Show TelegramS Telegram'S he Daily Short Story Lida Lane Press Agent By JANE OSBORN Copyright 1916 1910 by McClure Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper Syndicate Timothy Bradley looked at the card th that t the office boy hoy had handed him It bore ore the Inscription Lido Llda Lane Lsne press agent A. A N. N L. L i P. P E. E w. W What the deuce Is la an A. A A 1 I L L. L P E 13 w SV r he asked the boy If It she's hes any n sort fort of or book boole agent I simply cant can't see her Tell her Im I'm out out out-no no wait walt a 0 minute Jf If f she doesn't look positively violent show her in that in-that that is unless she's he s a It suffragist I dont don't believe Im I'm Imin Imin in iii trim to see seo any to today ay Timothy Bradley was running for congress and it was part of ot his political po pol political po- po l tactics no less than a aR Rh phase hale se of ot l own hood good nature never to to turn turna a away away ay callers who asked for tor personal interviews On this particular mornIng mornIng morning morn morn- ing he was more than ordinarily busy for election day was drawing nigh and the campaigning maneuvers were at their height t Then Lida Lido Lane came Into Mr Bradleys Bradley's Bradley's Bradleys Bradleys Bradley's Brad- Brad leys ley's office fe Of or course she was pretty she pretty she had hadeen been een s selected for tor her work partly be be- be because because cause ause of ot that very fact She had friendly frank unsophisticated brown browney browneyes eyes ey 8 a peach skin complexion and a firm determined rounded little mouth fc that made her look younger than she really was As a matter of ot fact Lida Llda was only 22 anyway F She took the proffered chair at Ir M Mr Bradleys Bradley's desk and then explained I Ih h ve just come t to as the theress press ress agent of ot the A. A N. N L. L P. P E. E V. W and d after aCter studying the situation here her herel l I have hav started my campaign by calling on m you you I want to know where you are aro going Joing to take your stand on this s great n Are you for us or against u is s W Whatever your answer we will gain aln by having it known mown If It you are with wi h us we will win you friends If It Itou ou are against us we will profit by your our political enemies and perhaps add addo add addo o o their number We Ve may as well make capital over the strong political fric- fric friction is creating tion lon that your yO campaign Well Just a a minute interrupted Bradley wondering how that absurdly youthful mouth could be bo so emphatic I i am quite sure I am for tor you per per- lIe He didn't dickt Intend to say Just that but jut but he let it pass with a flourish of ot othis his hand blind Just to get a line Une on what way I can be of assistance to you let me me ask y you u what this N. N P P. X Y Z association is that you represent I Iam Iam Iam am prepared to stand a stand on preparedness preparedness preparedness pre pre- prison reforms prohibition vivisection and several other sections I Iam am willing to say too that I am not nota a R. vegetarian or a Mormon or a Nihilist Nihilist list or 01 an I. I W. W W. W Have I covered your question I I Llda Lida laughed heartily at this speech I and Timothy laughed with her He had the comfortable expansive feeling of having been extremely clever He was also aware that Lida Llda Lane whoever she w was showed a very pretty set of teeth when she laughed I I thought of course you knew I she zhe explained The A. A N. N L. L P. P E. E W. W is ia the American National League for forthe the he Political Emancipation of Women the only live wire suffrage Ion in They have imported imported imported im im- im- im ported me to do the press work I have been heen searching through your record at Headquarters and I find that you have made ode ade statement no as to where you you stand tand on the question of ot votes for women women I Then they've got me down on the theists fists over at your YO headquarters What did you you find out P Oh that youre you're a bachelor of ot good and no family That you are aree the ate e heir heit to the Bradley fortune which s reputed to be larger than it really s s though it is quite respectable That you ou are a lawyer by profession that you make strong friends and strong enemies and nd that you'd go to any honorable honorable hon hon- rable means you ou could to get into congress Congress So far tar n no returns on the I suffrage question I Well you ou see Bradley see Bradley felt strangely at a loss for exactly what to ay say I never had Just the opportunity I wanted to come corne out on this matter I thought that is is it if the women want it it why shouldn't they have it But hold on there young lady dont don't take that down as an interview First let me give elve you vou a little dope dODe about how to r run this this publicity game game the way it should beIn beIn beIn be I In the first place a press agent agent- you see