The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-02-25

ana ne TOOK pride In making himSelf
indispensable In what was going on.
When little Cynthia appeared at Con-
iston he at once loved her as he would
have loved his own daughter. Her
father was unable to meet his obliga-
tons at the bank. Jethro quietly
bought the mortgage and had it as
signed to himself Cynthia used to
call him Uncle Jethro and loved him
as she did her father.
After time the railroad corpora.
lions decided to consolidate. Jethro,
whether he feared that they would be-
come too large for the state, or for
him, did not approve of consolidation.
Thereupon they decided to overthrow
him. The fight began over his home
post Office. He was known to favor an
old soldier named Eph Prescott who
had been badly wounded in the VIII
derness and whom he had helped In
his uphill fight as he had helped many
another person. The railroad party de-
cided to defeat Jethro's candidate iii
order to weaken his prestige in the
state, and it had the support of many
men who had formerly done his bid
ding ami of the congressman from
the district" the usual autocrat in the
distribution of offices of that class.
Jethro went to Washington and con-.
trived to have an apparently chance
meeting between President Grant and
Eph. Grant was attracted by Eph's
simplicity. They talked over the bat
tie they had fought together with a
modesty which furnished another in
stance that the noisiest patriots are
not always the greatest. Grant ap-
pointed Eph. When the news of the
victory reached home, Jethro's pres
tige was much increased.
He placed Cynthia in a finishing
school in Boston. Being young wom-
an Of high spirit she was not happy
there. The fact that she came from
q remote. country place and of an I'M
known family, very likely lad some
thing to do with the treatment she re-
ceived In those primitive days before
finishing schools had been made Who'll
ly safe for democracy. One day a pa
per controlled by Isaac Worthington,
the head Of the corporation party,
made savage attack upon Jethro as
lobbyist and "boss." The paper
found its way into Cynthia's hands
and gave her the greatest distress.
She went to Jethro and asked him If
the story was true. He said: "They
hain't put 1t just as they'd ought to
perhaps, but that's the way done
1t In the MAN," His manly confess
sion caused her to love him even more
than before. She withdrew from the
finishing school and went to teach in
Brampton, the town In which Worth
ington lived. Jethro, shaken by the
effect on Cynthia, determined to with
draw from politics.
The state was In a ferment. Would
the corporations be able to down Jeth-
ro2 For the first time In nearly 40
years Jethro did not appear at the
Coniston town meeting. The enemy
won by default. The news heartened
the corporations everywhere. Worth
ington had always been an enemy of
Jethro's, although he had accepted his
help more than once, and while In
dulging in very virtuous speeches, had
practiced essentially the same meth
DDS. His son, Bob, was madly in love
with Cynthia, but she subordinated
her own love for Bob completely to
her fidelity to Jethro. Bob proposed
to her and she refused. He declared
that he would leave his father and
earn his own living and then claim
her on account of what he had him.
self done. He wrote his father tell.
ing him his purpose When the latter
received the letter he flew into a rage.
Learning that Cynthia was a teacher
in his own town, he called the commit.
tee together, the majority of whom he
controlled, and had them pass vote
ANONYMOUSLY dismissing her from the
school. This action aroused Jethro
and he stra<ghtway took up the battle
again against the corporation magnate
responsible for the outrage. He
swooped down upon the capitol like
an eagle. His genius for political gen.
eralship flashed out with its old-time
brightness. Messages went to the val.
ley towns and to the north country.
The throne room" was open again,
and although the battle had been ap-
parently lost through Jethro's with.
drawal, it became evident that the
corporations were destined to defeat.
Finally Worthington was willing TO
surrender and asked Jethro's terms.
Jethro said, Consent to the marriage
of Cynthia and Bob" Worthington com
piled In some high flown letters and
the marriage took place. Jethro with.
drew from the fight and from politics
and passed his old age near Cynthia,
blessed by her love and that of her
children. with apologies to Mr.. Win.
ston ChurchilD.
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