Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-05-06

tIlns a DflDe-taker ever dld, and only
a bungling old farmer like Boydston
could have done it. l drove out to the
Diecks' place to get a petition that the
people have been circulating there to
divide their school district. This is the
place Boydston sold to decks when he
moved to town. Well. this German had
charge Of this petition and kept 1t in
a crack of the chimney in Boydston's
old sitting room. When l called for
the petition his wife-who can't read a
word of English-handed me an en-
velope, which l did not look at until
1 came back to town. Then when I
went to file that petition l didn't have
1T. Instead, these slips OF memoranda.
/ couldn't make any sense Of them.
paid. and money divided. all in Boyd
ston's handwriting. 1 studied it and
the dates, and it struck me c%uriously
that the dates of the transactions
tailed with several county board meet
ings. And then it dawned on me like
a lightning fash. 1 sent for Hemmin-
ger. and we compared the notes with
his recollections Of board transactions.
Why. Boydston a actually put Thad's
name after one division Of $500 between
himself and Curry! I couldn't believe
such idiocy. Then Hemminger took
the memoranda to Boydston and de-
manded an explanation, and Boydston
SOilopScu III Ills ITOII pdFIOF and al
mitted It. He lost his nerve completely
begged n wept for Hemminger not
to show the memorandum allow him
to settle some way or other; and, above
all. not to tell Tanner. Hemminger
brought the notes back to me. Ever
since we've been wonder:ng-and dis
cussing you'll"
Harlan met her defiant gaze stead
.sThe county crnwd put Va, IN
Boydston, in his frenzy, declared it
would do us no good to publish the
notes. He said the new district attor-
ney was Tanners man! Said we
out you"
eyes on Hemminger. "Yes?"
Harlan" put in Janet. I'VE decided
to wait. 1 consulted no one. 1 was
afraid If we exposed it just before cleo
ton 1T would look like a roorback of
our people and would hurt Wiley some
way or other. You know to attack the
best families this way-with Tanners
Journal-well. We could not prove the
facts for weeks. n 1t would look like
mere politics on u part. But YOU
she watched him coolly-"I made up
mind today l wanted to know what
you'd do when you're elected"
DO" He stared at her with a trace
OF anger. Janet you ask what I'd do?
Blow the lid off-send Boydston and
Curry to the pen! Tanner, too, if 1
can get hint"
She looked off through the window
at the bank corn TT will be a ire
mendous job, Harlan, you, a new man
wholly without experience in office,
here ever dared t. fight. The n
the influence, the Best People"
He followed her glance out to the
country folk idling about the ancient
sidewalk of the First National. Far
Their down High street, under the leaf
less naples, he could see the tidy lawns,
home. The judge was slowly driving in
from lunch behind Old Dutch. So long
he watched. so imperturbably, that she
could not guess the struggle in his
mind. Not Of right or wrong; but to
grasp issues dimly limned beyond.
One fights for ones class. ones kind,
ones heritage Of thought n feeling;
basic greed. the instinct to survive,
vestigial promptings from feudal
privilege to protect and exculpate-all
battled in his subconsciousness for
delay and pretext n caution.
Hemminger. the pale-eyed country
man. shuffled his feet with nervous ap-
prehension. Il guess there r people
out there"-he lifted his bony finger to
the hills-"who will be with you In the
fight. Better people"
The young man suddenly tipped his
chair forward with a smile.
Il thank you for the word. Bert" he
smiled. He reached for the emo
anda. Janet's eyes silently followed
him. Almost q trace Of suspicion was
In them when Harlan placed the pa
pers in his inner pocket. He arose
I'm going to see father. He's in his
chambers by now"
Janet, too, arose with q sharp pro-
test. But before h voiced 1t the door
burst open. A man reeled in. drunk. in
his shirt sleeves. even though he came
from the chill November street. Jim
Minis, the News printer, stared wildly
at them.
Where's he gone? Where's wiley?'
The printer staggered to Miss
vance's desk. He wiped his unshaven
a you done with him?"
What's the natter"
He spread a damp and ink smeared
copy OF the News before her. "There!"
he waited. h told me to run this box
on h front page! I didn't read It!
Aleck we run the whole issue off and
then started to fold the mail list, when
I first read 1t! I was drunk. that's 1t.
or, damn me, I'd never put the press
on It! No. sir. not ever Il he told met"
The box" enclosed q bold face type
in the center Of the sheet: For per-
s0nal and business reasons. Wiley T.
Curran withdraws from the congress
SIGNAL contest in the Eighteenth dis
trict."
Nothing more.
Janet wss paling TO her lips. In tho
pause, Harlan sei8ed the. paper.
"C0me!" no shouted and dashed from
the room. They follower him. tho
guard. When he reached tho News
shop he came upon Mn Vance and
|HomlnlneGes otlfingy et ~ pl1o Of pa
Her4stAaksma9SbWp thu Weekly issue.
Ye9ugs Van Hart wa0 ooAguhlng fever.