Today is September 15th, 1888, and it also happens to be your twenty-first birthday. You may be the son of a rich man; perhaps your father is the bank president in Clark's Hill. You may be a tailor, or a blacksmith, or a butcher, or a student at the college in nearby Lafayette. It's possible that your father fought in the Civil War, and you may even be the son of immigrants, or of escaped slaves.

Whatever your background, today, you're a happy young man. The relatively new 14th Amendment says that no matter what your race, color, or background, you just became eligible to vote! As far back as you can remember, you have always wanted to take part in an election. And no wonder! Political campaigning is spectacular stuff! Back in Clark's Hill at election time, everybody gets together with the neighboring towns and there are huge parties, with singing, dancing, parades, and free cider for everybody. It always looked like so much fun, and now, you actually get to be a part of it!

You wish the devil that the horses would hurry up. After all, dusk is starting to set in! You shift a bit on the wagon seat as you consider your predicament. When your father asked you at breakfast if you'd deliver a package to your Uncle Ezra in Indianapolis, you jumped at the chance. Since then, the dry dust of the road, the heat of the sun, and bad provincial inns have dimmed your enthusiasm somewhat. Coming out of your angry reverie, you notice that you are creeping up on the outskirts of Indianapolis, and you also hear a dull roaring noise in the distance. What's going on? Is it a riot?

The sun sets completely as you pull into the outskirts of town. You stop at the first inn you see and make arrangements to leave the horses and the wagon. The innkeeper smiles at you as he gives you your voucher. "You're in luck! I only just have room for 'em! And at this time of day, too! All the rest of the stable space is taken, what with everyone in town for the rallies! A lot of 'em are here to see General Harrison, and it's not every day the President's in town!" Of course! You should have realized sooner--that noise you were hearing was the sound of political rallies going on! Your anger at your predicament is beginning to drain away. There's probably a party or a parade going on, like they have back home! And did the innkeeper say General Harrison and the President were here in Indianapolis? You remember that Benjamin Harrison, the ex-Senator, is the Republican presidential candidate this year, and that he lives in Indianapolis. The President, though! That's President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, and this year's incumbant candidate. If both candidates are here in town, that means you'll have a chance to hear them speak! This is your first election, after all, so you're naturally interested to find out what the candidates have to say about key issues.

Then, you remember that package you're supposed to deliver. Your father told you to deliver it as soon as you could, and he was rather insistent about it. But surely, he wouldn't begrudge you a little bit of fun! You could head for the rallies, have a good time, and leave the package on Uncle Ezra's doorstep on your way out of town! Paying the innkeeper, you quickly make your decision. You...