Show honor U wg AM I 1 aft Loni the ca it S VS a G ezy 0 dobbs merrill co by ETHEL HUESTON service charte CHAPTER R XIII continued 15 1 I know all about the scripture continued limpy I 1 was brought up on the bible would my uncle laney lancy stoop to stealing brother sound truck and commit thievery just to win a few votes certainly not he think of it do you think for one minute my uncle laney lancy would steal brother brats oh limpy dont say brats moaned helen 1 I mean children limpy corrected herself hastily he do it anyhow he soil his fingers with them hes too much of a gentleman and too much of a christian and too good a senator and even though im a republican myself it if I 1 had a vote do you know who id vote for id vote for uncle lancy who id vote for him a thousand times it if I 1 could and go to jail for it and it would be worth it too id be glad to go to jail for uncle laney lancy he hes a swell guy tears began welling to lampys eyes A lump jump rose in her throat she struggled on my uncle lancy is just swell limpy collapsed in a passion of tears on the floor of the truck helen grabbed limpy adele grabbed the microphone suddenly her low even voice swept over the crowd still gripped in awed electrical silence my sister is perfectly right every word she said is the gospel truth im adele oh my god he got them all gasped len hardesty and started lo fo the truck 1 I have never been so shocked ii my life continued adele our preachers in iowa do it not the kind of preachers we have and if brother wilkie is so foria fond of the scripture hed better readum read up on that handwriting on the wall business if he see handwriting tonight he will next tuesday play you idiots roared brother wilkie and the me band an d si swept ept too late into the cheerful strains of dont you weep for me 1 4 but already the crowd had moved away from the platform and was massing around the sound truck once more standing si silent lent 4 grim grimand and tomblike reporters nosed closer closer cameras turned on it from every direction light bulbs exploded len hardesty pushed his way through he beat on the door of the truck truc kj i p adelel open this door come out t that ti truck tick madele opened the door light flashed about her cameras clicked the crowd roared adele wide eyed damp curls ls clustery clu clustering sterl ng about her pale face slim bare legs shivering beneath the short damp cape stood clearly revealed helen with the weeping limpy in her arms was behind her len took one look adele he roared get back in that truck and put on your clothes we any clothes said adele pathetically they stole our clothes too her teeth chattered nervously were half frozen and she slammed the door len hardesty flung himself against it facing the cheering laughing crowd he was haggard and wild eyed the crowd too was beginning to mutter almost menacingly this definitely was carrying things too far even in a mudslinging mud slinging campaign and then from the distance came the roar of approaching motors the shriek of sirens the scream of police whistles nearer nearer oh my god its the police groaned len hardesty well get into this truck over my dead body and he planted himself more firmly against the door of the truck alboth both arms outstretched a figure of grim defiance CHAPTER XIV it was the police a thoroughly outraged and vengeful police escort reinforced by a dozen or more additional dit ional officers from uncle landys laneys big rally the escort was offended to the depths of its being it is true it had not been in the immediate vicinity of the commission of this crime against law and order still it had been detailed to the senator for the campaign and to have three girls and a sound truck from under its nose as it were was certainly going to make talk it might even instigate an investigation vesti gation the roaring of motors was the noisy approach of the senator and aunt olympia in pursuit of their children aunt olympia never forgave her subconscious for not affording her some premonition of what was to happen that fateful night A beaming madonna with a clear conscience and red face she had accompanied compa nied the senator on his last trek received with him the plaud its of the crowds accepted bouquets and at millsville milleville Mills ville dimpled rosily over the handsome evening bag presented with a good deal of ceremony she listened attentively to the senators speeches applauding good points the incarnation of devoted wifeliness and temporary motherhood eventually they arrived at the last roundup round up Trent fare there she received her fourth bouquet the others being left out of sight on the floor of the automobile she mind at all because the girls were late god knows they need a rest from all the speechmaking speech making she thought leniently get here in time for the windup wind up in those costumes looking like angels be a sensation cinch every floater for miles around she smiled she shook hands she acknowledged introductions and took bows and then fluttered down in her chair with modest decorum but she help keeping watch for the girls her fond eyes yearned for the blessed sight of them in those works of art 1 lust just as the senator was getting well launched in what was to be the climactic closing speech of the campaign suddenly the haggard face