The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-02-24

TO collect some old notes or mine tndI
wasn't supposed TO be paid. :
Not 10 be paidi Why
Political notes. Look here Shee-
hans face lighted up in slow, Gun
ming smile that BODIED no good for
Warren Blake do ron want to make
biz nlayzr
John. too, sat up. suddenly alert.
'Just what do you meanT'
Have you been percolatfn' around
in politics for six years an not known
about the Farmers? There's always
a few easy hanks for the politicians
They get state deposits. Sees An then
dish them ont TO the politicians on
notes Sometimes the notes are paid.
an sometimes they're just carried
along. Ny notes wasn't to be paid
because / helped get the Farmers its
deposits. 1t used to be one OF the easy
banks. An / guess it is still Else
why Is a bank that's friendly to MUIR
chell carryin' deposits under Sherrods
/ guess they must be gettin' pretty
shaky, because / amt the only one
they're after I've been skirmishin'
TO know. an they tell me Blake's push
In good many old notes hard
But Hamrden and Blake, with their
stock, wouldn't let
stock. bet they haven't ten shares
apiece If you want to find that stock
you've got to look in the tin boxes of
the farmers or in the estates of the
widows an orphans"
But their last report was fine
That's easy. You just carry the
notes as asses tssets.''
"See here. Sheehanr' John was stern.
"Have you anything but suspicion for
this?"
'Aint suspicion. the kind I've got.
enough? You go after 'em an show
'em up. | bet youth find EN- rotten.
Those easy banks always do bust up
sooner or later. / s'pose I've got TO
pay. I've got property an, il they sue,
| can't make any defense. But" he
concluded vcnecfully. somebody else
has got to ray too"
"Sheehan," John SAID co,dly, rising,
you're letting your desire to get even
/
not destroy confidence IN a bank, ruin
! it. by going after it on mere suspicion
| AS for yourself he added. more kind
| ~, IF you report at my ofIiee next Sat.
urday morning with new bail I'll go
] before the court and ask that execution
/ of your sentence be postponed until Your
/ affairs are easier" With that he left.
/ Only few days remained before the
/ primaries. During the two terms of
Office John had acquitted himself with
skill and fidelity. Fear of him had
doubtless restrained the machine from
many characteristic depredations. hut
victory was well nigh hopeless. He had
/ become candidate again only that the
fight might go OH, in the faint hope that
| something might occur to turn the tide
in his favor In the absence of the un-
foreseen he would carry the townships
by slight majority, but New Chelsea
and Plumville would go strongly
against him The little city had grown
remarkably in population and impor-
lance John was an old story in which
1t had lost interest. 1t got the impress
ion that in turning deaf ears to his plea
it was righteously squelching shall
low, impudent, self seeking upstart.
Even among the farmers John met
with the unresponsiyeness of discour
agement. They would vote for him
most of them, but 1t would be perfume
torily. hopelessly. They were disap
pointed The reform that had begun
so auspiciously six years before was
ending In dismal failure with no other
fruit than to evolve new and stronger
machine.
Well it was for Johns melting trust
In himself and his fellows that he
could meet an occasional Cranshawe
| or Sykes or Criswell Their faith sur
| vived He met the trio, the night be
fore the primaries, at Cranshawe's
home on the pike. They did not pre-
tend a vain optimism; they knew that
they faced defeat.
cat any rate remarked Criswell, al
the close of the discussion, we've had
six years of good fightin'."
81 guess said Cranshawe kindly,
I'VE think it hasn't paid. In one way
mebby it hasn't. An then again in
another it has It's like what I once
told We. Ye've showed US the way.
If we hain't follered, it's our own
lookout. Ye've done your part
''Ye have" agreed Sykes solemnly.
And when he left all three made a
point Of shaking hands with him.