The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-09-13

would give me little longer time to think
about 1t. Suppose you meet me here at
the same hour tomorrow afternoon and
will tell you my decision.
An almost imperceptible smile of triumph
appeared on the face of Senator Price. but
ne was too keen to indulge in any effutive
words. The minister began again on bis
favorite theme of ssVengeance is mine,
saith the Lord, but the others checked
him, and with few words of thanks they
went out.
The young Governor sat for long time
In his lonely Office, thinking. 1t was the
first time that he had been consciously un-
true to himself, and the feeling of it was
even more unpleasant than he had expect
ed. But there was the other side, glory,
brilliant career, the Governorship again,
and then the United States Senate, in
short, life among great men and in the
midst ofgreat affairs. How dull now seemed
that little country town from which he
came, with its petty gossip and narrow ex-
istence
/ The twilight was falling, and the river
and cleaning hills were sinking away in the
darkness, when he was reused from his alb
straction by the colored doorkeeper
"Miss Lucy done comm for you, Mr..
Hastings, he said; she wonderin' 1
guess, why you stayin' SO late.'
He put on his light overcoat and hur-
ried out to meet his wife. She was coming
across the Capitol yard, hood over her
head and shawl about her shoulders to
protect her from the late autumn breeze,
which was full of chill
The Governors face lighted up with
deep tenderness. He was young man,
but he was ten years older than his wife,
She was a mere girl when he brought her
there to be the first lady of the State, and
she had enjoyed it with the pure, innocent
joy Of girl And she had brought to her
high station grace and dignity which with
her youth had endeared her to all the peo-
| pie. How could he take her back to that
dull life in the hills He had shared with
her too that dream of the United States
Senate, and she had found it hard to hide
her enthusiasm.
Now she came to meet him, wisp of
her brown hair falling from her hood across
her face
"Why do you stay so late, Paul p she
asked. ''Don't you know that it is night,
and dinner is waiting p
They had just begun to light the gas
lamps on the lawn.
Affairs of state, mighty cares, Lucy,
he replied, smiling.
''Oh, yes, know, she said, returning
his smile, ''the delegation of politicians
that came this morning. You We been
sitting up there all day with them, smoking
and telling each other bad political jokes.
See, everybody else has gone home. There
are no lights in the Auditors office.
met the Commissioner of Agriculture going
down the street, and the Treasurer went
home an hour ago.
She had always been a tonic to him after
the work and worries of the day. 1t was
only a few steps from the Capitol across
the lawn and down the street to the old
fashioned house which the State had built
for its Governors three generations ago.
There he was in another atmosphere, one
of youth and gayety.
He put her arm in his and they walked
on together. Two ''trusties' in their
striped convict suits at work about the
Capitol grounds bowed respectfully to the
Governor and his wife, In the street they
met other people, and everybody had the
same bow and smile of genuine warmth.
"How nice it is, said Mrs. Hastings,
"and how pleasant the people are, and, oh,
to think, Paul, that we shall have four
years more of it Mr.. Guthrie, of the
Herald Record, paid his party call today,
and he said you were sure to be renomi-
mated. He said you were much stronger
in the mountains and the central part of
the State than Mr.. Westcott, and the votes
you would draw from the west would be
sure to give you the nomination. He re-
garded it as all settled, he said, and I was
so glad to hear him say SO, because | do
want so much to stay here Don't you,
Paul p
ssOh, yes, he replied, "T m as anxious
as you are to stay, and hope that Guthrie
is right in his prophecy.
'sWhy, you haven't any doubt of it,
have you, Paul? Mr.. Guthrie is in po-
sition to know. He goes all over this
State, and he sees all the politicians
!sOf course he knows, if anybody does,"
replied the Governor hastily, land |
haven any doubt, Lucy, that you and |
will be walking across this lawn just as we
are this evening year from now and two
years from now and three years from now,
still the Governor and his wife. -
They reached their home, the Cover
nor's mansion, low, weather stained
building, of which the State sometimes
complained as inadequate to its digriry,
but which every Governor who had lived
in it-there had been more than twenty
of them-loved One found 50 much
comfort in its large rooms, wide halls, and
ancient ease.
They passed into the sitting room, where
great fire of cracking hickory logs was
blazing in the wide fireplace, and warmed
their fingers before it, just as the twenty
Governors before them and their wives had
warmed their fingers at similar fires in that
very fireplace.
The Governor thought again how COM
Portable and cheerful it was. He had
never realized until this moment how
thoroughly he was permeeted by this life
and how he loved it. And Lucy too
1t was the very air to her! He looked
around at the wide, low ceilinged room,
the wood, polished by age, the quiet re-
pose and dignity of everything, and then he
reflected that Paul Hastings was Governor
of that State and should be so again.
At dinner Lucy was in her gayest mood.
She was looking forward to brilliant win
ter. Three of her girl friends were to be
much in the house, and she and the wife
of the Secretary of State and the wife of
the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals,
acting as committee, had arranged in
perfect harmony long series of official
balls, receptions, card parties, and other
entertainments The Legislature too was
to meet for its biennial session, and all
things promised the gayest season the little
capital had ever known.