The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-15

g. L
heard his own name read off in con-
nection with the words ITO be collec-
tor OF the port
Billy jumped to his feet in minute
as II he were back homo In county
convention and some Indian was Try
ing to commit the party to a hopeless
heresy.
cts a mistake" he started to shout,
when the friend who was with MIN
laid violent hands on his coat-talls.
yanked him back into his seat, and
said:
shut UP, you fool What II It is a
mistake! Don't you know the col
lectorship pays $4,000 a year? Mis-
takes Of that Kind don't happen to
anybody but fools and the elect-and
you're not anybodys foolv
Well 1t turned out that, mistake or
no mistake, Billy's appointment stuck,
and he made good in such way
that bunch of big fellows in his party
took an interest In him and put him
In the way of making more money
than he had ever dreamed OF seeing.
And he made 1t honestly, too. Then
his fame as party oracle spread with
the growth of his bank account, until
now he is known in every State In the
Union among the solid moneyed men.
l hope, Ned. that your pull Will be
of this thirty basket-of-fragments'
kind, but I'm afraid that you're not
quite enough OF slnged cat TO nave
a claim on that kind Of luck.
When 1t comes time to put on the
screws and really come to show
down, hope you'll not have quite
the experience that came to young
~ k,n o
went out into the sheep country, made
friends as fast as he lost money. and
finally landed the comfortable little
lob of reading clerk In the House.
Jim had voice like the sound OF
many waters, the presence Of presi-
Dental and the nerve OF a goat. He
fitted into the place as handy as q
hoe into dirt, and made friends of the
.mammon OF unrighteousness right and
left. Before the session was fairly
under way, he had done a trick or two
that made him solid with the strong
minority, and he was considered
sort of consulting pilot for any diff
cult piece Of legislative navigation
that came up. Beside him the Wob-
bly-Willie speaker was small potatoes.
One day member came to him and
said:
"Jim, how In Tunket am going to
get that bill OF mine through Great
ing the office of State on Inspector?
You see. they killed my measure In
the Senate and I got even by buying
the Senate bill to tho same effect
here In the House,"
Looks a good deal as II the State
would worry long while without an OIL
Inspector said Jim. "but II there's
- ,t,o - rOinp tn haln
you out, Tom, for I've made up my
mind to land that particular job my
self"
"Well," replied Tom. my goose is
cooked II don't get that bill through.
+ can't support you for the place,
when it's made; but won't do any
thing In particular to keep you from
getting IT.
work." said Jim; 'If some measley
parliamentary stickler don't catch on
to the game. Spring resolution for
a conference committee of flye-two
from the Senate and three from the
IIouse-and have the bill revised and
put through"
This scheme worked; the hill was
passed, and inside of week every
member of Jim's political faith In the
House, with two exceptions, went be-
fore the Governor in body and asked
for his appointment to the new posi-
ton, which was worth twenty thou
Sand dollars a year.
,tgThis isN tho strongest endorsement
any man has ever had for any APP
pointment," replied the Governor,
land the request of this delegation
shall be granted II 1t is within my
power to do so'