The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-07

BickS?"
!. He owns the board when he
chooses
He's an educated man. Has ne any
public conscience"
Not much Miss Wilkins besitated
over this cor adence. THE schools s r.
a tool. hard any more, to Inn. He
mas good ideas when ne takes enough
interest to mention them. 1 don't think
night"
Thank YOU" said Bigelow. "He is
in town. and / shall try
mcCallum's being in town did not ap-
pear In the least to aid Tom Bigelow's
cause. Mr.. McCaIium was wound an
in tormentinE mesh Of state noIities
ana the schools Of Johnsburg coull read
from Noah Webster's spelling book for
al he cared. Bigelow secured tho Rev.
EDWARD Sharpless. listened daily t. dia-
tripes upon the JOhnsburg school boa I'd.
the textbook agents, the whole rot
ten scheme of modern education" from
DICKSON and Burgess, pursuing these
two disaffected ones in the hope of
gaining their support, but from the
polished porphy ry of McCallum's indIf-
ference he could strike no spark.
The day of the meeting broke upon
no visible excitement. The Morning
trumpet contained pictures of the su-
perintendent of public instruction at
MS desk" and of Mrs. Bicks posed as
Mary Queen of Scots" There was a
column of eneomium of the children 5
work in preparation for the coming
contest, and fine print notice that the
board would meet at Eight sharp"
Tom Bigelow regarded the pictures
and read the notice. Then he made an
other unsuccessful attempt upon Nc
Calium. revisited his doubtful board
members, and returned to the attack
upon the Big Man. The office was
closed. so he rang the bell of the Nc
Callum residence. Mr.. McCailum's lit
tie daughter had been taken suddenly
i'll Mr.. McCallum would see no one
Dickson and Burgess had about de-
cided" not TO go near the meeting"
and, when Tom volleyed at them once
more, settled immovable in obstinate
refusal Defeat was what he faced, but
the agents were to be given a chance
TO present their ella ms to the board in
ten-minute speeches. He would make
the best speech il was in him 10 make
1t was I o'clock when Re returned IT,
the hotel. At he desk stood Zenpphuu
Manning, an active board member and
a friend of Basicy. BigeIov' hal count
ed on this mans absence. Zenophon
Manning was already printed on the
Ee-~7NA-e7JA tiot VI "a ctEcttltt p -ati ia
the morning, and the las. IRA n that
made the steamer had left Jonns0Trg
at that evening; his family were wait
ing for him in New York. He re Zee ted
BigelOws attempt to interview him as
a housewife might dispose of q tramp
The cup Of rage and humiliation
seethed
Tom called UP the fat Tony was out,
no one knew where. Anger burned
l. 9v4s 4
so little OF business Could she have
gone to Mrs. Bicks. The sound of her
voice would have braced him. Alarm
over her unknown errand unnerved him.
Then he wrenched himself from the
slough and planted his feet. Tt would
take more than Mrs. Bicks and the
board of education to put
him out of commission. But why hadn't
Manning sailed?
Mrs. Bicks knew. I've been pulling
wires today" she could not forbear
Boosting TO Miss Wilkins after dinner.
The two women dined at the same
boarding house. You see, it's going 20
be awfully close, for that BigelOW boy
has stirred up the Dickson crowd.
Smiths coming down from his lumber
camp on the 9:15; they can hold off the
vote till then. Another vote would
make it sure, so 1 went for Wakeham.
What's the good of a district attorney
if he can't help a friend?' ] asked. On
I've got these men right there" Mrs
Bicks pressed a plump thumb down on
an invisible victim. "Wakeham looked
al the list I'd checked of. What's the
matter with ManninE?' he asked. Sails
tomorrow for Europe I said. No, ne
don't said Wakeham. He'll stay and
vote And lose his pasasge?' said l.
Yes. lose his passa se,' said Wakeham
and he's stayed. Won't Mrs. Manning
be tried to have to go off alone with
her baby"
The agents had finished their exposi-
tons The board meeting was drawing
to its tame climax Bigelow knew that
he had spoken well, but he knew that
he had not gained a single vote. Dick
son and Burgess and Sharpless were all
there. but. counting every possible hope.
the Bagley faction were ahead.
The president rose. IF there Is no
further discuss" he began, when the
door at the back of the room opened
and a big figure filled thts opening. The
meeting wriggled as If it had been i'm.
paled upon an unexpected pm.
Il want to say a word" announced
Mr.. McCalum, as he appropriated
place.
Certainly. Mr.. Callum.- certainly"
stammered the president He exchanged
q ieeting glance with Bagley.
Il understand were about to vote on
the adoption of new readers said
John McCalum. I'm fully in favor Of
the effort this town is making for a
reading drill. but what we want is set
of books that viii make small children
readers. not opera house ora
tors! What IS The use Of this needless
display of our children -iB public con
tests? That's no more education than
a painted pear is fruit. My little girl
is lying dangerously III from the ex-
citenent and exposure Of = silly re-
hearsai where her baby limbs were
draped to represent Cleopatra. OF
course you gentlemen of the board
have carefully looked over these books
presented for our decision this even
ing. John McCallum had not seen one
Of them) You've noticed that one
series is free from the bsthos and vul-
earitv that panders to this love Of dis
play. the series of Supplementary Spe-
ciaI reading books whose claims have
been ably put before US by Mr. Bige-
low. CTom caught his breath but con-
trolled his face. I shall vote for that
series" Mr. McCallum's eye conveyed
a distinct command to the men whose
careers we're to a large extent in his
patronage.
The faces Of the Bsgley coterie would
have offered a pleasant study to Tom
Bigelow IL he had not been busy trying
to look. in the moment when victory
swooped from a cloudy sky. as if he'd
been expecting it all the evening.
Outside he had no chance to speak to