Show The Courtship hip of the Boss Bess BossBY BY ANNE OHAGAN It was not surprising that Daniel Hennessey and his fellow townsmen forgot that the mayoralty was not a n hereditary office In Crowley For so many undisputed terms he had been chief magistrate that at last the very town seemed to him hint his heri hen heritage heritage tage The people of the larger city that t h at lay I ay across the state lne from Crowley in this case the state line was a river were given to much abuse abuss of hat begrimed center of mills railroads gas gasworks gasworks gasworks works and When they spoke of Crowleys mayor and his ad administrations administrations administrations ministrations It was with the triumphant trIumphant pliant of those who maintain their own virtuous standing chiefly by the shortcomings of others But all the periodic outcries of Its great neighbors left Crowley placidly unmoved Mr Hennessey and the town agreed admirably with each other Its population was a poor one It was the shabby of a horde of petty clerks and workmen who were ferried over ver to the big city In the th morn mornIng mornIng morning Ing twilight and back at evening dusk It was the abode of its own soiled mill hands and railroad laborers of the on the trolley lines of its rotund saloon keepers and of their graduates in the staring new ne rectangular rectangular rectangular gular city hall ball that was Its Ha Habited to makeshifts and blunders they accepted without resentment the of pavements the bursting of o sewer pipes and the spluttering and flickering of illum ilium illuminating illumInating mating gas that did not Illuminate Daniel Hennessey suited them If It he did not give them good streets he made ample amends in the ways of pic pie picnics picnics flies free to all comers corners if he amassed property at a rate unpleasantly suggestive suggestive tive live wealth did not render him proud Moreover he spent his Income In a away away away way that made Crawley as n Indifferent to taxation as a a loyal Britain on Cor Coronation Coronation Coronation day No mayor within a hun bun hundred hundred bundred dred miles had more diamonds raced better horses honses or kept a more expensive or more easy open house at New Tears Years and other times when he bade his constituents hearty welcome Even Een his political associates were 4 not jealous of Hennessey He Ho was a atall fair tall man they said wagging their chins judicially by which they meant that if Daniel had stock in each new trolley that won a franchise from rom the town they too held stock In their de do degree degree gree and that if the company which mysteriously in spite of a high bid re received received the contract for tor opening up a anew rew new street balanced things by restoring restorIng restoring ing a small proportion oJ its fee to the city officials they as well as Daniel profited And they continued d to let Daniel rule them and rule Crowley Crowly while the op opposition opposition position languished Into a negligible quantity prating of assessments civic honor and the hygienic disposal of re ic refuse refuse fuse but never neer organizing a barge party In the summer or distributing coals coats In the winter If Crowleys rowleys center was the disgrace to civilization which Its neighbors named it the outskirts were Indescribable ble The streets went unpaved the roads the Infrequent street lamps were erected apparently as tar targets targets gets for stray missies Along the river riverside riverside riverside side toward the north was the road which the big city was isas constantly urging urgIng urgIng ing the little HUle one to tun Into vard ard or a speedway so great were were Its natural beauties On one side lay the winding Isolated stream and on the theother theother theother other sloping wooded stretches But Crowley Crowle had small use for speedways BO so the river bank north of the towns center went quickly to ruin Here a flood had encroached upon the road and left a great gap of 1 Jagged rock and water and there a quarrying company empowered by the city to blast rock had left holes hol s and pitfalls The rains came and washed down the earth arth un uncovering uncovering uncovering covering the old cord uror foundations until even the surefooted horses from outlying truck farms were forced to seek LeCk k n a 1 new road to town torn In ln th tho tangled growth of grass ra and weeds and trees that sloped up from the rivers bank were five or six old houses They The had been country seats when Crowley Crowle was merely a They had been built with that ancient solidity which defies defils time and even vandalism The owners had long since ceased to occupy them and for the most part they were untenanted The shingles had fallen from their roofs the glass was gone from their win windows windows windows dows the doors were fallen from their hinges the columns of their high pi piazzas i were scarred and chipped by the hands of many picnickers In the coarse grass that covered their old carriageways the wheel tracks of the thc past were dim and rugged ragged weeds choked out the fine grass where lawns had stretched It was one morning In September that Mayor Maor Hennessey was tempted to try this ramshackle road He had In Intended intended intended tended to take a spin out of the town and try