Show MONEY TO BURN CHAPTER XII XII Continued Continued 12 12 Ive been a dog he murmured sadly adly It serves es me right Of of course I have ha the nerve of a lion tamer to ask sk this but but will will you Rive give me another another another an an- other chance Nellie Will you take me back back on on probation I accept Ill Iii take you not back not as a sweetheart but as the dear old oId friend you Jou were before you told me you loved me and asked me to marr marry you JOU Meanwhile you OU are not to run runaway runaway runaway away from You lou must stay here and make your campaign for forma ma mayor or be elected now I can never ne mayor he assured her That suit and the publication of f my letters to Doris Doris- Were cre tile they love letters Elmer lIe He hung his head I tried to make them sound that way but I dont don't think they were as enthusiastic ent as ones I J could have haye written you JOU under the thc same circumstances Still I I suppose they're silly enough to tickle to death They'll be hard for me to tol l laugh ugh off Take the chance she ur urged ed Elmer shook his head dolefully I dare not not now But you announced your candidacy with a blare of trumpets trumpets as It were You'll have ha to enter enter the fight now non Elmer shull shuddered red But I never ne intended Intended Intended In In- tended to torun run for mayor this year ear he pr protested tested lamely I was merely announcing announcing announcing an an- myself as a candidate to run against ag the Incumbent when hen he came up for re-e re election re-election as I 1 figured he lie would Now the Infernal kill joy has disappointed everybody by resigning and moving out of dr the county the elt city council deadlocked Is Is over O the appointment appointment appoint appoint- ment nent of his successor and In order to save sa their faces the they have ha ordered a special election to decide who shall be e mayor maor to fill the term terra So you jou ou see Nellie Ive I've got an nn excellent excuse for withdrawing now I can cansay canray say ray I do not care to make a campaign for the term because It will not afford me an opportunity to Initiate reforms All m my friends will understand understand understand under under- stand stand- You remind me of ota ofa a small boy who whistles up his courage as he passes the cemetery after utter dark Elmer you know very well that If you OU are elected to fill 1111 the term and make good you OU can cun be elected for the next year two term without half tr trying No I cannot Ill I'll make an announcement announcement announcement an an- In the Clarion that upon further consideration I 1 find that m my business affairs will not t l permit of ot my making the race and accordingly I 1 am withdrawing m my candidacy y If U you Jou do O that N lUe ilie assured him you Jou might as well abandon all nIl hope of marrying me eventually I could never stand a quitter 1 I want you to enter that fight everi evert If It you Jou do lose it He lie squirmed In his chair The very thought of it makes me shudder Nellie eme Have IIa a heart I Permit me to withdraw now marr marry me and go away with me to me-to to France or Italy Italy Ital any anywhere where to escape Then when the bo b oW v falls faUs Ill I'll not be here to be laughed at Nothing In this world can be of surpassing surpassing surpassing sur sur- surI I passing interest for more than nine days das and In a year ear or two from now when hen we return the whole miserable affair will have been forgotten I dare sa say Elmer In that length of at time you will have lla been forgotten too You will have lost your leadership leadership leader lender ship so essential to your future here You must remain here and build up your our leadership Then marry me and help me stand it no 4 No I had nothing t to do with wilh getting getting getting get get- ting you rou into this jam and you'll have to fight your Jour own way out If you OU do that however er the day I find it ft out Ill I'll n marry arry you ou But nut if you you quit if you rim run count count me out of your our calculations lIe He groaned Inwardly You haven't the hc slightest conception conception conception concep concep- concep- concep tion of a womans woman's pride Elmer Elsner Nellie Nellie Nellie Nel Nel- lie went on on with motherly tenderness That flint adventuress adventuress ss Is tr trying ing to break Soil to run torun run out of or you JOU you your our own cotta conn- try Im I'm trying to maJ make e you JOU to keep you ou from being run out The fhe question therefore reserves Jes t j itself self Into this who Is ig to lo win You are arc the only ilUm human J being a who lio can decide that question and I call upon you ou to decide It here and now now or 01 forfeit not only ont the fra fragments of my former love ove for for you Jou but my m my future friendship and respect re- re respect p ct fo for for you SP Speak Uli up up EI Elmer Elsner er or ar orre re remain in f forever silent jy JU win he declared without an Instants Instant's hesitation c i I I don dont don't t care what happens to me pie provided pro I do not l humiliate you you- OU a again aln 1 I can can can tal take lake e a licking you ou Im know w t. t Smiling Sanding I hope a 4 at any i rate in s silence j r t J J That rem remains to to be se sen