The log cabin Democrat., 1916-03-08
THE PRESS AGENT
By JANE OSBORN,


 that the office boy had handed him. It bore the inscription, "Lida Lane, press agent. A. N. L. P. E. w.
 Timothy Bradley was running for congress, and it was part of his po- litical tactics, no less than a phase of his own good nature, never to turn away callers.
 Then Lida Lane came into MT. Brad ley's office.
 Of course she was pretty-she had been selected for her work partly be- cause of that very fact.
 She took the proffered chair at MT. Bradley's desk and then explained, II have just come to Brookburg as the press agent of the A. N. L. P. E. w.. and after studying the situation here l have started my campaign by call ing on you. I want to know where you are going to take your stand on this great question.
 Well, just a minute" interrupted Bradley. Just to get line on what way I can be of assistance to you, let A. l., 4. association is that you represent"
 Lida laughed, and Timothy laughed with her.
 T thought, of course, you knew" she explained. "The A. N. P. E. w. is the American National League for the Political Emancipation of Women"
 Then they've got me down on the lists over at your headquarters? What did you find out?
 "Oh, that you're a bachelor of good habits, and no family. That you are he heir to the Bradley fortune, which is reputed to be larger than it really is, though it is quite respectable. That you are a lawyer by profession, that you make strong friends and strong enemies and that you'd go to any hon. orable means you could to get into congress. So far, no returns on the suffrage question:"
 Well, you see" Bradley felt strangely at loss for exactly what to say. q never had just tho opportu- nifty 1 wanted to come out on this mat ter. I thought-that is-if the wom- en want it, why shouldn't they have it?
 Tn the first place, a press agent you see I've done some of that work mysef-doesn't want to waste time writing copy. Let the newspaper fel- lows do that. What you press agents want to do is to start row or some thing, and then make the newspaper boys think you are trying to keep it from them. They'll como around fast enough. Now this idea of yours about making political capital of my position here iii Brookburg is good. What you want to do now is to trot back to your little office without taking a word of notes about what have to say on the suffrage issue. But In a day or so-this afternoon if ] can-Ill drop around at suffrage headquarters. Somebody's sure to see me. The office of the Morning Banner Is right across the way. You must prime your people to keep mum when the reporters ask them about my call, and for a day or
 
 meantime, I'll drop around every day and have conferences with you or your big chief and read the dope that you hand cut. They will overhear us, the first thing you know, and there it will be the next day all across the first page of the Banner"
 It was only three o'clock that after noon when Bradley made his first call at suffrage headquarters, and for three days things went on according to schedule. The reporters did follow him to headquarters and they did ask questions. No one at headquarters vouchsafed to offer any information, since the leaders had been taken into the secret of the scheme that Bradley had laid down to Lida.
 Suppose you let me go to dinner with you,' he said one night, after the scheme had been progressing for a week.
 It was past twilight when they left headquarters, and Lida, as the last of the organizers out, closed the door of the shop.
 Maybe you'll have to change that card you've got in your records about mo before long," he said as they walked down the block toward Brad ley's garage. The only reason I've been bachelor is because l never know the girl before who was pretty enough to love that had brains enough to make success of marriage"
 When Lida arrived at headquarters later than usual in the morning her first object was to see the Morning Banner and discover whether the pre- diction MT. Bradley had made had come true.
 But at the headquarters she was greeted by an unexpected delegation of suffrage organizers, as well as by Bradley himself, who seemed to be conversing amiably with the women as he entered.
 There was look of satisfaction on