The San Francisco call., 1905-08-27

fears and longings uttered those de-
grading words.
He grunted. ''WeII, we'll see. Tell the
boys at the other table to come back.
He nodded dismissal and gave me tnat
nIeist, strong grip again
AS 1 went toward the other table
each man there had a hand round his
glass in readiness for the message of
recall. / mentally called the roll
wealth, respectability, honor, all on
their knees before Dominick, each with
his eye upon the branch of the plum tree
that bore the kind of fruit he fancied.
And wondered -how---they felt
inside-for was then ignorant of the
great foundation truth of practical
ethics, that a mans conscience is not
the producer but the product of his
career.
Fessenden accompanied me, to the
door The old mans in hell OF
hunor tonight" said he. His wife's
caught on to little game, he's been
up to. and she's the only human being
he S afraid Of She came in here, one
sight, aud led him out by the ear. What
a fool a man is to marry when there's
"a chance of running into a mess like
that! But-you made a hit with him.
Besides. he needs you. Your family"
Buck checked himself. feeling that
drink was making him voluble.
He's a strong man, isn't he?" said
/; "A born leader"
''Aiddle-weight champion in his day."
replied Fessenden. He can still knock
out anybody in the organization. in one
round"
Goodnight and thank you" said 1.
So 1 went my way, not elated but ut
terly depressed-more depressed than
when l won the first case in which l
knew my clients opponent was in the
right and had lost only because l out
generated his stupid lawyer 1 was,
like most of the sons and daughters of
the vigorous families OF the earnest,
deeply religious early West, an idealist
by inheritance and by training; but l
suppose any young man, however prac-
tica1, must feel a shock when he begins
those compromises between theoretical
and practical right which are part Of
the daily routine of active life, and
without which active life is impossible.
/ had said nothing to my mother, be-
cause 1 did not wish TO raise her hopes
or her objections. 1 now decided to
be silent until the matter should be set
tied. The next day but one Fessenden
came. bad news in his face The old
man liked you" he began, but"
1 had not then learned to control my
expression. 1 could not help showing
what ruins Of lofty castles that omin-
Gus but" dropped upon my head.
You'll soon be used to getting it in
the neck if you stay in politics" said
Fessenden. There's not much. else.
But you amt so bad off as you think.
The old man has decided that he can
afford to run one of his reliable hacks
for the place He's suddenly found
way Of sinking his hooks in the head
devil of the reformers and Ben Cass'
chief hacker, Singer-you know him-the
lawyer"
Singer was one of the leaders of the
State bar and superintendent of our Sun
day-school.
"Dominick has made De Forest give
Singer the law business Of the Gas and
Street Railway Company, so Singer is
coming over TO u.s. Buck grinned. HE
has found that local interests must be
subordinated to the broader interests cf
the party in State and nation"
had been reading in our party's~ morn
ing paper what a wise and patriotic move
Singer had made in advising the putting
of Of q reform campaign-and 1 had be-
heved in the sincerity OF his motivei
Fessenden echoed my. sneer. and went
on: Hes a rotten hypocrite; but, then,
we can always pull the bung out Of these
reform movements that way"
You said it isn't as bad for me as it
seems" L interrupted.
''Oh, yes. You're TO be on the ticket
AAAN OA4 man 6OAA46 ~ cCilQ gOu u Tic
Legislature-lower house, of course.
I did not cheer up. An Assemblyman
got only a thousand year.
The pay amt much" confessed Buck,
but there amt nothing to do except vote
according to order. Then there's a great
deal TO be picked up on the. side-the old
man understands that others have got to
live beside him. Salaries in politics don't
cut no figure nowadays, anyhow It's
- IL.
At first / fatty refused, but Buck point
ed out that l was foolish TO throw away
the benefits sure TO come through the
''old mans liking for me. Hell take
care Of you,' ne assured me- Hes got
you booked for a quick rise My poverty
was so pressing that 1 had not the cour-
age to refuse-the year and half OF
ferocious struggle and the longing to
marry Betty Crosby had combined to
break my spirit. 1 believe it is Johnson
who says the worst feature of genteel
poverty is it's power to make one ridicu-
lous. don't think so. No; its worst
feature is its power to make one afraid.
That night / told my mother of my
impending "honors." We were in the
dark on our little front porch. She
was silent, and presently thought
heard her suppressing a sigh. You
don't like it, mother?' said l.
NO, Harvey, butt see no light
ahead in any other direction, and
guess one should always steer toward
what light there is" She stood behind
my chair, put her hands on my shoul-
ders, and rested her chin lightly on the
Nop of my head. Besides, l can trust
you. Whatever direction you take
you're sure to win in the end"
1 was glad ii was dark. An hour
after I went TO BET I heard some one
stirring in the house-it seemed to me
there was voice, too. / rose and went
into the hall. and So softly to my
mothers room. Her door was ajar
She was near the window, kneeling
there in moonlight, praying
for me.
had not been long in the Legisla
ture before 1 saw that my position was
even more contemplate than 1 antici-
pated So contemplate, indeed, was 1t
that, had I not been away from home
and among those as basely situated as
myself, it would have been intolerable-
a convict infinitely prefers the peni-
tentiary to the chain gang. Then, too,
there was consolation in the fact hat
the people, my fellow citizens, in their
stupidity and ignorance about political
conditions, did not ealize what public
Office had come TO mean. At home they