The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-05-01
lConfinued from yesterday.)
You can trust me, senator" said he


You can trust me, senator" said he
earnestly.
4 can trust your common sense"
said /. And l proceeded to grasp
this lucky chance to get away. 4
am leaving" l went on, "as soon as
the coffee is served. I shall look to
you to send these gentlemen home in
a proper frame Of mind toward the
party"
His eyes glistened. Except his
growing fortune, nothing delighted
him SO much as a chance to rough
house" his eminently respectable
pals" He felt toward them that
quaint mixture of envy, contempt and
a desire to fight which fills a gamin
at sight of a fashionably dressed
boy. He put out his big hand and
dampened mine with it. You can
count on me, senator" he said
gratefully "IH trim EN-, comb and
tailfeathers"
Don't overlook their spurs" said I.
They amt got none" said he, lex
CGpb IuOS6 you IS0Q EN-.
We returned to a table palled by
sullen dread-dread OF me, anger
against Dominick, who, IN the cour-
age OF his ignorance Of the conven-
tionalities which restrained them. had
taken the short, straight cut to me
and peace. And, as veterans in the
no-quarter warfare of ambition. they
knew l had granted him peace on no
less terms than their heads.
They had all, even Roebuck, been
drinking freely in the effort to coun-
teract the depression. But the cham
payne seemed only to aggravate their
gloom except in the case Of young
Jameson. He had just succeeded
through the death Of his father, to
the privilege of leyying upon the peo-
pie of IL counties by means Of trolley
franchises which the legislature had
granted to his father in perpetuity in
return for financial services to 1.-The
party. 1t is. by the way, an inter
esting illustration of the human be-
ing's lack of thinking power that a
legislature could not give away
small gold mine belonging to the pub.
lie to any man for even a brief term
of years without causing a revolu-
ton, but could and does give away
far more valuable privileges to plum
der and to tax, and give them away
forever, without causing any real stir.
However = young Jamieson's liquor,
acting upon a mind that had not had
enough experience to appreciate the
meaning of the situation, drove him
on to insolent taunts and boasts, adj
dressed to his neighbors but intend
ed for me. I ignored him, and, when
the coffee was served, rose to de
part.
Roebuck urged me to stay, followed
me to the cloak-room, took my coat
away from the servant and helped me
with it. I want to see you the first
thing in the morning, Harvey said
he.
'T'n call you up if I have time"
said L
We came out of the cloak-room, his
arm linked in mine, and crossed the
corner of the dining-room toward the
outer door Jameson threw up his
arm and fluttered his hand in an i'm
pertinent gesture of farewell. so
long, Senator Swollenhead," he cried
in a thick voice We'll teach you a
lesson in how to treat gentlemen"
The last -gentlemen-was just
clearing his mouth when Dominick's
teapot flung with all the force OF
the -prize-fghter' big muscles and
his big body, landed in the midst of
his broad white shirt bosom. And
with the teapot Dominick hurled his
favorite epithet from his garbage
barrel of language. With a yell
Jameson crashed over backward; his
flying legs. caught by the table, tilted
it; his convulsive kicks sent 1t over,
and half the diners, including DOM
mick, were foored under It,
All this in a snap of the finger. And
with the disappearance of the phys
zeal semblance of a company of civ
inzed men engaged in dining IN civ.
inzed fashion, the last thin veneer
over hate and fury was scraped away.
repulsive mess of sound over that
repulsive mess OF unmasked, half
drunken. wholly Infatuated brutes.
There is shrewd sly wisdom snugly
tucked away under the fable of the
cat changed into a queen and how
she sprang from her throne at sight
Of a mouse to pursue it on all tours.
The best OF US are, after all, animals
changed into men by the spell Of rea
son. and in some circumstances, it
doesn't take much of a blow to dis
solve that spell.
For those men in those circum-
stances. that blow proved sufficient.
Partridge extricated himself. ran
round the table and kicked Jameson
in the head-partly in punishment
perhaps. and because he needed just
that vent for his rage. but chiefly r.
rot