The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-03-28

inner councils of the party leaders,
"Can you trust this woman you spoke |
of the other day-the one you got to
pump Tolman while he was drunk? %
asked the leader.
"Sure," replied O'Connor.
"Has she nerve? Will she do some
strong work FOR big money!
''She's out for the dough, and she's
dead game" replied O'Connor.
"O'Connor," said the leader, eyeing
the man, sharply, eff the Trillyn bill
passes tomorrow, there is no more
graft from the railroads for years to
come. More than that, we will find
ourselves outside the breastworks.
They have one vote the best of it.
You will have this woman get room,
and tomorrow early write note, a
copy of which 1 will give you. 1t will
be an appeal to Hatfield to come to
her at once and help her in a case of
dire necessity. He is always doing
those kind of fool things. She must
use her wits to get him to take a
drink of something-water, tea, beer,
anything with dope" in it. Immedi-
ately after the vote is taken sne will
be given $4,000 if Hatfield does not
answer to HIS name. The vote comes
at IL o'clock. She can take train
and be safe out of reach before any
thing happens"
That's pretty strong, colonel" re-
marked O'Connor. Its the pen for
anybody who gets pinched."
''She must leave the state the in
slant the vote is taken" replied the
leader. "She went sign the letter
with her own name Anyway, it's the
only way to save the day. The beauty
of it is that it will not only defeat
the bill but keep Hatfield explaining
why he failed to show up at the crit
ical moment. We Will manage to
have the papers hint at Doodle and all
that-and it may prove awkward for
him to explain why he was in the
woman's room drugged-or drunk, at
such an hour"
"All right" replied O'Connor. But
I've got to be protected if there's
trouble"
'Did you ever know US to leave a
friend in the lurch ?" replied the lead
err "And, O'Connor, if $4,000 won't
do it, more can be had. Fix it to-
night, and let me hear from you be-
| fore you go to bed"
Senator Thomas Hatfield found him
self climbing the stairs of question
abe hotel at $3.50 o'clock the next
morning. He had been annoyed at
the call because he needed all his time
and energies to complete the victory
he had in his grasp. But the note
was SO pleading and the necessity ap-
parently so urgent and the story Cd
persecution so strong that he had de-
termined to give brief quarter OF
an hour before the session began to
the case.
The game worked only too easily
He had walked rapidly and was per
spring and thirsty. She offered him
glass of water. He took it, and be
fore she had fairly started to tell hel
story his head had sunk on his breast
AS she partly rolled, partly lifted, him
onto a lounge letter fell from hi!
pocket. He had just written it ant
put it into his pocket to mail. TIL.
address on the envelope caught hel
eye. She started and trembled like
leaf. 1t was the name of her daugh
ter, the daughter who had never
known her and believed her mothel
dead, the daughter she had placed
with strangers in a distant city tina
she might grow up without knowl
edge of her mothers shame.
She took out the letter and read it
1t was full of manly tenderness ant
affection. It spoke of the comm!
marriage, and of his high hopes o
making her mistress of the governor
mansion.
The woman fell on her knees in al
agony of remorse. Here she had con
trived to cast the blighting shadow 0
her life of sin onto the person sh
wanted most to guard; to blot tn
one little corner in her life wher
the heart beats were pure and true
It was her hand that had done tn
fell work that was to prevent he
daughter-the only person on cart
for whom she had an honest affectio
from being the wife of governor
And the horror nearly overcame he
when it swept through her mind tha
he would be found there in her roo1
in that hotel, apparently drunk. hi
character would be besmirched. Th
girl would hear of it and suffer a
: the humiliation.
, With a wild cry she sprang to tn
couch and fercely shook the uncor
scious man. But 1t was in vail
2 Presently she forced herself to b
calm and think. She hurried to
/ drug store and secured some remedie
= to neutralize the drug. Then she wer
back and went to work patiently an
;, intelligently, with anxious eyes Q
e the clock.
: The senate was in an uproar. Whe
b the session opened there was surpris
at Hatfeld's absence. He was
a have made the closing speech for tt
bill. Messengers went post haste
= his hotel and to all his haunts, b,
he could not be found. Another SCI
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