Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1905-01-19
STINS SONS
DIPLOMACY
By CurrAn
Richa,d Greenley


The real boss of the campaign COM
mittee leaned across the table and
wagged heavy forefinger under
Brackets nose.
"rve cinched the finest wire that
was ever pulled, and when them wire
get done pullin' Bill Carrots chances
are dead and rained on or my names
not Jim Stinson. I've interviewed Miss
Elizabeth Heath, and she's ours"
The emphatic finger stopped as
Brackett sprang to his feet.
''You-you interviewed Miss Heath
In my favorr'
''Yes. Why not? She's a power, she
is, with them fellows wives down in
the Tenth ward. en- she's a lady right,
you bet,
Brackett dropped Imply into the
chair behind him, while Stinson poured
out the history Of his call upon Miss
Heath, the president Of the Hypatia,
in mixture of slang plentifully sprin-
kled with ''sez T. and "sez She" Stin-
SON took much glory to himself that he
should have thought Of this clever
stroke just at the critical point of the
campaign. Miss Heath's influence in
certain quarters was unbounded. Down
In the Tenth ward, where the tall ten
ements gloom above the river, the little
children Of the poor watched for her
coming, and the tired mothers told her
all their trials and troubles, all their
simple ambitions and little joys, find
ing ready sympathy. Stinson had
heard of Miss Heath through that
channel, and it was to those poor, tired
mothers that he looked for a control
ling voice in the vote that would go up
from the Tenth ward. Stinson had
also counted on the lever welded by
Miss Heath as president Of the Hypa-
tia, the woman's club that led not
only in the city, but in the state feder-
alton. The federation's interests once
aroused and its influence brought to
bear would mean powerful leavening
at work for his man from one end of
the state to the other. All this and
more he poured into the unheeding ear
Of Bracket, whose mind was engrossed
with the one thought, the intolerable
shame that this man should have ap-
pealed to Elizabeth Heath in his name.
Beyond all considerations of the gov
ernor's office, Of his political future,
his mind reeled with the intensity of
this one thought.
Stinson's last words as he stood In
the doorway recalled him:
II told her that you would call in q
few days and discuss the matter fur
ther. She seemed right willing to take
hand after she had chewed the rag a
bit, and / saw as how a call from you
would sorter clinch it. Women folks
has to be made up to. I reckon you
know all about thatf Well. so long,
Mr.. Governor" and Stinson was gone.
John Bracket turned of the light
and sat still in the glow Of the fire.
The warm rays danced over his fast
silvering head, bringing out the lines
Of the tired, old-young face and ac-
centuating in grotesque shadow the
droop of his shoulders.
Her name on the lips Of this coarse
man! Out Of the silence of the years
to hear it for the first time In this man.
nerv' He had been away so long in
the lower part Of the state that he had
quite lost sight Of the charges that
pust have come to her as well as to
himself. So she was a social leader
now, a club woman. He remembered
the pleasant family circle as he had
known 1t and wondered IL 1t yet re-
manned unbroken. Out Of the Goals
sprang the picture Of the girl, Eliza
beth Heath, as he had last seen her,
that night when he had told her good
by forever. He could almost hear him
self speaking the slow, fateful, reluct-
ant words, In which he had told her
that the bond between them must be
broken for reasons over which he had
no controls half confidence that, in
the light of present knowledge, he
knew to have been far more cruel,
more cowardly, than a silence that
would have left her the poor solace of
believing him utterly unworthy.
He had scarcely thought Of her when
returning to the old town. He had
made the move for political reasons,
and one hotel is much like another to
a man who had forgotten the meaning
Of home. Like one cropping through
the dark, picking up the tangled
thread of a dropped web, John Brack-
EFT threaded back through the mazes
of fifteen years-ffteen!
Brackets tread grew less resolute,
and his feet seemed to drag just lit
tie as he turned into the well remem-
bered square and saw the white COL
umns of the Heath home among the
trees Old Peter opened the door. A
little grayer about the fringe Of wool,
a little more stopped, but the same old
Peter, shuffling down the hall ahead
Of him.
The house was painfully familiar.
There in the corner was the little set
tee among the palms where they had
sat that rainy day. He remembered
the shadows that shifted over the pale
blue gown that she had worn and felt
again the touch of the soft hand In bis
the hands that were like no other
hands in all the world.
Old Peters shuff1ing steps had died
away and the house was stilled. Then
he heard her step upon the stair and
down the hall, and Elizabeth stood be-
fore him, unchanged, except for the
graver lines about the firm, sweet
mouth and a deeper light in the dark
eyes Brackett grasped her hand with
an almost painful force.
You have been quite long while
n claiming your old friends in Warn
field, Mr.. Bracket"
1t was a merely banal greeting, but
the commonplace served to place Brac-
kett ON the right footing.
Most certainly, and yet 1 feel that
l should apologize for this intrusion,
had not come to make apology for
greater one that was made in my
name"
"You allude to Mr.. Stinson's callT'
she laughed lightly. "Mr. Stinson does
me the honor to consider me q force
in the political situation. / assure you
l appreciate the compliment, rs the
president of the Hypatia. But as
Elizabeth Heath, must beg to decline
it,"
Bracket made slight movement
toward her. 81 beg you to consider
the man and his total ignorance as to
the enormity of what he was doing.