SERIAL
STORY
The
Women’s
Candidate
By BYRON WILLIAMS
j Ootnlikt 10U. We*t*rn Newspaper Union
8YNOP8I8.
In a spirit of fun Mayor Bedight, a
summer visitor. Is chased through the
woods by ten laughing girls, one or whom
be catches and kisses. The girls form
themselves Into a court and sentence him
to do the bidding of one of their number
•ach day for ten days. A legislative
measure opposing woman suffrage, which
dropped from the mayor’s pocket. Is used
to compel him to obey the mandates of
the girls. His first day of service Is with
May Andrews, who takes him Ashing.
They are threatened by the sheriff with
arrest. Miss Vlnlng sees what she con
siders a clandestine meeting between one
of the girls and the mayor. The next
day he goes driving with Mabel Arney.
They meet with an accident, are arrested
and locked up, but escape. The mayor
returns to the hotel, finds the sheriff
waiting for him, and takes refuge In the
room of Bess Winters He plans to get
possession of the Incriminating bill. With
Harriet Brooks the mayor goes to inves
tigate an Indian mound They are caught
In a thunder storm. Returning late, he
has rather a stormy Interview with
“Judge” Vlnlng, who seeks to And out
who returned to the hotel with him.
CHAPTER IX.
When Mias Jackie Vlnlng went to
her room after her unsatisfactory at
tempt io wring from Bedight the name
of the unconventional young woman
who walked with him In the moon
light, she was angry. And it is pos
sible that, knowing his feelings to
ward her she was angrier still because
with this Influence she could not se
cure the confession she sought. It is
likewise true that she felt In her heart
that Bedight was right in protecting
the name of the girl and should be
eulogised rather than scourged for it
—and yet, when a man has almost
told a woman he loves her, she has a
right to expect that he will do almost
anything quasi-reasonable that she
asks of him. Failing to handle him
augurs complications for the future.
And most of us are alike In this,
that we love to appear melodramatic
to ourselves, doing all sorts of drastic
things that, slept over, we undo, say
ing things that we Inflate with self at
the time being and stick a pin Into
later when our ardor has cooled. In
this mood Jackie Vining seated her
self at a small writing desk In her
room and Indited the following letter
to the chairman of the woman's
clubs in Bedlght's district:
“Squirrel Inn, Wls.
"My Dear Madam: The campaign In
your district is about to open. Among
the candidates is one Walter Bedight,
who is running for the legislature. He
will endeavor to secure the women's
votes of the district. While running
a race near Squirrel Inn he dropped
from his pocket the inclosed bill,
which he expects to Introduce, if elect
ed.
“I feel It my duty to apprise you
of the real character of the man and
trust that you will act accordingly.
"Sincerely,
“(Miss) JACKIE VINING "
Placing the letter and the bill In a
long envelope, she laid the package
on her dresser and retired.
But with the cool touch of the linen
and the luxury of full repose, Jackie's
heart smote her.
"Well, anyhow," she mused, as she
dropped off to Bleep, “I’ll hold the let
ter a few days longer.”
To be In the toils of a state's attor
ney is bad enough In any event; but
if the aforesaid attorney is a woman,
oh, most unfortunate is the man!
Thursday was Mayor Bedlght’s day of
attendanoe upon Margaret Farns
worth, who prosecuted the case
against him on the morning of his ar
rival. She entered the arena after an
earnest conference with "Judge’’
Vining, who seemed unusually dis
trait and worried.
"Mr. Bedight," began the lady attor
ney, in a professional tone, "I want
to get some balsam for a pillow this
morning. Do you know' the tree when
you see it?”
“Yes—I’ve been In the North Woods
on many a vacation and am familiar
with the flora and fauna of the coun
try. I am at your service," responded
the mnyor.
They set out on foot along a path
way that led Into the wood. Once in
side the forest It wound In a trail liko
that the calf made, through spruce
and hemlock, poplar and maple, with
now and then a white birch adding a
touch of vivid contrast to the green.
