Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-12-30

We'll, you are taking 1t pretty
COOL"
Taking what?" faltered Ardmore.
standing up, and seeking to hide the
book behind his back.
why, this outrageous article!" and
she thrust a newspaper under his
eyes. DO you mean to say you
haven't seen the morning paper"
ITO tell you the truth, Miss Danger
field, l hardly ever read the papers,"
Whats that you were reading
when ] came in?" she demanded Sc
verely, withholding the paper until
she should be answ cred.
Its a book about the government,
and the powers resel we'd to the states
and hat sort of thing. I was Just
reading the constitutions; / thought it
might help us-I mean you-in your
work"
The constitution help me? Hasn't
1T occurred to you before this that
what I'm doing is all against the con-
stitution and the revised statutes and
all those books you see on the shelf
there?"
But the constitution sounds all
liSuI. IL BUILD lCIlIll hdUly uoo
able. You couldn't ask anything fair
err than that"
$50 are the ten commandments fair
enough; but you're on the wrong
track, Mr.. Ardmore, if you're trying
to support the present administration
with stupid things in books. I don't
follow precedents, Mr.. Ardmore; i
create them"
She turned to the morning mail
while he read, and opened the
envelopes rapidly. Such of the letters
as she. thought interesting or impor.
tant she put aside. and when Ardmore
finished reading a double-leaded tele-
gram from Columbia, in which the
governor Of South Carolina was quot
ed as declaring his intention of taking
immediate steps for the apprehension
of Appleweight, she was still reading
and sorting letters, tapping her cheek
lightly meanwhile with the official
paper-knife.
Here, Mr.. Ardmore,' she said,
drawing a paper from her pocket, "is
The answe to that telegram we sent
yesterday evening. Suppose you reaG
that next, and we can then decide
what to do"
She was making the letters into lit
tie piles, humming softly MEANWHILE;
but he felt that there was a storm
brewing. He read the message from
Columbia a number of times, and If
the acting governor had not been sc
ominously quiet he would have laugh.
ed at the terse sentences.
There must be a mistake about
this. He wouldn't have used divert.
ing that way; that's insulting!"
$50 you appreciate its significance,
do you, Mr.. Ardmore? The iron en-.
ters your soul, does it? You realize
that I have been insulted, do you?"
y shouldn't put it that way, Miss
Dangerfield. Gov. Osborne would
to you-he thought he was sending IT
to your father"
Hes insulted me and every other
citizen in the Old North State; that's
who he's insulted, Mr.. Ardmore. Let
me read 1t again." and she repeated
the telegram aloud:
Your extremely diverting tele-
gram in Appleweight case received
and fled I think it's the extremely
that's SO perfectly mean The divert
Ing by itself would not hurt my feel
ings half sc much. He's a good deal
smarter man than I thought he was
to think up a telegram like that. But
what do you think Of that piece in the
newspaper"
He say he's going to catch Apple
weight dead or alive. That sounds
pretty serious"
q think it's a bluff, myself. That
telegram we sent him yesterday must
have scared him to death. He was
driven into a corner and had to do
something to avoid being d%isgraced,
and it's easy enough to talk big in the
newspapers when you haven't the
Ii Intention OF doing anything
at all. I've noticed that father. talks
the longest and loudest about things
he doesn't believe at all"
"Is II possihler" whispered Ard
more incredulously.
"of course IT'S possible! Father
would have been elected If he'd
expressed his real sentiments; neither
would anybody else ever be elected
II he said beforehand what he really
believed"
THAT must have been the reason I
got defeated for alderman on the re-
form ticket. I told 'em I was for
turning the rascals out"
"That was very stupid of you.
You've got to get the rascals to elect
you nrst; then If you're tired Of Of
fee and don't need them any more
you bounce them. But that's political
practice; it's a theory we've got to
work out now. The newspapers are
. lot Of bother. I spent all yesterday
evening talking to reporters. They
came to the house to ask where papa
was and when he would be home!"
what did you ten them?"
Il didn't tell them anything. / sent
out for two other girls and we all just
talked to them and kept talking, and
gave them lemon sherbet and ginger
cookies: and Eve Hungerford played
the banjo. But what were you doing,
Mr.. Ardmore, that you didn't come
around to help? It seems to me you
don't appreciate the responsibilities
Of being secretary to a governor"
Il was afraid you might scold mo
II I did. And besides l wal glued to
the long distance telephone all even