The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-05-25
HALF IA ROGUE
BY HAROLD MAC GRATH
and Ma.k Etc
Copyright Bobbs Merrill Indianapolis


that outward mourning was obsolete,
a custom Of the middle ages.
| Hal" calculated the senator.
Good morning. How goes the fight?'
| Fine; my boy; I'll land you there
next week; you see IL 1 don't. The
main obstacle Is the curious attitude
| or the press. You and know the rea-
son well enough. McQuade is back of
this influence But the voter doesn't
know this. and will accept the surface
indications only. Now you know the
newspaper fellows. Why not drop
around 60 the offices and find out
something definite?
| IT'S a good idea, senator. I'll do 1t
this very morning.
! Has McQuade any personal grudge
| against your"
| Not to my knowledge"
Hes a bad enemy, and often a
downright INSCRIPTIONS one. II it's
only politics. I'll have chat with him
| myself. You pump the newspapers.
You leave It to me to swing the boys
into line at the convention"
The republican machine was In sore
straits. If Donnelly won this time, 1t
would mean years of democratic rule in
4 an essentially republican town. Nc
Quade must be broken, his strong bar
! r1cades toppled; and now that there
would be no surprise for the public,
the majority Of the delegates began to
look doubtfully upon what they called
the senator's coup. They wanted the
city hall, and they did not care how
they got there Warrington was a fine
chap and all that, but his acouaint-
anceship was limited. He could not go
about shaking hands like Donnelly,
who knew everybody, high and low.
The laboring man knew nothing about
| Warrington, save that he was famous
for writing plays they had not seen,
nor would have understood If they had.
| Warrington was q swell" he had
nothing in common with the man who
carried the dinner pail.
And there the matter stands, my
boy" concluded the senator, shifting
his cigar from one corner of his mouth
| to the other. IF can swing the con-
vention the rest will be plain sailing,
| once you start speech-making. oh.
McQuade is clever. He knew that by
exposing my hand he would lessen
your chances. But you tackle the
newspapers and see what can be done.
And good luck to you"
McQuade came down early that
morning. The first thing he did was to
call on the editor OF the Times.
Here's something" he said, tossing
a few typewriter pages on the edi-
tors desk. 'This'll settle Warning
toms hash. Walford."
| What is it?" asked walford.
Read 1t and see for yourself" Nc
Quade sat down and picked up the
early New York papers.
Walford read slowly. When he
reached the last paragraph he returned
to the first and read the article through
again. He laid 1t down and faced his
employer.
'Mr McQuade, the Call and the
Times are the only papers in town
that pay dividends. The Times as It
| t<
business investment. Do you want the
circulation to drop 10000 and the big
advertisers to cancel their contracts %
What's the matter with the story ?
Isn't 1t all rtght?"
| Frankly, II isn't"
thudding on the desk; "it's true, tell
| you. every damned word of It,"
THE truth Of II isn't the question.
It's the ACCESSIBILITY Of publishing it.
say to you that II you insist on this
story's publication, you'll kill the Times
deader than a door-nat. I'll call the
| business manager In" Walford whis-
| tied through tube, and shortly after
the business manager appeared. Read
this, said Walford briefly, "and give
4 Mr.. McQuade your honest opinion re-
| garding its publication. Mr.. McQuade
thinks 1t ought to. run as local news"
The business manager read It.
1T makes good reading, Mr. Nc
Quade, but II you want to kill the
Times, run It, There are some stories
| that can only be rumored, not print
! ed. and this is one OF them. IF this
| appears. you have my word that every
decent advertiser will cancel his con-
| tract forthwith"
| Walford looked at his employer in
frank triumph. McQuade had great
confidence In these two men. He
ripped the manuscript into squares and
filtered them through his fingers into
the waste basket.
..,d You sa,l boys ,. are probably right" he
see the paper lose its sound footing.
But this would have killed the man
socially and politically, so far as this
town Is concerned"
Admitted replied walford,
strengthening out some proofs. "But
Wen topple him over in a legitimate
way"
! go ahead, then. I'm not particular
how's it's done so long as you do it.
| Perhaps, after all, It's Just as well. i've
got another idea. can see that I've
made a mistake"
Mc0uade started down the stairs
to the stree. and met Warning
paused for moment, then went
on. Once on the sidewalk Nc
] Quade turned and hesitated. No.
he had nothing to say to Mr. War
rington. He strobe down the street
| toward his own Offices
| 1t will be seen that Warrington had
gone directly into the enemy's camp.
He knew Walford Of old; they were
tolerably good friends. He gave his
card to the boy. Walford, on reading
it, stuffed several newspapers into the
waste basket and pressed his foot on
| them. He was a bit shaken.
Send him In. Hello, Dick" he said.
How are you? You're the last man
expected to see this morning. What
can / do for you?
you can tell your political reporter
| and your editorial man to let up on me
for a week." said Warrington directly.
| What the devil have done to you
| chaps that you should light into me
after this fashion,"
You have become rich and famous.
Dick. and mediocrity can stand any
thing but that" But there was a
| twinkle in Walford's eyes.
Come. Wally. you know that isn't
the truth"
| We'll. IL you want the truth I'll give
1t to you. Answer me frankly and
honestly. do you consider that you have
any moral right to accept a nominal
ton for the mayoralty of Herculan-