his pew new horse on the good roads south of ot f his Jurisdiction but when he came down aown own the steps of the city hall hail he found he was too toolate late for forthe forthe forthe the run Yet Tet there was wal an unwonted freshness In tIle air the wind blowing the ina iy smokes of Crowley away I from him and he ho wished to try the th horse He bent to lift left Lady Hamil Hamiltons Hamiltons Hamiltons tons hoofs with practised hand then rising flushed with the exertion he climbed Into the light rig and took the reins from the slouching hostler In the Crowley language he was a afine afine afine fine figure of a man broad and well padded by b nature across the shoulders and ample of chest Crowley liked the ruddy rudd jovial face the fine fierce Iron ray cray mustache at which his honor was wont ont 1 o I pull while his little blue eyes twinkled down upon a voters oters baby They started delicately d Lady Lad Hamil Hamilton ton and her owner His big hands In their orange driving gloves s grasped the reins lightly On the river way Daniel had purposed to give the horse her head but the twisting road did cUd not look promising for speeding Although along the winding way h kept a tight rein at a sharp turn he came upon ca calamity calamity calamity lamity An adventurous furniture van what could be carting furniture long 1 the river way blocked travel Its rear hung over a minor precipice e washed shed out of the road Some of 01 Its contents had escaped escape their rope moor moorings moorings F ings logs and lay below a damaged pile with the ripples washing I It The driver stood scratching his head futilely and anda a ft woman was surveying the scene I beg your pardon mam said his honor elaborately Excuse me inc for not to help you ou maam but this mare maam is a bit skittish this tills morn orn Can I do anything for you Yes If you please said the lady with nIth unfeminine promptness I think this drivers drunk I thought so when he lie came this morning and why I 1 came along with the load I don care to have him finish fi dumping my I furniture into the river If It there Is ls J such a thin thing in that town back there she nodded contemptuously In the di direction direction direction of Crowleys center c and the tha mayor felt V tI t i L i of wounded pride such sueh as he had nt known In thirty years as a decent furniture wagon and a man sober enough to unload this on It please send them to tome tomeI me meI I will maam with pleasure maam answered the mayor resent resentful resentful resentful ful of ot Lady Hamiltons determined pulls to be gone goneI I will wUl be much obliged An Announced flounced nou ced the lady in tn a tone that th t Implied no consciousness of overwhelming ob obligation obligation obligation Not at all aU maam maarn not atall the mayor managed to jerk out as the tha horse safely turned began to make good her late owners claims In regard to her speed To Insure It that the calm woman of the gray eyes was properly served Daniel sent to her aid a city dray dra driver er e by a n man so sober as to be absolutely absolutely absolutely taciturn This being never men mentioned mentioned mentioned to her that the Infamously fa famous mayor of Crowley had befriended her he herThe heThe The mayor was no ladys man Fifteen Fifteen Fifteen teen years before he had as he put It burled buried his wife Since then he had been too busy to think much about women Indeed ho had been so before poor Mrs Hennessey had made her final pathetic appeal for thought But since then he had been the despair of the ladies ladles of Crowleys political circle who vre well aware of his eligibility Today however there was a gentle tumult beneath his striped shirt and his checked waistcoat The direct gaze from a n pair pall of fine unexcited gray gay grayeyes grayeyes eyes kept intruding between him and his official business And at night he went to the brick bricle structure of or which he had always thought proud proudly ly as the finest house In Crowley be being beIng being ing seized with an inexplicable distaste for Its solitary splendors He stood at the door of the parlor hoping by a contemplation of It to re restore restore restore store the tte brilliancy brilli ncy of his conception of his home honie The ormolu clock ticked loudly on the black marble mantel Daniel scowled at It and at the tall Chinese vases at either end and even at the silver slIver inscribed with divers names and with sentiments The lace la e curtains hung in spotless evenness clear to the floor and swept tho carpet a few inches The chairs upholstered in plush of ol the softest texture and the most hue stood evenly against the flowered wall The marble table supported a Bible an empty card receiver of jade and silver and a plush photograph album A long gilt framed mirror doubled the room chair for chair and ornament for ornament even the great dead dad upright piano plana over against the folding doors where the red portieres were pulled back by heavy gold cord like the fringe on a generals epaulets An no one to play pl y it grumbled the mayor ma or orBy By morning however his honor was better At fifty the successful poll poli politician seldom perishes of love at first sight He made up his mind to visit the farm house where some of his horses were pasturing to buy a libra library