The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-10-21

nor attacked Grayscn; and. also. he had
a telegram from his editor instructing
him 70 narrate the events OF the even
Ing with the strietest iTnpartiality. not
/ only as concerned Iacts. but. above all.
! to transmit the exact color and atrlos-
| phere Of the occasion. II know that this
is hard TO do he said. but with the deft
and useful little compliment that a wise
employer knows how to put in at
the end, ne added. Il am sue that YOU
can do it." Aud he knew his man; Har-
ley would certainly DO il.
Harley, seated IN ass obscure corner Of
the stage. but one offering many points
OF vantage for his own view, saw the
vast crowd come quickly into the hail.
among the largest in the world. and he
| heard the hum Of voices. in which he
thought he could distinguish two notes
one Of favor and one OF attack. Yet the
audience was orderly ard on the whole
the element of curiosity prevailed. The
! correspondent, quick 10 read such signs
saw that the people had an open mind
/ IN regard TO Jimmy Grays0n; Il was left
/ 10 the candidate to make his own impress
sion Churchill took seat near him, and
/ began 10 annoy him with depreciato-y re-
marks about GraysOn, not spoken to Har-
/ ley I'm particular. but to the wide world
! fiVSeAtt V4itF 5tttl NffstL &UGFCnlit NeedEG
no audience. preferring to talk 10 the
air. which could make no reply of its
own, but must return an echo
| Harley saw Mrs. Grayson and her niece
slip quietly into A box. sitting well back.
where they could be seen but little bN&ile
/ audience; and then. knowing that Hir
! iraysOn had arrived. he went behind the
wings, where the candidate sat waiting
/ Mr.. GraysOn received him with a calm
and pleasant word; if his family were in
/ a tremble he was not: at least he was
able to hide any apprehension that he
might feel. and he remarked. jestingIy:
/ 1T is apparent that I will have an audi
ence, Mr.. Harley; they VIII not ignore
me-"
NO. you are a coed puller." rejoined
/ Harley
There were some dry prellminaries-in-
| trOductOry remarks by the chairman and
other necessary bores-and then the audi
| encc began to call for Grayson The
speech would be reported in full by short
/ hand, for which mechanical work the
| STAFF correspondent always hires a mem
/ Der of that guild, and Harley WAS free
for the present. He resolved to 90 into
the box with Mrs Grayson and Miss
Morgan. but he changed his mind when
( he glanced at their faces. There was
/ pailOr in their cheeks and their whole
attitude was of strained and intense wait
/ ing. For them the crucial moment had
| come. and Harley had too much humanity
/ TO disturb them. even with well-meant
/ efforts. at such a moment
The hum in the crowd increased to a
roar 4 thunderous call FOR Grayson. but
there was q pause on the stage, where
no figures moved The chairman glanced
uneasily toward the wings and shufied
1 I'm his seat as If re did not know what 20
do, but his apprehension did not last
/ long.
The candidate appeared. coming forward
with steady step. his face pale and ap-
/ parentIy inexpensive: but Harley could
see that the eyes. usually so calm were
/ lighted up by a fire from within. Sud
denly al his fear for Grayson sank away;
Il came upon him with the finality of
lightning flash that here was a man who
would not fail. and by an unknown i'm
pulse he looked from the candidate TO the
box in which Miss Morgan sat She
seemed 10 have read mis- faith in his eyes.
for look Of relief. even JOY, came over
her face.
This intuition OF the two was justified.
as the candidate did not have TO conquer
his audience He held IL in his spell from
the opening sentence: the golden and COM
polling Oratory. afterward so famous.
was here poured before the greater world
for the first time Harley listened 10 the
peiods. smooth but powerful. and he
could not throw off their charm; some
things were said OF which he was not
sure. and others with which he positively
disagreed. but for the time they all seem
ed true. Jimmy Grayson believed them
there could be no doubt Of il! every word
was tlnged with the vivid hue OF SINGER
H.-1l h1
in spell that it could not escape; these
were convictions, not arguments. that he
was speaking. and the people received
them as such. Moreover. ne was always
clear and direct. he had a Greek preci-
sion Of speech. and there was none in the
audience who could not follow him.
Harley. no orator himself. had in the
cOuse OF his profession heard much ora
tory. some good. much bad. and even
now he struggled against the charm Of
GraysOn's voice and manner. and sought
TO see what lay behind them. Was there
back Of this golden veil any great orig
mating or executive power. or was he,
like so many others who speak well
voice and nothing mOre2 An orator
might win the Presidency Of the United
States. but his gift would not necessarily
qualify him TO administer the Office. It
was tribute TO Harieys power of viii
or detachment that he was able a such
a time 10 ask himself such a question.
But he forgot these after-thoughts in
the pleasureable sympathy that his view
of the candidates wife and niece aroused.
Their faces were iilumned with ioy
Feeling his spell so strongly themselves.
they knew without looking that the au-
dience felt it. too. and the evening could
be no fuller for them. Here he was. a
hero not only for his womenkind, but for
all whom his womenkind could see, and
Harley thought that under the influence
Of this feeling Miss Morgan's features
had become very soft and feminine. The
curve OF the jaw was gentle rather than
irn1 and now IN her softer moments il
seemed 20 Harley that something might
be made Of this mountain girl. say by
the deft hands OF an Eastern and older
woman. Then he blushed at himself for
such a cOndescending thought. and
turned to his task-that is. the effort TO
reproduce for readers In New York, the
next morning. the atmosphere of that
evening in a Chicago hall. and the exact
relation that Mr.. Grayson, the people
and the events of the hour bore to each
other.
Harley was a conscientious man. inter-
ested in his work. and when he gave the
last page Of the dispatch to a telegraph
boy the speech was nearly over. He said
emphatically that it was success, that
the audience was brought thoroughly
under the spell. but whether this spell
would endure after the candidate was
gone he did not undertake TO prophesy.
The coolest and most critical seeker after
truth and nothing but the truth could