The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-05-11
CHAPTER XXI.

CfAf Ell N-N<Nt
Mr.. Harlan left the house and did
not return until long after midnight.
When Leslie came downstairs the next
morning he had already breakfasted
and gone to the Office without bidding
her good-by Such thing had never
happened before. II measured the
magnitude Of her offense In his eyes.
The troublesome proxy lay on her
desk where she had tossed II the night
before. She sat down and read IL
through once more Was she right in
hesitating to sign It? Had she not
virtually told her own father that she
did not trust him? Was she rot about
to proclaim this publicly? What did
she propose to do? Was she to attend
this meeting in person and vote
against her father, or, at best, vote in
his stead? In the one case there would
be scandal; in the other ridicule and
notoriety. What a story that would
make for the newspapers, with pic
lures of the warning father and daugh-
ter. and all the possible and impossible
inferences which would be drawn from
the facts. He would be a Joke down
town if she did any such thing as that.
But was there any alternative? If
she authorized anybody else to repre-
sent her, she would only add to the
insult and increase the scandal. If she
refused to vote at all, her action would
embarrass her father, without, per-
haps, serving the cause she desired to
favor. Chance had placed in her
hands technical right which she
feared to exercise practically.
How much did she know of the is
sues involved? On the one side was
a man she had learned toto believe
in. To believe in very earnestly. But
there must be no issue between her
father and this manor any man. II
that were the situation, she would in
stantly decide for the father whose
wonderful love had been hers all her
life and whom her mother had loved.
No. the men, women and children
whose health and comfort were at
stake formed the real issues. Ii she
voted against them even indirectly,
would not the thought of it outlast
her life? Her father was opposed to
the man who He was opposing the
poor and the weak in this contest.
Perhaps he did not know this. Per-
haps he was altogether ignorant of the
true state of affairs. She had told him
nothing of what she knew. Possibly,
If she reported frankly everything she
had heard and suspected, he might in
vestigate and learn why she could not
vote against John Kennard-against
what she believed to be right. She
would go straight to the Office and ex-
plain the whole matter fully and fair
ly. Anything was better than this
hideous chance of misunderstanding.
Miss Harlan's car moved slowly
along Park Row, the motorman beat
ing furiously on his metal gong, and
gradually dividing the ever-present
group of people which gazes morning,
noon and night at the big bulletin
board of the Guardian" AS the car
stopped at the Nassau street corner,
Leslie stepped out and stood for mo-
ment in the knot of idlers staring at
the empty blackboard.
A man mounted on wooden plat
form leisurely washed the bulletin
board with big sponge, leaving wide,
damp streaks of gray across its face.
He seemed aware of his importance to
the watchers below, and took delight
In playing with their hungry curiosity.
The board cleaned, he htched up his
trousers with great delibcration, and
retired into one of the Office windows
with the tantalizing air of one who
knows the public must await his pleas
ure. Presently he returned, chalk