The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-03-23


ourselves outside the breastworks.
They have one vote the best of it.
You will have this woman get a room,
and tomorrow early write a note, q
copy of which | 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 she will
be given $4,000 If Hatfield does not
answer to his name. The vote comes
at f2 o'clock. She can take train
and 5e 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 won't 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 IL there's
trouble
"Did you ever know us to leave a
friend in the lurch ?'' replied the lead
er. "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 OF
persecution so strong that he had de-
termined to give a 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 her
story his head had sunk on his breast.
AS she partly rolled, partly lifted, him
onto lounge letter fell from his
pocket. He had just written it ard
put it into his pocket to mail. The
address on the envelope caught her
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 mother
dead, the daughter she had placed
with strangers in a distant city that
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 and
affection. 1t spoke of the coming
marriage, and of his high hopes of
making her mistress of the governors
mansion.
The woman fell on her knees in an
agony of remorse. Here she had con-
trived to cast the blighting shadow of
her life of sin onto the person she
wanted most to guard; to blot the
one little corner in her life where
the heart beats were pure and true.
1t was her hand that had done the
fell work that was to prevent her
daughter-the only person on earth
for whom she had an honest affection
from being the wife of a governor.
And the horror nearly overcame her
when it swept through her mind that
he would be found there in her room
in that hotel, apparently drunk. His
character would be besmirched. The
girl would hear of it and suffer all
the humiliation.
With a wild cry she sprang to the
couch and fiercely shook the uncon-
scious man. But ii was in vain.
Presently she forced herself to be
calm and think. She hurried to a
drug store and secured some remedies
to neutralize the drug. Then she went
back and went to work patiently and
intelligently, with anxious eyes on
the clock.
The senate was in an uproar. When
the session opened there was surprise
at Hatfield's absence. He was to
have made the closing speech for the
bill. Messengers went post haste to
his hotel and to all his haunts, but
he could not be found. Another sem
ator had to make the closing speech.
The hour of 12 arrived and the vote
was demanded. The roll call began.
When Hatfield's name was called
there was no response. The adher-
ents of the bill were furious. The
others were no less surprised, with
the exception of five, and these five
wore faces that were inscrutable.
| The roll was finished and as the
lieutenant governor arose 20 announce
the result a voice rang high above the
tumult in the chamber, calling for a
verification of the vote. Every head
was turned to behold Hatfield, with
heavy eyes and disheveled hair. stag
ger into the chamber and demand 10
be recorded "aye."
The wedding was celebrated after
he was inaugurated as governor, and
as the bridal party emerged from the
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