Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-06-21
II. Honorable Uncle Lancv
By ETHEL HUSTON
W,u sssvles

closely with his own ideas. "a man
who cannot safeguard his home, his
property. his campaign equipment,
from-external ravage-is certainly
not to be trusted with the intricate
affairs Of this sovereign state. Now
on Saturday night he's going hobnob-
bling and grandstanding all over the
state with that elegant sound truck
Of his: all plebeian dirt outside and
luxury within! So what? So
right from under his nose, we're go
ing to swipe that sound truck and
show him up for the hopeless in
efficient that he is"
ibid you say we, or me?" asked
Spike uneasily.
Both. It's my idea but you'll do
the practical demonstration" said
Len cheerfully. "They don't guard
anything. They're a bunch of min
compoops. They leave their doors
wide open-to everybody but me,
that is" he added bitterly. ''They
leave the keys in the locks, the
switches turned on-everything wide
open. Now, you'll swipe the sound
truck and bring it over to Lam
caster for the big rally. Well have
the Governor bring out how care
less and Indifferent and inefficient
the Senator is, and then We'll turn
on the floodlights and there'n be
you and the Senator's sound truck!
A man that isn't smart enough to
look after his own sound truck on
the wind-up night is certainly not
one to be trusted with the future of
this sovereign state"
whats in it for me?" asked
Spike, practically.
"Surcease from the brats is re-
ward enough" said Len. "How-
ever, here are hundred dollars for
your expenses. You get that sound
truck and keep it hidden until cleo
ton night and bring it to our rally,
and there's two-hundred-dollar bo-
nus in it for you-spot cash. And
a job, beside, if the Governor wins"
"Okay, boss" said Spike.
'Will you get the truck?"
"OkayI"
From Len Hardesty's recital of
the ease of its accomplishment,
Spike O'Connor was not prepared
for the hard luck he encountered in
carrying out his enterprise. When
his ramshackle old roadster pulled
into the grounds at Railway, it at
tracted no attention at all. The Sem
ator's professional was often fol-
lowed by half dozen or more cars
that nobody knew anything about.
Spike had large VOTE FOR SLOP-
SHIRE posters prominently dis
played on the car and wore SLOP-
SHIRE button, a cheap button, not
platinum and set with brilliants like
Limpy's, but much larger. ALI
VOTE FOR SLOPSHIRES were well
come to join the cavalcade.
But the camp was bristling bus
tie of activity from morning till
night. There were chauffeurs, re-
porters, cameramen, policemen;
there were county chairmen, visit
ing delegates, reception commit
tees, local delegations. On Wednes-
day, Thursday and Friday the sound
truck was in constant use, at night,
Ben Badly slept on the cushions on
the floor of it.
BY Saturday, spike was nearly
desperate. And Saturday was worse.
At five o'clock the Senator came
roaring back with his noisy escort,
and presently, after a good deal of
dashing about and giving orders and
shouting instructions, the big car
with the Senator and Mrs. Slopshire,
the small car pulling the trailer,
three small Fords, filed with mis-
cellaneous assistants, and the police
escort, went screaming out of the
Recreation Park. Only the sound |
truck was left, pulled up near the
deserted bathhouse. But it was not |
left alone. Ben Badly sat erect and
watchful on the drivers seat and
there he remained.
As dusk came on, a slow drizzle
OF rain began to fall and the park |
grounds were swiftly deserted.
Spike, with a last hopeless look at |
Ben's silent figure, went dejectedly
across the park and into the tavern
for glass of beer.
If he had made this move by
studied design instead of at the |
prompting of thirst, it would have
been the smartest act of Spikes life.
The moving figure in the drilling
rain Of the deserted park attracted
Ben Baldy's attention. His eyes fol-
lowed Spike through the rain straight
to the door of the tavern. A stream
OF bright warm light shot out; the
strains of swinging dance music-a
pleasant change from the Star Span
gled Banner he had been having all
summer. The door closed. The light
was cut off. The music died.
Ben Badly looked at his watch. A
quarter to seven. He looked at the
bathhouse door. No sign Of the girls.
He got down from the drivers seat
and followed Spike O'Connor into