Glacier County chief., 1940-05-03
CHAPTER Iv-Continued

The Senator coughed deprecating-
ly. "She's joking, Adele. This is pre-
election stuff. Before election day,
she'll be telling me, with force
full, il inelegant, explosives, that If
! ever run for anything again she'll
divorce, and probably de-neck, me.
This is before-the-campaign stuff"
my very words" said Aunt
Olympia complacently.
II forgot my quotes" admitted
Uncle Lancy.
what cocky little fool ! was,
Brick" Helen wrote home to Iowa,
ito think could learn this racket in
one year. Aunt Olympia's been in
it right from the cradle-or at least
from the marriage altar-and she
says it's still so much haywire to
her. 1t seems to be mostly luck
and getting the breaks and Of
course, Selling Opportunity before
the Opposition gets hold of it. Aunt
Olympia says If she didn't watch
every breath the Senator draws, he'd
get himself impeached before break
fast. But I am learning a little. I
think.
There's one thing I've learned,
and this is important. We've got to
get over that provincial feeling that
political opponents are social lepers,
to be snubbed and ostracised and
passed by on the other side. Aunt
Olympia says it is sign of superb
GRITTY to hobnob with the Opposition
except at the polls, of course. She
says it is only little fry who carry
political animosities further than the
Congressional Record. And I must
say, she lives up to her philosophy.
I've met quite number Of Repub-
ican wives and they are very nice
to me and ask me to their meetings
and teas, and Aunt Olympia encour-
ages me to 60. Sometimes she goes
with me.
Really, Brick, they are amaz-
ing, Uncle Lancy and she. Take
Len Hardesty for instance. He is
here half the time, incoming over
Adele mostly, but always showing
up at the dinner table and the cock
tail tray.
And last week who should breeze
in unexpectedly but Brother Wilkie,
the Governor, running against Uncle
Lancy. He 'phoned and Auntie asked
him to dinner and he came. They
were lovely to him and Aunt Olym-
pia asked him to ask the blessing"
Aunt Olympia was far deeper in
the campaign than either the girls
or the Senator realized. She spent
two hours every morning carefully
coming the important dailies from
home and making notes of things to
be attended to; cards of congratula-
tons from herself and the Senator
to everyone having babies or getting
married; condolences for illness and
death; approval of the activities of
clubs and church organizations,
with pertinent suggestions and Of
fering cooperation; and she pains
takingly, with well-concealed bitter
ness, received every constituent who
happened to be in Washington and
telephoned or called.
By the first of April Olympia had
completed plans for the campaign
encourage; deciding on a motor
trailer to insure the domesticity of
the family, with beds, kitchen and
coy dinette.
1--WE won't have to eat there
much" she assured the girls kind
ly. "Just enough to get good photos
Of how domestic and honey we are,
with you girls tripping prettily
around at your work. Well have
Hilda send US crate of cooked food
every day."
doesn't she campaign with us?"
"Oh, no! Except in the Scandi-
navian districts, where she sits at
the table with us Not in the
rest of the state. The average voter
thinks if a Senator can afford a
maid he's getting too much money"
There would be a sound truck for
the Senator's speeches and in addi-
ton to their own big car, couple
Of secondhand Fords for the staff,
visiting reporters, ct al. She fretted
a good deal over the sound truck,
having ideas of her own on that i'm
portant matter. 1t must have
microphones both inside and on the
drivers seat: on the drivers seat
to show the Senator off in good
weather and inside ''for rain; the
Senator catches cold if he gets wet"
After consulting and personally
inspecting every make of trailer
and sound truck on the market, she
decided to buy-from some home
dealer, of course-old, rundown, an
tiquated cars that could be rebuilt.
1.-THE shabbier the better-on the
outside" she explained to the girls.
''To take some Of the gravel off that
'Alencon' New cars look royal
istic But don't worry. Wen
have the best and most modern en-