The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-09
bring a strange TELLER and put him over

out the shop! One day Hollister, the
old man himself, went through and
seen me at casting. That's good
job you're making. Hunter says he.
He remembered my name He knows
good job when he sees one. There's good
things about the old man if he is pig
headed.
81 can't but think it'll come right, /"
urged Judith. She comforted him, un-
reasonably. but just as efficiently as
wives do comfort their husbands, what
ever their class. I may say whatever
their intellect. Insensibly, under the
spell Of her pretended hopefulness and
her real tenderness. his heavy heart
lightened, and his sore vanity was
soothed, but it was late in the morning
before he fell asleep Perhaps it was
later before the wife, who had seemed
so peacefully slumbering, drifted beyond
the reach of her own forebodings.
Alderman McGinnis was popularity
supposed to hold the Eighth ward in
the hollow Of his hand. Rumor wagged
her tongue and shook her head over the
alderman's paving contracts. His own
private avocation was that Of con-
tractor. She whispered how he led jun
keting parties of aldermen on visits to
other cities at the expense of rival rail
ways hoping to haul rival brickmakers'
brick. and how they partook freely Of
hospitality, both solid and liquid, fur
nished them-somehow She declared
aloud that he was in every job ever
passed by the city council. But the
Eighth ward, after every explosion Of
virtue on the part of his fellow citizens,
grinned and reelected Alderman Nc
Ginnis.
1t was in the latest unsuccessful as
sault that young Harry Losing had
locked horns with the popular alder
man and been defeated. Harry at this
time had just been taken into business
with his father. He was just beginning
to feel the exhilarating pressure of
large affairs on shoulders SO young and
strong that they welcomed rather than
finched from burdens, and he was in
the first blaze of young mans enthu-
siasm for municipal reform. He had
spent days running about the town
marshaling the languid and reluctant
forces Of the ''decent citizens" against
a certain paving contract of the alder
mans, and when the alderman was too
strong for him in the council had de6ed
him in his own ward.
Therefore McGinnis had been elected
by rather more than the usual majority,
and that was how it came to pass that
poor Billy Hunter all night was haunt
ed by snatches Of his own speeches
against the arbiter of the Eighth ward
and tortured his brain trying, in the
clumsy fashion Of man used to ex-
press himself by action only. to explain
those fatal jokes and criticisms.
Before Harry had finished his break
fast next morning the workingman was
at the house. and tho young reformer
did not keep him waiting. It was bare
" half past 8 that Sunday morning
when Harry was seen by the neighbors
driving his fathers light surrey and
the fast gray horses, with Billy Hunter
on the back seat, at rafting pace
down the hill.
They went first to Tommy Fitzmau-
rice's. Tommy at the period Of which 1
am writing was ward politician and,
in spite of Harry's fiery. eloquence and
his own affection for Harry, quite con-
tent with his moral lot. Now, although
he joined the two at once, he gave
Harry the corner of a wet blanket in
his greeting
"I'll tell you, said he, with rather
shamefaced expression, 81 don't know
which way Mac is going. I hope he
looks at the strike the way I do, and
that's the way you do, but I'm under
too big obligations to Mac to fight him
in this and risk his job, and that's the
truth.
"But have you considered what mis-
chief hopeless strike like this will
work2" began Harry eagerly.
II haven't slept two winks this night
considering nothing else, growled
Tommy, "but I amt fixed to fight
Mac and don't want to either
"And what will Mac do?" said Har-
ry, biting off useless argument at his
cigar end. biting it hard.
| AAUV ! SoA 00y AOuAly
swered. II was there right after the
meeting last night. He wasn't home
I left word that I'd be over this morn
ing, but when went over before
breakfast he was gone; left word he
would see me this afternoon. l sat
down and wrote him all about the thing
and told him was on the chase after
him and if didn't catch him would he
come over to pas for talk. guess he
will. but we'll try running him down
first, because the committee may do
more mischief than even Mac can undo
if we wait. They said he had gone to
!, Meyers. The son was after him with q
story of his mother being dead"
The Meyers were not Meyers really,
but some unpronounceable Russian
name Of which the first two syllables
ran into some similitude to Meyer, and
Meyers they had been chlistened by
their gentle acquaintance The father
was very old, and the family was SUD-