The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-01

| IA/H ever observe the similarity po- 4V4 tween those letters of Eliza beth Barrett Browning and mine? Prob | ably not-but there is. neverth eless one | strong point in common. She usually | began hers with an apology, and so | do |
 Really you must forgive me for not | writing earlier, but l have been phy 1 sically and mentally wreck since our return from the national convention.
 It was a great fight, and it's need l less to say we are overjoyed at the nomination of Governor Trevor for President. Of course the nomination by no means assures the certainty of an election but I won't admit even the possibility of failure.
 Our acquaintance, which began so TO- mantically last year at Mrs. Blacks. has ripened into the warmest friend l ship. He is a man of rare graciousness l of manner, sans peur ct sans reproche, but then, you know, Tom would never champion his cause were he otherwise. Tom has thrown himself head and heart l into this campaign. He considers Gov | ernor Trevor the soul of honor and l fair dealing, and a man who would never allow any petty consideration of 1 self advancement to influence him or his decisions. Oh my dear, I love this | life and am such a happy woman! Once E wine, and those thrilling days in the | convention intoxicate me yet. 1 Tom has made for himself a distinct 1 ly national reputation. When he rose 1 in the midst of that vast multitude to present the name of Carlton D. Trevor to the delegates 1t was an lntensely | dramatic moment.
 1 The interests were vital and national, l vet withal there was the personal ele- ment which a woman can never quite disregard.
 You have read his speech--everybody has read it. Politicians consider 1t the | greatest oratorical triumph of this acc | ade. He was truly magnificent In ms 1 appeal to honor and loyalty, but oh II ! vol, could have heard him as he swept i all before him with sublimely inao | enth husiasml
 | As he finished the convention rose as 1 one man-the excitement was lnde- scribable-but you know the thrilling | denouement, and how Governor trevor | was nominated by exclamation. There was, of course, much that led | m to all this, and one incident in which was the chief spoke in the Wheel | will amuse you vastly. Tom says that | T not fguratively but literally, saved | the country" though I didn't realize | it fully at the time and perhaps It just as well I didn't.
 | I plain that if a plurality of the delegates were to be secured in advance for GOV | ernor Trevor it was imperatively neces- | sary to have the support of "the poss' Senator Paulding, and his forces 10 pre- vent any break in the party. put .iie point was that while there was no open 1 rupture between the governor ana ,ie senator, to put it mildly, their relations were somewhat strained. The governor had openly defed "the boss He hao l dared to give the state clean admlnls- tration-refused absolutely to be run py the machine" and as a result the senator | would do anything in his power 10 op- pose his election
 The Senator has the reputation of being somewhat unscrupulous-a man utterly without feelng-and underneath a man ner suave and polite Is a nature bitter ana 1 relentless but by a queer chain or cir- constance I found the road that led 10 1 his heart and won over the enemy YOU know, Vera, dear, there isn't man nv ing who hasn't soft spot somewhere the rub is to find it. was glad to prove for my own satisfaction and Toms that, though the Senator may not be exactly saint he's not as black as his enemles paint him. He only needs developing!
 To go back again to the time of which I write, Tom was consistently urging thd candidate and the party leaders were
  a better understanding between the gov ernor and the Senator. The situation was becoming decidedly 'acute," as the con- vention was not six weeks away, but Just at this crucial moment the unexpected happened. I know you will be deeply in- terested in the whole affair, so tomorrow I'll try and relate as nearly as posslpie the circumstances and conversations. Yours, tCORlNNE. New York, July ?, 19-. Beloved vera-Tll begin my letter like a novel-just forget it is I who am writ ing and fancy yourself immersed In the latest publication on political intrigue!
 It was the 24th of April--the day before Easter-late in the afternoon, and had just returned from a round of shopping. I found Tom at home and in the library, writing. The moment I appeared he abruptly asked, "Corinne. my dear, who is Mrs. Spaulding?"
 Mrs. who? I questioned, with moro curiosity than elegance.
 Mrs. Spaulding!"
 why, I don't know! Who is she?''.
 That's just what I should like to know" exclaimed Tom. "She just tele- phoned. She knows me, it seems-in fact, was quite facetious and referred to some love affair In our past"
 q suppose she telephoned to remind you of it." I returned as icily as pos sible.
 He laughed. "No, she telephoned you. I'll quote verbatim: Mrs. Spaulding would be delighted to see Mrs. Norris at an informal luncheon on Monday at Woodcrest. Come early Take 1O.oO train from Grand Central--carriage will meet you at Woodcrest station. "
 I thought it the most extraordinary thing ever heard. Neither of us knew her, and I racked my brain to remem- Der where I had ever met her. Later on we were dressing to go out to din- ner, when suddenly during that cere- monious process an idea came to me. II called to Tom:
 l Why, I know. It's your friend Mol ly Holt to whom you were engaged be- fore you met me. Isn't her name Mrs. Spaulding? It's something like that"
 By Jovew he called back, "I believe you're right" and he appeared in the door, bristling with interest, one side of his face unshaven and covered with lather Mrs. Richard Spaulding! recall now! They have fine place at Woodcrest, though they travel almost constantly. You are a wonderful wom- an to remember her"
 'Umphv I said. 'T remember that night we dined at Sherry's shortly aft CT our marriage and the next morning she telephoned you at your office on some nimsy pretext and said was not at all the kind of woman she thought you would have married. It's singular that she should invite me so informally after all this silence. She seems fond of the telephone"
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