The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-21
PLAYING POLITICS FOR A
 PRIZE.

I
 It's going to bs the rummest cam
 paign this county ever saw. declares
 DICK. onucking. giving the little hanC
 tnal lay Tn his an extra squeeze | Just think of 1t, a fight for a sea
 in Congress, a fortune and d wife al
 at once: three shows under one tent: {
 regular three-ring circus. A medic
 val 1oust with the fair lady ready 10 crown the victor with her hand anc fortune-I say Bess. isn't 1t larS?"
 T think it Is shameful" replied tn, fair-haired girl. pulling her hand from his and bouncing over to the other end of the sofa. The idea that gir should marry man simply becaus. he Is elected to Congress! And to per init her name to be banded about town in political fight its downright shameful and l an, surprised that you have the face to speak of it in so trif- l ling manner"
 Tut. tut. isn't it your dear and tall ented cousin who. Is the heroine In this little romance?" responded Dick gaiiy. And surely the queen can do l no wrong You are getting danger ously near to lese majeste, my dear. Would you marry a girl who took you simply because you had won . political fight. and who would have | married your opponent if he had been the victor?" demanded the uncompro- missing girl. evading his attempt to recover possession of the hand.
 'Of course would marry no other than you," he replied: but I would marryyou on any condition that were ! necessary to get you"
 Then he got possession of the hand again and was embuIuened to draw her to him and claim a kiss. After | which he resumed the theme.
 Tt was a great situation at the | committee meeting this afternoon. Maurice Fox was right up in the air. He didn't know what to do. Both Ramsay and Holiday have been strong organization men. Nearly every mem- Der of the committee was under un- ligations to both of them. Neither has ever had thing to pay them for their loyalty and the time. influence and money they have spent in keeping the crowd on top and helping the right fellows to get the places. It has been understood all along that some day both of them would want something good and that everybody else would have to stand aside. But nobody l suspected that both would want the same thing at thee same time. And they wouldn't, had 1t not been for that beautiful and ambi- tious cousin of yours with whom both are heels over head in love. We'll, she wants to be Congressman's wife, and 1t looks to nie as though she had a sure thing on 1t whichever way tbe cat jumps.
 Well. after the committee was call ed to order Fox stated the situation - that the nomination for Congress this time was conceded to this coua.y and whoever went to the District G0nven- ti0n with the endorsement of the county would be nominated unanj< mously. Further, he went on to say that two gentlemen had announced themselves as candidates-both good party men and both friends of the Ur- ganization
 Then Ramsay took the floor and made a stunning talk. He called at- tention to the work he had done for the machine. and as clincher referred to the way he stepped aside from the Jndgeship candidacy when 1t seemed necessary to nominate ShtlAer and thus keep the reform crowd from breaking away. Then Holiday spoke his little piece and made it is strong as Ram says. He reminded the fellows of the reiterated assurancey of obligation | they all had given him for things he Hdu uOHc anu the uI1dSkSu-IOT pTOLIl- ises they had given him to reciprocate whenever he asked them. Now is the time to redeem those promises if they mean anything, he exclaimed drama tically. He reminded them of the way he saved the machine from being swamped in the fight made on 1t two years ago. by going out In the Fourth ward-the very hot-bed of the oppo- sition and spending time and money enough to bring in the delegation for l our fellows which saved the day.
 Well. Bess, you should have seen Maurice Fox's face. It was study in perplexity. He made one of those cold. clear. insinuating talks, calling the attention of both aspirants to the fact that all of the gentlemen present and those they represented were under equal obligations to both. He suggest ed that one step aside and he would fix it so he could go on the State ticket as Attorney General, which would pay a bigger salary and was in every way as dignified an office. No siree. Each was willing for the other to be Attor- ney- General. but both insisted that what he wanted was the Congressional nomination. and each declared that he would go out for it whether the com mittee was for him or not.
  ing that the organization could take no part in the contest and the candi- dates must fight 1t out in the eau cusses. tell you there are lot of fel- lows guessing tonight as to what they are going to do."
 Then the conversation took more personal turn. whercIn a little cottage in the suburbs loomed up in the per spective-as soon as Dick should have progressed little further in his law practice-but this really is no affair , of yours or of mine.
 After Dick had gone Marjorie Ray mond called Bess to come to her room and asked her if Dick had told her anything about the conference of ths day. Miss Raymond, who was playing so important a part in the politics of the county, was a tall, slender girl, with aristocratic features, a rich olive complexion, a mass of raven hair and flashing black eyes. Her forehead was high and from every standpoint she was a regal beauty. Added to her per sonal attractions she possessed mind particularly bright and quick. and she nd stored 1t with much reading. She was a brilliant conversationalist and a musician of ability. Add to all this considerable fortune and it will be seen that the prize in the political contest was well worth the winning
 Her cousin Ress. was quite different in character Small and plumn with waving light hair and round, fair cheeks. a low broad forehead - she formed a considerable contrast to her cousin--the more because of her sim ple attire. which was more girhsh than