The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1903-07-10

| but l declare myself here and now
that come what may l will not be
fortune hunter and matrimonial adj
venturer. All else will / do for the
family but not that"
And his intimacy with Alice Morton
continued and increased until she be-
came the brightest spot in his life.
And then one soft spring evening
carried away by the poetry of her
nature, the tenderness of her SYM
pathy with him and his aspira tions
and something he saw in the depths
of her brown eyes he declared his
love for her and asked her to be his
wife
'Why, Duncan" she replied with
surprise and pity in her face and
voice, ''wnat are you saying? You
know it is impossible. You already
have more of load than you can
carry"
"But l need help to carry it, he re-
| piled. He went on in passionate APP
peal, plying her for an answer
| to the question as to her love until
she broke down under his ardor and
admitted that she loved him-but as
to the matter of an engagement she
was adamant.
mo. Duncan" she said, II will not
tie you but | will wall for you. /
love you too much to be a drag on
you. When you have solved your
problem and achieved a career wor-
thy your ambitions if you want me /
will come to you, but not now" and
he could not shake her.
In the meantime the politicians had
been discussing Duncan's appearance
in politics with more gravity than he
dreamed it warranted.
Hes got to be headed off or he'll
bust the combinati tion," assented Maj.
Buck, with profane emphasis.
"Well, you can't frighten him Off"
replied DR.. Jackson.
Nor beat him, apparently" added
Tom Lurch.
NO" said Judge Belknap. the real
''boss" of the county. We've got to
take care of him. Being business
man gives him a standing that is
hard to knock. I've been thinking
that it would be a good scheme to
have Dustin appoint him commission
er of public works"
"Heavens,' exclaimed the major;
that's too good a job. It's worth
$500 year in salar..- and five times
that in graft in ordinary years, and
this year 20 times as much with the
new water works to be built"
'"That's just it," replied the other
quietly. I've studied the man. He
won't take cheap office. We've got
to sacrifice something to get him
and I'm convinced he can't be depend
ed on after we get him. He's too am
bilious. He'll take the commission
ership. He needs the money. Then
we'll see to it that he is offered
enough on the water works job to
tempt HIM and then we'll raise a row,
have an investigation and pose as
purists and reformers and he'll be
eliminated from politics forever even
if he escapes the pen."
John, you re a genius" exclaimed
the ma jor enviously.
But it is blanked shame to let go
that water works graft after all the
work we have done to get it framed
up"
So the plot was laid and Maj. Dus-
tin offered Duncan Taylor the newly
created commissionership. 1t was a
very different line of public service
than he had looked forward to, but
he was flattered by the recognition
and recognized the opportunity for
service to the community. Then, too,
trf inn
He had his business organized SO it
would run along with what direction
he would be able to give it and the
salary for q couple of years would
about clean up matters and put
things on an easy basis. He consult
ed Alice. but she would not advise.
"You must figure out your own ca
reer, Duncan" she said gently.
He accepted the appointment and
plunged into the added work with
enthusiasm.
Then came the great temptation.
When the bids for the new water |
works came up he was delicately |
shown where he could clean up $780,
900 by favoring certain contracting |
concern in way that apparently no
hint of crooked work could leak out. |
Moreover, there would be another |
$4,000 in sight in allowing of ext-
permitting the use of material I
equally as good" but not technically |
the same as specified and in other
ways where he was assured the city |
would get the best possible results
and would not have to pay any more
than if rival concern got the con-
tract.
Then indeed did Duncan wrestle |