The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-12-13
GOALS OF FIRE
TOr!ginal,l 7.


in his new home long when vacancy
occurred on the school board, and IN
was nominated for the position. Won.
en- voted in that section, and a woman
was put up against Adams.
Rosa Day was the seemingly inap.
prOpriate name of the woman candi.
date--a name that smacks rather of
bright morning in flower garden
than woman with assurance Sut1
cient TO stand for election in Il heated !
campaign. When Mr.. Adams heard |
the name of his opponent he pictured !
in his mind a bushing girl whom to
treat with the ordinary campaign argu
ments would be n profanation. and he
would have withdrawn had he not
pledged himself to run If nominated. !
But when he heard that Miss Day was
runnins her campaign With free at |
tacks ca the UniitncSS of the opposite
sex to decide upon matters pertaining
to children and his own unfitness in
particular he "irdcd up his loins for
the fight
Mr.. Adams waS ON his Way TO speak
railroad, and Adams was obliged to
travel by coach. Whether it is the
seats facing each o,her. the narrow
compass or the ruts there is some
thing about n staGccoach that throws
people together. The candidate had
by this time talked so much about the
election that he was tired of it, and
~ tn 1n
sengers present he was enabled to keep
his identity secret.
lie was destined on this trip to meet
his fate. Opposite him sat Il girl APP
parently eighteen = she was twenty
two-as pretty as red apple and as
modest rs pansy y man may meet
thousands Of women without being in
the slightest degree affected by any
Of them Then suddenly he may look
upon Il and know that it belongs
| to the wv...,n 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 time drew forth an intelligence,
| 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 NJ he concluded to
alight ut 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 8 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 wou.1
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 a
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
uc lluu lldNelcu
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 well rounded, and
long before it was finished Adams
knew that it 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 a square jaw
and glittering eye, who looked far
more like a candidate than Miss Day.
Adams followed his opponent home,
and a 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 adj
I 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
4 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., a few miles farther on
4 the next night, and she resolved to go
:. and hear him.
The next evening before the speaker
( entered one of the campaign commit
4 tee announced that to avoid Interrupt
I lions no one would be allowed to Ell
ter or depart until the candidate had
finished his address Only few per
4 sons awaited themselves of this notice
). to get out before the speaker entered
and took the stand. He kept his eyes
fixed on two ladies occupying a back
4 seat, and his whole address was q
2 modest statement of his own def
ciencies for school commissioner and
an encomium upon the merits of hi:
opponent.
Surprised as was the audience at this
address the other voters when they