Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-07-13
CHAPTER XIV.
CRANKY lntrudes Again.


CRANKY lntrudes Again.
Burbank had grown like a fungus
In his own esteem.
The adulation of the free excursion
lists ] had poured In upon him, the
eulogies In the newspapers, the nat
teries of those about him. eager to
make themselves solid" with the
man who might soon have the shak-
Ing of the huge. richly laden presi-
Dental boughs OF the plum tree--this
combination of assaults upon sanity
was too strong for a man with such
vanity as his, traitor within. He
had convinced his last prudent doubt
that he was indeed child OF des-
tiny" He was resentful lest might
possibly think myself more important
than he to the success of the cam
paign. And his resentment was deep
ened by the probably incessant re-
minders of his common sense that all
this vast machine, public and secret,
could have been set In motion just
as effectively for any one of score Of
Statesmen" conspicuous in the party.
| saw through his labored cordial
ity; and 1t depressed me again
started noe down toward those depths
of self-condemnation from which /
had been held up for few days by
the excitement Of the swiftly tArong.
ing events and by the necessity Of
rutting lIy whole mind upon moves
for my game. z7Hw
II am heartily glad you were sue
cessful," he. began when we were
alone THAT takes weight of my
mind"
said !. Il haven't got anything from
those people in New York as yet But
within week they'll be begging me
to take whatever / need. Thwings
report will put them In panic"
His face fell. Then ! must be es-
pecially courteous to Goodrich" he
said, after thinking intently. Your
hopes might be disappointed"
mot the slightest danger" was my
prompt assurance. And II you take
my advice, you will ask Goodrich how
his agent found Senator Scarborough s
health, and then order him out Of this
house. Why harbor deadly snake
that can be of no use to your"
But you seem to forget, Harvey,
that he is the master Of at least the
eastern wing of the party. And you
must now see that he will stop at
nothing unless he is pacihed"
HE is the fetch-and-carry of an inn
pudent crowd in Wall street." / re-
torted, that is all. When they find
he can no longer do their errands.
they'll throw him over and come to
US. And we can have them on our own
terms"
We argued, with growing irritation
on both sides, and after an hour OF
so, ! saw that he was hopeless'y un'
der the spell Of his pettiness and his
moral cowardice. He had convinced
himself that l was jealous of Good
rich and would sacrifice anything to
crafty my hate. And Goodrich's
sending an agent to Scarborough had
only made him the more formidable
In Burbank's eyes. AS ! looked In
upon his mind and watched Its weak
foolish little workings, my irritation
subsidized. DO as you think best,
said !, YEARLY. 'But when he pre-
sents the mortgage you are going to
give him on your presidency, remem-
Der my warning"
He laughed this on, feeling my
point only in his vanity, not at all in
his judgment. And how will you re-
ceive him, Harvey? He will be sure
to come to you next-must, as you
are In charge of my campaign"
'Tll tell him straight out that I'll
have nothing to do with him." said I,
blandly. THE Wall street submission
TO the party must be brought to me
by some other ambassador. I'll not
help him to fool his masters and to
hide It from them that he has lost
control"
could have insisted, could have
destroyed Goodrich = for Burbank
would not have dared disobey me.
But the campaign, politics in gen.
eral, life itself, filed me with disgust,
q paralyzing disgust that made me
almost lose confidence in my theory
of practical life.
What's the use?" said to myself.
Let Burbank keep his adder Let It
sting him. If 1t 30 much as shoots
fang at me. can crush It,"
And so Burbank lifted up Goodrich
and gave hostage to him; and Good
rich, warned that | would not deal
with him, made some excuse or other
to his masters for sending Senator
Revell TO me- See Woodruff" said
to Revell, for was in no mood for
such business. He knows best
what we need"
They gave up too damn cheerful
ly," Woodruff said to me, when saw
him week or ten days later and
he gave me an account of the nego-
tiations. Il suspect they've paid more
before"