The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-02-24
>.cs.C..C.o.C..C..C.C.C.
Copyright.

SoPyti6hN
 I<n nnY offer for your county votes"
 NH said Mason, the attorney for
 v the trolley roads, looking quietly at Tompkins. the little member from Tompkinsville. out of the corner of his eye, '1s one thousand dollars
 Tompkins his little. weak, watery eyes blinking at the throng passing back and forth in front of him In the house cor ridor, tilted back in his chair against the marble balustrade of the lobby. All about him were members of the house. standing in corners, leaning against the wall; some, their hands in their pock- cts, Tipping the ashes from their cigars others, smoking with lazy ease, listening to nervous individuals, whose eyes dart ed to other groups as they talked, their fingers tapping the chests of the men in front of them. Over all hung a blue haze of cigar smoke, through all rose a rising hum of mems voices.
 You know, of course, Mir. Mason," said Tompkins. looking thoughtfully at the end of his cigar, that the county Is already pledged to Williams to vote for the inter- state railroad bill."
 T understand that said Mason.
 And that it's going to be pretty hard matter to get any of them to vote for you and the trolley opposition now"
 The other nodded.
 Tompkins puffed a ring of smoke at the ceiling and took his cigar from between his lips.
 How much?" he said, staring shrewd- ly at the lobbyist for the trolley roads beside him, "how much did you say you would give if I were to bring my county around from Williams and the interstate railroad to you?"
 "One thousand dollars, said Mason.
 q will think 1t over," said Tompkins.
 And he was thinking it over as he went to his seat in the house, and later on left the capitol for his hotel and sat in his hotel corridor smoking cigar. It was the fourth day of the last debate of the session--the contest in which he had taken sides at the start with a promise to Will Hams, the boss of the lobby (who made his fifty thousand d session carrying through the Interstate railroad bi11s) to support with his county vote the bill to equip the B line of the railroad with a third rail. And he had carried out his promise. Through all the excitement of the session, through all the attempts of the trolley roads to bring his county into line against the bill, until now he had remained firm, true to the twenty mem- bers of his county who had agreed to vote with him for Williams and his bill, true to Williams, who had promised him $5c0 when it passed.
 And yet-for weeks he had wished that he had not jumped so quickly at Will liams offer. He might have waited, seen what the trolley road would do, might have asked Williams for a little more And now Mason, the leader of the trolley lobby, had come to him with his offer of a thousand dollars-just twice as much as he could hope to get from Williams If he would bring his county around against the bill
 Why couldn't he?
 His little, shifty eyes blinked rapidly. as he sat in the hotel lobby that evening staring at the floor. He could do it. He had not risen to county leader Tor nothing He knew his county to a man. They would do what he asked them what he paid them to do. Why should he with twenty of his county votes in his control as they had always been let Williams pull him off with less than other members of the house were get ting? The figure of the boss of the lobby the powerful attorney for the Interstate Railroad company, came mp before hlm thin-faced silent. with steel-gray eyes and square jaws that were always work ing While he had promised to vote ms county for the bill-for s50o-he hated him with the shrewd. cunning hate of the little man who feels the iron grip Of the strong one on his soul
 He got up from his chair and walked rapidly up the winding stairs to his room There he rang the call bell. impatiently
 Tell Mfr. Mason.' he said to the nall boy. ''to come ito my room at once.