The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-06

| constituents, but there are occasions
when constituents are unavailing.
( This had been one of them.
1t had all happened at the conference,
I when, with the plaudits of the crowd
/ still ringing in his ears. he had heard
! Smythe state as bluntly as he could
have worded ii himself, that young
| er. man should represent the district in
! congress, and the young man which
! his company, and incidentally Rock
/ Creek county, had in mind was Ed
! ward P. Jameson, who had attracted
| considerable attention by his skillful
! handling of a big lawsuit in Omaha
The autoCrat of Jepson Center had
bowed to the powers as represented by
| Smythe, and had walked proudly,
erectly from the room at the close of
the conference.
Jameson. If it had been anyone but
that conceited young upstart who had
| been forbidden his house, 1t was we'll
that the rising young politician" as
the Chadron Bugle called him, had not
been at the conference
Hello, Mr.. Grimes!"
The dethroned autocrat jerked his
horse to standstill. A bent figure
sidled up to the buggy. 1t was only
Pap" Burns, but he had a vote, and
from habit, Grimes forced a genial
greeting
You don't mind givin' me a lift the
rest NV the way, do you? Thanks! 1t
is warm, an them circus tents is the
bakin' est places. | seen your Jimmy
there. 1t was blamed poor show. but
he seemed to find the lemonade and
peanuts to his likin' Circuses amt
what they was when you an me was
boys, Dave. Now, when"
The garruloLs old chap chartered on.
but Grimes was not listening. He
made rapid calculation Jimmy had
spent not less than 10 cents-wasted
money Mandy might not realize the
gravity of his own political downfall,
but she should be made to understand
the terrible extravaganza of whicS she
had been guilty. But where had she
gotten the money? She had accounted
for every cent he had given her in
years. If she had sold some of those
leghorns to send Jimmy to the circus
-. His face turned purple, and he
gave his horse a vicious cut. Wasn't
it enough to watch his political bal
loon pricked by a man with a pull
without coming home to rebellion in
how Fife had quietly ignored his ex-
pressed wish the night before arose
afresh.
He pulled UP before the narrow path
leading to his front door, and, knot
ting the reins about the whipsocket
called grimly for Jimmy. There was
no response. but he caught sight of
strange face in the kitchen doorway.
1t was Poorhouse Jenny. In one hand
she held dish towel. from the other
one she munched a thick slice of cake
AS he strobe up the walk his feet
ground flower petals and rice into the
gravel. These he did not notice, for
suddenly Mandy appeared at the door.
She wore a new dreSA There was a
in the eyes that yesteDday seemed fad
ed. She was frails and; slender, and
the stalwart, frowning man could have
crushed her aside without an effort,
yet somehow she seemed to bear his
entrance. He paused before her with
an imprecation.
Where's that boy, and what's Poor
house Jenny eating the cake l paid
for, as FIRE as if it was black bread?"
The figure in the doorway trembied
slightly, then seemed to turn rigid.
Il paid for that cake, David, out of
my SavinS. An it's Effie's weddin'
cake. She's gone. She left goodby for
you, but she didn't want no scene on
her weddin day. It's been scenes every
meal we've set down to in years, and
she's tired of bein hectored to death.
l don't know as I blame her for want
in to get away from such a life I'm
goin' over to Chadron next week when
they come back from Omaha an help
them furnish their house. Edward said
1 should"
Mandy smiled reminiscently She
should certainly buy red plush sofa
for Effie's parlor if there was one in
town. Then she looked back at her
husband. His hand grasped the porch
post and his face was distorted with
rage.
Dye mean to say she married that
Jameson And you helped her to sneak
out of her fathers house-like-like-"
That's just what she didn't do. Da-
Nid.- She was married right here in
her mothers parlor an with some of
her old friends for witnesses an we
had a dinner. There amt no use for
you to swear an carry on. David.
am her mother an L ought to have
some say I'm goin' to have some say
too about the house. I've helped YOU
pay for it an everything that's in 1t,
an the law gives me a share of il.
You told me yesterday l wasn't much
on appearances. but that's your fault
No one that's lived the shut-in life
l have would be. I'm goin' over to
Edwards an Effie's every month. Ed
war!, he said"
The name was as a red rag to
bull. David Grimes smote the piazza
railing with his fist
Dye know that smooth-faced, ly-
ing young rascal has got the prom
Use of the nomination to Congress,
which was mine by rights. He's beat |
en- me. beaten the father of his wife
and stole his wife in the bargain.
He's
Mandy Grimes drew herself up and
mere thar ever the doorway seemed
barred.
"Wcll, all I've got to say is that I'm
glad the nominations been kept in the
family. An as for the rest, don't
want an: scene made here. There's
been scandal enough about the way
you treat your family without you're
shoutin' so the whole neghborhood
can hear you. If you was half as
proud Of your folks an treated them
half as decent as you do your voters
we wouldn't be the talk of Jepson
Center I'm plumb sick of bein' spoke,
of as Poor Mandy Grimes Now
march out to the barn an do it. I've
got to help Jenny clear up the we'd
din dishes. Your supper II be ready
in ten minutes
She turned abrutly and walked into
the p9rlor. Her husband stood trans
fixed as she disappeared, then his
grip or the porch rail gradually loos-
ened. His expression changed from
fury to Amusement to incredibly
and finally to thoughtfuness. With
out a word, he turned on his heel,
walked down to the gate and led his
horse round to the stable. Poorhouse
Jenny, picking chicken bone, watch