The Irish standard., 1902-04-26

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 himself, for
what chance would Concord have if he
ordered the Colonel's imported voters
out 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 if per-
mitted to vote as they pleased they
might be subsidized by agents of
Vlandingham. The matter was deli
cate one and to be handled with ex-
treme caution. The temptation to look
out for himself al all costs was pow
erful one, and had not Miss Betty her.
self said that it was right for him to
do all he could to keep the county seat
at Concord? Taking everything into
consideratio Guy thought it would be
we'll to lay back on his oars, watch the
opposition and see what happened.
He had a number of thoughts con-
cerning 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 to
be chronicled.
Arrived at Concord, Guy left the
horse at the livery barn and made his
way along the dark and deserted street
to the Lisbon house.
This hotel was under the proprietor
ship of a Portuguese. Being unable
to pronounce his name, the people of
Concord rose up and bestowed upon
him the patronymic of "Smith." Re-
tanning his multitude of Christian
names, his full title thus became Pedro
Fernandez Jose Manuel Smith. This
was, of course, altogether too long for
pioneer community, and when Pedro
Pedro, or "Cinch"-which was prac-
tically the same.
Almost any day Pedro might be seen
sitting in front of his establishment,
wearing his white apron and square
white cap, his legs crossed, elbows on
his knee, complacently swinging his
suspended foot and putting at corn
cob pipe. 1t was thus that Guy found
the proprietor when he came out from
breakfast on the morning after his
ride from Harmony.
The early train from the west had
just stopped at the station as Guy
took a chair on the porch and lighted
Il cigar.
"Ouite an excitement when the
trains come in" observed Pedro.
$50 it seems" returned Guy, looking
at the little throng which had gath
cred on the platform and part of which
was visible around the ends of the sta
ton building. He saw Mr.. Glimmer
. and Lemucl Billiins, among others, and
gave especial attention to a slender
youth whose fiery hair curled fringing,
: ly about Tie edges of his old cap. This
latter individual was throwing IL can
: vas bag into the open door of the mai
, car
"rhat's Sampson" vcntured Pedro
I, noting the direction of Guys gaze;
), "works for the Colonel, and is JUS
c throwing on the east-bound bundle o
n this weeks Blizzard. Here's cop,
of it, if you'd like to run it over. IT.
), a mighty warm nnmber-county sea
e war is gettin' interestin'."
e Pedro pulled the paper out from un
: der his apron and Guy examined i
0 lazily. There was a red-hot leader, il
+ the Colonel's scorchirg style, piclin!
the county commissioners to latter
: and then holding these remnants III
: to public contumely. The intrinsi
t value of the article did not interes
) Guy quite so much as something else
Y He produced the note which Mr.. Vlan
! bingham had handed him at the tow
y meeting the night before-N. B.-H
was treasuring that scrap simply an
:. solely because Of Miss Rctty's pencilc
# message to her fatherat the bottom q
it. Turning the note over. he peruse
u the writing on the back. as he had don
r, once before that morning.
e The chirography was blotte
scrawl and the ink was purple i
L. color. Guy remembered that the in
o which the Colonel had Jared out c
it's stand on the preceding afternoo
ID was of that identical hue. Yet thi
10 was not all. The writing on the bac
re of that note was the counterpart of
I fraction of the leader, word for wore
S. comma for comma and eXclamatio
is point for exclamation point. Had Gu
e. u piece of the copy" in his hands
nt Was here clew to the identity of til
"broom man" mentioned by Barney.
I'd "Jee-mi-nee!" broke from Pedl
re Smith, as he got up from his chai
H. "Here come three passengers fro
ty the west. We don't get many fro
that direction"
IS Guy thrust the note back into
pocket and looked towards the st
K tion. The train had gone and the C
rious citizens were headed back t
IT. wards the business section of Il
town. Lemuel was carrying the me
Mt sacks for Mr.. McQuilllin. task whit
we he performed proudly and regular
for the mere glory of it; Sampson,
little time at his disposal now th
the weeks issue was out of the wa
had lighted a cigarette and was sau
ay tering leisurely: Mr.. Glimmer hi
been expecting his wife's sister fro
Bismarck, and it cannot be said tn
he wore very disappointed look b
~. cause she had failed to arrive. Waf
l. = II. 4