The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1909-02-26

positions through political favoritism
Those who did not know Langdon
intimately suggested that this fellow
ought to be taken care Of What in
Gods name does he want? A commit
tee chairmanship? An ambassadors hiu
for some Mississippi charcoal burner:
A couple Of federal iudgeships for his
| friends? Well. whatever il is give it
to him and get him in with the rest
| of u.s.
Again it was Peabody who had the
deciding say
There's only one thing worse than
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 one
another And Hope Georgia watched
it 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
world had ever produced How could
he have happened! She was sure that
she had never met his equal. not even
in that memorable week she had spent
in Jackson
The passing weeks taught Haines
lima, and, though he had endeavOred
to keep the knowledge Of this from
her, her woman's intuition had told her
his secret. and she stifed the mOmen-
tary regrets that fitted into her mind,
because she was now in 1.-THE game"
herself. the Washington game, that
ensnares the woman as well as the
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 it 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. Spangler
cultivated Senator Langdon's friend
ship For several years she had occu
pied 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 Of /
highest social rank in Virginia. where I
the Langdons had many friends. but .
even 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 10 have the
senator know of his intention. the sec
rotary determined to investigate Mrs .
Spaugler and her present mode of life F.
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
were associated with IT,
Calling at the Langdons' house one
evening in February to receive direc-
lions regarding important work for the