The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-01-25

something Ike SIX years
Then why come heref' Loder was
pulling hard on his pipe I'm not
dealer in sympathy"
Il don't require sympathy" Chilcote
rose again. He was still agitated, but
the agitation was quieter. Il want
inuch more expensive thing than sym
patty. and am willing to pay for H. f"
The other turned and looked at him
Il have no possession In the world that
would be worth n fver to you." he said
10y. -IUure errner unuer ueruHion
or you're wasting my time"
Chilcote laughed nervously. walt"
he said. wait l only ask you to
wait. First let me sketch you my posi-
ton. II won't take many words"
MY grandfather was a Chilcote OF
WestmOreland. He was one Of the
first of his day and his class to recog-
nize that there was future In trade,
so. breaking his own little twig from
the family tree, he went south to Wark
and entered a shlpowning arm. In
thirty years time he died. the owner
OF one of the biggest trades in England.
having married the daughter of his
chief. My father was twenty-four and
still at oxford when he inherited. Al
most his frst act was to reverse my
grandfatherss early move by going
north and piecing together the family
friendship. He married his first cousin.
and then, with the Chilcote prestige re-
vived and the shipping money to back
It. he entered on his ambition, which
was to represent East Wark In the Con-
servative interest. It was big fight,
but he won-as much by personal In
duence as by any other. He was an
aristocrat, but he was keen business
man as well. The combination carries
weight with your lower classes He
never did much In the house, but he
was a power to his party in Wark.
| They still use his name there to con-
| jure with"
Loder leaned forward interestedly.
"Robert Chilcote?'' he said, 81 have
heard Of him. One of those fine, unos-
tentatlous figures-s strong In action,
little narrow in outlook, perhaps, but
essential to a country's staying power.
You have every reason to be proud OF
your father"
Chilcote laughed suddenly. How
easily we sum up when matter Is I'M
personal! My father may have been
fine figure, but he shouldn't have left
me to climb to his pedestal"
Loder's eyes questioned. In his new
| " awakened interest he had let MS
| pipe go out.
| Don't you grasp my meanlngF
Chilcote went on. my father died and
I was elected for East Wark. You may
saw that If / had no real inclination for
the position / could have kicked, but
tell YOU couldn't. Every local inter-
est. political and commercial. hung up
on the candidate being Chilcote. |
did what eight men out Of ten would
have done. 1 yielded to pressure"
ut was a fine opening" The words
escaped Loder.
most prisons have wide gates"
Chiicote laughed again unpleasantly.
'That was six years ago. had started
| on the morphia track four years earlier,
Int I'D to my fathers death had it un.
| der my thumb, or believed had, and
/ in the realization of my new response
bilities and the excitement of the POI
litical fight / almost put it aside. For
several months after l entered parlia-
ment | worked. / believe | made one
| speech that marked me as a coming
man." He laughed derisively. Il even
married.
| "MarriedT
"Yes-a girl of nineteen, the ward
of a great politician. 1t was brilliant
marriage, politically as well as socially,
but ii didn't work. | was born without
the capacity for love. First the social
| life palled on me, then my work grew
irksome. There was only one factor to
make life ndurable-morphia Before
six months were out had fully admit
ted that"
"But your wife,"
"Oh. my wife knew nothing knows
nothing. II is the political business,
the beastly routine Of the political life
/ that is wearing me oct Tie stopped
nervously. then hurried Oh again. ~
/ tell YOU II 3 DdTu 10 Sec lut NttAiC it'S ~
to sit in the same seat day in day OUT
knowing all the time that You must
hold yourself i'll hand, must keep your
grip on the reins"
1T Is always possible to apply for
the Chiltcrn Hundreds"
ITO retire? Possible to retire
Chilcote broke into loud, sarcastic
laugh. You don't know what the To-
cal pressure of place like Wark
stands for Twenty times have been
within an ace of chucking the whole
thing. Once last year wrote private
ly to Vale. one OF our big men there,
and limited that my health was bad
Two hours after. he had read my letter
he was in my study. Had | been III
Greenland the result would have been
the same No; resignation is mean
lIngless word to man like me-
Loder looked down. II see" he said
slowly; 81 see."
"Then you see everything the diff
ficulty. the isolation of the position.
va tKUn