The Washington herald., 1907-10-17
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Copyright 1907, by The Washington Herald Company

/ tagonism OF certain members OF the
/ committee; the investigation threatened
/ 70 become a prosecution, and Senator
March found himself often In the po-
sitiOn of defending. and bespeaking a
I fair show for. COlegrove. The interest
/ OF the public in the railway question
was widespread and intense. The pres
! idential election was less than year OF.
and the party IN power was relying upon
IT'S treatment OF two or three great aues-
lions, Of which this was one Ia secure
the next administration. In fact poij-
| tics entered so largely into the railway
question that many public men lost sight
/ Of justice Not so Senator March. He
/ had no higher ambition than the SEN
atorShip, and laughed when it was sug-
/ gested that he should enter the presi-
Dental race, and swore when he was
| asked to consider the Vice-P Presidency.
He was entirely satisfied with his place
! as Senator. Of which he was now serving
his third term, ard believed that he
could hold it as long as he desired il
/ re hdu, IN short, reached that lofty
HelBht-always a dangerous point I'm hu-
man auairs-when his life. his surround
ihss MS career, everything satisfied him
exactly, He had no chiidren-tbat alone
was a disappointment
The thought that all his wishes and
ambitions were satisfied came over him
one afternoon In March when ne reached
MS own door. Alicia was waiting for
MIN In her splendid victoria, perfectly
turned out In every particular She
looked uncommoniy handsome. and greet
ed him, as always, with the greatest
amiability Senator March. getting into
the carriage they drove off to the park.
Alicia wore particularly charming white
hat, and her husband told her so.
I was afraid the hat was too young
/ for me, she replied smiling.
Not al all" protested Senator March,
/ a charming woman is always Young. II
/ IS one Of my greatest sources OF happi-
/ ness that you are not a girl-wife who
/ would drag me around to tea parties and
/ balls, and not have any respect for my
years"
Have you had a hard days work."
asked Alicia
/ Very, So much SO that I have not
/ been able to glance at the afternoon pa
! pers. II you viii excuse me, l will look
at tho headlines"
/ BY that time they had reached the
beautiful wooded park, where, fifteen
minutes from the fashionable quarter Of
/ Washington. one can ne in the heart OF
the woods. The afternoon was balmy and
the scent Of the spring was Ia the air;
all the earth was brown and green. ana
on the southern slopes of the hillsides
/ little leaves were coming out shyly; al
| ready the blue birds and robbins were
TiOtOus with song. and between the inter
I lacing tree-tops. full Of brown buds, the
sky sh0ne blue with the blueness OF
spring. The stream. swollen by the melt
ing SHOWS. rushed and swirled. and the
little waterfalls laughed and danced mad
ly in the golden sunlight. The park was
, iull Of smart carriages. automobiles, and
men and girls on horseback
Senator March, taking the newspaper
out Of his pocket, adjusted his glasses
and began to read Alicia March lay
back in her corner Of the carriage. seeing
neither her husband, nor the beauty and
glory OF earth and sky around her II
was the old story, she knew not where 10
turn for money. and the sum she had
spent and what she had 10 show for il
bewildered her. Colegrove for the third
or fourth time had demanded copies Of
certain letters and documents. and Alicia
knew that no money would be forthcom-
ing until she had secured them. Cole
grove had not become in the least in
solent in his manner; on the contrary,
Alicia saw, with the eye OF experience,
he was becoming more ingratiating. She
even suspected that Colegrove was after
another kind OF stake, and more delicate
plunder than legislation favorable 20 rail-
ways. She felt a singular and growing
dislike to deceiving her husband. II was
new TO her, and was part OF that
strange dtslOcatiOn. and unreality Of life
that she should have scruples. Formerly
she had not known what scruples meant
and had no fears whatever, but now she
was troubled with both scruples and
fears which bewildered and tormented
her. II she ceased to hold any communi-
cation with Colegrove it meant a revela-
ton Of her debts, her dun5. and compli-
cations to her husband. and if she con-
tinued upon the path in which she had
entered. a precipice lay before her.
Alicia March and her husband sat silent
for half an hour as the thoroughbred
horses, champing their bits, trotted slow
ly along the wooded road All at once
Alicia glanced at her husband; his face
had turned an ashen gray, and his eyes.
with a strange expression In them. were
fixed upon the newspaper before him, and
he was as nouonlesss as a dead man.
Then as Alicia watched him with amazed
and terrified eyes, he glanced at her and
silently laid the newspaper In her lap
On the front page, with great head
lines, was a doube-leaded article Of sew
eral columns devoted to Colegrove In
Il was laid bare COlegrove's whole career.
especially his management of the great
railway interests confided to him. AS
Senator March had seen long before.
COlegrove had gained a complete as
cendancy over his associates, who fol-
lowed his leadership like so many school
boys. Then came the most singular part
Of aN-the assertion that Colegrove had
got advance information which was in
valuable 10 him, through the wife Of a
certain public man. and although Sen
atOr March's name was not mentioned.
il was so plainly indicated that It was
impossible 70 mistake who was meant. |
Then came a history of Colegrove's al |
legged transactions IN stocks for the ben
eft Of the Senator's wife. and many
other particulars, which Alicia had sup
posed were known only 10 herself and |
Colegrove. She read the article through /
rapidly, to the accompaniment Of the
steady beat Of the horses hoofs on the |
park road, and tie soft carolling of the I
woodland birds. She felt herself grow /
ing benumbed, like a person being nara 1
lyzed by inches; when she finished read /
ing the article she made an effort TO /
speak. which seemed to cost her all her
strength.
Stop" she said to the footman. and I
then, turning to her husband said
Let US walk a little way In the woods
down by the water
The carriage stopped and the footman
Jumped down and assisted Senator March
TO alight. and Mrs. March followed him.
The two walked together into a path
which led down TO the water. where
there was bench concealed by some
shrubbery. They both looked so male
and Senator March moved so heavily
that the footman exchanged looks with