The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-16

We both come out on top at the finish
/ waited to hear more particulars.
cts like this he said. presently
''Thishyer's the second time I've served e;
sheriff, an I'm fixin' to run for a thirt
term The billet kinder pears to suit me-
first rate, an l mean stickin' to it. Hows
ever, I've jes' come to hear tibet the boss
es who set up the delegations in the Other
townships are maxim dead-set agin me
proposin' 10 put up Hans Drecht an firt
me of the nomination ticket. Thet bein
so, I've got to demonstrate I'm soundel
, candidate n Hans right now. An you're
goin' to help ME do iti''
Met cried. gaping like a fish out OF
water. How in thunder can l do that?'
''Ill tell you when once we've agreed or
the price Now, seem it's politics we're
on-in manner of sayin', electioneerin'
anyway-an'- thet electioneerln' is dirty
trade for any gentleman, I'm quite prepar-
ed to pay more on account of the dirt. Sup
pose we make the hundred dollars s250?''
IT'S handsome handsome | replied
smartly. only I'd like to know exactly
what I'm expected to"
Don't hustle me. pard. It's my call. an
| haven't climbed TO top-notch figures yet.
You're foTgettin to insure agin accidents.
I'm thinking. Wal. KNOWN my man, l
ventur' to say thsr's no risk at all-nary
an ounce. But 1, grant you may think diff
lettHt. Az 80 l. put up aHOtner szoV lot
risk-$500 altogether, an thet's my limit.
Hyer we are then-s50 soon's you accept
the contract an $500 more eff you bring 1t
safe through, me fndin' all the outfit an
accessories. Now. how's tibet strike you,
hey?"
1t struck me dumb. Here. when least
expected it. l saw tidy fortune dangled in
front OF me-to say nothing of wife ana
a fourishins business hanging on to it.
= Just then as I've mentioned already,
! felt SO desperate l believe I'd have entered
into bargain with Old Horny himself for
&c.
But after Mr.. Sheriff Push had gone on
to enlighten me about the part 1 was to
PLAY / confess 1T sobered me. Simple and
easy though he tried to make it out. my
self could see little else but foolery and
danger in it-with. long way ahead, pos
sibly collars. / admit it was only the
thought of the gold that drew me on an
inch farther.
..Mebbe you'd ruther turn It over in
your mind for the next hour?" said Push.
as l stood there humming and having
''Ez this seems nice secluded neighbor-
hood TO confab in, I'll fix it SOS to be hyer
agin at o'clock. The. hull thing must
he settled tonight one way or the other.
Say, how'll 5 O'Clock fit your"
] agreed to the arrangement; and then,
forcing fiye-dollar bill on me. he swung
of in one direction, while / took the OPP
posite path down to the town Here after
I'd wrapped myself round a square meal
with peg or two of tanglefoot thrown in
began to see the comic side of the entire
business. It tickled my fancy so that I.
too. lost touch of the risks altogether. I
felt somehow that II there was going to be
sport ! ought to be in at it,
We'll. We were both on time at the
meetingplace, the Sheriff and myself BY
8 oil oil, 1.J toTI-
and everything put in order for the at
tempt in the morning. Fifty dollars earn
est money changed hands and the plot was
Matched out, alive and full-fedged. Seeing
the hanky- panky he was then engaged on,
I've often wondered since why 1 was SO
ready TO take Mr.. Push at his bare word
l can't account for it now. I'm sure-but.
anyway, / did.
Next day, in the afternoon. there was
TO be rare STRINGS over at Louisville con-
sequent on the opening of a new Com
incarceration Hall in that town. Both Hans
Drecht and the Sheriff were to crate on
the occasion. and the pair of them well
knew that their chances at the coming !
poll would depend a good deal on what |
tkey said there and how they said it. You
see, LEGAL affairs wasn't the platform they |
were lighting on at all-nobody cared a
DIdsS about neither was IL a |
question of party polltics-Hans Drecht !
being quite as warm a Democrat and Sir |
verite as Joshua K. himself. For any gold !
coinage Republican breathing to have put |
himself forward for the sheriffship would |
have been as much as his life was worth in |
Canoyas county. No; the election would |
not turn on backyard or national politics !
in the least. but simply and solely on
patriotism. At that time the Yankees were |
IN Ed of fax-uF rynF tfasaf
plant precious bad, too. 1t was Hail, |
Columbia" and The Star SpaRgled Ban
ner' all along the line. The Bird of Free |
dom was on the almighty crow, mapping |
his wings and sharpening his bsak ready 4
to sweep down and claw into shreds some |
ballying nG.ioa or other-I forget now JUST i
exactly which. Anyhow, that's where the /
test came in. Whichever of the two cam
didates could manage TO chuck the rip I
pingest battle speech off his chest, that /
man was dead sure 10 scoop up the votes !
and bag the situation
Soon after breakfast the Sheriff and his |
cousin. Jude Willis, drove out from probi- I
~ Springs along the road to Louisville. |
Push himself tooling the team. They'd /
gone a matter OF eight miles or there
abouts when who should they drop across
but Hans Drecht with Deacon Butt, his (
Chairman of Committee, and another COM
mitteeman- all three standing beside a
broken-down buggy, swearing like troop I
ers at the driver who'd tipped them out /
into the roadway. Trying to shave a cor
ner too close. he'd smashed into a stump /
fence and taken a wheel of.
The Sheriff pulled up to sympathize. He
didn't want to gloat any. not he, over the
accident 10 his opponent. AS he'd once
remarked 10 me, he couldn't help knowing
that hans DTecht was just about the mean
est cuss on the face Of Gods earth-no
more fitted 20 be Sherif'n boiled OWL
yet, for all that, be felt free to claim that |
he bore the skunk no personal grudge or
malice He pitied even more'n he despised
the reptile So. when he saw how matters
stooc-how. there being no handy way of
the damage. nor any place within
five or six miles where another conveyance
could be got-how. also, the delay meant
that they'd be too late to attend the cele-
braticns at Lotusyille-wben Mr.. Push,
say, had quito mastered these points, he at
once showed his unselfsh highmindednegs
by UP and saying he'd be gratiied to find
seats for Hans and his supporters in his
own surrey. l warrant they didn't take
long TO study it over, but closed with the
offer on the spot
Joshua chirruped to the ponies and bowl
ed on with a heavier load; but not before
a sly nod and lightning wink had passed
between him and the laundering jarvey,
who was left behind 10 look after the
overturned machine. Oh. I'll lay that
coacbee and Joshua X. Push understood
one another to a hair!
Gave me a kinder start JUS now, SEEM
you three cavortin' out thar in the middle
If the track" the Sheriff said. after a
.pell of silence. Guess / must have been
u gpIy in u u-ac bfyt ~ I