The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1896-06-27

oilers mad long since vanished In the
outer darkness. The garrulous poll
ticians had just put away their never
ending schemes and sought few
lights kept up a show of the earlier
evenings bri' lliancy. The clerk, fresh
from days sleep, was the only brisk,
animated object visible. The lobby
was gloomy and deserted. The cor
ridors at long intervals echoed with
the sound of the porter's dragging
footsteps. 1t was like a banquet hall
deserted. 1t was like theatre after
the players and audience had vanished.
The familiar spirits that fit about
the lobby Of the Lindell hotel in the
day and in the early evening would
scarcely have recognized the place.
Silence, vast and solemn. settled
down with an increasing intensity.
The night clerk put his feet on the
desk and turned to chapter XIX Of his
favorite novel. The one lone bell boy
curled himself up on the bench and
went to sleep. 1t was almost funereal.
Hark! What is that? The clerk
pauses in his reading and listens. The
sound wakes louder and louder. Pres
emily a messenger boy, tired and
sleepy and unkempt, ambles in. He
shuff1es across the lobby and YEARLY
hands a yellow envelope to the clerk.
The clerk reads-"Jos. Barley" He
hands 1t back to the boy. Take it up
stairs, third floor. last room on the
right hand side Of the rear hail." The
boy signs and makes his way to the
stairs. The message-or maybe ii Is
his legs-is as heavy as lead. 1t is
hard work climbing up three flights
Of stairs. And it Is so quiet and dark
that a creepy feeling comes over the
boy. On and on he goes. peering ahead,
looking over his shoulder, starting at
every faint sound of creaking stairs,
through the transoms. The corridors
get darker and darker. The aspect of
things is now terribly dark and for
bidding. An air of deep, impenetrable
mystery hangs over all. On and on
the boy drags his weary way, tired
and s...red. At last he approaches the
door he is seeking. He looks overhead
at the transom. The faintest light i'm
aginable Is visible. But not a sound
breaks the stiffness. - and yet as
he raises his hand to knock he thinks
he hears the buzz of whispered CONVEX
sation. He knocks. Instantly the
faint light visible through the transom
vanishes, All is perfectly still. Pres
emily the door is opened a hands
breadth and a voice asks-"What is
wanted?,,
lie DOy says lcIc
for Joe BARLEY, state treasurer" A
hand teaches out and takes the yellow
envelope. The boy is showed back.
The door is closed. The boy finds his
way back to the desk. gets the clerk to
sign for the message and disappears.
Meanwhile upstairs the faint light
appears again over the transom. In
side the room are three men. They
are seated around table. On the
l. l.. 90 t.lA on1 Lat
tiers and scraps of paper. One of the
men is about medium height, He has
long, white whiskers, and a prominent
nose. The others address him as
Jack" OF the other two one is short
and pudgy, with a mustache. He is
called Clark The last Of the trio
is a fairly tall man with a keen eye
and a short beard. His companions
call him Joe"
One lamp furnishes a dim, Pickering
light. The men converse in whispers.
Each one is nervous. They all have
guilty, hunted look. A stair creaks
and Joe starts as if shot. Jack ejacu-
lates, "Oh, my God" Clark exclaims,
what is that?'
The men wait with anxiety pictured
on their faces
Nothing came and the men resumed
their conversation.
Clark addressed the other two:
Boys, we are in desperate straits and
we've got to hang together awful close.
The people seem to be onto us, and
1t is going to take a big effort to get
me and Jack in. The people seem to
have it in fer Jack because of his
whiskers or something, or because you.
Joe, are backing him, and 1
am catching II all over the
state because everybody has got
onto the fact that 1 am your
candidate. I supposed, before we
started into this thing, that your back
ing was a great source Of strength. but
I am afraid 1t is doing me more harm
than good. / think we ought to do
something to make the people think
we are not in a combination, that you
are not behind me and Jack"
Joe chewed the end Of an unlighted
cigar and gritted his teeth.