The girl, an enthusiast, was wnlking
ahead and babbling of the nature pic
tures along the way. #
Suddenly Bedight felt something
hit him in the back, as though a pel
let thrown from close range. He
turned Inquiringly, From a clump of
brush along the trail a woman's hand
waved at him and a white paper flut
tered to the pnth. Turning, the mayor
retraced Ills steps. The messenger
crouched low and Bedight. having se
er. r-<!‘ ilii' most age, touched his fin
gers to his lips and wafted her a salu
tation, chaste and replete with appre
ciation.
And then from ahead came the sur
prised call, of Miss Farnsworth.
"Hurry!" cautioned a voioe from be
hind the clump of greenery.
"Coming,” cried Bedight, turning
and forging ahead through the wood.
A pair of pheasants arose with
drumming whirr from beside the path.
"There!” exclaimed the mayor, ac
cepting the birds as the foundation
fpr a clever ruse, “you’ve frightened
them away.”
"Oh, why didn’t you tell me?" re
proached the girl, getting a fleeting
glance of the brown beauties as they
floated off through the trees.
Bedight, with the note clutched In
his hand, made reasonable apologies
for his thoughtlessness and the girl,
unsuspecting, led on, chattering de
lightedly. It was a day of days to be
In the wood and youth Is ever buoyant
and gay. Plainly the girl was In
tune with the mood of the time and
the place, and like the beatitudes
about her, sought to be congenial and
natural. The man felt himself pleased
with her, for he, too, loved the soli
tude and the harmonies of the forest.
Presently she sighted a scarlet tan
ager and ran ahead. Bedight, waiting
for the opportunity, unfolded the slip
of paper. In a woman’s handwriting
this warning was written:
"BE CAREFUL. SHE IS TRYING
TO TRAP YOU.”
Bedight smiled and tucked the note
In his pocket.
Miss Farnsworth was sitting upon
a fallen monarch of the wood when
he caught up with her. In her hands
she held a lichen that had taken her
fancy. Of the party at Mine Host's
hotel, no girl was prettier than Mar
garet Farnsworth and few as Intellec
tual. Vivacity and spirit predominat
ed and as Bedight looked at her he
did not belittle her ability to make
things Interesting for him.
She sprang to her feet as he drew
near, and ran after a big brown but
terfly. Bedight sat down on the log
and waited. Suddenly he heard a
scream, the voice of a woman In pain.
Miss Farnsworth sat upon the
ground holding her ankle In both
hands. Her lips were tightly drawn
and her face gave evidence of pain.
"What Is It?” questioned Bedight,
apprehensively, going up to her and
taking hold of her arm.
"Help me to stand," she directed,
gripping his arm.
He raised her. She let her foot
touch the ground, winced and toppled
toward him.
“There’s a wood chopper’s cabin
Just ahead,” she groaned. "Could—
could you carry me there?” blushing.
For answer he picked her up in his
arms. She threw her arms about his
neck and clung to him, her hair
brushing his cheek. In sight of the
hut she whispered:
"Walt! Let me down a minute.”
She stood leaning against him. her
full, ripe Ups teasingly near. For a
moment as he looked Into her fath
omless eyes, Bedight felt the weak
ness of man for woman coming over
him. To combat It, he moved farther
away, supporting her at arm’s length.
"It would be well to leave me at the
cottage and go back for help. Look
inside, please, while I lean against
this birch,” she directed.
“There’s probably a burglar in the
woodbox or a man under the bed,"
he said laughingly, as he started
toward the cottage.
The mayor stood for a moment
upon the threshold and then entered.
As his form disappeared within, there
appeared around the corner of the
cabin a man—the game warden of
Lakeville. In a twinkling he had
slammed shut the door and thrown
a great bar across It from without.
“There, dam ye; I told ye I’d git
ye!" ho bellowed with radiant pom
posity.
Bedight turned angrily as the door
closed and realized too late that the
warning given along the trail had not
safeguarded him. He was a prisoner.
Peering through the dirty window
pane, an aperture not large enough to
permit the passing of a man's body.
