The Washington herald., 1907-02-03
THE CANDIDATE
APoliica Romance By Joseph A. Altheer

conscience. You see ] am troubled about
all these requests that I should declare
myself, and l have certain ideas about
what a candidate should do. In which
differ from you. and in which probably
am wrong. but I cannot help It, I should
Ike to ease my mind, and hence I ask you
that / be permitted to say a few words.
Just one little speech. and I Will not ham
die the subject again, il you direct me
not 70 do So"
I'VE are against it; we are against say
ing a single word, declared Mr. Good
night
Just one little speech" pleaded Jimmy
/ Grayson. Il think the people are entitled
/ 20 1t. We stop tomorrow at a small sta
/ ton, a place of not more than twenty
! houses; I should Ike TO say something
there. and that would serve as n claim
/ later that 7 had not avoided the issue
But, as I said, ! promise you that / Will
not touch the subject again without your
! permission"
Don't believe in it. Don't believe in
I it," said Mr.. Crayon. snappily.
/ Il am afraid 1 shall have to insist" said
Jimmy Grayson, plaintively. Il do not
| like to say anything that would displease
such powerful friends. but our people are
/ peculiar, sometimes. I feel that l must
touch the subject a little when we reach
/ Waterville tomorrow morning"
/ He spoke In his most propitiatory tones
but the committee was still stirred. Mr..
/ Goodnight, Mr.. Crayon. and their asso-
ciates demanded absolute silence. and they
had not found it difficult TO oyerawe the
candidate. Yet there was a certain mild
persistence in his tone which told them
one would a spoiled or hurt child They.
as men Of the world, knew that it was not
well to bear too hard on the BIT
They conferred a little, leaving Jimmy
Grayson alone I'm his chair. where he re-
NAMED silent and with inexpensive face.
Harley stil stood by the window. He had
never spoken. but nothing escaped his at
tentiOn. More than once he was hot with
anger. but none Of the committeeman ever
looked at him.
III YOU insist. and as you say you VIII,
We yield this little point" said Mr. Good
night, but we only do so because Water
vile Is such a small place. Even then, we
are not sure that Il is not an indiscretion.
10 call it by a mild name. and il anything
should come Of II you would have to bear
the full responsibility. Mr.. Grayson.'
That is true" said Jimmy Grayson.
cheerfuily but as YOU have said. Water
vile is a small, d very small place; one
could hardly find a smaller on the map"
In that event II viii doubtless do no
HARM said Mr.. Goodnight relaxing a lit
tie, and Mr.. Crdyon. stroking his smoothly
shaver chin. said after him. 40 harm.
no harm. perhaps, in so small a place.
Harley had never moved from the win
dow and again he studied Jimmy Gray
sons face with the keenest attention.
Harley was fine judge OF character. but
he could read nothing there, save gravity
AS for himself he felt often those hot
thrills Of anger at the words Of these
men; would nothing stir them from their
COmplacencyc He had. too. sense OF
pain at Jimmy Grayson's lack OF resent
ment Il was true that their support was
"a necessity. but after all they were a
minority within the party. and one might
remind them Of the fact. Yet Jimmy
Grayson probably knew best. he under
stood politics, and perhaps his course
was the wiser. But Harley sighed
After the victory. although Il had not
been a difficult one 10 win. the members
OF the committee were disposed 10 con-
descend a little. They sent TO their pri-
vate car FOR champagne and other lux
uries which the candidate and Harley
touched but lightly, and they treated
A-s
graci0usness.
Mr. Crayon felt the fame Of humor
sparkling in his veins, and he TESTED
lightly on the little speech at Water
Vile. Just think Of our candidate vast
ing sweetness on desert air" he said.
for Naterville is IN desert. and, as ] am
reliably informed. has less than forty in
habitants"
Jimmy Grayson showed no resentment.
but smiled gravely.
"Of course Nr. Harley understands
that all this is sub rosa. said Mr. Good
night, looking severely at the CORE
spondeut
Mr. Harley knows it. and he is TO be
trusted entirely said Jimmy Grayson
otherwise I should not have brought
him with me. I vouch for the fact that
he viii say nothing Of this meeting until
We give him permission.
Mr. Grays0n presently excused himself
on the plea that he needed sleep. a plea
which was admitted by everybody. and
Harley also withdrew. while the members
of the committee went 10 their private
car pleased with the evenings work. Thus
the great Philipsburg conference came
TO an end.
The candidate and Harley walked to-
gether 10 their rooms through a rather
dim han. but il was rot too dim to hide
from Harley a singular expression that
passed over the face Of the candidate
Il was gone ike a flash, but il seemed
TO Harley to be a compond of anger
and anticipation Wisely - kept silent.
and Jimmy Grayson. stopping a moment
at his own door. said, in the grave but
otherwise eXpressiOnless tone that he had
used throughout the discussion.
Good night, Harley; I don't think we
shall forget this evening. shall WEE"
NO" replied Harley, and he tried to
decipher meaning in Jimmy GraysOn's
tone but ne could not.
When Harley turned away, he found
Hobart. BlaisdeIl. Churchill, and all the
other correspondents waiting for him at
the end Of the hall to get the news of the
conference.
There is nothing. not a line" said
Harley.
They looked at him !ncredulously.
1T is the truth. assure YOU" con-
tinued Harley. Il am not sending word
70 my own paper. I am going straight
10 my bed
IF you say so, Harley. believe you,
said Churchill Besides, it's past one
o'clock now and that's past four o'clock
IN New York and past three in Chicago; /
all the papers have gone to press. and
we couldn't send anything if we wanted
to do So"
There is nothing to tell YOU" said
Harley, except that Mr. Grayson will /
allude to the tariff In his speech to-mor- !
row. or. rather. this morning at Water
vile. He has promised the committee /
not to do so again-they were not very
willing 10 grant him even so little-but il /
is sort of sop to Cerberus: later. e /
anv one tWits him with avoiding the re /
vision. he can say. and truthfully, that he /
has spoken on IL"
I see" said Churchill
Aud bafora tbax- Gould osl- b;,,, 49,