Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18

which would be seriously considered. There
were shrewd suspicious among Cooper's
friends that Musser had resorted to dis
creditabe methods in his efforts to control
certain delegates, but they had no proof.
Musser's name MAS fret to be offered to
the convention, and thenfafter two or three
others had been proposed purely with an
idea of complimenting them and without
the slightest thought that they would be
accepted as nominees, Bull left the rostrum
in the hands of a fellow delegate while he
stepped to the floor of the hall and named
Caleb Cooper.
This procedure had been decided upon
during the previous evening, and Cooper
mad known almost exactly when to expect
it, as well as. practically, the very words
in which his name would be presented, but
1t embarrassed him. While Bull was speak
ing the candidate coiored deeply and
dropped his hat. He was tremendously en-
barrassed.
And as he stopped to pick the hat up
there was a louder uproar than had fol-
lowed the mention of any other name.
Bull stepped back to the platform, and
the convention decided for secret and
against an oral vote-a procedure which
surprised most of the delegates, and was
accurately credited to the influence of
Jacob Musser. Jack Selkirk was, as secre-
tary, instructed to distribute the blank bal
lots. He did so. The speechmaking and
the adoption of the platform had been slow
matters, and by the time of the first bal
lotlng the hands on the big clock pointed
very near to noon.
Some comment was occasoned at about
this time by the entrance of a boy who
went up to Selkirk and whispered some
thing in his ear afterward carrying from
the convention hall certain closely writ
ten sheets on which Selkirk had been busy
in the intervals of his official duties. The
boy was Billy Sucker, and he left the
hall the accurate rumor buzzed about that
Selkirk had In mind unheard-of bit of
Journalistic enterprise-the issuance of an
extra which would tell, that very night,
the story OF what the convention had done
during the day. Billy became the subject
of much whispered gossip. The tale of
how he and his mother had turned up
hungry and weary al Coopers place, how
Cooper had decided to keep the woman to
help around the house, and how Selkirk,
who had just become engaged to Cooper's
daughter had given the boy job at the
Express office, flew from delegate to del
esate. No one seemed to know just who
had first told the tale, but it really had
started in the women's gallery. MISS Betsey
Bobbin, dressmaker, was changing into Miss
Betsey Bobbin, politician She had seen
the fine points in the affair of the wan
dering mother and the boy, and had decided
that they should not be entirely lost to
Caleb. Many curious glance followed the
youngster he left the hall, and many
Scornful look he cast back at the staring
ones.
The line moved forward and dropped It's
bits of paper in fair order. There was con-
siderable joking among the marchers. Some
of them placed their hands upon the Shout
ders of the men in front, in imitation of the
lock STEP and tramped to the front in
way which carried delight to galleried boys,
who would have kept time by stamping had
it not been for the very obvious tremors of
the structure when they started it. These
were so plainly felt that they made the
women look about them anXiously, and
Frank Bernard, who had a substitute down
at the station that day, and who was near
BesS and under orders from her, as he al
ways was, put stop to it.
After the delegates had regained their
seats the ballot box was opened on Jack
Selkirks desk, while all craned forward in
their seats to see, and the ballots were
counted first by him and then by two tell
ers' who had been appointed earlier.
AS Bull went to his desk to make the
GREATNESS. For moment he stood there,
facing the delegates in their seats and wait
ing for the last disturbing rustic to be
quieted. Then he read:
Jacob Musser, nineteen votesr
The convention instantly became tumul-
tuous.
Three cheers for Jake Musser!' cried
some one with victory in his voice.
This suggestion would have been accepted
| with will, and, indeed, the crowd began
| to act on it, but Sam Bull checked the i'm
| pulse. His face as he did SO, with uplifted
| arm and at the same time glared at the
| paper in his other hand, offered a study in
| expression. Amusement, incredulity, anger
| and sincere chagrin struggled for the mas
| terry among it's rugged lines and the flush
| which had at first glowed slowly through
the deep tan of his cheeks gave way to
noticeable pallor Sans pride in his state
and in his fellow citizens was real and
profound. What Jersey did was right to
| him, but now he saw with startling clear
ness that what part of Jersey did that
| day was wrong.
/ Hold on, there Teller delegates" he
said
The convention waited, breathless.
ala1N u LILO, no.
! jest nineteen votes"
| For moment no one realized the truth.
| Then began an eXtraVagant demonstration
| from the friends of Cooper which Mus
| ser's henchmen tried in vain to drown.
| The two candidates took the situation in
| two ways. Musser, hot. red faced and
plainly aggravated Cooper, grim, silent
| and impressive. Bull spoke again.
/ Mr.. Musser,' he said. slowly. as if
| thinking out a problem in mental arith-
| metic as he spoke lis tied with Mr.. Coop
| er for the nomination"
| Again came uproar The men who had
figured matters out on bits of paper were
| the ones to check it, and now they studied
| their figures with the same interest which
| Sam Bull had given to the paper which
| Selkirk had passed up to him. There was
| a definite hush. One of the arithmeti-
! clans grumbed indistinctly. Then Bull,
! calm again, but plainly very angry, swung
| his gaveI as a blacksmith swings a ham,
| mer. But he spoke almost softly in the
| hush that followed.
| eight Total number of delegates that is
| present and entitled to vote, thirty-fve"
If bomb shell had dropped among tnat
| crowd the cons formation could scarcely
| have been greater, although for the mo-
| ment not voice was heard. There was
| a scuffling of feer and more than one dele
| gate half arose, but there was no word or
| cry.
Then at first came whispering. a hiss
| of it. And this in turn gave way to
| murmuring, and finally to roar of shout
| ing Scarcely a delegate was in the room
| now who had not risen to his feet. With
| in ten seconds the excitement had become
| intense.
Selkirk alone seemed to be quite at ease,
but this attracted no attention. The news
| paper man had already found his place in
| American life-that of the calm observer
of excitement; that of the silent Waterman
on the hill who sees all things and writes
of them dispassionately with few words of
| mouth But Marcy marked a quiet smile
| upon his lips, and as she saw that smile
and saw him settle back to contemplate
the crowd she felt quite calm and GER
| tain that her father would triumph in the
| end.
After the hubbub had died down some
| what there were insistent cries.