Molly McConnell.
he saw Miss Farnsworth leavo the
tree against which she hnd been lean
ing and walk leisurely toward the
hotel.
With the realization that the girl
had deliberately led him into the
hands of the enemy, he gritted his
teeth and then, at the thought that
perhaps Jackie Vlnlng had planned
this coup de main, Bedight felt a
queer sinking of certain hopes that
heretofore had buoyed up a heart
yearning to take high hurdles. No—
a woman may keep a man in hot wa
ter on general principles of lov4, but
to throw him In Sail la treachery, and
when a woman reaches that point she
ia like the woman scorned—a perfect
fury.
The room In which Bedight found
himself was big and rough like some
of the words the mayor said before
his sense of the ludicrous returned.
Then, In full possession of the humor
of the situation, sat down on the
side of the bunk and grinned, A man
can grin when the joke is on him, but
he seldom becomes boisterous under
the circumstances unless he Is In pub
lic, where It is always good taste to
prove his good fellowship by blatant
laughter.
That the game warden had gone for
help there was no doubt. Remember
ing the slap which Bedight had ad
ministered on the day of their first
meeting, that worthy did not desire
to take further chanoes.
“But If Miss Vinlng planned the
trap, why did not the warden bring
enough help with him to arrest me?”
This was the question the mayor
asked himself—and gave it up. He
had no way of knowing that the war
den had sent word to the sheriff to
be on hand—but that functionary was
at the moment marooned on an Island
five miles from the village with ample
food sent by a kind provldenoe in the
light of the moon, but with no boat
by which he might navigate the Inter
vening waters.
An hour passed, during which time
Bedight had satisfied himself that
wood choppers’ cabins In general and
this one In particular were built with
the express purpose of being better
Jails than those possessed by the or
dinary hamlet In the north country.
He was securely confined—and he
was In to stay until some one chose
to liberate him.
A voice from without suddenly gave
Miss Farnsworth Sat Holding Her
Ankle In Both Hands.
him hope. 4t was a voice he knew
well—the voice of Jackie Vlnlng.
“Mr. Bedight,” queried the voice,
“are you there —inaide the cabin?”
“No, Miss Conspirator,’’ replied the
mayor, vindictively, “I’m up on the
roof playing solitaire.”
"Will you tell m$ which of the
girls was with you last night?” de
manded Miss Vlnlng. "If so, I will
let you out.”
“Oh, I like It In here,” replied the
mayor, enthusiastically. "It’s a nice,
quiet place, no hooks to bait, no
mound builders to excavate, no run
away horses to catch, no balsam to
pick, nothing to do but relax and
think of the perfidy of one’s fellows—
feminine gender."
“I’m glad you like It,” responded
the "Judge," with a wholesome flavor
In her voice, "and I’m sorry to advise
you that the warden and reinforce
ments are about due. Wouldn’t It be
wiser to help me protect a thought
less girl and go free than to be con
trary and go to Jail?"
"1 like the jail at Lakeville even bet
ter than this,” responded the prisoner
affably. "It is light and airy and has
easy exits In ca**e of fire or ennui.”
“Very well,” she replied, “repent at
leisure.”
The mayor listened. She was go
lng away.
“Miss Vlr.lng,’’ she cried.
“Yes, Mr. Bedight.”
"You know very well you would de
spise me If I told you what you are
asking. I am firm In my resolve not
to appear In this light. You may as
well go now, for 1 shall not answer
your question.”
He watched her lithe form as she
walked rapidly away, her head erect,
her shoulders back, every Inch a
splendid woman.
Scarcely hud she disappeared when
Bedight heard the bar thrown buck,
and a voice whispered cautiously:
"Walter! Walter! The door is un
barred. Walt until I get away!”
From his dingy window Bedight
saw another feminine form saunter
leisurely up the trail—and this one,
too, was slim and fair to look upon,
a woman that any good man might
well doslre to win.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Filibuster.
