The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-06-13

ample. Mo Gg-bank a pretty wom-
an and proud OF II. was yet conscious
OF her deficiencies In dress and In
manners through her plain and rural
early surroundings. II WAS interest
Ing and instructive. too, to watch her
studying and cleverly copying. or rath-
or, adapting Carlotta for she took
from Carlotta only that which could
be fitted without visible Joint into her
own pattern.
Latterly. whenever was urging
upon Burbank line OF action requir-,
Ing courage or a sacrifice Of some one
OF his many insIdious forms Of per-
scnal vanity. always arranged for
her to be present at our conferences.
And she would sit there, apparently
absorbed In her sewing; but In reality
she was seeing not only the surface
reasons / gave him. but also those
underlying and more powerful reasons
which we do not utter. sometimes be-
cause we like TO play the hypocrite
TO ourselves, again because we must
give the other person chance to
play the hypocrite himself-and us.
And often left him reluctant and try
ing 10 muster courage to refuse or
finesse 10 evade. only to find him the
next day consenting. perhaps enthus-
iastic. Manys the time she spared
me the disagreeable necessity OF being
peremptory-doubly disagreeable be-
cause show Of authority has ever been
distasteful TO me and because an or
der can never be 80 heartily executed
as is an assimilated suggestion.
When I went TO him a month after
her death. expected he would still
be crushed as he was at the funeral.
I listened with feeling OF revulslon
to his stilted and. as II seemed TO me.
perfunctory platitudes on his lire
reparable loss"-stale rhetoric about
her, and TO her most intimate friend
and hisl had thought he would be
imagining himself done with ambition.
forever: I had feared his strongly re-.
ligious nature would lead him to see
Judgment" upon him and her for
having exaggerated her indisposition
TO gain n political point And had
mapped out what would say TO induce
him 10 20 on. Instead. after a few
OF those stereotyped mortuary sen
fences. he shifted To politics and was
presently showing me that her death.
had hardly interrupted his piannings
for the presidential nomination. As
for the Judgment" ! had forgotten
that in his religion his deity was al
WAYS on his side. and his misfortunes
were always OF the evil one. These
deities OF men OF actioEi Man with
his god n yentriIoqulst puppet In his
pocket. and with his conscience an old
dog Tray at his heels. needing no lead
ing string
However. II gave me a shock. this
vivid reminder from Burbank Of tho
slavery OF INSTRUMENTATION. the
Vice Of vices. For II takes its victims
all---noral. mental. physical. Ana.
while Cther vices rarely wreck any but
small incn or Injure more than what is
within their small circles OF influence
Amoiuon seizes only the superior ana
sets them on 10 use their superior
powers 10 blast communities. states.
nations. continents. Yet II Is called
virtue. And men who have sold
themselves TO II and for II to the last
shred Of manhood are esteemed aud.
mystery OF mysteries. esteem them
selves
had come 60 Burbank 20 manufac-
ture him into n president His wife
and I had together produced an ex-
cellent raw material. Now. TO make
II up Into the finished product
He pointed 20 the hling cases that
covered the west wall Of his library
from floor 10 ceiling. from north win
dow 20 south. Il base my hope ON
those-next TO you. Of course" said
he. Then with his "woeful widower"
pose. he added: They were her sug'
gcstions."
I looked at the filing cases and walt
ed for him 20 explain.
when we FIRST married." he went
on presently. "she said. II seems TO
me. n were n public man. should
keep everything relating 20 myself
every speech. all that the newspapers
said. every meeting and the lists OF
the important people who we're there.
notes of all the people ever met any
where. every letter or telegram or note
I received. n you DO. you may hnd
after a few years that you have an
enormous list OF acquaintances. You've
forgotten them because you meet so
many. but they will not have forgot
ten you. who were one of the princi.
pal figures at the meeting or recep
tion.' That's In substance what she
said. And so. We began and kept n
up"-hc paused In his deliberate man.
ner. compressed his lips. then added
together"
opened one Of the flingcases.
glanced at him for permission. took
out a slip OF papsr under the Ms II
was covered with notes. In Mrs Bur
banks writing. Of a reception given
to him at the Manufacturers Club In
ST. Louis three years before. A lot
Of names. after each sum reminders
OF the standing and personal appear
snce OF the man. Another slip. taken
nj random from the same boz con
tanned similar notes Of trip through
Montana eight years before.
WONDERFUL" I exclaimed. AZ the
full value Of these denominations
doomed In my mind Il knew that she
was an extraordinary woman. Now I
SEQ that she had genius for politics"
His expressIon--a peering through
that eternal pose Of hIs-made me re-