The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-10-01

. Literary Press. u
II the Hon. Tom Paxton had been
making out a schedule of his personal
property a portion Of 1t would have
read as follows
sole owner and proprietor OF the
Steenth congressional district.
sole owner of one spinster sister.
sole owner Of one charming daugb-
ter"
The honorable Tom secured posses
sion Of the Steenth district during a
brain storm of reform. and he imme-
diately started In to make it a life job.
At the rate Of this record he was serv-
ing the last weeks of his fourth term
and laying hiss wires for fifth He
was kee@ing an eye on the interests of
the country and neglecting few oppor
tunities to advance "the cause" when
he received a letter that started him
off for home. He arrived there to face
his sister and daughter and demand to
know what it was all about.
Fate may have nothing to do with
kettle of hot soft soap boiling over and
blistering the feet of farmers wife.
but everybody knows that 1t has all to
do with love. II Arthur Clayton hadn't
graduated In law and been in Lexlng
ton one day to see what the chances
were of hanging out his shinge, and
II Jennie Paxton hadn't been acting as
chauffeur of her own auto. the young
man and the auto would not have col
lided on the street.
He was taken to hotel to get the
better of the shock and the cuts and
bruises, and the conscience stricken
girl sent him flowers and messages of
regret. Had she had the business In
stlncts of her father she would have
sent him a five dollar bill instead and
told him to sue for the balance. The
spinster aunt saw romance. admiration
and love mixed up with the accident.
and after the victim was able to limp
out and had made a call she wrote to
her brother that the danger signal was
out This letter brought him home as
he was In the midst of d nice little
never find their way In the Congress
sional Record.
The honorable Thomas came home to
smash things. He was no orator. He
had never vet even moved that the
house do now adjourn. He did fairly
we'll. though, on this his maiden eff
fort He said he would be hanged and
be burned and be bowed If he would
have 1t So He would burst the as
pirations of that gander shanked law
yer in a day. He would lock his
daughter down cellar or upstairs, and
II she dug her way out with an old
case knife and married Clayton she and
her thirteen wailing children might
freeze and thaw and starve for all
OF him. Then he wound up his ora
tory With:
Drop It'll Drop 1t right now! There's
nothing In love, but there's a heap in
politics. I've brought home a gripful
of my private papers, and | want You
to overhaul and classify them. A pol
itician's daughter should know some
thing about politics"
Jennie was sllenced, and therefore
the father took 1t that she was con-
yinced and cowed. The honorable Tom
was deceived He knew men, but he
didn't know girls II he had, he would
have realized that they are the most
dangerous when they cease to argue
and protest Not that his daughter
could have told him. had she been ever
SO frank, that she was really in love
with the briehess young lawyer who
had been knocked into the gutter by
her auto. but she might have limited
that fate had a great deal to do with
such things and that she should abide
by fate.
Having smashed things to his own