The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-04-19
lTo BE Continued).

III sure / don't knoW-pernaps 70
hide his JOY"
But did know. and my remark was
the impulslve fling Of envy He had
found out, several weeks before,
what a strong undercurrent was run
ming toward him He was faced by q
dilemma-if he did not go to the con.
vention It would be said that he had
stayed away deliberately. and he
would be nominated; If he went, to
try to prevent his nomination, the
enthusiasm Of his admirers and fol-
lowers would give tie excuse for fore.
ing the nomination upon him. And
as he sat there, with that ominous
tumult about him, he was realizing
how hard his task was to be.
His companions pushed him q pass.
age through the crowds on the side
walk and in the lobby, and he shut
himself away in the upper part of the
hotel. When we left, half an hour
later, the people were packed before
that face of the hotel which displayed
the banner OF the Indiana delegation,
were cheering Scarborough, were
cfamoring-in vain-for him to show
himself
But won't he offend them?" asked
my wife
"A crowd loves like woman" said
1 Indifference only excites it,"
"Oh, l never loved that way" pro-
tested Mrs. Sandys.
Then, said my wife, rather sour
" I thought. you and Mr.. Sandys
have something to live for
And so we talked no more politics.
There may be American women who
really like to talk politics. but l never
happened to know one with so little
sense. It's pity we men do not i'm
itate our women more closely in one
respect. In season and out Of season,
they never talk anything but bust
ness-woman' one business. When
other things are being discussed, they
listen, or rather, pretend to listen; in
reality, their minds are still on their
business, and how they shall contrive
to bring it back into the conversa-
ton with advantage to themselves.
Next day the convention adopted a
wishy-washy platform much like Bur
bank's-if anything, weaker. saw
Goodrich's blight upon it, But the
victory cost him dear. That night the
delegates realized what a blunder
they had made-or thought they real
fzed II after Merriweather and his
STAFF had circulated among them. Few
of them had been trusted by Beckett
with the secret that, with that plat
form and with Simpson as the nom
inee their party would have the inter
ests behind it, would almost certain
ly win. They only saw ahead dull
campaign, and no real issue between
the parties, and their candidate, IL he
was Simpson. much the less attrac-
tive personality of the two
The following morning the voting
began; and after seven ballots Simp-
son had SO votes less than on the
first ballot. 1T was like a funeral"
was the verdict Of my disappointed
guests that evening. A night OF debate
and gloom among the politicians and
other delegates. and on the opening
ballot Merriweather sprung his trap.
The first big doubtful state in the
alphabetical list of states is Illinois.
When the secretary of the conven-
ton called for Illinois vote. it was
cast solidly for Scarborough.
There was straightway pandemo-
mum. 1t was half an hour before any
one could get a hearing. Then In
diana was called, and Pierson. attor-
ney general of that state and chair
man of its delegation, cast its vote as
In the other ballots, for Kitchens its
governor. From my box was watch
ing Scarborough and his Immediate
friends going from delegation to del.
egation, and | knew what he was
about When Iowa was called and
cast its vote solidly for him. | knew
he had failed.
How white he isl said Mrs
Sandys. who was looking at him
through opera-glasses
l borrowed them and saw that his
gaze was fixed on a box on the other
side OF the huge auditorium, on a
woman In that bOx-I had only to look
at her to see which woman. She was
beautiful of that type Of charm which
the French sum up in the phrase the
woman Of 80" I have heard crowds
below too often to be moved by it
though the 10000 or $4,000 gathered
under that roof were outdoing the
cannonade Of any thunderstorm. But
that woman's look in response to Scar
borough's-there was sympathy and
understanding it it. and more. infi-
nitetly more. He had been crushed for
the moment-and l understand enough
of his situation to understand what
blow to all his plans this untimelv
apparent triumph was. She was
showing that she too. felt the blow.
bat she was also sending message
of courage to him-one of those mes
Bages that transcend words, like music.
4Io