Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-05
Receiving Bad News,


The very early figures seemed favorable
to the candidate for whom all present had
worked throughout the campaign, and the
evening opened with something like cheer
fulness. but by o'clock there was a decid-
ed charge.
The telephone brought the first decidedly
bad news. 1t was at variance with what
enc dignified old committeeman expected
that he jumped from his arm chair swear
ing that the operator who had called out
the figures was either drunk or crazy. The
operator CHANGED to be youngster of some
spirit, and he promptly retorted that he
couldn't stand for any talk of that sort"
The committeeman apologized, but he pull
ed from his pocket big wad of gold GER
tlficateS and passed them feverishly to his
son. who was present.
Here. Bob" cried the committeeman,
take this roll and go out on the avenue
with it. If you meet any of the other fell
news we have Just heard is all wrong.
Everybody knows it's an internal liei'' Then
he cried. with the lack of logic to which
even national committeeman are sometimes
given. Bluff 'em, DIN 'em! Bluff 'em!'
The youth took the currency with a
groan. to return fifteen or twenty minutes
later with the roll intact and grin on his
face.
wouldn't try 1t again. either, for the bulle-
letins are showing figures that are pulling
down the mercury pretty fastr'
BY this time more bad news had been re-
ing added a few sinister clicks to the tele-
phones discouraging words. A moment
later tremendously depressing news from
the middle west was called out, and a tall,
handsome man in early middle life sprang
cut of his chair If electrified.
Heavens he almost sobbed, my father
would break out of his grave sure If only
he were TO hear that news"
With No Respite.
Years ifterwacd this man was killed by
the bullet of a hostile native under tropical
skies. but nis friends say he faced death
itself with far more composure than he lis
tened to the unfavorable returns which
came all the rest of that night with scarce
ly an instGnt's respite.
By 10 O'Clock the news was SO bad that
everybody gave up further figuring, and
nearly everybody conceded the election to
the other side. This state of things had
barely been admitted when a strange tu-
multi was heard on the ground floor Of the
building which housed the committee.
AT first there vas the confused tramp of
many feer and the hum of many voices
punctuated with an occasional whoop of
defiance and eXutation. The faithful band
in the upper room hardly had time to Won
der what all the row was about before its
cause was made perfectly clear. A delega-
ton from the other headquarters, cheered
by the news Whicn was as favorable to the
one side as u1favorable to the other and
reinforced by 1t hundred or two men from
the street. had invaded the place. Pres
entity the din resolved itself into a rhyth-
mical beat-tramp-tramp-tr amp-tramp-
tramp-accompanied by an accentuated cry
Of victory. exultant, arrogant merciless.
When All Hope Failed.
From that time no one cherished hope,
save only the chairman. He was as ada
mant in his declarations that the news had
been doctored. Claim everything!" he
cried. as others, in like circumstances, had
before his day. and this attitude he main
tanned till the afternoon of the following
day.
Well before midnight the band began to
break up and by l o'clock nearly all had
disappeared, slipping away by ones and