The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-24
THE EVENING STORY
EIecting Cousin Fred.

woods mother had warned her that
| she was too gushing. One OF the Things
her mother meant by that was ner
| readiness to confide in others, even Oh
the slightest acquaintance.
On this occasion, however, even II sne
| had resolved beforehand to De prim
end silent and discreet and study the
toes of her shoes, instead OF the races
| of her fellow passengers, all the way
out to Belleville, 1t would have speen
| hard to keep to her resolution
When she drove up to the depot Irol ~
| her home the cabman tried TO collect
an exorbitant fare and gentleman
came forward and read him a lecture;
Then, as she was buying her rallroau
ticket, as she left her purse on the
shelf Of the ticket window and tne
same gentleman brought 1t to ner.
| Again. she was about to take the tram
for Albany instead of Belleville, when
he set her right. Then they had chair
seats side by side, both bound for the
same place, and the gentleman had pre-
sented his card, as gentleman shoulo,
nodded at him and thus vouched for
his character. When all these things
had been taken into consideration MISS
Bessie felt it almost a duty to gush.
The good looking stranger had pre-
scented a card bearing the name of Mr.
Charles Burden" Miss Bessie was bit
near sighted, and after she had made
Baden of Burden she tucked the
card away in her reticule to be for
gotten for days and weeks. She gave
her own name in return, and then
gushingly added:
Pm sure you can never guess why
I'm going to Belleville, and so I'll tell
you at once. It's on account of poll
tics.''
80 you are a suffragette - smiled
Mr.. Burden.
"Oh, no, no, no! I'll tell you how it
is. If you have heard of papa you
know that he is a politician"
'Pes; State Senator WILDWOOD"
Pm glad you've heard, for I think
papa a great man. Well. 1 get my
politics from him. 1 have made him tell
me lots and lots of tricks they resort
to, and think I am most as sharp as
he is My cousin Fred, at Belleville.
is running for county supervisor on the
Democratic ticket. You know what a
supervisor is, don't you?"
IT have a dim idea. Miss WILDWOOD"
"One of the bosses of the county, you
know. Aunt Jane Grattan, who is
widow and F'red's mother, owns nice
country place. and she wants Fred
elected supervisor to keep hel taxes
down and the roads in good repair
She thinks she can get her taxes re
duced onehaIf and make the county
build bridge which maybe she ought
tc build
Lets see; is that what they call
graft?'' was asked
"Oh, no, no! Graft is different
thing. This is just taking care of num-
Der one, you know
And what sort of man is your
Cousin Fred?"
He's awfully lazy, but awfully good.
He says he won't hustle to get a single
vote, and that's the reason Pm going
down there. I'm going to electioneer
for him. 1 shan't make any speeches,
of course, but shall drive around ask
ing everybody to vote for him. I shall
begin with right now
and pledge you my vote. There
must be some enc running against him
on the Republican ticket. Do you
know him?''
mo, but Aunt Jane does. That is.
she has seen him. and she writes me
that if villain was ever printed on
mans face it is on his. She says he
must be guilty of many crimes, and
|, that he ought to be showed under ten
feet deep. [ shall help to snow him
UNDER
Mr.. Burden laughed heartily and good
raturedly and asked:
so you are going to find out how
many murders he has committed and
bring him to justice? That's right. Let
no guilty man escape. It's rather cur
ious that he should have received the
nomination"
"Oh, he was nominated by the ma
chine. Papa says the machine can
do anything. If the machine elects
him he will be expected to divvy, but
he won't be elected. Fred says he
won't raise hand, but wait till Aunt
| Jane and 1 get to work.
well, if he is unworthy I hope you
will defeat him. At any rate, my vote
| is pledged to you."
A week later Mr.. Burden met Miss
Winwood on the highway as she was
electioneering in her auto and halted
her to say:
Il presume you are out otter votes
today?"
Yes, 1 am seeing the farmers, one
| by one was the reply.
''Then you are getting lots of votes
| for cousin Fred?'
why, 1 think so; but can't tell
When 1 tell people what a scoundrel
Mr.. Burden is and that the machine
ty treasury lots of them smile and
don't say anything. That is, some of
| them have just the same as said they
couldn't believe it. If Fred would
only hunt up the mans record and
make some speeches and denounce
him; but he won't do it,
And have you met the villain
yourself YETI
mo. 1 think he has heard that L
am on his trail and he is keeping
dark, Aunt Jane heard last night that
if he was elected he would try to
raise her taxes fifty per cent more and
she's got an awful headache today.
Goodby. I have to win over three diff
| ferent men this afternoon, Please
| help me all you can"
The nominations had been made a
full month in advance. The county
papers were agreed that both tickets
| carried excellent men. Carving ont
the policy of Aunt Jane, Miss Bessie
sat down and wrote a communication
to the Democratic organ praising I'm
Fred and giving his opponent fits.
but it was not published. Fred was
pitched into a dozen times a day for
his 1ukewarmness, but he refused 70
hustle. He wouldn't even call the
other chap a horse thief and a barn
burner.
Three DAYS before election, and while
Miss Bessie was making what her
father called wfsrlUi771 4o,,r 49,.