The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-18

meetin' is supposed to be for business,
 not fun, SOL
 Question! Question:. It's been sec
 onded! We've got t0 vote on itv'
 shouted chorus.
 Don't you think-seems to me that afn't in order," began the moderator,
 but Captain Cy rose to his feet. The
 grim smile had returned to his face. and he looked at the joyous assem- blaze with almost his old expression of appreciative alertness.
 "Never mind the vote,'' he said. 'sI realize that Brother Leonard has rath- CT got one on me, so to speak. All right; I won't dodge. I'll be a commit tee. of one on the harbor grab, and if nOthin' comes Of it I'n take my share of kicks. Gentlemen, appreciate your trustfulness in my ability"
 l This brief speech was a huge sue cess. If for moment the pendulum of public favor had swung toward Stmp- son, this trumping of the 1atter.s lead ing card pushed it back again. The moderator had some difficulty in re- storing order to the hilarious meeting. Then MT. Myrick was accorded the privilege of the floor, in spite of Tad's protests, and proceeded to nominate Cyrus Whitaker for the school com
 m1ttee.
 Josiah Dimick seconded the cap tain's nomination. Then MT. Simpson stepped to the front and, after a wist- ful glance at the door, began to speak. | 'fFeller citizens" he said, sit is my privilege to put in nomination for school committee a man whose name stands for all that's good and clean and progressive in this township. But afore do 1t Pm goin' to ask you to let me say a word or two concernin' somethtn' that bears right on this mat ter and which. I believe, every one of you ought to know. It's somethfn' that most of you don't know, and it'll be surprise, big surprise.
 l Pellet Bayporters," went, on Tad, ''there's one thing we've all agree on, no matter who we've meant to vote for-that is, that a member of our school committee should be an up right, honest man, one fit morally to look out for our dear children Amt that so2 Well, then, I ask you this: Would you consider a man fit for that job who deliberately came between father and his child, who pizened the mind of that child against his own parent and when that parent come to claim that child first tried to buy him off and then turned him out of the house? Yes, and offered violence to him ana done iti Is that the kind of man we want to honor or to look. out for our own children's schoolin' ?'' MT. Simpson undoubtedly meant to cause a sensation by his opening re- marks. He certainly did so. The cap tain rose to his feet, then sank back again.
 ''GentIemen," continued the speaker, ''Iast night had an experience that I shan't forget as long as I live. I met a poor man, a poor, lame man who'd been away out west and got hurt bad. Folks thought he was dead. His wife thought so and died grfevin' for him. She left a little baby girl, only seven or eight year old When this man come back, well again, but poor, to look up his family he found his wife had passed away and the child had been sent oR, just to get rid of her, to a stranger in another town. That stranger fully meant to send her of, too; he said so dozens of times. A good many of you folks right here heard him say 1t. But he never sent her. He kept her. Why? We'll, that's the question I shan't answer it. I ain't accusin' nobody. All I say is, what's easy enough for any of you to prove, and that is that it come to light the child had property belongin' to her land, wuth moneyr'
 He paused once more and drew his sleeve across his forehead Most of his hearers were silent now, on tiptoe of expectation.
 'HThis man," he proclaimed, "this father, mournin' for his dead wife and longfn' for his child, comes to the town where he was to find and take