Show WHEN NELLIE BROKE THE SLATE SLAT I T T TT T was wan a the first tIlDe date women had bad i 1 voted vt 1 in Hilton City Three weeks before the primaries Nellie Johnson Johnsonn I In n common with most moet of the women omen in inthe Inthe the f hf city dt took about the th interest in the th i elections and especially in the prima primaries ri rif ries t the i t they did in tn the t h latest fashions I I in jn But a vi visit it to one of the thes s holds had stirred d her wrath The roms oms vi were ere badly heated hEat and worse 00 ventilated the accommodations or the pupils especially the th smaller children were wondrously insufficient Mismanagement Ml man I I gt mt nt and misapplied mi ap economy were everywhere f evident Nellie came home bubbling with Indignation I Now Vow that women can an vote she he ex exClaimed exclaimed Claimed in virtuous wrath to her bel mother moth I Ir er r it is la a shame such uch things thin should t allow allo v ed d rt If Mrs Irs Johnson plat pla idl idly assented a that 1 sit lt Jt was wa but hut displayed d no great creat n aam over on r reform by means of women s suffrage Mr Johnson had done the voting toting for or the family ly for twenty years vears Personally she he was wa willing te ha should to the end ead ir f the chapter l But Nellies lUe young ar at lor refused to be dampened by mid l calm That evening f she told h r fiance liance Harry Rog Rogers ers that by meant means f r the f feminine vote rote rotea a reform tom m was to be w in the school system of Hilton Cit II You men ran t in an have all alJ the old poUt political ical kal tikes Ti e you vou w want int she declared but ut t e are going to Hf see se that the little l I I 1 children s have decent comfortable school oI rooms e i Harry Barr believed In his Inmost heart hart that the tf ir row rose and s set Met t simply for forthe forthe forthe the ben t or of Nellie But evea even he be did not tak her political aspirations very Serb 0 Hilton City is III such a part party town t that there t would be w no hope bope of winning i I out in election against the regular par party j t tty ty ticket The only w wa way aj w would be he to j have bae some decent man nominated at th primaries for school Commissioner And Ant i j you would td have hav to break brak Tom slate to do dui d that I As Aa burly Tom Dor Dorland land had bad left his schoolboy y lays days many years behind him was at first at the Idea Ide that that rotund statesman eta man should want a slate Perhaps he kept one In Intender Intender tender ten er memory of his youthful days In that case CM it would be a very mean man thing I to break It She Rite explained ex this in a rather hesitating manner to Harry BaITY Rog Rogers Rogera ers era Harry grew red in the face and t for tor a moment seemed afflicted with a abad abad abad I bad choking lit fit ft But to his hl eternal 1 I credit he hf did not Iu laugh h There Ther he bf ex explained I I d slates and primaries and other I II i I political beat terms to Nine Nellie until her pretty prett i t I head d was waa In la a awhirL whirl But at last she sheI I I understood un the mode of procedure I which must be used if a school corn com commissioner 0 missioner who wh would come to the help i of the children was to be chosen John Johni i Ix omis a prominent business bu man w who ho took LOoK a great areaL Interest in educational al af affair affairs fairs fair WAS undoubtedly the best candidate candi candidate date who be chosen c n Then enough voters roten must be bit won to force him on cn the primary Harry Rogers thought this was w impossible Jm But Nellie NelUe was hope hopeful hopeful hopeful ful Hat Hal not DOt worsen women wo tn to the tile past put influenced e elections eI IA A des due of Devonshire carried an j election ta England alan in the last cen ten century century tur tury said Harry reminiscently She I Iwas Iwas was a very wry beautiful woman and be bf believed believed I that lips could be bP used for other purposes than talking He looked at a t I INellie Nellie ely Yea Yes it might be bedone bedone done You certainty certainly ai re e II And that was as about as far as all Harry got Jot with his speech h But after he left left t thill j his hill words kept recurring to Nellie Of course that duchess d was nas a shockingly bold woman Yet jet she be had won Oil her election And something certainly certainty j I ought to be done one for o the children es e especially I Ip p pec In lally 11 y the little ones one in the public I The next day Nellie entered ent on an I active campaign She visited d the of school bool children told them I of the bad bat conditions in the schools KC I and managed ma to stir li up their interest I Ito to tn a fever point They would go IrO to the th primary see that th their ir lr husbands hu band 1 did dill and the th united heads head o of the fam tam famille tiles ille would vote ote for John Thea Then Nellie eWe organized an election corps of the prettiest girls in town She explained the be political situation actuation and the need of reform in school mat matters matters It is probable that the ideas the th fair Cair electioneers had of slates and primaries I maries mar after Nellie explanation would ouM have hav tr n eaR an experienced expel gasp cup But B one oaf tt was Rai impressed on I all Each wa to attend tend the primary And each w was aa 11 to Influence some som young c man mo to solemnly promise P romise that he would vote for tor Loomis A good deal of mystery always nut sur suri i rounded the tactics pursued by J r the fair fUr I Ic electioneering c corps corp It was w rumored ru I that some took the famous ramo Duchess of Devonshire for tor their political at proto prototype prototype type tyle Probably these bate ba ru web circulated by jealous politicians who wo W 1 were not properly approached At t any tate rate the work of ot the corps was wu w won onerously effective In the meantime Tom Dorland Borland polo polito political ical boss bot had bad been far from inactive inns ve He had picked out the place Pla of O school c commissioner for Mike tin