Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-23

There no perceptible emotion in the
half-whispered word From it Give could
gledn nothing. Presently he went on:
Il think whenever you see q man trying
to make the most of all that is il him. and
wearing out his very soul in this brealIneck
American race for livelihood. you'll find
there is some woman behind it all. 1t is
for her, not for his own selfish ambition,
that he is lighting. Sometimes she crowns
his victory. Sometimes he wins only the
HOMEGROWN. But the glory OF the work
and the winning are hers. Not his Now
you know why l entered this governorship
fight, and why l am willing to keep it up
Oh, sweetheart, l love you so. You must
understand, now, why 1 longed to come to
you in my hour of triumph and
You would have come too late" she said
In that same eniGmatic undertone.
"Anice'
There was world of pain in his appeal,
yet she disregarded it; and, with face
averted. hurried on
Would you care for-for the love of
girl who made you wait until you could buy
her with fame and an income? Do l care
for the love of a man who holds that love
SO cheaply he must accompany its gift with
governorship .lrle-?
And now" she observed some minutes
later. as she strove to rearrange her tum-
bled crown of rust-colored hair before the
tiny patch of Office mirror, and now, if
you can be sensible for just a little while,
we'll go back to the convention. And I'll
explain to you about those letters. The
anonymous ones
Its all right. l don't have to be told.
But l have to tell you That's the worst
of being Il girl
The crowd had trooped back into the con-
vention hail. Gerald ConOver had not been
at the earlier session, but now, his sallow
, face flushed with liquor. he sat silent and
satellites. in on, of the iingy :hicken-coop
boxes at the s.Ge of the stage.
He had ev!cc.,t'y been drinking hard. In
fact. since his wife's visit to Granite. the
No
ever been who'd" sober. Nor was his habit
ual apath" ali due to drink
The CcnoYtr machine. having creased the
wheels ami oiled the cogs, did not propose
TO les any time in running its jugSernaut
over the young reformer who had dared to
brave an entrenched and ruthless organiza-
ton: Amid a hulabaloo Bourke called the
conference to order ending his formula
with the equally perfunctory request:
Al gents kindly r'frain from smoker -
At tic word a hundred matches were
ners of the place. For nothing else so in
himeS the desire to smoke does its I'M
enforceable prohibition. Thus. amid clouds
OF malodoEous campaign tobacco smoke,
was the sacrifice to the machine consum-
mated.
The committee on resolutions offered a
perfunctory platform filed with the GUS
tomary hackneyed phrases. lauding the
deeds of democracy and denouncing the re-
publican party. AS the republicans had
never Won a victory in the Mountain state
since 1861 these platitudes were provoca-
tive of vast yawns and of shutting of feet
as the delegates impatiently awaited the
call to the slaughter.
The six Stand.Sh men on the platform
committee had prepared minority report
but on the advice of Ansel they did not
present it.
The committee on organization by a vote
OF ~ to Il, offered report nominating
RoUrke, temporary chairman. to succeed
himself as permanent chairman.
Then. while the Conover claque hooted
joyousiy and the Ssandish men sat by in
helpless silence, the finishing stroke was
delivered
Two reports offered from the COM
mittce on credentials. one of the minority
signed by the six members from Wills and
Matawan. recommending the seating of the
contest!ng Standish delegates from the
otter SIX counties; the other, signed by the
eighteen Conover members of the commit
tee. recommo nding that the delegates hold
ing credentials be allowed to retain their
seats.
The majority report was damned through,
while Shevlin's noble army of brazen-lunged
horns.
In his den behind the stage Caleb Con-
overs mouth corners twisted in a grim
smile of satisfaction as the babel of noise
reached him. From some mysterious
source Shevlin had produced half-dozel
bottles of champagne. and there, in the
room of the successful candidate, corks
were drawn and success was pledged to
1.-The Mountain states next and greatest
goveronr,' with Caleb's time-honored slo-
gan, ITO HI with REFORM" as a rider.
In another room, directly across the
stage, very different scene was in action
Karl Ansel had left his seat in the Wills
county delegation, turning the floor
leadership of the forlorn Standish hope to
Judge Shelp of Matawan and had gone
direct to Standish's quarters. The room
had been empty when he entered, but be-
fore he had waited thirty seconds the door
was flung open and Give hurried in
ka6 ch1 rrllv at hi
tonished bewilderment He had expected to
ind the beaten man detected, bereft of
even his customary strong calm. On the
contrary. Standsh. his face alive with re-
solve and with some other impulse that
baffled even Ansels shrewd observation
came into the place like a whirlwind kick
ing aside the litter of dusty stage proper
ties and dingy, discolored hangings that
were piled near the door, he made his way
to Karl and grasped his hand
How goes it?' he asked. I'm sorry to
be late. L thought"
We'll, boy. it's all up" said Ansel Some
fool said once that virtue was it's own re-
ward. and 1 guess it just naturally has to
be- 1t never gets any other. In half an
hour from now Caleb Conover will be nomi-
mated for governor, and We will be bowling
our necks for his collar and pledging our
selves to support him and his dirty gang
just as we always have in the past and
just as we always will in the future, l
presume. We put up good fight and
honest one. but you see where it's landed
us. SO FAR as we are concerned, It's all
over but the shouting.
And the grim old New Englander dropped
his hand upon the shoulder of the defeated
candidate with awkward gesture that
was half q caress.
You're mistaken" retorted Give 1.-THE
shouting has just begun. Ansel, I have
made up my mind. man owes more to
his state than he owes to his party. Po-
litical regularity is one thing and common
decency Is another. l marched into this
convention free man. with nobody's collar
on my neck, and I'm going to march out in
the same way"
"What?" almost shouted Ansel You're
not going to bOlt?''
Yes. l am" answered Standsh and
I'm going to bolt right now before the
nomination is made"
But. man." protested Ansel. think of
1.-THE irregularity of It! You'll be brand
ed as a bolter and a renegade, and
traitor and lot of other things. Why,
man alive, it'll mover do
Yes. / am" answered Standish and
have it all planned. If We walk out of
this convention now, we are going to take
some of the delegates with us. 1 believe
! that the independents will indorse us. and 1
believe that the republicans will indorse
us: II we take this stand. / believe that
there are thousands of democrats who
think more of the state than they do of any