Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-02-19

I11aAS ~ aafS~ ~ q Nv
scribed by some of the hidebound "in-
siders' ID Capitol hill as 1.-The only
brainy man who had fought the ma,
chine in thirty years."
At the home he had later established
In Washington as preferable to the
International hotel were frequently
seen q small coterie of senators and
congressman who had become known
to the sarcastic party bosses in both
houses of congress as the "Langdon
crowd" which crowd was admitted to
be somewhat Of a factor when it final
~ prevailed on the president to take
over 1000 postmasters from the ap-
pointment class and put them under
the control of the civil service commits
sion, resulting in the necessity of a
competitive examination for these
postmasters instead of their securing
positions through political favoritism.
Those who did not know Langdon
Intimately suggested that this fellow
ought to be taken car Of What in
Gods name does he want? A commit
tee craftsmanship? An Enthusiastically
for some Mississippi charcoal burner?
A couple of federal judgeships for his
friends? Well, whatever it is, give 1t
to him and get him in with the rest
of us!'
Again 1t was Peabody who had the
deciding say.
There's only one thing worse than
a young reformer, and that's an old
one" he laughed bitterly at a secret
conclave at his apartment in the lux.
urious Louis Napoleon hotel. "The
young one thinks he is going to live
and wants our future profits for him
self. The old one thinks he's going
to die, and he's sore at leaving so
much graft behind him."
Heads and hearts thinking and throb-
bling together, Langdon and his secre-
tary. Haines, plodded along. They
had learned to lean on each other,
the young gaining inspiration from the
old, the old gaining strength from the
young. They loved each other. and,
more than any love, they trusted n
another. And Hope Georgia watched
1t all and rejoiced, for she believed
with all the accrued erudition of eight
cen years Of innocent girlhood that
Mr.. Bud Haines was quite the finest
specimen Of young manhood this
4<-orld had eyer produced How could
he have h%appenedl She was sure that
she had never met his equal, not eve
In that memorable week she had spent
In Jackson.
The passing weeks taught Haines
that he was deeply in love with Caro-
lima, and, though he had %endeavored
te keep the knowledge of this from
her, her woman's intuition had told her
his secret, and she stifled the m
tary regrets that fitted into her mind,
because she was now In "the game"
herself, the Washington game, that
the woman as well as the
man and makes her q slave to its fan.
cy. No one but herself and Norton
knew how deeply she had plunged
on a certain possible turn of the po-
litical cards. She must not, she could
not, lose if life itself were to remain
of value to her, and on her sway over
this secretary she was told 1t all de
pended.
A subject that for some unexplain.
able reason frequently lodged In
Haines' mind was that Of the appar
ent %assiduity with which Mrs. Spanglel
cultivated Senator Langdon's friend
ship. For several years she had occu
pied a high social position at the CAPT
tai, he well knew. but various indef
mite, intangible rumors he had heard
he could not state exactly where, had
made him regret her growing intimacy
with the girls and with the senator
They had met her through letters OF
introduction of the most trustworthy
and assuring character from people O.
highest social rank in Virginia, where
the Langdons had many friends, but
ever so, Haines realized, people who
write Introductory letters are some
times thoughtless in considering all the
circumstances of the parties they In.
troduce, and residents of Virginia who
had not been in the capital for years
might be forgiven for not knowing OF
all the more recent developments in
the lives of those they knew in Wash.
ington. While not wishing to have the
senator know of his intention, the sec
rotary determined to investigate Mrs
Spangler and her present mode Of life
at his first opportunity, hoping the
while that his quest would reveal her
to be what the Langdons considered
her-a widow Of wealth, fashion and
reserve who resided at the capital be.
cause the memories of her late hus-
band, a former congressman of high
standing, were associated with it.
Calling at the Langdons' house one
evening in February to receive direc.
lions regarding important work for the