Charlevoix county herald., 1913-12-13
want your cash losses made good :?

Want your cash losses made good?
If you"
"Mr. Conover," said Give calmly,
though the knuckles that gripped the
table-edge were white with pressure,
when your lackey, Shevlin, made
that same proposition to me, he
thought he was making a perfectly
straight offer. And, judging by the
standards you've taught him, i sup
pose the suggestion was almost holy
compared with the majority Of his
tactics. So ! didn't thrash him. He
knew no better; for the same reason
don't thrash you"
THAT and maybe a few others"
laughed Conover, in no wise offended.
81 climbed up from yard-boy to rail-
road president by frequently jamming
my fists in where they'd do the most
good. / guess you'd have faint
s'picion you'd been in fight before
you was through. But presume you
didn't come here tonight to give an
encore performance of your grand
stand play at Grafton. 1t seems l
started on the wrong idea just now.
You don't want to drop out gracefully
or to sell out, and you prefer the
soothing attentions of the hornets
to"
Eyes, if you put it that way, Mr..
Conover-"
Hold on second"
The Railroader crossed to a screen
at the farther end of the room.
Thrusting it aside he said to stem
Ographer who sat behind it, pencil
and pad in hand:
I'VE won't need you any longer.
This amt going to be that kind of
interview after all. You can go now.
Just a little precaution of mine" he
added to Give as he returned to the
table. "Now you can go on talking"
"YOu were setting spy to take
down what | said?" gasped Give, in
credulous.
"No. A stenographer to report our
little chat We were bit short on
campaign literature. But l see it
won't be needed now. Go ahead"
1--WE just returned from tour of
! the State" commenced Standish, once
more forcing himself to keep down
his temper.
Conover drew a typewriter bundle
from drawer.
eff you were counting on telling me
all about it," he observed, 81 can save
1 .
count"
"Does your account include the re-
cital of a mob melted to smash furni-
ture, insult women and attempt muir
der? Or of suborned town officials,
bought policemen and muzzled edi
tors? If not, it is incomplete. i went
on that tour prepared to meet all
legitimate obstacles. | met only
4 xyinln hn fitr of
boss-bought conspiracy. 1t is to call
you to account for that and to ask
how far it was done by your personal
sanction that | have come to see you.
Also to ask if you intend to give me
fair play in future"
Fair play?" echoed Conover, in
genuine bewilderment. "Son, this is
politics, not ping pong"
Everyone in Gods world is en-
itledt to fair play. And Pm here to
demand it."
Goods world, Ell? Ny friend,
when you've travelled about it as long
as | have, you'll find out that the or
iginal owner sublet the premises long
ago"
1T looks so, in the Mountain State,
| agree. But I'm trying to act as
local dispossess agent for the present
tenant. All men are born equal, and
some of us are being tired of being
owned by political boss. We"
You're terrible original teller,
Standish! That remark, now, about
all men being born equal 1t was
made in the first place, wasn't it, by
white-wigged, short-panted hero who
owned more slaves than he could
count? Born equalp Maybe all men
are. But by the time they're out of
swaddling- they've got bravely
over it. That old Jefferson proverbs
responsible for more anarchy and
scraps, and strikes and grumbling and
hard-luck stories than all the whole
measly dictionary put together. Get
down to business, man. This amt
p'litical rally. Cut out the fine talk,
can't you? My horse is waiting"
give told you already what / wish.
! want to know if you will fight like a
man for the rest of the campaign, and
if the outrageS | encountered on my
tour were by your order?"
THAT won't take an awful lot of
eloquence to answer. What was done
to you upstate was planned out by
me, and it isn't deuce-high to what'll
drop on you if you're still alive when
the state convention"
"You curw
Meaning me?" queried Caleb
blandly.
"You curl" repeated Give, his last
remaining shreds of temper thrown
to the winds. 81 was told I'd meet
this sort of reception, but l couldn't
believe there was a man alive who
had the Grass effontery to confess he
was a wholesale crook an dthat he
Slapped the integrity, the honesty, the
freedom of this city and State.
Ito be Continued.)