"What did George say when you re
fused him?’’ "He wildly declared he
would go right down to one of thoso
Central American states, start an up
rising and horrify the world. Then he
rushed from the house.” “Did the name
of the Central American state sound
like rathskeller?" "I'm not sure.” "Well,
there’s where he went. And ho start
ed the uprising by breaking two mir
rors. tipping over tho bar and floor
ing tho proprietor with a Louis XIV.
table leg Whereupon tho waiter hor
rified the world by picking him up and
dropping him on a passing ash cart.’'
—Cleveland Plain Dealer.
WESTERN
MINING NEWS
IN BRIEF
Western Newspaper Union News Service.
trend of metal values.
Silver $ 0.60%
Lead 4.25
Spelter 5.30
Copper 15.62
Colorado.
According to a Washington dispatch
more than $1,000,000, collected In cor
poration taxes, must be surrendered
by the treasury as a result of the Su
preme Court’s decision that a corpor
ation leasing Its property and deriving
its only income from that lease Is not
"doing business" within the meaning
of the law and is not taxable.
Production of the Mary McKinney
mine for the month of April was six
ty cars, which is about double the out
put made the previous month. In ad
dition the lessees shiped about fifteen
cars of ore which settled at better
than an ounce. Most of the leasers’
ore came from the Howard shaft
which is on Gold hill in the Cripple
Creek district.
All of the property of the Red Oak
Mining & Milling Company, situate 3
on Democrat mountain, near George
town, has been sold by trustee In bank
ruptcy, Fermor J. Spencer, to Frank
N. Carroll of Denver, representative
of the bondholders, for $5,000. The
sale was made to clear off an indebted
edness of $22,000 that had been stand
ing for several years.
There is gold ore at Platora and it
Is rich and found in quantity. The
veins are true fissures and there are '
many of them. Such is the informa
tion brought to Cripple Creek by
Frank Gunn, former alderman. He
has been In the Platora section about
a month making an investigation and
has found things there good, at least
such as will make a gold excitement.
A winze, sunk four feet into the bot
tom of the drift of the Miser mine at
Jasper revealed the widening out of
the high-grade streak, which assayed
$32,000 gold to the ton, Into nine of
these streaks within three feet. The
high-grade vein seemed to divide it
self at the bottom of the drift into sev
eral portions, each from two to three
inches wide, and as rich as the orig
inal high-grade streak.
That a fine body of oil has been
struck near Deßeque by the Grand
River Gas and Oil Company was ad
mitted by Charles Lang, president of
the company and a business man of
Gleenwood Springs. The oil was found
at a depth of 1,440 feet, the drill be
ing stopped when eight feet into the
•end. The extent of the flow has not
yet been determined, but it is known
that the workmen with the bucket
used for bailing during drilling pulled
up twenty barrels one night since the
strike.
New Mexico.
Harry Moberg made a rich ore
strike in his tunnel which runs thirty
six ounces of gold. It is situated up
in the Pioneer canon.
The Oldham brothers are commenc
ing to work on the Golden Treasure
mine at Placer creek. They struck
$l2O ore in the drifts from the shaft
last fall.
The Memphis mine people at Red
River are at work opening up this
property and putting up a big mill.
They also have a large body of gold
and silver ore which runs from S4O to
$l2O per ton.
The mill of the Cora Bell mine at
Red River, which is owned by H. L.
Pratt, is now' in full operation treating
large bodies of gold ore. It is rum
ored that Mr. Clark, the assayer and
mill man for Mr. Pratt, has offered
him SSOO per ton to ship it and pay ail
expenses.
Every indication seems to point to
the fact that oil in abundant quanti
ties and of the most valuable quality
has been struck in or near Farmington
and that part of New Mexico is des
tined to be a busy commercial center.
Wyoming.
Claims to more thun 5,000 acres of
supposed oil lands in the western part
of Hot Springs county have been re
corded in the county clerk’s ofifee at
Thermopolls In the names of New
York people. The intention of the lo
cators la not known locally.
