Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-15
CHAPTER XII.
What Happened.

The next was a strenuous day in the
house. devoted chiefly to the great meas
ure the reapportionment bill. which now
occupied most of our attention. 1t nap
pened. too. that the Hobbies were crowd
ed many ladies being present their
bright faces and dresses forming d back
ground of color.
Bucks at last obtained the floor and
began a harangue Of extraordinary Viru-
lence. His language was lacking In
grammar. but not in force, and he at
tackled the Peden bill in a manner that
was not devoid of a rude but specious
logic From denunciation of the bill
itself he passed to it's supporters. ara
then singing me out he made bitter
personal assault. 1t was all wild. IT.
relevant ana full of mal!ce-the speaker
called him to order again and again
but it made a sensation. l felt the eyes
of all the house and Hobbies turned upon
me- and despite myself 1 was uncom-
Portable No man likes to be abused,
even though the abuse is false and the
source unworthy. / wondered. too. at
the venom of Bucks. but affecting care
lesSness / opened a newspaper and began
to read it. Once when l looked up l
caught the ironic smile of Harrison. and
another time ! met the nasty, mean look
of Connor affecting to hold me cheaply.
Bucks grew more and more violent, and
the speaker beat heavily with his gaVel
for order. / distinctly heard the rustic OF
dresses in the Hobbies the ladies moved
to get a better view of me, and / knew
the sensation that Bucks was creating.
| felt my face burning under the gaze
Iof so many eyes, and / did not know what
to do. Bucks was but an ignorant
mountaineer and a demagogue TO boot
1t was not putting high valuation upon
myself to put small one on him and
consider him unworthy Of notice, but on
the Other hand our state still believes that
q man should publicly resent personal
abuse.
Bucks was at last ruled down, but he
had delivered himself of his venom-why
he showed such malice toward me l did
not understand-and when he took his
seat there was dead silence In the
house / knew well what it meant; all
were looking at me and all expected me
to reply. ] was party to quarrel which
had not chosen, and in which l had no
concern.
Under the pressure of an emergency
one usually thinks fast. and while all
were looking at me I made up my mind.
would take leaf from Harrison'S book.
l rose slowly and with an air of great
Indifference. I spoke of the gentleman
| who had just attacked me and purposely
1 miscalled the county from which he
came. / said that / was glad to know
| him and hear his voice, intimating there
| by that l had not been previously aware
| of his existence.
/ knew i'm a moment that I had taken
| the rii hit line with Bucks, as I saw a
| smile pass over the faces of the mem
| bers near me. and I heard low laugh
| from the Hobbies behind mel never look
| ed at Bucks. Then l defended myself
| from the charge of being an aristocrat.
an enemy to the real people. l said |
was a farmer, and l challenged the gen.
| tleman who had attacked me to enter
| into a competition with me. whether in
reading weather signs, ploughing or tell
| ing the age of horse or a mule at a
single glance.
| All this. will admit. was very light
and trivial. but / knew no better way
| and the house fortunately fell into the
| mood that / wished. I was able to excite
frequent bursts of laughter, and when
Bucks fiercely tried to interrupt the
| speaker ruled him down. I spoke for
about half an hour in the same vein and
when I took my seat 1 felt sure that l
had suffered no loss of prestige.
Bucks sought 20 speak again. but
Jimmy Warfield would not let him. The
gentleman had already made the debate
a personal one said Jimmy and the rules
| of the house could not permit 1t to be
| carried farther. Bucks, black with
anger. was forced to subside. and turned
my attention again 20 my letters. wishing
| to forget such an unpleasant incident.
| But when 1 looked up a minute or two
later Bucks was glowering at me from
his seat, and when my eyes passed on
| to the gallery l saw Grey sitting there.
| his red face also turned toward me. He,
too, seemed to be angry. and he gave
me look which certainly was not that
| of good will.
| A sudden thought came to mel was
| blind not to have seen it all before. Bucks
| was set upon me by some one, whose
| interest 1t was to have me suppressed.
| either Gray or an agent acting In his in
| terest. 1 was blind to be harried by a
man with whom I could not engage In a
1 or,d
saw a certain cleverness in the scheme.
| But I resolved to defeat it, / would not
be forced into strife with Bucks. l would
speak to him as one man to another, like
| a friend. and show to him that he had no
| cause to attack ME.
1 stayed at my desk throughout the ses-
sion and even through the luncheon hour
as I had a mass of documents that must
be read and of correspondence that had
to be written. 1 did not know until after
ward that I was attentively watched by
many in the Hobbies and on the floor
that T was discussed in new connection
and that one man would express one
opinion and one another.
The session lasted late, and the shor,
winter day was already yielding to the
early twilight when 1t adjourned and the
house and the Hobbies were slowly
emptied. Nor did 1 know until afterwart
that I was the cause of this slow de-
parture. many lingering to look at mt
and again to express divergent opinions.
1 glanced up from my last letter and
from my mental absorption. I was sur
prised to see that the windows were dusky
with the twilight. and that not more thar
half dozen men were left on the floor
hastily put on my overcOat, walked
down the aisle and passed out of the
house into the anteroom. Jimmy War
: field and Peden were there just outside tn
door.
Going our way. Harry" said Jimmy
well go along with YOU"
NO., l replied, I'm not for the hote
now | want to run over to the pos
office and mail these letters. I'm in {
hurry about them
IAN right" said Jimmy. ''Peden ant
I were thinking of going to the post of
flee. too, and the three of us can go to
gether Come along.
In reality I did not wish any compan.
just then and their change of mine
seemed rather sudden, but they were sucl
good fellows and such friends of min
| that I could not turn them off
Come on them 1 said, and the three
of U.S. one on either side of me, passe,
out of the capitol. down the steps ant
, | upon the wintry lawn. / remember stop
ping a moment and looking at the brow
l grass and the bare trees Shelley's beau
tiful line IF winter come can spring b
far behind?' required to me, and it ma,
, have been because / was in a hopeful
mood. I am naturally cheerful and Opt
mstic. and God is very good to mai
when He gives him such a temperament
Unthinking then as I was. I did no
, notice that Warfleld and Peden still KEEP
very close to me. one on either hand, 81