The Last Election Read Online Free PDF Page B

bluntly stated.
    “I know, Brett. That’s why I want to shift attention to selecting my VP running mate. Everywhere we have gone the first question the reporters ask is who will be my running mate. Selecting my running mate early could work to our advantage. Who is on the short list?” Clark asked.
    Mason looked puzzled. “You want that already?”
    “Yes, Brett, I do. And make sure the Speaker of the House is on that list.” Clark knew that demanding the Speaker be on the short list would ruffle Mason’s feathers, because Mason had repeatedly stated that he did not think it was such a good idea for Clark to run with a female VP candidate. “I’m going to the back of the bus to grab a nap while you get to work,” said Clark as he got up from his seat.
    “Right, boss,” said Mason, as he contemplated offering the bus driver $50 to slam on the brakes in 10 minutes.
     
    Born and raised in the farm country of Midland County, Michigan, Samuel Clark grew up with a passion for fishing and hunting. His father was an avid outdoorsman who taught Clark and his two older brothers how to cast a line before they could walk.
    He also taught them how to shoot. By the time he was seven, Clark was picking off rabbits and squirrels with his brother’s pellet gun. Of the three Clark boys, Sam was by far the best shot. He also had the strongest love for guns.
    Clark never missed a chance to go hunting with his father. He bagged a 6-point buck at the age of twelve. His father continued to teach him about hunting every opportunity he could get. The year he turned fourteen, his father gave him a brand new .30-06 rifle for Christmas. If it wasn’t hunting season, Clark spent every spare minute he could find popping shots into tin cans for target practice.
    In high school, Clark was a fairly good running back and even scored the winning touchdown when the team won the state championship. He was easy going, popular, and known for his love of practical jokes. He had a great sense of humor and he enjoyed making other people laugh, and he had a crooked grin and a gleam in his eyes that gave him a look like he was up to some sort of mischief.
    Clark was 18 when he graduated from high school and he enlisted in the army the very next day. In basic training, his excellent marksmanship was immediately recognized the first time he went to the rifle range. He always remembered the surprised look on his drill sergeant’s face after he shot a perfect score with ease.
    Upon completion of basic, he was plucked out of his platoon and sent directly to sniper school. Not only was he a dead-on shot, he possessed a sixth sense that told him where the enemy was. In Vietnam he had taken out plenty of enemy soldiers at distances of over 1,000 yards.
    After his tour he returned to Midland County a hometown hero. With his meager savings and a generous no-interest loan from his father, he opened a small sporting goods store on the shores of Wixom Lake in the sleepy little town of Edenville. He sold rods and reels, bait and tackle, camping equipment, hunting rifles and shotguns, and all the goods the local outdoorsmen desired.
    Clark’s business, Sportsmen’s World, did well from the beginning. He took his profits and constructed a log cabin home on 40 acres of land covered with tall red pines. By the time his cabin was completed, he had married his high school sweetheart, Maria. Within four years, Maria had blessed him with two beautiful children, a daughter and a son.
    Clark never expected that Sportsmen’s World would become so successful. Six years after opening, he had expanded his store to three times the size of the original building. He began selling more and more products, including bass boats in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. He sponsored one of the most popular bass fishing tournaments in mid-Michigan. The proceeds from the tournament were donated to local schools with the understanding that the funds would only be used to provide