Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-05-07
CHAPTER u.


that Tuesday morning and saw the
red rose lying on his desk he smiled.
and picking 1t up. raised 1t eagerly to
his face. But when he glanced about
the chamber and saw that n rose lay
on every other desk. his smile was
suddenly lost in stare of amaZement.
Once or twice, perhaps. flowers had
been placed by constituents on the
desks OF certain senator's. but never
had a floral distribution. at once SO
modest and impartial. been made be-
fore. Several senator's. already in
their seats, saw the check this Impair.
tiality gave Vernon's vanity. and they
laughed. Their laughter was of a tone
with the tinkle OF the crystal prisms OF
the chandeliers. Ginning In the breeze
that came through the open windows.
The lieutenant governor was Just
ascending to his place. He dropped
his x,vel to the sounding. board of his
desk.
"The senate will be in order" he
said.
The chaplain rose. and the hum of
voices in the chamber ceased. Then.
while the senators stood with bowed
hei.ds. Vernon saw the card that lay
or the desk beside the rose. Two little
jewels of the moisture that still spar
kled on the rvse's petals shone on the
glazed surface OF the card. Vernon
read IL where II lay.
viii the Hon. Morley Vernon
please to wear this rose to-day as n
token OF his intention to support and
vote for house joint resolution No. ~
proposing an amendment to section
one. article seven of the constitution"
The noise In the chamber began
again at the chaplain's Amen"
New way to buttonhole n man,
eh?" said Vernon TO Bull Burns. who
had the seat next vernon's. What's
IL all about, anyway"
Vernon took up his printed synopsis
OF bills and resolutions.
"Oh. yes" he said. speaking as much
to himself rs to Burns. old man
Ames's resolution" Then he turned
to the calendar. There II was-house
joint resolution No. 10. He glanced
at Burns again. Burns was fastening
his rose In his butiUnholc.
so you're fer 1t. CHI" he said.
To he'll with it, Burns growled in
the grun voice that spoke for the First
district. In trying TO look down at
his own adornmcnt he screwed his fat
neck. fold on fold into his low collar
and then. with a Grunt of satisfaction.
lighted n morning cigar.
But" Vernon began. surprises
multiplying. He looked about the
chamber. The secretary was reading
the journal of the preceding day and
the senators were variously occupied.
reading newspapers, writing letters, or
merely smoking: some were gathered
in little groups, talking and laughing.
But they all wore their roses. Vernon
might have concluded that house joint
resolution No. 10 was safe. had 1t not
been for the inconsistency Of Burns.
though Inconsistency was nothing new
in Burns. Vernon vcntured once more
with his neIghbor:
Looks as II the resolution were as
good as adopted. doesn't it?'
But Burns cast glance OF pity at
him. and then growled in halfhumor-
Gus contempt. The action stung Yer
~
ence In the senate as he always re-
sented the presence of Vcrnon's kind
in politics.
The rose still lay on Vernon's desk;
he was the only one OF the 81 senators
OF Illinois that had not put his rose
on. He opened his bill file and turned
up house joint resolution No. 10. He
read IL carefully, as he felt senator
should before making up his mind on
such an important, even revolutionary
measure. He remembered that at
the time It had been adopted in
the house every one had laughed: no
one. with the exception of its author,
DR.. Ames. had taken 1t seriously.
Ames was known to be a crank: he
was referred to as Doc" Ames. usual
ly as "Old Doc" Ames. He had intro
dLced more strange bills and resolu'
tions than any member at that ses
sion: bills to curb the homCopathists
bills to annihilate English sparrows
bills to prohibit cigarettes, bill TO cur
tail the liquor traffic. and now this
resolution providing for the submis
sion Of an amendment to the consti
tuition that would extend the electoral
franchise to women.
His other measures had received lit
tie consideration; he never got any oi