeting of cattlemen
and make al effort to redeem himself |
by practically recantiug all that he had |
said derogatory to the opposing candi- |
date without losing too much of his al
ready shattered self-respect, he was 50
absorbed mentally in thinking over
what he should say that he did not !
hear a sudden command to halt, and |
realized that he was in trouble only |
when sinuous, swishing thing hurled .
through the air, pinicned his arms to
his sides and jerked hin! from the sal
die TO the rough ground.
Good shot, OF man. said someone in
cowboy costume, who came up and sat
on the victims chest eye got him
hight round tn elbows, fust throw O
tn rope"
Let me up, you id scoundrel"'
fumed Van Vert. "You can take my
money without taking my wind at the
same time, can't you?"
Easy, M son. chuckled the giant
who was sitting astrid3 Of him as he
hold no a+o,sc ;c+r
other men who now came up could the /
mere easily tie them. 1--WE don't want
your stuff. Do we, pardner?" |
<'Ncpey, VAN" said the second man
in voice that Van Vert tried in vain
to recognize. eve jest want t put We
where We won't make no mo- fool
r'marks bout tn lady this ag'in ye-
not this evenin,' anyways
Sec here, boys" said Van Vert, |
more calmly, this isn't a square deal |
You know I've got to be at that meet
ing at Meker at o'clock? Well it's |
almost that now. so let me co.
"Oh, no, Jimmier' laughed one of his |
captOrs heartily. "Not t'night Square |
deal believe We said? Was it
sQuar' deal of you t git up an make |
tn talk We did bout tn little schoolma- |
am las night? Not any. So stan up,
an let tn gent tackle we to
tn tree. Well let We GO fore We git /
old. Easy, lad. Ef We git gay we won't |
do thing but hawg-tie We an leave
We ley till dawnin'"
The next hour was as long a ona as
Jimmie Van Vert ever spent The
night WAS chilly, and the ropes with
which he was tied prevented the circu-
lation of blood, so that in a very short
time his extremitieg were aching wit
cold. To odd to his discomfort, an owl
took his station near by and hooted de-
risively whenever the prisoner shouted,
and the cries Of the owl were respond
ed to by several wolves whose voices
sounded as though they were very close
at hand.
Several times Van Vert heard people !
go by on horseback and in wagons,
and shouted to them at the top of his
lungs; but the trail was some distance
from the clump of bush and they did
not hear him. At last however. when
he had about given UP all hope of es-
Gaping until his captors should come
and release him, he heard the sound
of horses coming along the trail, their
riders laughing and chatting, and he
make himself heard. The riders evil