Mondovi High School - Mirror Yearbook (Mondovi, WI)

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‘i B-e itmj x o I'm from New York. 1 never stole a thing in my life and I’m glad now you • might me this time, hut I'm pressed to the hone for cash. What ’ye want? Some help on that Buckley case?” i lie politicians started. “What do you kin w aoout Buckley? they broke out in «In i us. Oh nothing much, except that I heard him giving a speech over by the Central Depot tonight and I knew this is where Ciawford, the other candidate lived and being the only man in the city whom I knew was worth anything I struck for it That hoy’s got a pile of statistics against you, and judging from appearances you ain’t a hit better than 1 am.” While speaking his catlike eyes alisorhed every object of discernment in the room, the important paper and all were left in view and little escaped the attention of the burglar. “Don’t get important all of a sudden w '’ve got the goods on you and if you behave yourself you’ll come out alright P.ut what do you know about this Buck-lev case? Anything?” The burglar shook his head. The politicians seemed relieved. “Is Buckley still talking?” “lie was about fifteen minutes ago.” the Burglar replied, ”1 came right from there over here.” “Well, here’s our plan. Remember if you don’t come to our tenns we’ll turn you over to the police. It’s for our interest that we get Buckley out of the city and nut for a couple of weeks. And the time to take him out is now. Now, you get Dick Buckley out of city tonight and keep him out until after election and its worth $1,0(10 to you. What do you say? Make out the papers Jim.” “I can do the job, but it’ll cost you more than a thousand dollars, because I’ve got a eouple of other fellows to come in on this.” “Well, then two thousand Here sign H e papers.” “Sign first yourself, both of youi the burglar replied and shoved the papers over to tue politicians. Crawford and Dalbey both signed the papers, a duplicate copy was made and after carefully examining them the burglar signed “Jim Brown to them both. Both parties were left with a copy. “Now' what’s your plan” asked Crawford, “need any money?” “Give me a hundred dollars, that’ll do to start on. I’ll have to hire a car and two other fellows to help me. and in fifteen minutes Dick Buckley’ll lie on on his way to Pittsburgh. And you fellows will send me the two thousand there tomorrow afternoon or at my own peril 1 11 send you both to the pen with me?” The burglar hurriedly left and in a few moments Crawford and Dalbey left the room for the scene of the political gathering centered around their opponent. The crowd was intense; there were men on both sides there now, and Buckley was still boldly hammering away his threats toward the Crawford faction, when a powerful motor car suddenly drove up with three occupants, ran right alongside the dry-goods box on which the young political candidate was mounted and stopped just long enough for two of the men to scoop him up into the car, then sped away like fury. It was so quick and unexpected that the crowd were dumfounded and speechless for a moment. Crawford and Dalbev quietly chuckled and laughed— to them it was a joke. No one would ever know who was at the bottom of the affair and in two weeks the election would be over. But Dick’s followers would never allow the crowd to depart with such an abrupt and interrupted ending, so Jack Carelton, Dick’s private secretary mounted the platform and denounced the act declaring it was only an example of the dirty work characterizing the Crawford faction, and that it was their work from beginning to end, and made the sensational statement of the evening when he de- 7

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‘nfL-ct-, Mi.lf j£ o jS- , “This your first attempt? Tough luck that, better try someone easier next time. You’re getting into pretty difficult stuff trying to best us, eh Crawford? Phone the police.” Crawford hesitated, then looked knowingly at Dalbey. The glance was returned as if understood. Crawford whispered a few words to Dalbey, who thereupon addressed these words to the burglar, “Say “You search him, Dalbey.” Nothing of interest was found on him and he was taken into the living room and asked to sit at the table around which they all grouped, Crawford and Dalbey on one side and the burglar on the other. Observing him under the light the politicians were surprised at the personal appearance of the fellow. He was far from possessing the appearance of a burglar He winced under cover of the revolver, but scon a sickening grin was seen to play on his lips. old man want to get out of this in tiptop shape, and make a haul without any risk?” The burglar had remained silent and subdued but when questioned he bristled and brightened. “Anything to keep from the pen,” he replied and to get a little good hard cash.” was good-looking, not over thirty years of age and far from unintelligent, as the politicians later concluded in their conversation with him. “Who are you and where’d you come from,” Dalbey demanded. “Well, state your business,” the burglar replied. My name’s Jack Brown and 6

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dared that the next night at nine o’clock on the same spot, the Buckley faction would hold another meeting and promised positively that Dick Buckley would be there with a volley of evidence to give them, and would for the first time in the history of Crawford's fame e | ose the truth. Few of the crowd trusted in Carel-ton's statement believing that the clever Crawford faction could easily hold Dick at their will, if he were in their hands. They would though without doubt be on to leave them there, wasn't it? It was someone elses turn to get a surprise next and one can imagine the dismay of the wily politicians when they returned to find that the important papers had all disappeared. CHAPTER III. (In which Buckley makes a move). The next day was Tuesday and no political excitement of any active kind broke up the busy routine of the days business in the enterprising city. Politics was the Buckley was still hammering away his threats toward the Crawford faction, when a powerful motor car suddenly drove up with three occupants, ran right alongside the dry goods box on which the young political aspirant was mounted and stopped just long enough for two of the men to scoop him up into the car. then sped away like fury. the spot the next night for political excitement of some kind, for one or other of the two factions would l e there. “Let's start something,” Dal hey suggested to Crawford. “No, we'll let it go at this,” Crawford said, “This’ll end everything. The election is as good as won, Jim. Two thousand dollars well spent, don't you think?” “Right you are, Ed. Let’s go hack to the house and put those papers away.” “Good suggestion, Jim. Careless of us 8 big issue, however, and the city had gone crazy over the excitement of the previous evening. But most interesting of all was the news press of the day. The two regular daily papers of the city were full of praise of Crawford and ridicule of Buck-lev but the reason was obvious. (Taw-ford’s financial interest in the two papers was sufficient to govern them, and the public suspected it, though no one dared to expound it. But a new paper begun its history that day and full of revela-