Ive I've done some of that work myself myself myself-doesn't doesn't want to waste time writing copy Let the newspaper fel fellows fellows fel- fel I fel-I lows do that What you press agents want to too do is to start a a. row or something something something some some- thing and then make the newspaper boys think you are are re trying to keep 1 it from them diem They'll come around fast fasl enough Now this Idea taen of yours rs about making eking political capital of my position I Iere here ere in Is good What you want to do now is to trot back to your I little office without taking a word of ot I IotES notes otES about what I have to say on the suffrage issue But In a day or so so- so his this att afternoon if I can can ril ril drop around at suffrage headquarters Somebody's I sure lUre to see seo me Tho The office of ot the I Morning Banner is right across the I way You must prime your people to I keep mum when the reporters reporter ask I them hem about my call and for a day or I two well we'll keep them guessing In the I meantime Ill I'll drop around every day I and nd have havn conferences with you or your big chief chic and read the tho dope that you hand out They will overhear us the first thing you know and there it will willbo willbe willbo bo be the next day all across the first page e ag-e of the Banner Danner It was only 3 o'clock that afternoon when Bradley mado made his first call at suffrage headquarters and for three days things went o on according to schedule The reporters did follow him himo to o headquarters and they did a ask k questions No one at headquarters vouchsafed to offer any Information since the tho leaders had been taken Into the secret of or the scheme that Bradley had ad laid down to Llda Lida There was much too that the politician poli poH- found It was necessary for him himo to o learn from Lida about the feminist question and after the tho other organizers had ad gone gon for the evening he found occasion to linger at Llda's Lidas desk for tor further Instruction Suppose you let me go to to dinner with you he said sold one night after atter the theme scheme had been progressing for a reek eek Well take a spin over to the next town in my car sos so's not to start Dame Rumor humor gossiping and maybe I Ian Ican Ican can an get you to listen to this other mat mat- ter er It Is practically a sure thing now that they'll come como out with the announcement announcement announcement an an- tomorrow morning There Therea I was a reporter from the Banner Inhere Inhere in inhere here almost half the aft afternoon and iio ho was around trying to pump a stenographer half halt the morning It was past twilight when they left headquarters and Lida Lido as the tho last of the he organizers out closed the door of ot the he shop that Maybe you'll have to change card ard youve you've got in your records about me ne before long he said as they walked down the block toward Brad Brad- Bradleys Bradley's Bradleys Bradley's leys ley's garage Tho The only only- reason reason- Ive I've been a a. bachelor so long is because I never knew the girl before who was I pretty enough to love that had brains enough to make a success of ot mar mar- e. e And as they stepped into the car Bradley peered in the semidarkness ness Im Tm blessed i 1 If that reporter the Banner Danner wasn't shadowing me still sUllo Well I hope hes he's got the dope hes he's after Walt Wait till you see what a sendoff the A. A N. N L. L P P. P E. E W. W will get in the morning When Lida Lido arrived at head headquarters later than usual In the morning morning her first object was to see seo the Morning Banner and discover whether the prediction prediction prediction pre pre- diction Mr Bradley had made had come true She had started out so lato late that she had not stopped on her herway herway herway way to buy the paper But at the headquarters she was greeted by an unexpected delegation of ot suffrage e organizers as well as by Bradley himself who seem seemed d to be conversing amiably with the women as she entered There was a look of ot satisfaction on the faces races of those present quite foreign foreign for tor- eign to the stern business of ot winning votes for women White roses and violets lay in florists florists' boxes on her desk They stole a march on us Ul Llda Lida was Mr Bradleys Bradley's breezy greeting for forno forno forno no on one else seemed to know Just wh what t to say Heres H ere the Paper And Lida Llda held It up to discover across four tour columns columns columns' columns columns' col col- on the front page page- Bradley to Wed Suffrage Leader Congressional ional Candidate No Longer W Able AVI te to oSay Stay on the Fence on Im Im- Important Important Important Reform Issue Of course it was true Still she had hadnot hadnot not expected anyone would know of ot it till ni after after- election day some little press agent isn't she ladles ladies Bradley asked in his friendly town round manner |