n n said cj N Nellie l darkly Your Yo Ul courage courage and sportsmanship are r going in to h he tested l Ina manner of I ich h you u little dream r Our pur future happiness happiness' depends JOll upon how liow 11 w well or Ol how hf pOOl poorly you ou cin emerge re e r rElmer from that that- test test Elmer l his sloe lo e love letters to I Doris an and shuddered er again You Youre re J not ot eating an anything tiling Noble N challenged ed him sn WI 1111 Wily ou OU haven't taken a single ingle single bite bite bile If 1 I r did I Id I'd feel n as vulgar and Insensate In s sensate as a 1 pig tug pig he lie replied Cheer up Elmer There Is Is' Is n no nobell o hell bell Well Vell then Im I'm up UI to to my mJ ears tn cm's in something just as as' as hot lIe He ee eyed her half angrily And youre you're the little Tittle devil that's stoking the fire tire Nellie Neale half halt rose rosc ream nom her chair and leaned across the table toward him Kiss me booby 1 I she commanded fiercely And Elmer obeyed By Peter B. B Kyne ne t by Peter B. B Kyn Service Up to the da day he received elI from that anonymous Los Jos Angeles source the source the letters h he had written his Inamorata Elmer made no progress In the matter of ot mapping out ant his hiI campaign for tor mayor He lIe was much too nervous too too oVer V overwhelmed l with grave apprehensions apprehensions apprehensions to focus his mind on this adventure which could only rend end In disaster lIe He spent his days das fishing and his nights In gloomy gloom meditation Longfellow In his Hiawatha ob nb observes serves that misfortunes come not sin sin- gl gly The poet might with equal truth have written that blessings come In flocks Suddenly came carne the letter from Doris charging him liim with the perpetration tion of ot ota a newer and more despicable crime and vowing vengeance when her time should be up The receipt of the newspaper clipping dipping solved the mystery of at the girls girl's letter and while Elmer was rejoicing at nt this evidence evidence evi evi- dence of a stay of or execution and make mak ing up his mind to make malie the fur fly In his campaign for mayor maor now that fate had Inter intervened Interned ned and given him a fighting chance to win the packet of off love lo letters arrived The comfort that had been his just previous to this wa wai the mo most t l avant a ant grief In comparison with the thee delirious delight that descended upon him now It was the greatest day clay in history When Rhen his paroxysm m of deH delight ht had Ina in ina ina a measure abated he proceeded 1 to read the letters In the order of their da dates es After reading the third letter he shook as ns with an ague for lor he lie discovered discovered discovered ered that th he had Indeed asked Doris to marry Him i He lIe essayed to read the fourth letter and groaned aloud It was terrible So o he burned them all He was waiting outside the bank banI when Nellie game came out at five Hop Into this car and come away with me Nellie he he ordered or Ill I'll kidnap you Nellie hopped In and they whirled away awny Into the country Once clear of the town Elmers Elmer's hand stole over and closed over o Nellies Nellie's She jerked it awa away but he seized her arm roughly and again possessed himself of her hand which he retained by brute forc force Still he said nothing so Nellie maintained maintained maintained main main- silence Presently she spoke to break an embarrassing silence What have you been doing all day Elmer Ive rYe been singing Bet net you a n hundred dollars I know what youve you've been singing Tat Taken en What have I been singing The national anthem m of ot Slam Siam You lose I dont don't know it it itOh Oh yes es you do 1 s It called she Informed him Without a moments moment's hesitation Elmer EImer Eimer El EI- Ei- Ei mer Butterworth Clarke took out his wallet and solemnly handed Nellie Cathcart n a hundred-dollar hundred bill and Nellie took It When Elmer EI Elmer er rose the following morning he remembered that If he Intend Intended intended In In- tend tended d to be mayor of It behooved ed him to be up and doln doing He lIe had no time to spare His first Idea was to to contract with the Silver Sil Cornet band to play at his political rallies exclusively u- u thus forcing his hid opponents to 10 import their music e. e expensively from surrounding towns The extent of f his advertising and the elaborate preparations for his campaign campaign cam cam- alarmed and Irritated his opponents op op opponents p. p the alarm being occasioned slon d dby by hand first knowledge that they were being opposed b by a young oung forceful forceful force force- ful popular man without a blemish on his hl character find and with an excellent war record His Ills strength In fraternal circles was well known and of or course he lie would I get the old soldier vote ote in ij I i I y 1 ht t 4 Kiss f Me Booby She r its ts entirety The Irritation Q hn sn df was born a of nn app that they were to oppose t him site site- they would have to adopt the we pace he lie had set which predicated the spending of more money than they cared to think about Also would have lave to make speeches they were incapable In- In capable of making with a tithe of the thease ease ase grace and logic of their youthful