The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-10-01
COL. HUCKs.
He Joines the Alliance, But When He Gets
Rack Among the Republican Boys"
ssfepeka MS Old Time Enthus-
lasm kefurue..

Hucks, Of Centerr-was elected as
delegate to the state republican
league convention In Topeka he I'M
tangled bis legs from the low school
house desk where he had been sit
ting aud riring told the boys that she
supposed they knew what they were
doing, and that lie didn't need to
tell them he was an alliance man
last year and had made speech or
two on the Muddy for the alliance
ticket. Though" he added with
one of his smiles out of the corner
of his mouth after looking all over
the room to assure the fellows that
he was about to make a point, 81
won't any this year" Enthusiastic
stamping of feet Not II know
myself" More pedal enthusiasm ]
But, nevertheless, the old man, as
he rode home that night, was little
exercised over the prospect Of being
called a traitor and wondered, rather
uneonsciodsly, il 1t wouldn't look
kind of queer. But when he thought
Of seeing all the old time fellows
again at the Copeland and Of sh aking
hands with old Plumb and hearing
the speeches and resolutions he for
got his doubts, hit Boliver sD extra
hard lick as he came down off the
slant from the Slate creek bridge
and thereby showed that his spirits
were improving and that the Rubi-
con had been forded.
Mother" said the colonel next
morning. 81 guess I'll go to Topeka
next week" lis that so?" said
Mrs. Hucks. who had long since
learned that the best way to find out
"A thing was not To ask about it,.
YES" said the colonel, there's
goun' to he some sort Of republican
coins there, and / guess better
GO" And "mother," whose father
aft with old Grant," and whose
brother died at shiloh. but whose
faith in the party had known no
wayering, though her voice had
been quiet for a year or so, smiled
| and said: "I'm glad you are going,
| William, for you do need the rest"
| But the colonel knew what she
| meant. When he went off whistling
"John Browns body" he stopped a
| minute and he could hear q thin
| auivering little voice down at the
| spring house singing a. he had heard
| 10 before, at the bean dinners and
| the camp fires and the rallies for q
| quarter OF century with his own,
"But his soul goes marching on"
/ And he remembered how proudly
that little voice sang that song at the
ratification Of his election to the
legislature in Center township
| schoolhouse wsy back In the seven
] children Mt Sunday school to sing
the song before they could afford
| singing books; and how, when little
| Link died they buried him in the
| cute blue soldier clothes she made
for him to play soldier i'm at the
school exhibition, and how the chill
dren OF the neighbors gathered
around and sang that song, the only
song they all knew, over his coffin.
"But his soul goes marchene on"
"Got a pretty bad cold, amt you,
Bill? Don't pay you to go to them
republican meetin's. The Lord is
on our side" said the alliance neigh
Dor who WAS riding with him.
| "You go TO hades a spell, will
your" replied the old man, as he
| snuffed aud reached for his hand
kerchief.
But the old doubt came to him
again in his calmer moments--once
| very strong when the fellows at the
| alliance said he would make q good
county treasurer on the alliance
| ticket, aud when they wanted to
| pass q resolution to that effect and
| elect him to the county convention
IL was all he could do to get up and
| tell them that he was not candidate
and that he was going up to Topeka
on some private and important bust
ness the day OF the county conven-
ton; for he was human. and being
| human he was weak. So when tine
| county lecturer asked him IL he was
really going as a delegate to the re-
publican convention i'm Topeka the
colonel told him that he expected to
| be i'm Topeka anyhow and he sup
| posed he would kinder drop in
| during the afternoon and see what
kind Of a show they could make
when they tried.
But when he spread his name on
the Copeland register, "Wm. Hucks,
Hucksville," and as the clerk was
asking him, "Will you have q room,
Col. Hucks ?" he saw the names of
| Dick Blue, OF Linn county-he and
Dick were together in the legisla-
| ture-and George w. Martin, whom
he knew down in Lecompton when
he fret came to Kansas, and Joe Ady,
who had stayed with him when he
first made speech cleaning out the
union labor fellows in 'SS, on the
book Just before his own, his heart
swelled and the doubt folded its
tents and performed the convention
al Arab act. He had always been to
republican conventions in the past
| and the convention of $50 was the
fret state convention he had ever
missed. And thusit happened when
he turned and looked on the throng
| Of new faces which was in the hotel
rotunda that Higgins stepped up
and took his hand, saying. "Why,
hello there, Bill Hucks, where have
you been for the past year or so?"
And the old man screwing up his
| face into his one-sided smile, re-
| piled: "Well, / tell you, Bill. I've
been he'pun Harrison Kelly and
Polk pass the force bill" And the
boys understood the old mans joke
and IL was the joke OF the day. This
| pleased him.
When he walked over to the con.
vention and climbed the capitol steps
with his old-time vigor he stopped
ut the top TO look back and see IL any
OF the old fellows were coming. He
went into the governors room and
found Lew Hanback, there and lot
OF the old fellows and then went up
stairs. They were just getting down
to business and Burton was making
q speech. The cheering had Just be-
gun and he Joined In and all the pent
up enthusiasm Of the day, all the
two years Of compromised silence,
found vent In that first yell. He
didn't know what the speaker said |;
he didn't care; he felt the power; he
wanted to cheer, and he cheered.
He wasn't afraid OF anybody. He
saw an alliance female lecturer over
by the speakers stand and the FIRST
time he could catch her eye he put
his hat on the crook of his cane
and yelled like q Feejee when the
speaker alluded to Blaine. The
others In the convention were not so