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Show BROUGHT HIM VICTORY Beulah Jones' Overcoated Chickens Chick-ens Prove Great Vote Get-tes Get-tes in Political Parade. By SELINA ELIZABETH HIQGINS. Miss Beulah Jones was cutting up a cake with a piece of silk thread to prove Its lightness, as there came a knock at the door. She passed through tho sitting-room with many a hurried reach for scattered garments and fragments of cloth, In a hopeless effort at tidying up. "I do hopo it Isn't tho minister, or anybody but somo neighbor," fluttered tho neat and circumspect little lady. "It's only mo, Beulah," Bpoke tho bluff voice of glantllko John Moore, her distant cousin. "About onco a year I get around here. Why don't you ever como and tee us, Beulah?" Miss Jones flushed consciously, then her calm, pleasant eyes took on a serious se-rious expression. "You know I never go anywhere now," sho said, briefly, "Well," spoko John, plumping down Into an easy chair, "I've heard somo wonderful things about those pet chickens of yours, and I've come to find out about them. Weill well! well!" Honest John craned his neck to stare out through the window. Ills lips expanded. His ruddy face began to pucker comically, and he let out a great guffaw. "What aro you laughing at, John Moore?" demanded Miss Beulah, with severity. Her cousin could not reply for some time on account of convulsive chuckles. There was ample occasion for hlsi merriment. Waddling around In tho chicken yard a full score of Plymouth Rock chickens woro parading parad-ing proudly, attlrod In close-fitting Flushed In a Startled Way. overcoats, Tho sowing machine and tho rug about It wero littered with scraps of cloth representing all the colors of tho rainbow "It's a great Idea," said John, "but It's the funniest thing 1 over saw." "I don't Bee anything very funny about It," resented Miss Jones. "I sup-PObo sup-PObo the neighbors call mo eccentric, and all that, but clothing tho chickens Is no whim. It's a practical piece of humanity. Somo of tho poor things frozo up last winter. Thoy shan't this." John Mooro grinned the harder as ho strodo to the window and again looked out. Miss Jones was economical econom-ical In tho common utilities of her lonely life. Sho had not looked to tho esthetic In clothing her pets, but to tholr comfort. Somo of tho chickens wero robed In red flannel, others In part of an old quilt. Somo of the overcoats over-coats had ruffles at tho neck, others had bauds, giving a sort of "knlckor-bockor" "knlckor-bockor" effect. Altogether tho result was Incongruous and comical, John Mooro fancied ho saw something spectacular spec-tacular In It nil. "I'vo got an Idea, Beulah," ho said. "I'm looking for a novelty, nnd that'B what brought me here. I want to buy those chickens." MIbs Beulah regarded hor cousin sharply and then suspiciously. "They'ro not for sale," alio declared , at onco. I "Then I want to borrow thom rent them, wo'll call It. For ono day, Beu-1 lah, overcoats nnd all. I'll agree to return them safe and sound. How many aro there?" "Twenty-two." "Very well; I'll glvo you fifty conts aplcco to help make a show with them for one day. There's your money, and I'll call for them In the morning. If that wise head of yours can think up i Borne comical frills and other additions to thoso overcoats, as you call them, i tho bettor It will bo for my purposq." "Soo hero, John," challenged Miss I Beulah, "whatever wild speculation havo you got In that busy head of ' yours now?" ,' "JuBt this, Beulah," explained John. j "I'm county committeeman. There's I nu election day after tomorrow, as I supposo you know." "No, I didn't know," replied tho lady ! very distantly. "I nover look nt tho papers now." Her eyes dropped rather sadly as sho said this. Her cousin shot a quick glanco at her end shook his head and ' sighed MIhb Beulah had been almost a roclueo for nearly two years. Tho reason for It no ono ever ventured to discuss In bcr presence. It was a tabooed ta-booed subject. I "Well, wi are working up a proces lion," John went on to explain- "torch "lights, mmlc nnd all thai. We'ro go- , lng to luivo a hayrack, shnwljg pros- I perlty heaps of apples, corn, goddess jof liberty and tho like. 1 want to scat- tc- th-ie winter-clothed pets of yours over the load It will be a great catch " It r-"ved a greater catch than the Ingenious committeeman had expected, expect-ed, It was two days later when Miss Jones saw a wagon draw up to tho yard Hor pets, well fed and lively, wero being returned safe and sound to their coops, as her cousin had promised. The weekly paper had Just arrived. MIkb Jones had flushed In n startled wny as sho read "tho news." It appeared ap-peared that tho overcoated chicks had been tho novelty of tho procession. The district had a great many chicken chick-en farms. Tho homo display had won over this interest, they had voted for Allen Parsons, nnd that camlldato was elected Allen Parsons 1 How that name awoko painful memories In tho heart of the reclusol Sho had drawn open a drawer In the old-fashioned secretary secre-tary and had taken thence n sheet of paper, closely written over, and n photograph. pho-tograph. Tho latter was a photo-typo photo-typo of the portrait of tho successful candidate In the paper. There was a knock at tho door. MIsb Jones opened It to faco tho successful candidate. "I had to call to thank you for the great support your pets gavo me," spoke the stalwart, fine-looking visitor. visi-tor. "Why, Miss Jones Ileulahl" At sight of tho man sho had loved, still loved In secret, her estranged nance, Miss Jones paled, tottered, and Allen had to help her to a chair In tho sitting-room. As ho started to leave her his glanco fell upon the photograph pho-tograph and the letter. His oyes dilated di-lated as ho traced a lino or two In the lattor. "Beulah," ho said, his lips set kindly but determined, "has this letter anything any-thing to do with your rejection of my suit two years ago?" "It has everything to do with It," faltered poor Beulah. "Can you look nt It and wonder why? You wrote It." "Yes, I wrote It, but as a model for a friend who wished to propose to a young lady In another town. How did It como Into your possession?" "Miss Simmons brought It to mo she said sho found it." "Stole It, moro likely," asserted Allen. Al-len. "My old landlady nnd a mlsehlef-mnker! mlsehlef-mnker! Oh, Beulah! And has this foolish misunderstanding kept us bo cruelly apart all of this tlmo?" John Mooro, coming Into tho house to see his cousin, halted, Btarcd, stood rooted to tho spot, and then retreated softly with a great chuckle of satisfaction satis-faction For Beulah was resting confidingly In tho strong, protecting arms of Allen Al-len Parsons. All had been explained and tho feathery campaigners had dono It! (Copyright, 1312. by W. G Chnpman.) |