Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1906-10-03
GOALS OF FIRE
1Original. l

Denton Adams went west fully equip
ped, SO far as education goes, to take a
prominent stand. He had MOI. been
In his new home long when vacancy
occurred on the school board, and he
was nominated for the position. Wom-
en- voted In that section, and woman
was put up against Adams.
/ Rosa Day was the seemingly inap-
proprlate name of the woman candi-
/ late-a name that smacks rather Of a
bright morning In a flower garden
than a woman with assurance sufh-
client to stand for election In heated
campaign. When Mr. Adams heard
the name of his opponent he pictured
4 In his mind blushing girl whom to
! treat with the ordinary campaign argu-
ments would be proclamation, and he
would have withdrawn had he not
pledged himself to run II nominated.
But when he heard that Miss Day was
running her campaign with free at
tacks on the unfltness of the opposite
sex to decide upon matters pertaining
to children and his own unfltness In
particular he girded up his lolns for
! the fight.
MI. Adams was on his way to speak
at D. The town was off the line of any
railroad, and Adams was obliged to
travel by coach. Whether 1t Is the
seats facing each other, the narrow
compass or the ruts, there Is some
thing about a stagecoach that throws
people together The candidate had
by this time talked so much about the
election that he was tired of 1t, and
since he was not known to the few pas
sengers present he wa enabled to keep
his identity Il secret.
He was destined on this trip to meet
his fate. Opposite him sat girl ap-
parently eighteen = she was twenty
two-as pretty as a red apple and as
modest as pansy. A man may meet
thousands of women without being In
the slightest degree affected by any
of them. Then suddenly he may look
upon face and know that 1t belongs
to the woman he wishes to be his wife.
1t was so with Adams when he looked
upon the face of this girl. He soon
scraped an acquaintance and, chatting
in unrestrained stagecoach fashion, aft
er a time drew forth an intelligence, u
fund of information that surprised
him. He was not to speak at d. till
the next night and when the young
lady got off at M. he concluded to
alight at the same town. She told him
that she had an engagement for the
first part of the evening, but would be
happy to have him call at her aunt's,
where she would stop after o'clock.
AS he walked to the hotel he saw no
tees posted of a meeting to take place
that evening for the discussion of the
school question, and Miss Day would
speak.
Being curious to see and hear his op-
ponent, Adams after supper strolled
around to the schoolhouse where the
meeting was to take place, and, not
wishing to be known, he drew up his
coat collar, kept on his hat, which he
pulled down over his eyes, and took u
back seat. An old farmer opened the
meeting with short address, then In
troduced the speaker Of the evening,
the candidate for school commissioner,
who arose from one of the front seats
and took the stand.
Adams saw the young girl with whom
he had travelled.
For half an hour he sat quietly, hear
ing himself denounced as one who,
coming from the effete east, with Its
old fashioned educational customs,
thought to introduce them among the
children of the young and vigorous
west. This was the burden of her ar
gument for this particular evening.
The address was we'll rounded, and
long before 1t was finished Adams
knew that 1t had been written and
committed to memory. When the meet
ing was closed he sat till the speaker
had passed out In company with an
angular woman with square jaw
and a glittering eye, who looked far
more like a candidate than Miss Day.
Adams followed his opponent home,
and few minutes after she had en-
tered he rang and was admitted. The
angular woman had gone on to another
house, and he found Miss Day alone.
He told her that he had been to the
meeting and had heard her speak, but
did not mention that she had been ad-
dressing, among others, her opponent.
He found her as charming as she had
been In the coach and not at all like
| the woman who could speak harshly of
any one, even the man who was try
! ing to get the office she coveted. He
! told her that this man Adams" was to
speak at D., few miles farther on,
/ the next night, and she resolved to go
and hear him.
The next evening before the speaker
entered one of the campaign commit
tee announced that to avoid Interrupt
| tions no one would be allowed to en-
ter or depart until the candidate had
finished his address. Only a few per
sons ayailed themselves of this notice
! to get out before the speaker entered