Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-02-18

"Easy, m son." chuckled the giant
who was sitting astride him, as he held
the candidates wrists so that the other
man, who now came up, could the more
easily tie them. 1--WE don't want y'r
stuff. Do we, pardner?"
"Nopey, Van," said the second man,
in voice that Van Vert tried in vain
to recognize. 1--WE jest want t. put We
where ye won't make no mo- fool
r'marks bout tn lady tbs ag'n ye--
not this evenin', anyways"
See here, boys" said Van Vert,
more calmly, 'this isn't a square deal.
You know I've got to be at the meeting
at Meeker at s o'clock? Well. it's almos.
that now, so let me go.'
"Oh, no, Jimmie" laughed one of his
captors heartlesSly. Not t'night.
'Squar DEAL b'lieve We said? Was it
a squar deal FIR you t git up an make
tn talk We did bout tn little school
ma'am las night? Not any. So STAN
up, Jimmie, an let tn gent tackle We
to tn tree. Well let ye go fore We git
cold. Easy, lad. Eff We git gay we
won't do a thing but hawg-tie We an
leave ye lay till mawnin'."
The next hour was as long one as
Jimmie Van Vert ever spent. The
night was chilly one, and the ropes
with which he was bound prevented
the free circulation of blood, so that in
very short time his eXtremities were
aching with cold. To add to his dis
comfort, an owl took its station in the
brush near by and hooted derisively
whenever the prisoner shouted, and the
cries of the owl were responded 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 brush, and they did not
hear him. AT last, however, when he
had about given up all hope of escaping
until his captors should come and re-
lease him, he heard the sound of horses
coming along the trail, their riders
laughing and chatting, and he lifted up
his voice in mighty effort to make
himself heard. The riders evidently
heard him, and stopped. He shouted
again, and presently heard them COM
ing toward him.
where are you" called a feminine
voice, in response to another bleat from
Van Vert, and in a moment there was
crashing of underbrush, and the face
and form of young woman were out
lined in the moonlight, followed a sec
ond later by the wondering counte.
nance of lad of about - years.
How did it happen?" queried the
young woman, after she and the boy
had released the candidate from his
uncomfortable predicament, and he
was untying his horse from a nelghbor
ing tree.
Van Vert explained in an injured
tone, adding, with as much dignity rs
he could command: 81 am the candi.
date for Superintendent of Schools, and
l suppose this Is a sample of the meth
DDS Miss Smith and her cowboy friends
have adopted to defeat me. They knew
| was to speak at Meeker tonight, and
thought that by preventing me from
doing so they could gain few votes.
I'll show 'em when get there"
The young woman laughed merrily.
Politics is funny business, isn't it?"
she said. THE idea of resortinr TO
such measures! But" she added sober
ly, ''you should not blame Miss Smith
for what her over-zealous friends have
done. Miss Smith is a friend of
mine, and know she would not sane
ton such thing. lit would be most
unfair to accuse her of it, don't Won
think, without being certain of YOUR
ground?"
Van Vert admitted that it would.
"Then as favor to me-" said his fair
rescuer, "do not, please, say anything
about it, at least by way of connecting
her with the affair. I'm sure no opr
would regret it more than she, if size
knew about it,"
After some hesitation Van Vert
promised, and presently his rescuer and
her escort left him, branching Off OH Il
trail that led toward farmhouse that
he could see in the distance.
The candidate noted with a grim
smile, ON his return, the CONSERVATION
his appearance created in a certain part
of the room, and concluded that two or
three men whom he knew to be friends
of bis looked rather shceptsh, but he
kept his own counsel and made no ref
ereIce to his adventure Tn rho o,ur,a