ace of sen ben baldy appeared at the side door of the platform he waved grimy hands toward aunt olympia he shook his head he scowled someone seated near the door whispered to him A message trickled along the front row until it reached aunt olympia he wants to speak to you even then aunt Olympia kasnot was not startled it was the girls of course probably wanting to know whether they should come right on or wait until the senator had finished she rose carrying the huge bou bouquet bouelle elue and tiptoed over the feet of the front row honor guests on the platform whispering apologies until she reached thedoor with a big soiled finger ben motioned her to come a little farther r mis Slop shire he whispered tersely they swiped our girls olympia drew herself together into her familiar posture of hauteur baldy have you been drinking 1 I wish to god I 1 had been he answered in a voice both evasive and devout brother wilkie done i it they swiped the sound truck and the girls along with it while I 1 was as snatching a bite A cop brought me in a side car brother wilkie swiped she said her knees going weak republicans anyhow and rushed em off seventy miles an hour to the other rally where are the girls ben where are my girls she demanded her voice going swiftly crescendo swiped but where are they now happened to them still swiped aunt olympia was garn game e to the depths of her being even to this catastrophe she arose with rampant resourcefulness we must head oft off the senator she said hell kill brother wilkie for this wait here baldy ill go down front and catch his eye the senator working up to one of his best points was a good deal surprised to see a pale and grim lipped olympia appear before him below the speakers stand her rightful place was in a good position on the platform but even a pale olympia gave him courage not a bad idea getting down there where he could catch her glare olympia who had a stimulating effect on perfect strangers was almost intoxicating to the senator he went on with greater eloquence in the burst of applause aunt olympia that followed the paragraph he glanced complacently down for a beam of approval imagine his amazement to see olympia silently weeping swabbing at her the senator tried desperately to recall it if he had said anything of a pathetic nature to arouse her emotions but there had been no pathos in this thi s speech this was a fighting speech spee chand and olympia never cried over fights he gazed at her distractedly falteringly he took up the next paragraph parag raph but he get his mind off olympia oly maia sobbing silently almost beneat be Whis feet clap boys he whispered to those behind him oh the packed platform accepting the cue they broke into hearty applause and the audience joined will willing ingV enough taking aki vantage of this interval the senator leaned over the rostrum mats the matter the republicans altans stole the children them got gol the children what she nodded her head tears streaming down a face in which the last vestige of rose had faded even to her lips stole them got them all of them the senator rose to dramatic heights of which even olympia had never dreamed he was capable he towered to a height which was really impressive for his somewhat slight stature he raised his hand for silence he leaned forward again what did you say my dear he asked clearly brother wilkie stole our truck and our children they took them to the other rally the senator raised both arms mild though he was supposed to be the united opposition would have quailed before his look at that moment my friends ne said and there was vas the venom ot of murder in his voice As for the sweating throng this being a decided innovation in a campaign which had not been dull an almost unearthly silence gripped it my friends I 1 came here tonight prepared to answer briefly decisively every issue that has been raised in this campaign but my campaign is ended at this moment I 1 shall not continue my speech I 1 am obliged to leave you I 1 have just learned that the opposition reduced in their extremity to dastardly deeds of violence have stolen those three children who are dearer to my wife and me than our very lives they have taken our children la dies and gentlemen I 1 relinquish the campaign I 1 leave it in your hands for myself I 1 go to rescue our girls from this act of wanton depravity let your votes fall where they may he leaped nimbly down from the platform and put his arm around olympia the audience waited in taut silence anticipating some further exciting denouement but jim allen alien the state chairman did not wait he too leaped from the platform and caught the senator by the arm senator for gods sake you cant do that he said you cant walk out on us offend every democrat in the state the kids will be all right dyll hurt em but weve got every county chairman in the state here we weve I 1 ve got committees from every club never forgive you the senator drew himself up unhand me jim he said thickly you cant go senator I 1 wont permit it ive worked too hard on this the senator let go of olympia he took his glasses carefully in hi his s left hand he doubled his right fist rose toweringly on his toes jim was a tall man and delivered a surprisingly straight clean uppercut to jim allens aliens face jim allen alien felled