Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-08
Uterine CECIL THURsTON.
Copyright. 1904. byt Harper Z Brother.
Author of The Circle" ct,

4
to the incident that was paramount IN
beth their. minds Then. turning to
Loder with smile Of encouragement,
he laid his fingers for an instant on
his arm.
"Chilcote," he had said, when the
time comes, remember you have all
my confidence"
Looking back upon that day, Loder
often wondered at the calmness with
which he bore the uncertainty. To sit
apparently unmoved and wait without
emotion for news that might change
the whole tenor of ones action would
have tried the stoicism of the most
| experienced; to the novice 1t was well
nigh uncomfortable. And 1t was under
these conditions and fighting against
these odds that he sat through the long
| afternoon in Chilcote's place. obeying
| the dictates Of his chief But IL the
day was fraught with difficulties for
| him it was fraught with dizziness and
disappointment for others. for the I'M
dercurrent of interest that had stirred
Mt the Easter adjournment and risen
with added force on this first day of
the new session was gradually but
surely threatened with extinction as
hour after hour passed bringing no
suggestion of the battle that had on
every side been tacitly expected.
| Slowly and Enthusiastically speculation
and dissatisfaction crept into the at
mosphere Of the house as moment sue
ceeded moment and the opposition
made no sign. Was Fraide Sinking
the attack or was he playing waiting
game? Again and again the question
arose, filling the cir with passing
/ flicker Of interest, but each time it
/ sprang up only to die down again as
| the ordinary business of the day drag
/ ged itself out.
! Gradually, as the afternoon wore on,
daylight began to fade. Loder, sitting
| rigidly In Chilcote's place. watched
with suppressed inquiry the faces of
/ the men who entered through the con-
| stantly swinging doors, but not one
/ face, so eagerly scanned, carried the
message for which he waited. Monot-
| onously and mechanically the time
passed. The government, adopting a
neutral attitude. carefully skirted all
dangerous subjects, while the opposi-
ton, acting under Fraide's suggestion.
assisted rather than hindered the pro,
gramme Of postponement. For the mo-
| ment the eagerly anticipated reassem-
| bling threatened dismal failure, and 1t
was with universal movement of
WEAKNESS and relief that at last the
house rose to dine
| But there are no possibilities so elias
tic as those Of politics At half past Z
| the house rose in spirit of boredom
and disappointment. and at o'clock
the Hobbies, the dining room, the entire
space Of the vast building, was stirred
into activity by the arrival Of single
telegraphic message.
| The new Development for which
Fraide had waited came indeed, but it
came with force he had little antici-
pated. With a thrill Of awe and con-
sternation men heard and repeated the
astounding news that, while personal
" exercising his authority on behalf Of
British traders, Sir William Brice-
Field, consul general at Meshed, had
been fred at by Russian officer and
instantly killed.
: The interval Immediately following
the receipt Of this news was too con-
fused for detailed remembrance. Two
ideas >made themselves slowly felt-a
deep horror that such an event could
obtrude itself upon our high civiliza-
ton and strong personal dismay that
so honored. distinguished and esteem-
ed representative as Sir William
Brice- Field could have been allowed to
meet death in so terrible manner.
1t was in the consciousness of this
feeling, the consciousness that in his
own person he might voice not only
the feelings of his party, but those OF
the whole country, that Loder rose an
| hour later to make his long delayed
attack.
He stood silent for a moment, as he
had done on an earlier occasion, but
this time his motive was different.
Reused beyond any feeling Of self con-
seriousness, he waited as by right for
the full attention of the house; then
quietly, but with self possessed firm
ness. he moved the motion for adjourn
ment.
Like a match to train Of powder
the words set fame to the excitement
that had snoldered for weeks and IN
an atmosphere of stirring activity, a
scene of such tense and vital concen-
tration as the house has rarely wit
messed, he found inspiration for his
great achievement.
To give Loder's speech in mere words
would be little short Of futile. The
gift of oratory Is too Elusive, too much
matter Of eye and voice and individ-
uality, to allow of cold reproduction.
To those who heard him speak on that
night of April 10 the speech will re-
quire no recalling. and to those who
did not hear him there would be no
substitute in bare reproduction.
In the moment of action it mattered
nothing to him that his previous prepa-
rations were to great extent rendered
useless by this news that had come
with such paralyzing effect. In the
sweeping consciousness of his own
ability he found added Joy in the free
dom it opened up. He ceased to con-
slider that by fate he was Conserva-
tive. bound by traditional convention