Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-03-21

But try as he could he could hit
upon no plan. As he cudgeled his
brain the daylight faded and darkness
fell. He came 10 with a start and re-
membered tnat he had an engagement
to call upon the girl Of his dreams
the girl he meant to install in the white
house some day. Soon he sat in the
modest little parlor talking TO the n
person In all the world who believed
in tie enthusiastic future Alexander
Hannibal Spike had marked out for
himself.
The Banerofts were in exceedingly
moderate circumstances but Of good
family. The widowed mother had the
best blood Of the land in her veins,
but Sad married a poor man and had
been left with a very modest income.
She was one Of those ome who hold
their youth well-indeed she looked
more the sister to Helen than the
mother. And ambition filed her whole
being. She sighed continually for the
life she had known as a girl when her
fathers home was the rendezvous for
the clever and the great.
"Oh, Alex, mamma has a new beau"
exclaimed Helen as they all three satin
the parlor, clapping her hands in de-
light.
Flush, child, don't be foolish" said
Mrs. Bancroft, flushing slightly.
But she has," persisted Helen, her
eyes dancing with mischief. 'She met
Mr.. Hepworth-the politician, you
know, at the Dodds reception last
Thursday evening and they discovered
that they were old schoolmates and he
Just devoted himself to her the entire
evening. And he called last evening
and stayed ever SO long"
The widow protested and the topic
passed. But it left an indelible i'm
preston on Alexis mind. During the
bantering he had been struck by q big
idea-so big hat he dared not attempt
to entertain it until in the quiet of
his chamber. He gathered himself suf-
ficiently, however, to say some exceed
ingly complimentary things about
John Hepworth and to drop a sugges-
tion that he was likely to be governor
or senator within a short time, Then
he went home and thoughts it all out.
THE very thing" he chuckled, slap
ping his thin knee with his thin hand
and caekling with his thin voice.
even as Eve proved Adams down
fall and Delilah, Samson's, even as
woman has ever proved tempter and
the ruin of man. so a woman shall tear
down big John" to the end that out
of the ruin shall come the opportunity
of Alexander Hannibal Spike"
His reasoning was thus: big John"
is all-powerful as a wire-puller and an
organizer. He has not strong mag
netic qualities and is disliked 10y the
people as a boss" If he can be i'm
duced to come out in the open and run
for an elective office it will be easy to
rally the opposition and defeat him and
his power will be broken. Then his
machine viii go to pieces and in the re-
adjustment Alexander Hannibal Spike
sees his opportunity,
So, insidiously and persistently,
Spike poured honeyed i~nsinuations
into the widow Bancroft's ear. He
showed her how Hepworth held abso-
lutte power over his party and could
be nominated for governor at the next
convention by the turn of his hand.
He suggested to her mind insidiously
but clearly, the picture of herself pre-
siding over the governors mansion.
He urged nothing and advised nothing
definitely, but artfully put the bait
before her.
The result was that John Hepworth,
bachelor and aged so, surprised and
shocked his political friends by marry
ins The widow Bancroft thatfall. Soon
after he began to feel of his friends
and political associates as to the adj
visibility of his taking the nomination
for governor. And they, being quick
to discover the direction of his mind,
patted him on the back and said Ser
tainly, John, of course; who else is so
well entitled to it; you have done the
wheel-horse work all these years; Of
course you should round out your
career with the governorship." And
the wave started and grew until it car
ried everything before it-even Big
Johns usually clear and cold judg-
ment.
So John Hepworth was nominated
and Alexander Hannibal Spike nearly
broke his thin leg slapping it in glee
with his thin hand on the night after
it was decided. AT once a mighty howf
went up from the reform" press and
the independent" press and all the
people who had tried in vain to shake
Hepworth's hold on the party all these
years.
1t was a close year and Hepworth
made matters worse by losing his tenn
per, not being used to being the object
of attack himself. There was no man
ager to take his place and altogetherit
was a bad campaign-and Hepworth
lost. 1t was the first defeat his party
had suffered in the state for a quarter
of a century. His organization was
bnNa1asclv hrDEap and ba had NOT the