The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1906-01-06

Nea!eQ Ile PRESIDENT IaNOrlte 1SQlQg
ground aud ruined the WinkUmpaw by
making il too famous was traced with
perfect certainty 10 Miss Klagger.
This happened so late in the season
that II cost the president not more than
one outing and Judd not more than one
fat fee and one golden day in the com
Qaly OF the great man whom he had
learned 10 regard with a gentle adora-
ton, yet the incident was looked upon
IS a calamity from all points Of view.
It made Miss Klagger extremely IN
popular; indeed. she lad never been
well liked. Few approved Of her as
p0StuiSJress. She had inherited the
Office frcm her father and had never
needed il. being well 10 DO.
1t was a double blow 10 Judd be
cause he had a sentimental feeling for
Miss klagggT, whom be often praised
to his daughter as "a strong woman. q
powerful strong woman. q mastery
woman st such times little Miss
Judd would have a cold fear in her
bones, and her sweet blue eyes would
wander, frightened. over the familiar
objects Of her home. as if she were
about to be driven from its shelter.
Yet she knew well enough that Amelia
Klagger would never marry her father
or any other poor man.
This conviction was most agreeably
verified in early July, when the suspi-
ciOn that il was Miss Klagger who had
sent the Winkumpaw story u the
Washington paper had crystallized il
10 certainty. In the midst Of the result
ing gossip it was announced that Miss
KIagger would marry a lawyer named
SteinfOrth, who from a small beginning
had risen to such power that it was
said TO be only a question OF time when
he would own the whole town.
The p0StmistreSS went on u brief
wedding trip. leaving the Office in the
hands of her young brother. who was
grotesquely and indeed maliciOusly IN
fit for that honorable station, and when
the bride returned and resumed charge
Of the mails her manner was far more
Extensively autocratic and her neglect
Of public business more brGZen than it
had ever been before. The result was
that Mrs. SteinfOrth was removed
from office in October, and Parker
Judd was appointed.
Judd was overwhelmed. His for
tunes had declined. despite his daugh-
ter'S good management 10 u point
where relief was urgently demanded.
1t had even been rumOred that Lawyer
C4-Gr- rov.@h ~ c,rtF tho
old Judd place. In view of these facts
it is no wonder that Providence and
the president became completely and
reverently blended in Judd's thought
Hes been right good to me-" said
Judd for the hundredth time as he sat
on the chOpping block one evening aft
er supper. Il wish there was some
thin I could give him"
ale doesn't want anything" re-
sponded his daughter. MY goodness,
he's got everything"
You remember the night he was
here TO supper" said Judd, when we
had the poult brOiler He everlastingly
slowed it away, didn't he?" And the
postmaster chuckled with pleasure at
the memory. Said it was about the top
notch in the way of a turkey. Now,
I've been a-thinkin' an a-pOnderin'
an a revolvin' in my mind" he added,
with increasing decisiveness, IAN this
is what I've come to: Some o them
poults has growed up into mighty
prime turkeys, an I'm gOin' to take the
best O. the lot an fat him up from now
on an send him to the president for
Thanksgivin'. What do We say to that,
girlie?"
1t struck Miss Judd as a good idea
and absolutely original. Neither she
nor her father had ever heard OF the
gentleman in Westerly, r. l., who has
provided presidential turkeys for so
many years. Such is fame.
Judd picked out three turkeys of the
bronze" variety and bestowed upon
| them an affectiOnate attention such as
no fowls in that region had ever before
! enjoyed. They responded gratefully
! they throve miraculously; they ran a
neck and neck race, with the AK as
their goal. and Judd was forced TO con-
| TESS TO his daughter that he would
I
! have to kill and dress all three before
! he could make a choice. He did not say
much about the matter to anybody else;
! indeed. be labOred under the delusiOn
| that he said nothing at all, and when
/ the truth became known he honestly
| believed that his daughter had revealed
/ il. and he spiced the evening meal with
many a kindly jest about the inability
! Of women to keep secret.
Amelia Klagger SteinfoTth heard of
! JUdd's plan. She always heard Of ev-
erything that was going on, an good
deal that isn't as her neighbOrs eX-
/ pressed it. She was credited with
! being the first to hear all news, but that
! couldn't have been the case in this in
! stance, because she never spoke 10 any
| member of the Judd household after
/ the loss of the poStOfiice. She mention
| ed the matter to her husband, who shut
/ one eye and blew thin clouds Of SMOKE
| toward the ceiling Of their dining
room. Then be began to laugh noise
/ lessly and with a peculiar quaking OF
{ the body. Amelia was angry because
he did not speak. and she gave him
! some sharp words. but when he finally
/ told her what be was laughing at an