Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-06-03
CHAPTER ".

&uy had a lonely ride back to Con-
cord over the broad, fiat, star-lit lands.
He could see the road dimly, iightish
streak cutting the darker turf of the
plains. A moist, lush smell arose from
the dewey grass and the croalling of
frogs, the chirping Of crickets and the
resonant boom of the bittern floating
from the sedge served only to intensity
the stiffness.
There was far more to this county
seat business than Guy had imagined.
Miss Betty felt that Harmony had been
cheated out Of its rights and that was
the cause of her memorable stand in
the present contest. Two-thirds of the
voters in the county had signed petit
ton for special election and it was
foregone conclusion that these two
thirds would vote for Harmony. With
ont doubt this was the premise on
which Mr.. Vlandingham and his daugh-
ter were building their hopes, but Guy
had information relative to Col.
Keever's imported voters. He did not
know what the voting strength of the
county was, but he was sure the
Colonel had been sharp enough to bring
In sufficient ballots to overcome the
two-thirds majority. The young man
did not fancy this phase of the ques-
ton, although the entire contest was
gradually presenting itself TO him as a
case of diamond cut diamond. He had
been brought up in adherence of
"ways that are dark and tricks that
are vain" but now that he was in Rome
Why should he not emulate the Ro-
mans? To take any other stand was
equivalent to bankrupting himselffor
what chance would Concord have if he
ordered The ColoneNs imported voters
ont of the town or permitted them to
exercise the right of franchise unin-
fuenced? If ordered away they might
flock to Harmony in BODY, and ifper-
mitfed to vote as they pleased they
might be substituted by agents of
Nlandinghom. The matter was deli
cate ore and tn be handled with ex-
trenac caution The temptation to look
ont for himself at al costs was pow
erful one, aud had not Miss Betty her
self said that il was right for him to
do all he ccr,d to keep the county seal
at Concord? Taking everything into
consideration. Gay thoughtit would be
wei TO lay back on his oars. watch the
opposition and see what happened.
He had nulnber Of thoughts con-
corning Miss Betty entirely apart from
the political question, and in the fair,
er fields where they were to esteem
each other as friends. These were
headstrong fancies and SO wildly tint.
ed with the hues of youth that they
were more properly dreams and not tc
be chronicled.
Arrived at Concord, Guy left the
horse at the livery barn and made his
way along the dark and deserted stree
to the Lisbon house.
This hotel was under the proprietor
ship of a Portuguese. Being unable
to pronounce his name, the people o.
Concord rose up and bestowed upo1
him the patrony1nic of Smith" Re
tanning his multitude of Christian
names, his full title thus became Pedro
Fernandez Jose Manuel Smith. Thi
was, of course, altogether too long fol
pioneer community, and when Pedro
Fernandez was not plain Smith he wa.
Pedro, or "Cinch"- which was prac
tieally the same.
Almost any day Pedro might be seer
sitting in front of his establishment
wearing his white apron and square
white cap, his legs crossed, elbows OF
his knee, complacently swinging hi'
suspended foot and putting at corn
cob pipe. 1t was thus that Guy found