Chapter 2
A Decision to be Made
Gas City Mayor, Davis Huffman, walked anxiously along the sidewalk as he viewed the evening skyline in the west. Today had been a beautiful and warm September day, but by late afternoon, gray storm clouds were approaching and soon the storm itself would arrive. Pulling out his pocket watch and checking the time, Mayor Huffman knew that he was running early for the monthly city council meeting. He was running early on purpose. Naturally, he wanted to be in place before the rainstorms began, but more importantly, he desired to spend some much needed time alone in order to think.
Do I really want to run for Mayor again? he wondered. Approaching the beautiful three-story masonry Mississinewa Hotel, the Mayor entered and proceeded to the makeshift city room that the hotel seemed pleased to lease out to the city for its official uses.Some day we need to build us a city hall, he thought.
Entering the meeting room, Huffman lit the gas lighting fixtures and took up his seat in the center of the long business table that he shared with the five ward councilmen and the secretary. Opening his briefcase, he removed his notes for tonight’s meeting and began to review the evening’s agenda. Huffman then quickly realized that he could not concentrate on anything other than the question that had dogged him for weeks.
Should I run for re-election as Mayor or step aside and allow another to fill my place?
One way or another, he would have to make an announcement tonight since the November elections were only two months away. He owed it to his party to make a decision. Either he would be their candidate or another must be chosen to run against the already announced Councilman Michael Davidson who represented the other political party.
Leaning back into his wooden chair, Huffman’s thoughts began to drift back in time two years ago to 1892. The little town of Harrisbur
