Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-28

MET Get off the conm5ttees"
the captain to one side and whispered
eagerly to him for moment or two.
The word Seth" was mentioned at
least once.
why, Captain Eriv' exclaimed Elsie
as they drove away.
The captain grinned. Didn't know
I was such heller, did you?" he said.
"Well, I tell you, If you're fishin' for
cells there amt no use usin' mack'rel
jig. Sol, he's little mite eely, and
you've got to use the kind Of bait
that'll fetch that sort Of critter."
But shouldn't think he would care
whether he was on the school commit
tee or not. It isn't such an exalted
position
Captain Eri's answer was in the
form Of parable. "Old Laban simp-
kins that lived round here one time, p
he said, twas mighty hard ticket.
Drank rum by the hogshead, pounded
his wife till she left him, and was a
tough nut gin'rally. Well, one evenin'
Labe was comm home pretty how
come.you-so, and he fell into Jonadab
Wixon's well. Wonder he want killed,
but he want, and they fished him out
in a little while. He said that was the
deepest we'll he ever saw; said he be-
gun to think 1t reached clear through
to the hereafter, and when he struck
the water he was s'prised to find it
want hot. He fined the church the
next week, and somebody asked him it
he thought religion would keep him
from fallin' into any more wells. He
said no; said he was lookin' out for
solnethin' further on.
well, that's the way tits with Sol.
School committees all right, but this
section Of the Cape dominates state
representative next year.
II mustn't forgit to see Seth" he
added. II promised would, and, be-
Sides" with wink, II think 'twould
be better to do 1t cause, between you
and me, don't b'lieve Seth knows that
he's been thinkln' of runnin' for the
committee and has decided not to-"
The second member Of the school
board, John Mullett, was, so the cap
tain said, q sort Of me too to Mr..
Bangs and would vote as his friend
directed. The third member was Mr..
Langworthy, the Baptist minister, and,
though 2 to / was a clear majority,
Captain Eri asserted that there was
nothing like unanimous vote, and so
they decided to call upon the reverend
gentleman.
They found him at home, and Elsie
was surprised after the previous inter-
view to see how differently her cham
pion handled the case. There was no
preliminary parley and no beating
about the BUSH Miss Preston's claim
to the soon to be vacant position was
stated clearly and with vigor; also
the reasons why she should receive a
higher salary than had previously been
paid were set forth. 1t was something
of a surprise to Elsie. as it had been
to Ralph, to see how highly the towns
people--that is, the respectable portion
of them-seemed to value the opinions
OF this good natured but uneducated
seaman. And yet when she considered
that she, too, went to him for advice
that she would not have asked Of 9th
er and far more learned acquaintance
it did not seen SO surprising after all.
The clergyman had had several can
didates in mind, but he was easily won
over to Elsie's side. And SO, as Cap
tain Fri said, the stump speaking be-
ing over, there was nothing to do but
to wait for the election, and Elsie and
he agreed to keep the affair secret
until she received formal notice of the
appointment. This was undoubtedly a
good plan; but, unfortunately for its
success, Solomon Bangs called upon
his fellow In the committee, Mr.. Null
lett, to inform the latter that he, en-
tirely unaiaed, had discovered the very
teacher that Orhan needed in the per-
son Of John Baxter's granddaughter.
Mr. MuIlett, living UP to his "me too
reputation, indorsed the selection with
enthusiasm, and not only did that,
but also told every one he met, SO that
Captain Perez heard of it at the post
Office the very next afternoon.
The natural surprise Of this gentle
man and of Captain Jerry at their
guests sudden determination was met
by plausible explanations from Cap
tain Err to the effect that Elsie was a
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