Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-30

and carried out such senselessly honest
plan of battle, his leadership would have
ended with the issuance OF his first order.
| lmpregnable as had been Conover's POSI-
tion In the machine. he himself well knew
ne had strained his power ard inhuence
well nigh to the breakingf point. Should
he. in spite of his self-conidence and the
| wondrous skill he had employed along this
new line OF warfare, lose the day
coming In better now. remarked the
operator after fuscillade of clicks had held
his attention to the instrument for a minute
or two They've got the lines patched up
enough to allow you straight service The
| STUN IL all be here in a rush pretty SOON
| Here comes some more ticker reports!'
cried Staatz. leader of the third district,
an ,a strongest man. next to Gonover him.
| hurry up? Here-'Pompton county COM
plete gives Conover 2s,0i2. Stan0ish 6. T2s.'"
Another and louder yell from the table,
| on the board. Conover alone sat calm
through the din. Bourke again did rapid
| figuring.
"Hooray!' he yelled THAT brings It
up all right. Pompton county and the city
or Granite together give you enough plural
lily to stall all the jay counties except
now interposed Caleb. who had as usual
gripped the whole situation before his
lieutenant had jotted down the first line
bring it up to that. We know where we
stand everywhere else. except In few
places too small to count AS Grafton goes,
y IL
That's right" admitted Bourke after
another spasm of cipherng. But how'd
you get onto 1t when the rest of u.s."
IF ! didn't get onto things before the
rest of you did one of you would be sitting
at the head of this table instead OF me-"
The railroadsr glanced. as by accident.
| toward Staatz, who coughed raucousy and
| plunged at once into talk.
Pete Brayle tried to backtrack us on the
SLY In Pompton county. hear" said the
latter. Thought it'd get him soft place
| reform
| lot of good ii did him"
"Brayles always looking for soft places"
| observed Caleb dryly. And he amt the
only Such fellers centrally end up in
soft place, all right. Only it's apt to be a
swamp, and that's"
Jericho county complete returns" trans
| lated the operator aloud, as his machine
began again to click out its news Con
over 1910; Standish. 5.495'
Why don't we hear from Grafton"
asked Staatz.
They're patching up the connection
| now answered the operator. IT'S farthest
city on the line. You've got all the rest OF
| the returns from its county"
That place is a regular nest of REFORM.
ers, from the mayor down." commented
Bourke And. besides, Standish won a
lot of votes by his grand stand scrap In
the opra house there last month. 1t looks
bad"
Most reform places do after they've
| tried a dose of their own medicine for
a while answered Caleb. But we've.
spent enough good dough there to square
the whole noble army Of martyrs. l guess
| Grafton's o. X"
Boss" said Billy shevlin, you're the
only man in this whole shootin match what
amt all hectic over this fight. An you're
the man who's 1t out in tn woolly
white snow accordln' to tn way that genial
beast of prey tn free an independent an
otherwise brought-up voters jumps. Amt
you worried none?'
What goodd that do? No use paying
twice, If there's anything to worry about
And IL there amt, what's the use of vast
,, ing lot of good anxiety? Start my
monograph going"
"Phonograph?' holly protested Staatz.
AT time like this. when everything
hangs on the next half hour and"
well" drawled Caleb. and if his words
were light his steady eyes fixed the dis
trct leaders vexed gaze as a wasp might
) pierce angry, laundering bumblebee. II
don't believe the voters of the Mountain
! state'll rise in arms to any extent and de-
| mand a new election and new boss just
because they hear l wanted little music.
| / like the photograph. It's the only mu-
steal instrument l ever had time to learn to
, play And it's the only one thatll play
! over the pieces like often as | want to
, hear 'em, and won't make me listen to a
| lot of opera warwhoops in Dutch and Dago
But, say. Staatz. I'm not forcing other
folks to listen to 1t. If you're not stuck on
the way amuse myself there amt nobody
| exactly imploring you to stay on here"
StaatZ, his red face redder than its wont,
and his great gray mustache a-bristle at
the railroaders tone and look, neverthe-
not hear him out. He broke In on the
words with curt nod. then said to Shev-
lin:
start 1t up, Billy. Any old tune'I do.
There's none there but the kind 1 like.
Might try
Again the footman came in. This time
not with coffee, but with a card
II thought told Gaines l wasn't to he
broke in on this evening" began Conover.
glowering at the intruder, Say can't see
any one I'm busy, and"
He had taken the card as he spoke Now,
as he read it, his order tratled off into per-
picked silence, even as Billy Shevlin his
started the photograph on the classic
strains of Everybody Works But Father"
Turn off that measly racket" roared
Caleb. Amt you got any better sense than
to go fooing with toys time like this?
I'll be back in a few minutes, boys. My
New York lawyer wants me for some
He left the study and hurried down stairs
to where in the hall. a man stood awaiting
him.
railroader. shaking hands with his new
guest and leading the way to the library.
"What're you doing in this part of the
country? Glad to see you
II bring you bad news-very bad news.
1 am afraid began the lawyer as Conover
closed the library door behind them.
Il know that" snapped Caleb. Il knew
1t as soon as l saw your face, but didn't
want you shouting it out in the hall where
my butler could hear you. That's why l.
| wen, Wilsit ~ II 1eii iIc, Sdi you.
Your SON.
Yes, Jerry, of course. 1 knew that, too.
| But what5s he done this timer?
This is. as l said, a very serious"
Good Lord, man, 1 didn't s'pose you'd
took four-hour train ride from New ork
a night like this to tell me he'd won a
ping pong prize or Joined the Y. NJ. c. A.
The chap that's got to have news broke to
him has head too thick for truth to be let
into it any other way. Don't stand there
like lump of putty. What's up?"
The lawyer, flushing at the coarse in
vective, spared the father no longer. He
spoke, and to the point.
Your son. he said. rs In the West
Both street police station on a charge of
murder"
Conover looked at him without a start.
without visible emotion. For full half
minute he made no reply, no comment
Nor did his light. keen eyes flicker or turn
aside.
Then-and Wendell feared from his words
that the tidings hid turned Caleb's BRAIN
the rairoader muttered, half to himself:
And 1 only am escaped alone to tell
| thee"
| ITO be Concluded Tomorrow