A net profit of $133,502.9G for the
month of April is shown In the report
of the Mid-West Oil Company, Issued
by President Oliver H. Shoup, who has
just returned to Colorado Springs
from a visit to Casper, where the com
pany Is erecting Its second refinery.
This is an increase over the net prof
its of any previous month and indi
cates that the profits for the present
year will aggregate close to $1,500,000,
even if the new refinery is not put
into operation before the end of the
year. However, the company expects
to have the new plant In working or
der early in the fall.
Arizona.
The Tom Reed mine in Mohave
county produced $150,000 in gold bul
lion last month.
The Calumet and Arizona Mining
Company declared their regular quar
terly dividend of $1.25 per share.
The Shattuck Arizona Copper Com
pany Is continuing shipments to the C.
& A. smelter nt Douglas at the rate of
250 tons per day. The average copper
contents of this ore has been HYj to
10 per cent coper, with very satlsfue
tory silver and gold values.
ELEPHANTS
THAT WORK
. ROBABLY no business In the
| world is more absolutely de
pendent on the services of an
animal than Is the teak indus
try on those of the elephant.
p
In Java, it Is true, the timber, being
smaller and the conditions different,
hand labor and implements are em
ployed, and in parts even of Burma
and Siam the country is sufficiently
flat to permit the carting by buffaloes
being used as a method of extraction.
But these parts are comparatively few
and far between, and the obstacles in
the way of introducing heavy plants
into a country deficient in good roads,
bridges or facilities for transport must
be at once apparent, writes a corre
spondent of the London Times. Even
without these obstacles it Is doubtful
whether teak, being so scattered as
it is, could ever be profitably worked
up and down steep hillsides by ma
chinery, while it is as certain as any
thing can be that no machinery could
ever devised to perform the part
played by elephants in the water.
Apart from the enormous bodily
strength w'hlch enables it to drag, an
elephant can, with its forehead, trunk
or tusks, push and roll enormous logs
about as if they w’ere playthings, nor
does it mind working in water five
feet, and even more, in depth.
Asiatic Differs From African.
The Asiatic elephant, which belongs
to an entirely different species from
the African and resembles the latter
hardly more closely than the buffalo
does the ox. is. like the teak tree, con
fined mainly to India, Farther India
and the Malay peninsula. Wild herds
are still found in Burma and Slam,
where they are carefully protected, a
special license being required to shoot
them in the former country and the
law forbidding their destruction ex
cept in cases of necessity, or for self*
defenes in the latter. Every few
years the Siamese government holds
“keddah” operations or catches at
Ayuthla, and by their agency the do
mesticated are recruited from the free
herds.
That apart from its work, the condi
tions under which the elephant is to
live in captivity should as closely as
possible resemble those of Its wild
state will naturally be the owner’s
first care. It is a purely herbivorous
animal, and thrives well on the ordi
nary jungle plants and creepers, the
juicy “kalng" grass, young bamboo
shoots and wild plantain being among
its favorite foods. In Slam, It Is
hardly ever stall fed. as it Is in India;
In the neighborhood of a town or vil
lage. when It has to be tied up. food
must, of course, be brought to It. But.
as a general rule, the animal is sim
ply turned out Int othe jungle to find
Its food for Itself, the forefeet being
hobbled to prevent Its straying too far.
Among its primary requisites are
shade and abundance of water. Given
these and good grazing, an elephant
has a fair chance of keeping its con
dition throughout the seven months
which constitute its working season
The latter begins; as already stated,
in June. From that time onward, the
animal’s daily and weekly routine Is
something as follows: Directly it is
daylight the rider leaves hla camp,
goes out to track his charge, which,
despite his hobbled condition, will
often succeed In straying a distance
of several miles; bathes him all over
in the creek —this Is one of the most
important of the mahout’s duties —and
brings him to the scene of the day’s
work. Operations begin at seven a.
