Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-05-14

"Oh. Alex, mamma has a new beau"
exclaimed Helen as they all three sat in
the parlor, clapping her hands in de-
light.
''Hush, 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
lust 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
oantering he had been struck by big
idea-so big that 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 plimentary things about
John Hepworth and to drop sugges-
ton that he was likely to be governor
or senator within a short time. Then
he went home and thought it all out.
"The very thing" he chuckled, slap
ping his thin knee with his thin hand
and cackling 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 by the
people as a "boss." If he can be in
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 will go to pieces and in the re-
adjustment Alexander Hannibal Spike
sees his opportunity.
So. insidiously and persistently,
Spike poured honeyed insinuations
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
ing the widow Bancroft that fall. Soon
after he began to feel of his friends
and political associates as to the ad-
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 Ger
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 howl
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.
it 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 altogether it
was bad campaign-and Hepworth
lost. It was the first defeat his party
had suffered in the state for a quarter
of a century. His organization was
hopelessly broken and he had not the
heart to gatherit together again.
Alexander Hannibal Spike did not go
to the legislature but took an active
and unselfish part in framing the new
organization and two years later he
was nominated and elected to con-
gress, and just before the session he
was quietly married at the home Of
Mr.. and Mrs. John Hepworth, and he
and Helen spent their honeymoon at
che national capital.
And John Hepworth never smelt a
mouse.