showy work of membership in
the committee on resolutions. He believed in education, provided it did
not unsettle things. He had a good deal of Latin and some Greek, and lived
on a farm rather than in a fine house in the county seat because of his
lack of financial ability. As a matter of fact, he had been too strictly
scrupulous to do the things--such as dealing in lands belonging to eastern
speculators who were not advised as to their values, speculating in county
warrants, buying up tax titles with county money, and the like--by which
his fellow-politicians who held office in the early years of the county
had founded their fortunes. A very respectable, honest, American tory was
the colonel, fond of his political sway, and rather soured by the fact
that it was passing from him. He had now broken with Cummins and Dolliver
as he had done years ago with Weaver and later with Larrabee--and this
breach was very important to him, whether they were greatly concerned
about it or not.

Such being her family history, Jennie was something of a politician
herself. She was in no way surprised when approached by party managers on
the subject of accepting the nomination for county superintendent of
schools. Colonel Woodruff could deliver some delegates to his daughter,
though he rather shied at the proposal at first, but on thinking it over,
warmed somewhat to the notion of having a Woodruff on the county pay-roll
once more.

CHAPTER VI

JIM TALKS THE WEATHER COLD

"Going to the rally, James?"

Jim had finished his supper, and yearned for a long evening in his attic
den with his cheap literature. But as the district schoolmaster he was to
some extent responsible for the protection of the school property, and
felt some sense of duty as to exhibiting an interest in public affairs.

"I guess I'll have to go, mother," he replied regretfully. "I want to see
Mr. Woodruff about borrowing his Babcock milk tester, and I'll go that
way. I guess I'll go on to the meeting."

He kissed his mother when he went--a habit from which he never deviated,
and another of those personal peculiarities which had marked him as
different from the other boys of the neighborhood. His mother urged his
overcoat upon him in vain--for Jim's overcoat was distinctly a bad one,
while his best suit, now worn every day as a concession to his scholastic
position, still looked passably well after several weeks of schoolroom
duty. She pressed him to wear a m