in., or .a little before, and go on till
il, by which time the power of the
sun generally renders It Imprudent to
continue further. For It must bo re
membered that the elephant is natur
ally a nocturnal animal and extremely
liable to sunstroke. On the comple
tion of their day’s work the animals
are brought to camp, divested of their
gear, hobbled and turned out Into the
lungle. Toward evening the riders
pay them another visit to make sure
‘hat their charges have not slipped
their hobbles, as they occasionally
manage to do, or been walked off by
% gang of thieves, who till lately in
fested some parts of Slam, and even
now are not unknown. The elephants
are Inspected by the foreman In
charge of the camp bathed and left
PICKING UP A LOAD
to browse In peace until the follow
ing morning. After five days’ work
they receive two days’ complete rest,
or three days If the spell has been an
arduous one. In January, or early
February, they are removed to ever
green forests, where they will, even
during the ensuing hot months, be
able to find abundant food and water,
and. being called upon to do no work
whatever, they soon become fat and
ready for a new season’s labors.
Work 18 Heavy.
The foregoing account of the ele
phant’s working program makes its
lot appear a remarkably easy one. An
average of four or five hours a day
for five days of the week, complete
rest on the other two. and during five
months of the year no work at all —
at first sight the elephant seems to be
in clover. It must, however, be borne
in mind, first, that the work it per
forms is the heaviest done by any ani
mal In the world; secondly, as already
stated, that it is a nocturnal animal,
unaccustomed in its wild state even
to travel, much less to work, in the
heat of the day. Easy as its hour*
may sound, experience shows that
they cannot be safely increased. For,
if the elephant is the most powerful
animal In the w-orld. it is also one of
the most delicate. Not only is It terri
bly liable to surra and anthrax, dis
eases prevalent among all the cattle
of the country, but heart failure and
exhaustion are also common, while ac
cidents, such as snake bites, are often
fatal. Owners naturally do not care
to risk unnecessary exposure to the
sun to the already lengthy list of
causes which produce death, causes
from which, despite all their precau
tions, the teak companies of Siam
must reckon annually to lose between
five and ten per cent, of their stock.
The Increasing scarcity, and conse
quently Increasing value, of elephants
is Indeed already a matter of grave
concern to all interested In the teak
business. Whereas ten or fifteen
years ago a good “tusker” might be
purchased for 2,000 rupees, three
times that sum Is now sometimes de
manded, while cows and “hlnes” —l.
tuskless males —vary, in price from
3,000 to 5.000 rupees. These prices
speak for themselves and need no
comment.
Great Care Taken of Calves.
The majority of the elephants now
working timber have been caught in
the wild state and tamed. But the ani
mals also breed fairly well in cap
tivity, and, needless to say. great care
is taken of the calves. From the age
of four to six they are usually placed
with a native trainer, who accustoms
them to dragging small logs or carry
ing light loads. The animal is. as a
rule, kept for transport purposes till
between Its fifteenth or twentieth
year, by which time it Is beginning to
attain something like its full growth
and strength. From this time onward,
should it be docile and tractable, 11
will become a regular worker Ele
phants vary, of course, l" their dlspo
sltions as much as any other race ol
animals; some seem to be incurable
savage and vicious. Such cases are.
however, exceptional, and are proba
bly due as a rule more to mistakes ol
treatment than to Innate tendencies.
Should It succeed In evading the nn
merous causes of death to which It li
liable, an elephant will bo able tc
work up to its Oftleth or sixtieth year
after which !c gradually begins to de
cline. Tba natural term of Its life
cannot b * actly determined.
Great Generosity.
She Blghed. “I saw »he loveliest
lace curtains today,” she murmured
“1 did want them bo budly.” Sh«
sighed again. “But 1 knew you wish
ed to economize, dear," she concluded,
"so 1 didn't get them.” And yet a
third time did she High
The he spoke "That’s too bad, my
dear!” he said, generously "Anythin/;
which adds to your happiness and
brings gladness to fyour eyes; any
thing which brightens your domestic
cares and gilds the lowering clouds;
anything which borders with sweet
tlowers the thorny pnths of duty and
appeals to your aesthetic nature you
are welcome to. my angel—lf It
doesn't cost more than a quarter **