titi rs a prominent statesman of the First rat ward Mike had bad the educational qualifications ce Lions tlona for the position po of being ben able bI to swing a hundred votes In to has ward of o being certain to make machine ap appointments and of being able ble to set et ett t al ll 11 the graft possible po out of or school l contracts What more could an as en eni enlightened i lightened constituency want In a school commissioner I ll For or the first few tew days day Tom Toni Borland i had been Inclined to look with con contempt conI I tempt tl on the contest which the women of the city rity under the leadership of I Nellie Nc were putting up against his 1 slate Then as he recognized recognised r th thi i strength of the movement he be worked I w with ith desperation d But Nellie and her bel belI election I corps assisted by indignant i athers and mothers added to the list Hat 1 oi or voters ote pledged to attend the primary mary mar and vote vot the reform ticket et ev even n I faster tuter than the boss with CAt the local machine could emits J 4 c Ii The evening of the primary the hall lull hallin lullin in 18 which it was wan held beld was crowded to the doors On one aide side was w ranged d Mike Haskins Haki his 1118 candidate the rest of ot the faithful followers of the t tie boss boBs On the other were Nel Nei lie Ue her J e election corps their devoted d followers among the young I mutt men and the Indignant fathers tat hen and mothers gathered to insist In on better school accommodations for their chil children dren One glance showed Dorland Do Dorl Hand nd that i he was 98 beaten aten Mike Haskins to his w intense disgust recognized recognised the same fact Mike had bad been brought up in iii the old rough and ready reads rea school of politics polities which drew the line at mur murder murder murder der der and at little Them Thern women omen have no right at a apolitical apolitical apolitical political meeting growled Mike Lets J rough house the hall hail drive them out 1 and then vote ote the ticket But Tom Dorland shook hook his biB head de decidedly decidedly Though not overburdened I with Uh scruples where politics were con concerned concerned I Dorland was at different sort of man from Mike Haskins In Ira fact ta t the he had rather an admiration for the I pretty girl irl who had defeated him hm at athis athis I his own game He had bad played and I Icet leet But there was no use whining or ort t I bearing hard feeling For the burly I t boas boss liked a good loser Io r and tried to be beI one himself lf i iI I I But while Dorland cherished no en tn enmity I mity toward Nellie he te had har Rut quit quitt a agent i gent t feeling toward to ard John Loomis I j i reform candidate Between 1110 I MU and Loomis there was wu a strong ng I personal hostility hoet ity dating back for I years and intensified by many conflicts in politics and business The boss boam I thought bard hard for tor a moment The TIle chair chairman chairman man was wan one ODe of eC his own men mea and was wan his cue eve from tile the boss bolla Dor Dorland Dorland Dorland I land admitted defeat as far as 8 his own candidate was concerned But he be that Loomis should was wa determined not win and also that the nomination i of the winner should come from fr m him himself himself I self The boss bo 8 had not grown old In politics without learning mo most t of the tricks of 0 the trade Hu He li whispered d to his lieutenants lieutenant Its It no DO use boys Were up against I lit it good and bard hard Then Tom Dorland orland showed that he had some of ot the attributes for tor lead leadership t He rose roBe from his seat smil smiling in ing as blandly as al if f he knew every everything everything thing thin in the primary was his bis own wa and nd In lu his tones proceeded proc to throw a forces by saying I I take great peat pleasure in presenting pre enUng the name of ot Miss Nellie Johnson as a I candidate for the office oMee of school com cont commissioner mis missioner foner I In an in start slant there was wa as confusion contusion among Nellies forces The you young men n cheered vehemently The older men and omen women w looked puzzled On the faces of the personal friends of John Loomis was wan apparent the suspicion of treachery treachery ery cry Nellie was wah bewildered b by the sudden sud sudden den df n turn of f r Tans a Before she he ha had l time to decline the Ute nomination nomina had bad I been seconded by owe one of henchmen ben The machine chairman pre pee I Ij j F ft 0 c 0 ae seated her a rapidity took away the breaths of tike the theof of Nellies Nellie party unused moiled to th the with which things thi isan aa ua be r I inked i through by properly property disciplined c political pM cal cat henchmen Before they the Colin xe re recover cover from their bewilderment the Zhe chairman called out There being no DO other nomination all aU In favor of Miss MIa Johnson say my y Ay Am A There was a roar soar of ayes aye from fromm lira machine m ranks and from th the y your m members mt of the reform forces force f t Miss Johnson is ta elected r I 1 I ly declared the chairman it itt 11 solemn olema tones he be being a chairman who knew hi his business Nominations for fOl candidates candidate for other offices are now nw in x order orde rde The only fight had been over the tile st nomination and the machine a tied the re of the nominations without opposition op When I I the primary prima broke up Mike Baskins kins seemed the oi OJ lv di person They Thc got after u for w or bribe bribery y if It we spent a i dollar u i friend election day insisted M ik to Tom D 10 rand land as aa the they were wul u 1 lc g the hall ball But t ut the way those thoe girls have been i in il i the young Oung men Is s only another BothI i u nd Oi cf o bribery Sure it is answered the Vial 1 boss Sure me boy My Mv on OILY v hick k ki I i I i II is that no one tried to bun e the theme ime me wa tea a But at that I 1 Aver er ex eXI exl I l i l l io o v see ee the day dai da aken aen It a pretty i girl rl could break my K ew w York I I Times Tim j 1 |