The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-05-07

- iii
THE T T PEOPLE.

THE BETTER PEOPLE.
Many men OF the county drove to
town early that day. 1t was the ever
present restlessness OF election eve;
and in this instance a Of new
issues, OF unusual and dramatic Sc
Quences, was in the air. Then II was
to be the night of the big Curran
meeting" at the opera house, the wind
VI with red fire and the band; and the
country people, with q lively apprecia-
ton OF the spectacular, We're eager to
hear the candidate. Wiley would
make the most OF his last chance to
scald the county crowd" with his
satire, that was sure. All the day the
court house was thronged with farm
ers, politicians, candidates, standing
about, smoking, gossiping. The dingy
central corridor was q reek OF tobacco
and smells.
. Harlan was won't to pass here on his
way to his office. He had not on
cerned himself with the 11th-hour
wrangles and petty i~ntrigues, for he
had no opposition in his own fight.
The county crowd would put young
approved. The conntrymen looked
back at him with diffident respect.
When he reached Miss Vane's door he
saw her at her desk. Hemminger, the
lonely insurgent board member from
the river district, was there, sitting,
awkward, constrained, holding his hat.
Harlan was waving his hand cheerily
in passing, when Janet arrested him
with a gesture. Her eyes had hard
brightness. When the young man
came In she bade him close the door.
Then she a again. The hubbub OF
voices In the hall was leSsened.
Janet motioned Harlan to a chair.
we" she began quietly, have been
NaAaanntAreg ~ t9 HN Nj ~ n ~ ~ y arn - - a n
have discussed you for two weeks"
Harlan looked up at Hemminger with
a surprised smile. Indeed Now, i
had noticed Hemminger in your office
q number of times lately. What is
the extraordinary INTEREST,""
She disregarded his easy banter.
Harlan she went on sharply. 'you'n
be the next prosecuting attorney"
Without a doubt. On the first OF
next month" d -5
She seemed dx .iling on the three
weeks Intervening. Then: I'VE are go
Ing to confide In you something that
we might have said before; only
her glance held a curious suspicion
.'twell. i thought we'd better wait until
nation to Tanner, the old crowd, and
well, you'l pardon my ~frankness, but
we hesitated."
"TIesitated2 What on earth are you
driving at" ".
Hemminger smiled uneasily. Won
dered where you'd stand. Mr.. Van
In bad to load this on YOU"
He still looked his wonder at Janet.
She was unlocking the drawer OF her
desk. She took out an envelope IN
from 1t q yellow and worn bit OF paper.
I'VE shall demand she began deci-
sively. that the first act OF your ad-
- - - =. LAlNwA khA ernnnd
fury and ask for the indictment Of
Tanner and Dan Boydston and Archie
Curry for the giving and the accepting
Of brides on the county road contracts
for the last six years"
He looked silently at her. Hem
minger shifted his hat nervously.
1.-The proof" Miss Vance went on, rs
memoranda on the desk. 1t was COW
cred with careless entries. figures. alb
breviations. To Harlan 1t meant
nothing. "This is Boydston's writing
-Boydston, the ~go-between."
Those old yarns" Harlan nur
INJURED; then her dominance stilled him.
He looked again at the paper. You
mean this is-proof?"
'This and Boydston's confession"
ut amounts to that. His admissions
to Hemminger, his fellow board mem
Der, on the way the last deal--tne
Lindstrom Pocket deal-was put
through. He admitted he took money
he offered Hemminger $500 to keep
silent on this" @&E" -
She tapped the paper. Harlan stared
at her incredulously. WHY, i saw
Boydston coming from the bank o an
hour ago. There was a conference or
some sort. Father was there, and
Tanner and Wiley Curran. There are
rumors that Tanner threw up tho tight.
and wants to make an agreement with
wiley and his league hackers to keep
their hands Off the county committees
'Boydston," she retorted quietly. has
confessed, two weeks ago. He dare not
tell Tanner. He has been begging,
threatening. pleading with Mr.. Hem
minger to keep silence, and to destroy
this"-she fingered the paper. Last
Tuesday [" week g this was placed
In my hands by q mistake. The silliest
| thing a bribe-taker ever did, and only
a bungling old farmer like Boydston
could have doneait. I drove out to the
Diecks' place to get q petition that the
people have been circulating there to
divide their school district. This Is the
place BoydBton sold to Diecks when he
moved to town. Well, this German had
charge Of this petition and kept It Ia
a crack OF the chimney in Boydston's
old sitting room. When 4 called for
the petition his wife-who can't read q
word of Engiish--handed me an en-
veiope, which ] did not look at until
III came back to town Then when J
went to fle that petition ] didn't ave