Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-05-19

A DOOR at the end of the dingy
II room swung open a foot, and a
small, freckled face topped by a halo
of tousled red hair appeared in the
aperture. Hello, McC-acken?" vocif-
Grated the owner, shrilly, searching
the room with his eyes. "Oh, | say,
Mac, Crab wants you upstairs-right
off,"
A tall man bending over the edge of
the battered table rose hastily, shying
a roll of typewriter copy into the
mouth Of a yawning brass tube set in
the wall opposite. "A1l right, Mickey"
he said, c%heerfully, tell him I'm COM
ing.
Wonder. what the old man wants?"
s~oliloquized the reporter, as he hur-
riedly mounted the rickety stairs, for
when Crabtree Nichols, generalissimo
and editor-in-chief of the Telegram"
forces, condescended to dispatch his
private ofice-boy after a reporter it
was well for the wanted individual to
move with speed. 1T must be a spe,
cial assignment of some sort. l hope
to goodness it hasn't anything to do
with the Kosher meat riots; two days
and a night of that business is about
enough for James McCracken, Esq.
Harris swore this morning that if I sent
in any more copy full Of Keifferman
and Feinklestein, he'd sue me for the
e and i type he wore out, anyhow"
turning the knob of the Office door,
heres hoping it's something out of
the rut."
The thin, nervous face of Crabtree
Nichols, clearcut and businesslike as a
steel wedge, peered over the edge of a
pyramid of litter as the reporter halted
by the side of the desk. "Oh-er-you,
McCracken?" he said, briefly. "Sit
down" McCracllen complied. "Fors-
ter's sprained his knee" went on the
editor, rapidly. He's just 'phoned me
from the Emergency. You'll have to
so down to Clayton Point and do the
launching. Of course, that isn't much
of a trick by itself, any cub on the
staff could do it, and I shouldn't have
sent for you if that was all; but it
isn't. Miss Grover, the mayors daugh-
ter, is to do the christening-she's a
%grandniece or something of the Capt.
Grover the boats named for-and her
father is going to make a speech at
the luncheon afterward. l fixed it for
Forster to have a place on the staging
when Miss Grover cracked the bottle.
Grover will be there, too. Here's Fors-
ter's card for the whole business,
lunch and all. I've written your name
in place of his.
What you are to do-the whole
thing in a nutshell-is to cultivate
Grover. See if by hook or crook you
can get him to drop some hint as to
what he is going to do about the South
Side Railroad franchise. He's close.
mouthed, but he is mighty anxious fol
reelection. and if a clever man thai
knows his business can't get something
out of him this afternoon it'll be q
wonder.
with all the excitement, cheers, the
honor paid his daughter, and a chance
to pose for votes in his speech
Grover'll be in a mood to loosen up, il
he ever is. There'H be plenty of cham.
payne, too, to help things along. Il
you hustle you can get the LAO traiI
and be in the yard at 2:30. That's ALL
Nichols dived into the pile of paper
and McCracken walked out of the Of.
flee.
For once opportunity had deigned tt
dangle her forelock within reach of his
fingers; not for a second did he fail t.
recognize that fact. Clayton politics
had been on the boil for six weeks ovel
the franchise bill, and the key of thu
situation lay in the mayors hands. 81
far John Grover had baffled interview
ers and puzzled even the prominen
men in his own party by a s%phinx-lik'
refusal to commit himself as to wheth
er or not he would sign the bill if i
passed. The paper that could discoun
his final action would make it's rival
''sit up"
McCracken had been in love will
Molly Grover for more than a year
ever since he had made her ~acquaint
ance during a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
afternoon on the Clayton g%olf-links-
and while he was not without stray bu
tangible proof that the young lady il
question took an interest of sorts il
his welfare, he realized well enougl
that between the daughter of Johl
Grover-a rich and rising POLITICAL
with an unbounded ambition-and
more Or less obscure reporter drudg
ing on a daily newspaper there was
great (sociaD gulf fixed; still, whel
one is young hope is a factor that re
fuses to be eliminated, and it is soMe
thing to spend even a meager thre
hours in the immediate vicinity of tn
"only- girl in the world" although tn
future holds forth no prospect @
orange-blossoms and ultimate posses
sion McCracken sauntered into tn
yard with his heart humping ioyously
and whistling to himself when tn
Girl You Love, Loves You"
With the launching this story ha
nothing to do save to chronicle tn
fact that it was much like other launch
jngs and went off smoothly, and tina
the mayor, his pride in his handsom
daughter open and manifest, made tn
speech of his life, was roundly al
plauded, and departed cityward !
high spirits, carrying with him intat
the secret that the discounted M
Cracker, despite adroit questions an
Machiavellian leads, had failed to per
citrate.
Even the memory Of five warm littl
fingers laying in his palm for a longe
period than etiquette demanded faile
to altogether dispel the gloom thu
wrapped the reporters soul when |