more by surprise than by the force of the blow sank to the floor come olympia said the sena tor gently replacing his glasses olympia even in this crisis did not forget that she was a lady As she stepped carefully though blinded with weeping over the prostrate form of jim allen alien she hesitated long iona enough to murmur so sorry jim and the senator led her away the crowd waited there would be another act of course on the whole it was well pleased the constituents had bad had three months of speechmaking and band music and handshaking A was something newt they waited olympia was pushed into the rear seat of the big car the senator clambered after her and took her in his arms be brave my mv dear be calm he said through cle clenched ached teeth and the cameramen gota got ia very good flash of them the senator looking stern and noble with olympia in hl his arms weeping like rachel kachel for her lost children police the way the big car roll rolled ed off cuff the crowd was a little surprised the roaring of motors as the car went off but they waited they would be back probably in five minutes with the lovely young girls in tow but when hiir jim allen alien slowly rallying struggled to his feet wip ing blood from his face they rose instinctively if that blood beet juice this was real drama jim allen alien was helped to the platform ladies and gentlemen he roared still mopping blood our candidate the man we democrats stand for an election to a man whose home has been ravaged what are votes to a democrat whose most sacred feelings have been profaned the candidate we give you one who will knock down his state slate chairman to go to the aid of his children ladies and gentlemen do what you like with this rally im going to help our candidate rescue our children evidently then it was no plant As the constituents streamed out of the auditorium following jim allen alien whose nose continued to bleed with theatrical profusion their resentment rose these were their orphans who had been subjected to this outrage call the police get out the G men give us our children down with wilkie were the police asleep A pandemonium of cars swep swept away in the wake of the senator the windup wind up rally joined the rescue A dozen busses hastily filled followed more slowly only those luckless ones remained who had bad come on foot or by train and had no emergency conveyance these left behind eventually clustered together and burst into noisy imprecations of the opposition interspersed with cheers for sloppy boos tor for wilkie and finally fell into a sustained chant we want our orphans we want our orp orphans hansl we want our orphans unfortunately the senator and aunt olympia were unaware of this loyal demonstration they had retired from the campaign in a dead silence over the prostrate f form lorr q good old jim allen alien the state chair man followed so far as they knew by the unbounded indignation of an offended constituency for twenty noisy miles olympia was satisfied to sob on the senators breast in which burned a volcano of suppressed passion finally she found voice 1 I only wanted them to rest a little del she said humbly 1 I left ben to bring them I 1 thou thought of course they would be safe be calm my dear be brave said the senator patting her shoulder with a hand that itched ditched for brother throat if harmed a hair of those childrens heads moaned olympia ill choke him with my bare hands and more ill sue him be calm ollie be brave crooned the senator between set teeth so it was aunt olympia and the senator with a belligerent police escort who roared into the republican rally at lancaster As soon as the car came to a halt the senator crawled over olympias feet and started to get out you stay here this is no place for a woman this is going to be a knockdown knock down drag out engagement his ferocity terrified aunt olympia she was as mad as he was and just as determined to fight it out but she wished he would leave it to her after all her first responsibility was the senator she grabbed him with both hands after the wear and tear of the long campaign at his age in his state of health he was not physically ab to cope with a sit set of black blackguard guari who would stoop to such depths 0 ot lawlessness he must not impair his dignity by engaging in a common street brawl with ruffians besides he would get his glasses broken so she hung on and was drawn with him from the and the first thing she saw was len hardesty standing with both arms outstretched against the rear door of the sound truck from which the police bolice had gradually edged the crowd away len hardesty you you give me my childe children ent you let them right out of 0 there this minute or ill call the Iolj polaire po lire rel shut up olympia he said they cant come out they any clothes on they any clothes sud su denly aunt olympia remember D she had forgotten to t take ake the sia sul case from the trailer del shi she cried catch their death of cold and would have collapsed had she not been supported by the senator anda and a couple of policemen the girls watching from the narrow little windows at the top of tile rear door had seen the beloved and sheltering though a agitated gita ted figures of the senator and aunt olympia limpy open edthe door defiantly len hardesty she screamed you |