The Washington herald., 1906-11-25
THE CANDIDATE
APoldcal Romance By JosephA Alheer

Of the crowd centered upon one man, Har-
ley was able to slip quietly through the
dense ranks and enter the hotel. where
he fell at once into the hands of Sylvia
Morgan. She came forward to meet him,
impulsively holding out her hands, the
light Of welcome sparkling in her eyes
we did not know what had become Of
you she exclaimed. We feared that
YOU had got lost in the quicksands of the
river" And then. with a sudden flush.
she added, somewhat lamely, we are all
so glad that Uncle James has got back
safely"
Harley had read undeniable relief and
welcome in her eyes, and It gave him
peculiar thrill, a thrill az first Of abso-
lutte and unthinking JOY. followed at once
by a little catch. Before him rose the
square and massive vision Of king"
Plummer, and he had an underlined sense
of doing wrong.
We've brought him hack safely" he
said. after slight hesitation. We spent
the night very comfortably in farm
house on the prairies."
She noticed his hesitation, and her eyes
became eager.
7 do believe that you have had an ad-
venture" she exclaimed. Il know that
you nave Know DE your iophs ANA AA NSN
tell it to me at once
we have had an adventure, admitted
Harley, and there is no reason why 1
shouldn't tell you Of it, as in few hours
a long account Of 1t written by me will be
going eastward"
Il am waiting"
Harley began at once with his Earra-
tive. and they became absorbed In II, he
in the telling and she in the hearing.
While he talked and she listened King
Plummer approached. Now the King in
these later few days had begun to study
the ways Of women. in so far as his lin
tied experience enabled him 10 do SO,
task TO which he had never turned his
attention before in his life. But the words
Of Mrs. Grayson ranked: they kept him
unhappy. they disturbed his self-satisfac-
ton, and made him apprehensive for the
future. He had been in the crowd that
welcomed Jimmy Grayson, he had shaken
the candidates hand effusively, and now
when he entered the hotel, he found Syl-
via Morgan welcoming John Harley.
King Plummer did not like what he
saw; il gave him his second shock. and
he paused to examine the two with 4 yell
low eye, and a mind reluctant 10 admit
certain facts. among them the most OBJ
Vious one that they were a handsome
couple, and OF an age. And this was a
fact that did not give the king pleas
ure. He did not dislike Harley; instead,
he appreciated his good qualities. but just
then he regarded him with an Unfriendly
glance. that reality Of youth annoyed him.
There was glass on the other side Of the
room. and the King looked at his own
reflection. He saw a large, powerful
head and broad, strong features. the
boil fru~ al ha d
his powers, at the very fiOOdtide Of his
strength. But Il was not young. The
hair was lron-gray, and there were many
deep lines in the face-nOt unhandsome
lines, yet they were lines.
with all his shameless youth" were
the Kings" unUttered thoughts, I
could beat him at anything, except, per-
haps. scribbIinE ] could live and prosper
where he would starve to death. And
surging upon the king" came the memo
ries Of his long. triumphant, and joyous
struggle with wild nature. Then he APP
preached the couple, and greeted Harley
with the gOod-natuTe that was really
part of him. Sylvia, with shining eyes,
told at second hand, though not with
diminished effect, the story of the
night and king" Plummer was loud
in his applause. He did not care
what criticism the superciliOus might
make, the act was 10 him spontaneous
and natural
But I don't see why you should have
been with Jimmy Grayson then, he said,
frankly, TO Harley You are an East
erner. new to these parts, and 1t Isn't
right that just you should be along
when the interestin things happen"
Harley could not help laughing at the
naive remark, but he liked King Plum
mer all the better for it. The King,
however. gave him no more chance to
talk alone that day with Sylvia. Mr..
Plummer snGweu the greatest regard Tor
Miss Morgans health and comfort, an~
u4d not try 10 hide his solicitude; he was
continually about her. arranging little
conveniences for the journey. and intro
ducing Idaho topics. familiar to them,
but to which Harley was necessarily a
stranger. The King" with his wide
sense Of Western hospitality, would not
have done this at another time, but In
view of the close relationship between
himself and Sylvia he regarded It as par
donable
The watchfuI Mrs. Grayson say It all,
and at first she regarded the king"
with an approving eye, but by and by the
approval changed to a frown. There
was something forced in his manner; II
was just the least bit unCOnvincing. It
was clear TO her that he was OVERRIDING
It. and in her opinion that was as bad
as not doing it at all. Nor did she like
the spectacle OF a middle-aged man Of
affairs trying to play the gallant; there
was another manner one just as good,
that would become him more. She was
impelled 70 admonish him again. but she
restrained herself, rejecting that she had
not improved matters by her first warn
Ing, and she might make them worse by
her second. Nevertheless, she summoned
the nominee Of great party to the
American Presidency to a conference, and
he came with more alacrity than he would
have obeyed the call Of a conference Of
governors.
Sylvia is doing what it is natural for
her TO do" she said, abruptly.
Then. my dear. why find fault with
me because Of it?' replied the mystihed
candidate
L don't find fault with you; merely
want your advice, although I know that
you can have none to give
The candidate wisely kept silent, and
waited for the speaker Of the house 10
proceed
Sylvia is your niece, and Mr.. Plummer
is your most powerful political supporter
in the West" she said. IF she jilts him
because Of any fancy or impulse-well,
you know such things can make men,
especially elderly men, do very strange
deeds. I speak Of It because am sure It
must have been in your thoughts"
The candidate stirred uneasily
Tt is Il thing that I do not like 10 take
into consideration" he said.
Nor do I. but it forces itself upon US"
1T = right that Harley should pay her
attention. They are members Of this par
ty and they are Of an age likely TO make
them congeniaL"
THAT Is where the danger lies 1t may
not amount at present TO anything more