Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-14

cure, I.oder was to rise after question:
at the morning sitting and ask leave ia
move the adjournment of the house on
n definite matter Of urgent public iml
portance, upon which-leave having
been granted by the rising Of forty
members IN his support-thc way wa
to lie open for his definite attack n
the evening sitting. And it was Will
mind attuned to this plan Of actiorl
that he retired TO the study immc{
diately he had brenkfnsted and settled
to final revision Of his speech heford|
an early party conference should comI
pei him to leave the house But herd
again circumstances were destined I'd
change his programme Scarcely had
he sorted his notes and drawn his chair
to Chlcote's desk than Renwick cntery
cd the room with the same air Of imI
portant haste that he had shown on Il
previous occasion.
"a letter from Mr.. Traide. sir. Pun
there's no answer" he said, with uni
usual brevity.
Lodcr waited til he had left tia
room; then lie tore the letter open. I'D
read
NV Dear Chlloote 49, I.alJolev Is the ri
I cipout OF special and very vital new
from Meshed-unoflcial. but none tbs
less alarming Acts of Russian aRgre
sion toward British traders arc report &c
to be rapidly increasing, and 1T Is state
that the authority Of tho consulate (
treated with contempt. Pending a pos 4 |
bio coufirmat ton of this ] would sugCr
that You kecp an open mind m tho subj
feet Of tonishts speech. By adopting Il
antcipatory even an unprepared - att
/ tude You may find YOUR hand material 4
strengthened. I shall put my opinions bel
/ fore you more explicitly when we meet
Yours faithfully,
/ HERBERT FRAIDE.
The letter. worded with Fraides usu|
! nj restraint made a strong impression
On its recipient The thought that Lid
| speech might not only express opinionI
| already tacitlv held, but voice a stua|
| ton of intense and national imporI
tancc, struck him with full force. Fol
many minutes after he had graspeC|
! the meaning of Fraide's message h /
sat neglectful Of his notes, his elbow
resting on the desk. his face betweef
| his hands, stirred by the suggested
that here might lie n greater opportu|
nifty than any lie had anticipated
Still moved by this new suggestion
he attended the party conclave tina
| Fraide had convened and afterwaItl
Iunched with and accompanied hi
leader to the house. They spoke YER
| little as they drove to WestminstClI
for each was engrOssed by his owI |
| thoughts. Only once did Fraide allud
TO the incident that was paramount /
both their minds. Then, turning t
Loder with smile OF announcement
he laid his fingers for an instant o
his arm.
"Chilcote," he had said. when til
time comes, remember you have a
my confidence"
Looking back upon that day. Lode
often wondered at the calmness witt
which he bore the uncertainty. To
apparently unmoved and wait withou
emotion for news that might chang
the whole tenor Of ones action woul
have tried the stoicism of the mos
experienced; to the novice 1t was we
nigh uncomfortable. And it was uudez
these conditions and fighting agnins
these odds that lie sat through the lon
afternoon in Chilcote's place, obeyln
the dictates Of his chief But IL tn
day was fEaught with difficulties 70
him it was fraught with dulness an
disappointment for Others, for the VI
dercurrent of interest that had stirre
Mt \ 1
with added force on this first day
the new session was gradually bi
surely threatened with extinction
hour after hour passed bringing n
suggestion OF the battle that had o
every side been tacitly expected
Slowly and unnistakably speculstio
and dissatisfaction crept into the a
mosphere Of the house as moment sue
ceeded moment and the oppositio
made no sign. Was Fraide shrkin
the attack or was he playing a waitin
game! Again and again the Questio U
arose, filling the air with a passiu
! flicker OF interest, but each time
sprang up only to die down again 2
the ordinary business of the day drag
ged itself ont.
Gradually, as the afternoon wore OF
daylight began to fade Loder. sittin
rigidly in Chilcote's place, watche
with suppressed inquiry the faces
the men who entered through the cor
stantly swinging doors, but not on
face. so eagerly scanned, carried tn
message for which he waited. Mono
onously and mechanically the tim
passed. The government. adopting
neutral attitude, carefully skirted
dangerous subjects, while the OppOs
ton. acting under Frade's suggestion
assisted rather than hindered the pr
gramme Of postponement. For the me-
ment the eagerly anticipated reassen
! bling threatened dismal failure. and
was with n universal movement
WEAKNESS and rolef that at last II
! house rose to dine
But there are no possibilities SO ella
/ tic as those OF politics. At half past
the house rose in a spirit of boredor
ana disappointment, and at s o'cloc
the Hobbies. the dining room. the entil
space of the vast building. was strre
into activity by the arrival of a sing
! telegraphic message.
The new development for whic
| Fraide had waited came indeed, but
came with Il force he had little antic