opponent Their best plan pian lay In ancient political cal ical strategy By mutual consent the Democratic md rind the Republican candidates con con- eluded to refrain from fighting each other and concentrate their fire re o on Elmer To ro Elmer competition was 88 the Joy of life He had been born with the winning spirit and he resolved to leave no stone unturned to to secure his tive the However he overlooked one stone ston Nellie eUle Cathcart culled called It to his attention I suppose Elmer youre you're going going- to spend a couple of thousand dollars to win an office that pays pas a salar salary of ot only one hundred dollars a n m month i I suppose so The confounded Job is really a nuisance but now that Im I'm Imin ImIn ImIn in the tile race Im I'm not going to let a little money stand In the way of ot Ictor victory Well reli you had hind better hetter form the Elmer Elmer Elmer El El- mer B. B Cla Clarke ke Campaign committee and permit It It to spend that money s she le su suggested Name Narue the committee and appoint me treasurer You Yon have already d spent as much mone money as ns you ou are permitted to spend under the law if jou you spend more you wI will violate the purity of at the election law if you Jon win rO your Ir enemies will check up on you ou after the election Indict you convict con you and deprive you of your Jour won hard office But nut I cant can't pass the hat for tor my mJ J campaign n expenses e. he protested be be- Organize e your our finance committee head the subscription list with a fifty- fifty dollar donation and open an nn account In Anse Moodys Moody's bank Then send I your jour our bills to me and as treasurer I will pay them But how ho Never Ke mind how As treasurer that will be m my worry You stick to your Jour knitting But Dut where the can you OU get money Ill get Jet It somewhere Elmer did you ever see a cat reconnoiter a hole In a n fence He sticks sUds his head through h hand and If his whiskers touch he knows he cannot get his body through so he climbs over the fence Well Im I'm goIng go- go goIng going Ing to crawl through this hole without touching my financial whiskers She did She gave the Commercial Trust Savings bank a n ns s second cond mortgage for two thousand dollars dollars dollars dol dol- lars on the property she had bought from Elmer Clarke and old Anse Moody charged her ten per cent interest Interest Interest In In- terest on the loan and refused to make male It for more than a year ear This money she deposited to the credit of the Elmer Elmer Elmer El El- mer B. B Clarke Campaign committee and on the day after the election she paid her last bill closed up her account account account ac ac- ac- ac count and had four hundred dollars left And on election day Elmer received two votes In excess of at the total votes otes cast for his opponents It was a stupendous stupendous stupendous stu stu- I a sweeping victory Ictor and the politically wise ascribed It to but one thing to wit tremendous public admIration admiration admiration ad ad- I for l Elmer Clarkes Clarke's modest modesty Throughout the campaign he lie had not once addressed the local post of ot the American Legion nor had he appeared at any meetings of It He lie had made absolutely no appeal for the old soldier soldier soldier sol sol- dier vote either verbally or In print not once once had he lie ref referred to his war record and cited the fact that he had been In the army Everybody E In Pilar Pilar- had felt certain Elmer would wave wa the bloody shirt and he had disappointed disappointed dis dis- dis appointed them wherefore In gratitude gratitude gratitude tude and admiration they had hind elected him Nellie was far happier than Elmer when wJ the votes were counted Elmer shad lad a rather well-defined well Idea that he had labored and brought forth a mouse that mouse that he had fought for the sheer love lo of a fl fight ht Now that he he- had a certificate of election he lie shuddered shuddered shuddered dered to think he would have to use It But Nellie her bier plans for for his career lon long sin since co made merely merel checked 1 off another milestone on the road to the heights and when Elmer h having ing taken his oath of secured a two weeks weeks' leave len of absence from flom the city coun council n in in order to rest after his furi furious ous campaign llie was ns relie l relieved eli 11 tto fo fobe be rid of him even f for H t that lat bl brief ef period Elmer betook himself again to Los Angeles but Nellie did not ire lie 1 keep p pan an eye eje on him this She knew Elmer had had hall an ample sufficiency c of ot wandering In strange pastures and 1 that the next damsel who sold him a pup would have to be adroit to a 8 degree degree degree de de- de- de gree something more than humanly possible Upon Upon- his return El Elmer mer devoted himself him self assiduously to his duties as mayor for three months during which period he saw as much of ot Nellie as possible Then having ha secured a sixty-day sixty leave ot oL absence from the city council ho hll departed on his long deferred trip to Muscatine Iowa to settle the estate of ot his late Un Uncle Hiram For some mysterious reason Nellie was as very ver distrait the night before he left lett In the stuffy sturry parlor of the old Tully home they said |