The Irish standard., 1913-09-20
SHERIFF kate ALLEN

Mlhlrf kAlt ALLEN
-. BY fzokA FoRREsrER.
There seemed no good and sufficient
reason to Silver City why It should not
elect a woman sheriff II It saw at.
It was thoroughly up to date and In
harmony with the spirit Of progress.
It had . library In one side Of the
drug store. and soda fountains scat
tered promtscuously over territory
once dedicated to the demon rum, as
Hank Holmes gracefully put It.
HaEk felt that in way he stood
sponsor for Silver City: also, he now
stood sponsor for Kate Allen. the nov
sheriff.
There had been time when Silver
City was a waste spot on the side Of
the sweetwater range. Hank had wan
.dered with . bunch Of cattle down
toward Omaha, Ono day his pony had
Missed It's footing and crashed into .
badger hole. After Hank had extri-
Gated himself and tho pony had limped
away. Hank had remained sQuatted
there by the hole, whistling softly and
turning psece Of rock over In Ids
hand. ~ -..-.
That was the: beginning OF Silver
CITY.
Aftee the rush, Hank still found him
set owning the biggest parcel of land.
Ind general arbttar Of things munici-
nal -
Even when tho Wild days became .
memory and Silver City Joined the
west In its upward march toward
peacsfal civic condttions, Hank st1h
chung to the old forcable and swift
methods nof Justice, but the railroad
came through and the states attorney
began to take personal interest In
things down that way, 50 Hank for
sock his Ngilant ethics and settled
down TO quiet life as hotel keeper
and political referee Of the town.
Kate Allen had been the first to open
his eyes to the feminist movement.
Vaguely Hank knew Of the suffragists.
One of his favorite evening talks was
on their tactics Of warfare.
Boys" he'd say. tilted back in his
chair outside the hotel. there amt .
woman in the world but gets her rights
II she really wants them. Look at
Mary Burke. Stood for Tommy's doings
OF and on for 30 years.. and one day
comes down here and gets him by one
ear and swears out warrant for him
for chronic intemperance and personal
abuse and tncompatbi1ity and nonsup-
port Yes sir! And got 1t. Come
through with the bands playing. Get
ting $40 q month alimony, and Tommy
working himself to a shadder keeping
her in luxury. 4 man amt got bit
Of chance these days once the women
takef.it into, their heads to rise and
rebel And why! Boys, speak
as a man and brother, but It's the COS
pei truth Because they've been in
wrong nom the start, and they amt
had q square deal Take It from me,
they amt had q square deal" .....:s>.
Mary'd never have stood up for
her rights IL Kate Allen hadn't but
] ted In, and told her where she
was al, !" mentioned bystander.
Hank smiled thoughtfully. Miss Al
len is farseeing and clever wom-
an" he answered slowly. II firmly be-
ueve she could have anything in this
whole blame town she took a notion
to. know she could have this hotel,
and the Shooting Star mine, and me,
Il she'd speak up louder"
Kate did speak up louder, but not
for Hank and his accessories. When
election time drew near, the year aft
er the state passed its suffrage amend
ment, she announced her candidacy
for sheriff. She had been a school
:. teacher first, and then clerk In the
county treasurers Office. Step by
step she had mastered politics as Sill
yer City understood them, and shs be.
gan to see places where the town
needed strong treatment.
1T isn't right for Hank Holmes to
hold the town In one hand and squeeze
It whenever he likes for jobs for his
friends" she said.
"He's running for representative
next year. Kate. Maybe II you'd be q
nice, good little girl, you could marry
him. and 60 down to the capital in an
automobile.
= Kate smiled at the speaker, Mary
Burke. Mary lived three miles up in
the hills, aud rode down horseback to
talk with her after supper in the cool
summer evenings.
y I'm going to run tor sheriff. Mary,
Just 10 can step up to Hank Holmes
Whenever no comes over from the no.
III to say how the governments to
be run. and tell him where he's at
1nnocently and with alteration in hia
eyes every time he saw her trim. girl
ish figure nearing him, Hank helped
her win her race. Then came the day
when he WAS the first to congratulate
10. an ha. annooaa tho Axa& Aau .h1