Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-24
CHAPTER XII.
Caleb Conover Makes Terms.

great
study and lighted one OF ms e'efh''i oi"
cigars. that's over!'
at sure isr' chuckled Billy shevlin, who,
alone of the cheering throng that had es-
corted the gubernatorial nominee nome
from the convention, had been permitted
IN enter the sanctum. But, boss, L VISIT
that Standish fellow hadn't stampeded the
herd like he did It'll cut holes in your
landslide scheme"
What can the crank do?' grinned Calep.
Not a paper in Granite ii report ms Speech.
And wen work the same game upstate we
did during his tour. If worst comes "
worst there's always a quiet orderly way
of losing sight of him at the polls NO son.
Standishs yawps don't bother me any
more I've got him about where want
hin, I puess Here's the cash for the root
ers And here's something for the boys to-
night too. Whoop 1t up all you IKE 50
long as you keep on the other size OF tIie
railroad tracks. That'n be all. Tome
around bv tomorrow. And say, Billy.
he called after his departing henchman'
"'see if you can find Miss Lanler down,
stairs anywhere L want 10 spe 49, ~ g., tho
DEPTHS of the soft chair, drawing IN great
draughts of strong tobacco-reek ana ex s
polling 1t in duplex clouds through MS
thick noStrils. -.
II was good to rest. As far as his iron
frame and cold nerves could feel such a
weakness. reaction from the long strain oI
the day was upon MIN. III ,oHoNeI caoo
il took the form of lazy comfort; OF ENJOY
ment in his rank cigar, in the sensuouS de-
light of relaxing every tense muscle and
of sprawling idly. happily before his coal
fire The grim lines of the mouth relaxed,
the keen eyes took on a pleasanter light.
He had fought. He had won. He would
continue to win. For MIN the JOY OF nsul-
ing lay more In the battle Itself than IN
the victory. But in the pause between two
conflicts IL was good to stretch ones sell
out in a great. comfortable chair. to smoke,
to blink drowsily into the red Goals. The
one thing remaining to complete his sense
OF utter well-being was the presence of
some congenial soul wherewith to talk over
his achievement. And
Anlce Lanier's knock sounded at the
door Caleb's placid expression deepened
into smile of real pleasure
Come in" he called. Il was just hop
ing you'd"
stepped Anice She wore a hat and was
dressed for the street. over her shoulder
Caleb caught sight OF Give Standish.
Here's all sorts of unexpected honors!
exclaimed the railroader. Il heard you d
bolted, Standsh. but / never thought you d
holt so far this poor shanty of mine:
Come in and sit down. Well make real
merry family party, us three"
There was something peculiarly happy in
this advent OF the defeated man to swell
the victor's triumph. Caleb vaguely felt
this He was glad Anice should see Give
and himself together; should be able to OBJ
serve his own reserved strength OPP
posed to the bombastic denunciation Stand
ish had doubtless come to deliver. 1t would
amuse her to note the contrast between the
two; to see her employers superiority in
self-control and repartee.
So. as Standish followed the girl into the
room the host actually beamed on his in
tended victim. Then he noticed that neither
Anice nor her escort sat down. Also that
the latter remained near the door, while
Miss I.anier advanced toward the desk
chair Caleb had drawn snugly into the
hedrth-angle. ignored second
and even softer chair he had arranged on
the opposite side of the fire. And all this
dimly troubled Caleb Conover.
Anything the matter?' he asked. with
somewhat less assurance. Come to pro-
pose a compromise, Standish? Or maybe
campaign partnership? Good idea. that!
Only I'm afraid ii wouldn't work this time
In business partnership, you know, one man
puts up the money and the other the ex-
perience And by the end of sixty days
they've usually snapped But in politics
one man always has both the experience
and the money. Or the means of getting
EN- Otherwise he wouldn't be there at all.
So I'm afraid I'll have to refuse"
He ended with laugh that did not carry
conviction, even to himself. No one replied,
Neither of his guests faces showed sign of
having heard. Conover's good temper wav-
cred.
What's up?" he demanded of Give.
Speak out. can't your
But il was Ance Lanier who replied.
"Mr. Conover,' she said. you recollect
the unsigned letter inclosing some of your
campaign plans, that was sent back to you
by Mr.. Standish last week."
Caleb's red hair bristled.
Yes" he answered, deep in his throat.
"Have you found out who sent it?"
81 have" she returned. in the same level
voice. Also the sender of two other letters
of the sort, earlier in the campaign. One of
these was TO Mr.. Standish. 1t contained
description Of your plan for the county eau
cuses and of the measures you had framed
against his upstate tour. Mr.. Standsh de-
stroyed that letter and refused TO act on its
suggestion"
Nor. fool he Who wrote it?"
The second letter was to Mr.. Ansel,"
went on Anice. 1T gave him the idea for
scattering issues of out-of-state paper
along the speech route. with advertisements
and report Of
who wrote it, asked you?"
The same person wrote all three"
Then who"
II did.
This isn't a thing 10 joke about. There's
leak somewhere pretty high up, and l
must find
II wrote them"
She spoke slowly. as though Importing a
lesson. The Railroader's eyes searched her
face one instant Then he dropped back,
heavy and inert, into the farthest recess of
his chair.
Good Lord" he whispered, staring at her
blankly.
Il wrote them" reiterated Anice mo
one knew. not even Mr. Standish, until to-
day. | brought him here this evening. be-
cause something that is to be said must be
TO interfere in this interview, but to let me
take my own course. 1t was !, too, at
whose advice he bolted the ticket at"
You've done all this?" blurted Caleb.
finding his shattered self-poise at last
Are you crazy, girl?'
NO. | am quite sane. From the start
have helped Mr. Standish. BY my help, l
believe he will win the gOvernorship. l
have learned much from you. in practical
politics, Mr.. Conover. / intend TO put so<sae
Of that education into use. You see
You've backtracked me? You. Of all the
folks alive, Why. I'd a gambled my whole
pile on your whiteness, girl. This is a
measly Joke Of some kind It's"
Its the truth. Mr.. Conover.'
And Caleb. looking deep into her eyes,
could at last doubt no longer. \ dun red
crept into his face.
well. I'll be d-d!' he said. slow. meas
ured Of voice. rigid of body. "Jockeyed by
the one person in the world ever had any
trust In, Cleaned out like any drunken
sailor in a dance hall! Say. he added In
puzzled righteousness, "whatd the AL
mighty mean by putting eyes like yours in
the face of a
\ Sudden forward movement from Stan
dish checked him. and. incidentally. drove
from his brain the last mists of bewilder-