The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-09-23
The Mayor
of BeUfOWn
By William Hamilton Osborne.


And Beltown was a bankrupt town
financially and materially. Belltow
was sunk into the Slough of DesponC
William McClenahan was somethln
more than the mere mayor OF Bell
town. He was the sole proprietor o
the White Store in New York. III
had good stuff 10 sell and he knew nov
10 talk about 1t; and people listened
and came and bought. His White Store
a store built upon mammoth scale
was the result None but McClenahaf
knew that the receipts Of the store
barely balanced expenses; that the
| store hung quiverlng on the brink Of q
| precipice,
McClenahan was bachelor, a tall
| broad-shouldered young man OF IS or
| Whereabouts. He enjoyed The luxnries
| OF life; he wanted comfort He had
looked about him for home, and mis-
eye had rested upon Bellt0wn. He
thought he saw in Belltown place OF
possibilities. But he had not lived
there six months before there settled
down upon him the pail OF discourage
ment that all the other Belltowners
felt The place was dead
What Beltown needed. first was
money; and, later people The out-
side world must take an interest III
BelltoWn, or II was doomed. But ii
needed money to put it into shape
I've got to get that money" whis
pered McClenahan to himself zane
I've got TO get it on the outside. 4
cant spend a cent of my own can't
afford 1t; ami these chaps In Belltown
won't hand out a dollar I've got ~
get 1t somewhere, on the outside
Two days after mis- election as mayor
OF Belltown, he swung into the private
office Of the president Of Food" q
corporation on Broadway Food, the
corporation. knew how to advertise
Food, the proeuct. 1t had been the
advertisements that had attracted Me
Clenahan, past master in the art OF |
advertisement
I'm William McClenahan OF the
White Store. and mayor of Belltown."
announced McClenahan to Barker, he
head of the Food corporation. Il used
to advertise for the Manhattan. and I
want to make deal"
MeClenahan didn't stop there He
old him many things. And when he
had finished, the president rose and
apped nehemiah on the shoulder
BY George. Mr.. McClenahant" he
,aid, the very thing, the very thing.
ny Georgel"
Two days later, all Belltown, and all
Iew York. were electrified by FOOD
advertisement that was
spread thiclfly and literally upon the
heets of dailies, upon the outsides oi
he weeklies, and over all the available
Jumps and posts and fences.
II announced in substance, that for
period Of two weeks before Christ
mas. William McClenahan. proprietor
( the White Store. and mayor of Bell
own would walk daily, in Belitown
0 his train in the morning and from
is train in the afternoon, clad, as Il (.
andwich man, between boards plas-
cred with the gaudy advertisements of
God, itself The advertisement stated
lrther that the mayor would receive
)r this service the sum of S25 ,00J to
e paid by Food into the Golfers Of the :
'wn Of Belltown, beautiful but bank
apt town The whole thing was to
2 done in the interests of Belltown:
" that town McClenahan was raising
oney in the only way It could be
lised K
The newspaper reporters besought o
cClenahan for a statement. but he u
fused to be interviewed He main. II
lined a silence that was discreer. II q
1t significant.
The performance was to commence &
The morning OF Monday. The 18th al
On Saturday, he was once more in p
ryiewed at his store and at his "a
me. ~
Now he said, finally, what are
"a fellows talking about What adj n,
rtisament?" They produced the an
uncement which he had alread,
,ked upon hundred times. He read III
through again. de
It's lie, he said, from the be- hi
ming to the end WHAT? Catch
as a sandwich man, for any half. II,
ked food concern? Not much,"
This terse sentence spread like Wild Oh
;. The mayor of Belltown had re-
ed to carry out the conditions OF ST
contract-at least. so he had said
The public waited until Monday Il
rning New York waited Bell
7n waited no
When the 7:49 train pulled into the
le town that morning. its passen bl,
s. from up the road pushed up re-
Glory windows and leaned far out IN
see the fun The station crowd AT to
town had trebled In numbers. FIX
mcnt was rampant. AZ
But. where's the mayor" queried br,
crowd No one knew. But sud- .
~. as the train once more started Ba
8 neat little trap darted around d.
corner. q man jumped ont. sprinted eau
Dos the platform and caught the las, wo
Of the train II was McClenahan. the
only ~ customary garments. and q"
bout the sign Of a poster OF a sand Bel
b board about him n
gain was he besoughf bv as many "a
he press crow1 a. had climbed on,