The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-11


about II, and not to tell any one but your
editor, in confidence, until after your article
on the eminent domain bill is published in
the Times
MAY I tell Mr.. Swart privately that Tur-
ner will be appointed. and that have it
direct?' Griggs asked. eagerly.
You may say that 1 guarantee it." she
replied, but If my wishes are not carried
out TO the letter / shall deny this whole
conversation"
Griggs had an idea that he could tell the
paper about this sudden change of front;
and. since Swart had failed to compel
ShackleH to do as he desired, he could take
the credit for grand coup. and. therefore,
control the management of affairs in that
direction for the future What he said was:
1.-The eminent domain bill will make the
bulk of my report tonight, and you may
rest assured that your wishes about the
| publication of the other will be observed.
must go now and write the article. When
| shall sec you again?"
See Senator Shacklett tomorrow night
| here, and get an authorized interview with
him." she said "That will be the better
| way, think.
Griggs was busy when Colonel Baker
came in. and the latter remained but few
moments, but in that time he got the trend
of the dispatch being written for the Times.
and when he went out he was smiling to
himself He chuckled at the idea of the
! Times praising Shacklett on the first page
! under big head, and wondered how many
of the boys at home would see the signifi-
| canoe of the dispatch about the eminent
domain bill and the subject Of irrigation.
| Il never knew 1T to fail yet" he said to
himself, "but when woman went into pol
| itics and got along as far as practical pol
itics she went TO the very bottom of the
| sea at once. You can't always tell what
man will do. for there are all kinds of
men in politics, but there are only two
| kinds of women-the ones that want to run
| politics as they do a church, and they don't
| amount to much in results, and the ones
that take the bull by the horns and do in
politics as the politicians do, and they go
the whole thing. Even Shacklett, who used
to buy up votes fol- bills as ne bought CT
gars. finds a line to draw, but his wife,
| who used to be pious until she concluded
to be wicked enough to marry such man,
when she finally decided TO swallow her
scruples gulped down the whole mess that
she found here In Washington. I really
like the woman in politics when she's a
! politician, for you depend on her.
wonder what Shacklett will think when he
finds out how she has boxed him up so
that he could not get out IL he were twice
the smartest other man in the State, which
he is"
What Shacklett first thought Of was
money. He had so long been used to money
as the lever which moves things that IL
was natural~u,-at he should think of that
first. He was perfectly imperturbable out
wardly when his wife told what she
had done, and only that odd way of his
of throwing his head up just a trife and
being too preternaturally calm told of the
strain he was under. He saw instantly the
situation in full. 1t surprised but did not
perpiex him.
He had to recommend Turner for the
postoffice or throw off on his wife, he said
to himself at once. He felt, rather than
thought, that the only thing for him to dc
was to recommend Turner and keep silent
on the subject, whatever might come. Blu.
If she had been In any money deal there
might be trouble ahead, and the thing he
could not afford just then was any suspi.
cion of crookedness about money. The,
might say he was a rascal and a caterer
to all the baser elements without hurtins
him much. but If they had a pretty goot
case of itching palm against him he was
finished, he knew.
Hence he was much relieved to hear thai
the only motive his wife had was to insure
his election for another term. He heard al
her arguments in favor of looking out fol-
himself patiently, because he secretly liked
| n old VI dc
in the past. The idea of anybody usine
those arguments upon himself rattle,
amused him. He disliked to back down t.
turner's crowd, but there was no Other
way, and his final remark, and the sixth
one he had made in the whole conversation
was:
when the other fellow has better hand
there's nothing to do but put your cards in
the deck without his seeing them I'll rec
ommend Turner, and we must keep mum
about how 1t happened"
The telling of what she had done did not
affect Mrs. Shacklett much because sb,
was so firmly convinced that she was in
the right when she began. 1t cut her wher
Shacklett at once raised the question q,
consideration, but after she had indignant,
denied the soft Impeachment she was in E
humor to be more belligerent than she hat
previously decided to be. The manner il
which Shacklett looked at affairs left he,
with little incentive to argument, and after
he had saunte-ed out she spent the mos
horrible half hour of her life.
Shacklett's reference to the other fellow
having the winning cards. with the infer
ence that she the only flexible paper
with which they were playing illuminated
! things in way that startled her NOR,
than had ever happened to her before. Sh,
sat looking at the shelves in the library
and getting from the backs OF the book.
! more information than she had evel
| CLEANED from their pages.
The covers of the books became, to me-
Imagination, sentient things with feelinl
and character, for to one who loves book.
it is easy to imagine that they live anC
: think and have individual being Her MIND
rebounded from its trouble to the books
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