The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-05

headquarters puckered their brows as they
analysed the vote on the day after cleo
ton. and decided that that man Shacklett
should not again be given so much swing
in the State.
But nobody felt more than a proper eau
ton until the time for the Legislature to
meet There was nothing very important
coming up except the choice between Gallo
way and Sommers for the seat in the SEN
ate at Washington, and the fight between
these two men began so early and was so
warm that very few members had pledged
themselves to either most Of the members
waiting to discover which would win in
time to get on the side that would gain the
victory and the patronage.
Then came the unexpected; it was Shack
lett making sight drafts upon his friends
whose promise to accept them he had Sc
cured in those lucid but smoke hidden talks,
and Shacklett's reserves coming in from
the most unexpected quarters that started
a panic and something of a stampede.
"Shacklett for senator was the
largest headline on the first page
of all the newspapers one day
There suddenly sprang into existence.
can be formed, an organization made up of
the remnants of the reformed forces who
had learned a little of practical methods
and felt grateful to their teacher. and of
scattered individuals whose admiration for
Shackletts power to produce results and
the idea that it would pay had more to do
with their loyalty to him than their graft
tude for being the beneficiaries of those
he Cta nxvfn In
force, and the panic weakening, by the
lapse of time when the crash came.
1t started in discord in a convention of
musicians hundreds of miles away; grew
in force as it crossed the Mississippi river
to the West. and was reinforced by a quick
ly moving howl that overlook it in the race
from Illinois. and finally reverberated
among the mountain canyons and preci-
pieces In confused thunder, wall and clam
or that drove Shacklett flying away across
the prairies.
1t started, as storms often do In the most
peaceful surroundings possible to imagine.
The State Music Teachers Association had
come en- masse to accept the invitation to
an excursion on the river, with tea the
lawn Of the Heights Mary Stoddard had
talked of Chopin and Rimsky- Korsakow to
bespectacled young men and rotund Ger
mans until she had been called to assist
| young girl with an old face who had be-
| come entangled In the shrubbery; then she
| called Mr.. Bradbury and went out on the
| Point. She felt tired of the compliments
to the place in all keys by the musicians.
| and said to herself that she liked crowds
| less every day. Mr. Bradbury was rest
full man to talk to. He seldom talked edu-
cation, missions or purity in politics outside
! of the pulpit of the church in
| Warsaw. He felt his responsible
ties, but he also remembered the
world he had known before he donned the
| cloth. Miss Stoddard just now desired
most of all to get breath of the air of the
real world. and the spiritualities of the
lovers of Beethoven and Dargomijsky did
not appeal to her.
THAT river" she said, when they reached
| the promontory where the Flagstaff of the
| geodetic survey had been, has two mouths,
you see. They have changed locations
several times since was a little girl. and
sometimes there is but one. But whatever
the situation there. the Des Moines empties
| into the Mississippi in some way or other.
I admire the certainty of its accomplish
ment regardless of means and Instructions.
1t is a case of the end justifying the means.
and the more 1 look at 1t the more apt
! am to adopt that theological tenet"
The Rev. Mr.. Bradbury only smiled. He
had no fears of this sheep of his flock
| straying even the least distance from the
| creed held by her forefathers and herself.
| After little he said: But there Is only
| one means used-the natural tendency to
| flow down hill. Men and women move up
ward or downward with the same certain
| ty according to the direction in which they
are travelling"
| party of the music teachers strolled up
and interrupted what she was about to re-
| ply Talking to a thin-faced girl was
| young reporter from one of the Chicago
papers, sent down to cover his first assign
ment out of the city. and duly impressing
the people he met with his journalistic i'm
portance. Just now he was recounting as
| his own the experiences of a man who did
| the legislative work for his paper.
| Now, there was the king OF the lobby
| Shacklett." he ratified off, and the name
made Miss Stoddard listen to him instead
of to what Mr.. Bradbury was saying in an
attempt to continue their own conversation
Now, there was Mr.. Shacklett. He had
| COOl " spcnu 10 guy meIn-
bers with, and he took old Senator McNam-
ara up in room and spread out twenty
thousand in currency before him, and told
him it was all his If he would vote for the
| Chicago bills. But old Mac was too honest
or too smart or too badly scared-he re-
| fused. Then there was Cantwell: he was a
| nervy one too"
But Miss Stoddard turned back to Mr.
| Bradbury with new interest. Now, take
that boy, for instance" the minister said
Selling an opportunity to attract her wan
dering thoughts. He is starting down hill
| by his very association with such schemes
as he has been telling Of. But the man he
| spoke of-the man who offered the other a
| fortune to sell his vote for corrupt meas
| ures-that man will continue to go down.
| ward exactly as the Des Moines does. He
| is certain to get to his level finally-as GER
| tain the river is to flow into the Missis-
sippi, If not by one channel, then by an
other. or by both together
| But because he did that one thing does
| that make it a necessity for him to do more
| like it? May he not do such thing once
in his life without Its determining the trend
| of his character" AS Miss Stoddard said
this she tried not to show too much feeling
| But this man was already the king of
| the lobby, you see. That was the level to
which he descended by gradual evolution