Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-17

hating below the stage. shook his chench-
ed fist at Caleb's crayon likeness.
I've seen forty pictures of Judas Is
CARROT in my time" he Numbered apostro
phizing the portrait in nasal voice tina
rose high above the clamor land no tw,
of them looked alike. But by the Eternal
they all were the living image of your
Then he went down under an avalanch,
Of Conover rowdes, giving and taking
blows as he was borne headlong to the
floor. Through the tumut the pounding
of Bourkes gavel upon the table was like
the UNDECIDED rat-tat of a telegraph ticker
In tornado. 1t was fifteen minutes be
fore a semblance of order had been re
stored. BY that time there We're on every
side a Kaleidoscope vista of bleeding noses.
torn clothing, and battered. wratful faces.
Thus 1t was that. at the cost of bre;
interim of fruitless rioting. the machine
had its way Over the hopeless protests
| and bitter denunciations of the tricked mi
nority the empty form of choosing the com
mittee on credentials carried through.
As a foreseen result. Standish had but six
members on the committee. three from
Wills and three from Matawan while from
the Conover faction eighteen were to sit In
judgment upon the merits of their own
cause
The contest was over. The Standish dele
gates offered but perfunctory opposition
| to the work of choosing the committees
on organization and platform This much
having heen done, the convention took the
usual recess. leaving the committees to 60
into session IN separate rooms back OF the
stage.
| The delegates filed out the men from
Wills and Matawan angry and silent IN
| their shamed defeat, those from the six
victorious counties Growing eNuberant glet.
| at their easy triumph.
The adjournment announced. Give slip
ped out of the convention hall by "A rear
| entrance and went across to his private
Office at the league rooms. He wanted To
| be alone-away from even the stanChest
friends-in this black hour. Against all
! counsel and experience. against hope itself.
| he had hoped to the last. His bulldog
pluck. his faith in his mission had upheld
him above colder. saner reason. Even the
=, repeated warnings of Ansel had left him
| unconvinced Up to the very moment Con
| overs final successful move was made
Standish had hoped. And now hope was
dead.
| He was beaten. Hopelessly. utterly.
/ starkly beaten. From the outset Conover
| had played with him and his plans as
| giant might play with child. 1t had been
no question of open battle. with the weaker
| antagonist battered to earth by the greater
| strength of his foe Far worse: the whole
| campaign had been futile struggle OF an
enmeshed captive to break through a web
! too mighty for his puny efforts. while his
| conqueror had sat aclmy by, awaiting a vic
| tory that was as sure as the rise OF the
| sun.
Standsh knew that in a few minutes he
| would be able to pull himself together and
| face the world AS man should. In the
! interim, with the hurt animals instinct he
wanted to be alone.
Save for clerk in the antechamber. the
| leagues rooms were deserted. Every one
| was at the convention. The clerk rose AT
| Gives entrance and would have spoken.
| but the defeated candidate passed unheed-
! ing into his own Office. closing the door be-
| hind him
| Then stopping short his back to the
| closed door he stared, unbclieving. at some
| one who rose at his entrance and hurried
forward, hands outstretched. to greet him.
| Il knew You would come here" said
| Anice Lanier II felt you would 50 | hur-
| ried over as soon as they adjourned. Aren't
you glad to me-
He still stared. speechess. dumfounded
| She had caught his unresponsve hands.
| and was looking up into his tired, hopeless
| eyes with a wealth Of pity and sympathy
| that broke through the mask of blank mis-
| cry on his face, and softcned the hard
| smile.
1T was good of YOU to come" he said at
| last Il thought | couldn't bear to see
any ore Just now. Butts SO different
He ceased speaking. His ovcrstruns
| nerves were battling against childish
| longing to bury his hot face in those cool
| little white hands, whose lightest touch SO
thrilled him. and to tell this gentle. in
| finitely tender girl all about his sorrows.
| his broken hopes, his crushed self-esteeul.
| In spirit he could feel her arms about his
| aching head, drawing it to her breast
could hear her whispered words of sooth-
| ing and encoura cement.
| Then on the moment, the babyiSh i'm
| pulse passed and he was himself again
self-controlled. outwardly stolid. realizing
as never before that the price of strength
is loneliness.
| 81 am beaten" he went on. but I think
we made as good fight as We could. Per
haps another time
She withdrew her hands from his. Int
her big eyes had crept something almost
| akin to sCOrn.
you are giving up" she asked incred
ulously. You will make no further effort
| to-
what more is to be done? The com
mittee on credentials-"
| 81 know. | was there. It's all been n
wretched mistake from the very begin
ming. oh. why were you so foolish about
those letters?'
| "Letters?' What letters?'
| 1.-The letters sent You with news Of Mr.
| Conover's plans for"
Those anonymous letters l got? What
| do you know
| Il wrote Them said Anice Lanier
| ct be continued next Saturday,