The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-05-22
CHAPTER XVIII.

| CHAPTER XVIII.
The, election was to be held on
Tuesday, and the Monday immediate
ly preceding had been fraught with
matters of grave concern for Col.
Keever. The most momentous of
these matters was the strike of
Sampson for back pay and higher
wages; the most momentous 4 be-
cause like the newly-started snow
ball, the incident grew amazingly in
Importance until it ended in the
Colonies disgrace, his Punishment
from the town, and the wrecking of
the Blizzard. <.,,~- r.. a.
! To begin with, the Blizzard had
never been much of a financial sue
cess. 1t was paper of Johnsonian
excellence; that is to say, so ponder
Gus in it's utterance that it had to
be read with a Webster-unabridge
at ones elbow. The little fishes
talked like whales on every line and
through every column. In a com
munity necessarily deficient in it's
supply of Websters, the Blizzard was
venerated and feared because of it's
evident learning. For the same rea-
son, but few subscribed for it; and
so small was the subscription list at
the time the unfeeling Sampson went
on strike and so meager was the ad-
vertising patronage that the Colonel
had barely two dollars that he could
call his own.
His printing "plant' had cost him
$500, and he had paid all but $3.50 of
that debt. He had no lots in Con-
cord, and if called to strict &C.
counting by Guy it would have been
found that there were 100 or so
which had not been turned over.
That very Monday, Pedro Smith had
pressed the Colonel for board bill
long past due; the news company
had sent his patent outsides'' by
express, C. O. D., and the bundle was
still in the express Office while the
forms waited in vain on the "Army'
press.
What was the Colonel going to do?
Racked by these worries he had en-
tered his Office only to be confronted
by Sampson who demanded money
and declared he would stop work.
if he didn't get it.
This was the last straw. The
Coloneps patience gave way and hot
words were passed between him and
his printer. And then-well, he
struck Sampson with his cane, and
Sampson hit him with a chair, and
threw him into one corner, and
shook a fist in his face and vowed
revenge, r-r-revenge! After that,
Sampson went away in high dudgeon
and the Colonel picked himself up,
limped to his office chair and sat
there for long time, bitterly re-
flecting. The sun went down, the
shadows of evening fell and still the
Colonel's acute mind had found no
loophole for escape from his present
difficulties.
1t was at this juncture that four
gentlemen from Harmony, all of
serious aspect and wearing black
SLOUGH hats, assembled the unsteady
stairs that led to. the Office of the
Blizzard. And one was very tall, and
one had glass eye, and the third
stumped through life on a wooden
pin, and the fourth carried an empty
sleeve. Business called them to Con-
cord and ill-fortune had prepared
the Colonel to greet them in recep-
tive mood.
The committee of ways and means
dark ways and questionable means
came at night as befitted doors of
ignoble deeds. Their two-seated car
rage and team were left at the edge
of town and they we're unseen by
any save Sampson. He still had
key to the workroom and as they
entered by the front he entered at
the rear.
Col. Keever cherished no ill-feel-
ings and he greeted his callers cor
daily and humorously. Should he
put their names down for years
subscription to his invaluable paper,
two dollars year, in advance
No; the four gentlemen from Har-
mony had not called for anv such
purpose.
Indeed! While his four callers
were unfortunate, in so far as they
resided in a town with such poor
outlook as Harmony, yet lack of
taste was not a crime, and Col.
Keever was glad to extend the right
hand of fellowship to Col. Dingle,
Maj. Harp, Capt. Blue and Mr..
Boomer.
Col. Dingle, Maj. Harp, Capt. Blue
and Mr.. Boomer gratefully acknowl-
edged Col. Keever's amicable senti-
ments and begged to assure him of
their own, coupled with slight Of
fering in the way of liquid refresh
ments.
This preliminary matter arranged
to the voluble satisfaction of all
parties, Col. Dingle asked to know
if they were alone. ~.... s.
Col. Keever told him that thew