Putnam patriot., 1909-01-15
A Cyclone
 OfAmbifion.


 as six months before the general cleo ton of 19- that he would be candi- sate for office he would have laughed him to seorn. Thomas was the most unassIirnius man iB the world Small, bald. nearsighted. with soft voice and extreme geutleness of manner. he was especially united for parueipa- ton in an exciting campaign
 One day q widow. inpecunious and ambitious. hearing of Mir Thompson and his income, made up her mind to
 marry him There are various ways of appropriatiHg a man. he widow chose that of carrying him by storm. When the storm was over NIT. Thomas
 was q married man.
 The wedding occurred five months and two weeks before the election. At
 the end of weeks honeymoon Mir.
 Thomas took up his paper one morn ing and read:
 There is d movement on foot to place Thomp Thomas a gum shoe politician of the Seventh ward. in nomination for may or, We hope 1t will not succeed. We need a practical business man for the po- sition. not drone-
 Mir. Thomas was astounded- Calling
 his wife. he showed her the item.
 Well" she said. .I know I've married
 drone. but don't intend that my
 husband shall remain drone. l have some ambition. 1 and you are one.
 We will work together. l am arrang- ing for your candidacy myself" But, my dear
 T have the promise of the boss that
 you shall have the nomination. All
 that is required is your check for s. GOO for election expenses'- Five thousand dollars"
 (Which will be well spent. You
 have never taken any stand in the town whatever. but the mayoralty
 will'-
 MT. Thomas groaned. Then he showed bit of fight-the only fight he had ever shown in his life-but Mrs. Thomas so out-Heroded Herod in a war of words that her husband was cowed He did not consent to the movement his wife had inaugurafed any more than man consents to be drowned: he was simply submerged. The SJ.oGo was handed in to the boss. who after deposItiag the lions share l to the credit If the organization be- gan paying out the rest 10 the heeiers. Thompson Thomas received the nem- nation. JHdson fadieben was put ID 1 by the opposition boss and the people l beca me greatly interested in what they 1 considered their franchise as American citizens The morning afer the nom-
 nation NIT Thomas was surprised to
 read in a jeurnal-the mouthpiece of | the party he represented-an interview i with himself He was not aware of ] having been interviewed and spoke of his astonishment to his wife. She in- | formed him that il was a ''faked" in- teryiew for political purposes. Among other things that had been put into his mouth. was this:
 "Mr. Thomas. what are your views con- eerning the trusts 2'
 T consider them Gnholy alliances to grind the faces of the poor" And how do you stand on the labor question ?'
 1 .'l look upon the lahorer as a man and | brother. lf elected 1 snail do all in my 1 power to advance hss interests al the ex- 1 pense Of h.s employers
 l Mir Thomas was indignant What
 pothouse politician put that in my month;" he said e9 his wife T would De all idiot to advance the laborer's interest al fhe expense of his employ | eT. Where would the Iaborer be if
 his employer Were degraded ?'
 No poihnuse politician wrote il. my lear l was informed that your views would be required. and l put that in
 myself Yeu must stand well with the laborer or you will be defeated Then came demands for more funds. MT. Thomas refused. but one days bat lie with his wife was sufficient. and he gave another cheek and another and mother til most Of his capital was in- vested in his candidacy for an office he didn't want But the erowning agony was the abuse heaped upon him by the 1 opposition. When he read the follow ing he tainted dead away: There IS man just now prominent be- fore the pubic wto. il is runored if he had his just deserts would be behind bars rather than soliciting the votes of his countrymen Could the opposition sink tower than nominate one who has sought
 
 dust about his past2 Only jury of those eountryrsen could throw a searchiight upon that record he seeks to hide.
 As soon as Thomas could pull himself together he went To the newspaper of- lice and demanded 10 see the man who
 wrote the article. You mustn't mind a little thing ike that. Mir. Thomas,' said the scribbler smiling. They say all s fair in love and war They forgot to put in politics :" But I'll have the law of you -Oh. We haven't men, toned you. Good day. Mr Thomas. Hope you'll meet with success" The morning of the 4th of November came at last \ president was elected with an eclat that diverted attention From the minor offices MT. Thomas, looking in his morning paper for his record. saw in one corner:
 Thompson Thomas was defeated for mayor or - Certain presidential votes were needed. and some f5OJ0 that would have elected Thomas were traded for the presidential candidate
 Mir Thomas married life was of short duration. His wife. who had swooped down upon him al the proper time to nominate him for office. the morning after his defeat left him to enter other neids Of ambition She had come like kansas cyclone. ragged fercely. then passed on. leaving wreck behind her. MT. Thomas gathered up the fragments and found there was just enough left 10 pay the expenses of divorce. This