ry rythe the mayor did things on a grand scale and to start the campaign Not that there was much arduous cani ean in Crowley Its a walk walkover over Cover for us all right said the mayor half halt annoyed at the te t e fact He had smoked a cigar and had a chat With the district attorney as part of the days das business when a clerk from the outer office stood at his desk deskA A lady to see you ou said the clerk The district attorney looked his sur surprise prise So did the mayor You mean me he asked Yep nodded the clerk Did ye tell teU her I was wag busy Says Sas shell wait What t 11 I can she want pon pondered pondered pondered dered the mayor maor aloud for the female lobbyist was the one political evil un unknown unknown known In Crowley Have her In and see Dan coun counseled counseled the district attorney Ill stay and help you out All right Send her in Bill con concluded concluded eluded his honor And in two more minutes a plump neat forceful look looking lookIng looking ing woman i was wa ushered into the may mayoral mayoral mayoral oral presence Daniel whirled In his chair to see his visitor then he lie bounded to his feet How dye do maam how d dye kye ye do dohe dohe dohe he cried joyously And as he advanced ed edhe he muttered to the district attorney Its all right Carr Get out Carr did with a smile made up of equal parts of amazement and comprehension sion slon The lady of the gray eyes looked her astonishment Oh she said its you youIt youIt It is maam said fald Daniel beam beamIng beamIng beaming Ing as he pushed forward a chair with one hand and with the other sent his hl cigar stub flying through the open win window window window dow An delighted If I can be of any service to you Jou The man I sent the dray they were all right Oh yes she replied absently as she sat down They were all right You were very kind I under understand understand understand stand The man would takE tako no pay I thought he was crazy Oh no hes sensible enough eno gh I told him to take none non Hes on the rolls you ou see sec Ah yes said sad the lady absently again She looked vaguely through the window and out onto the turf of the square Badly f she Indicated the square with ar an fn inclination of her neat neatly neatI neatly ly I head The mayor flushed Its Its first season he said apol apologetically apologetically apologetically And again there fell feU a lit little little littie tle tie silence while the visitor stared through the window But she soon recovered herself She turned her cool pleasant eyes upon the tho great man and smiled Im a little upset she said I came here to find fault and It dont seem very grateful to find fault with anyone who was as kind as you were yesterday But I came to complain and Im going to She had a firm little chin and now that the smile had died away there was a look about her wholesome mouth that bespoke her no trifler The may mayor may mayor or estimating the gray strands str in her brown hair and the lines linen about her eyes C as was calculating or maybe forty But he closed his arith arithmetical arithmetical arithmetical exercises to say with pained attention To find fault With me maam With you since youre the govern government ment of Crowley she answered again with the smile that took all harshness s strom from her ier face anyway with the gov sov government eminent of Crowley She paused Mayor Maor Hennessey suf suffused suffused suffused fused wU red had no apt reply So he fixed 1 tj due ue eyes from which the te twinkle had h d departed dejectedly dej upon her herand and d dI I 1 have h ve i n old 1 house o s she f announced out lut on the road you OU call Cal the th Ryer Byer Way W It used to be b known as the tha Jj lr r place es l said the mayor Iam a poor woman she went on ona ona ona a oneA one oneA oneA A widow wIdo or r did her husband nd de desert desert deSert sert her Inwardly questioned the mayor in a n perspiration of fear My Iy husband died thirteen years ago and audI andl I have hav got along pretty hard until now when I come into possession of this property It come to better hands declared the mayor maor bowing hiS big best But his visitor seemed not to hear and he felt himself all at once absurd and small It much of a place now she said Of course I know or I have moved here clear from Illinois However Im here And I mean to stay And I to open a bearding boarding house there for the th house is 13 isas isas as big as a barn and Im used to the business But the road to it has to be repaired Mr Mr Hennessey supplied the mayor Mr Hennessey No one would trav travel el ci over such a road raad to get anywhere There ought to be a breakwater all along the river edge there she fin finished fini finished i severely The mayor began to recover himself Oh my dear madam he said in the florid political manner were w r not a arich arich arich rich community like the city over there Ours is a population A breakwater is an expensive lve luxury for which our taxpayers would be unable to pay The widow gazed at him steadily Ive Ie read all about Crowley she announced I suppose you mean In them black guardin papers across ss the river he returned stirred to tonn an unwonted heat Again tho the widows soothing radiant smile mlle appeared I suppose they th were vere opposition pa papers papers papers pers she |