The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1909-03-10
a Gentleman
From Mississippi
By THOMAS A. eVISE
Novefizsd Play by Frederick r. Toom5S
COPYRIGHT. by THOMAS A. WISE
CHAPTER TX.
By THOMAS A.

"HE combination of the forces Of
Langdon and Haines did moi
find much favor among the
powers that are-at the capital
Senator Peabody peremptorily demand
ed an explanation from Stevens as to
how he had allowed Ibis senator" to
engage as his secretary this inquisi.
tive man Haines, reporter who didn't
know his place."
"Here we've put Langdon on naval
affairs because we knew he didn't un-
derstand what's going on, and you.
Stevens, supposed to be the finished
product of the political mill, you fall
asleep and let him take up a man
whom nobody can control, one who
knows the inside workings of Wash
ington and who will take particular
pleasure In teaching your fellow Mis-
sissippian far too much for our good"
Stevens reply, to effect that prob
ably Haines would consent to be 'tak-
en- care of if judiciously approached,
was derided by the observant Pea
body. "a young reformer grows fat
on notoriety," he laughed, land think
what scandal he would have for his
newspaper If we took a chance on dis
closing our hand to him. No, no, Ste
vens; we must have him watched and
try to discredit him in some way Per
| haps we can make Langdon believe
that his secretary Is dishonest"
Congressman Norton was another
man who was dismayed at the forma-
ton Of the firm Of Langdon and Hams.
Young Randolph, too. could not forget
the defeat and humiliation he had pre-
viously suffered at Haines' hands and
grew more bitter as the reporters in
fluence over his father grew stronger.
But Haines' most effective enemy had
arisen in the person he would be the
last to suspect, one whom he unceaS-
ingly admired, one whose very words
he had come to cherish. And possibly
it was not all her own fault that Caro-
lima Langdon had enlisted her services,
subtle and quite overwhelming lowing
to Haines' fervent worship Of herr
against the secretary. Perhaps the So
cial system of which she had become
part in Washington had something to
do with the craving to become leader
In that fascinating world whose daz-
zling variety and infinite diversion
seemed TO fill her soul with all that 1t
yearned for. Love she had, for she
had now promised to wed Congress-
man Norton. She loved him fondly;
she had confessed to him. and gradu-
ally she came to work desperately
against Haines. who, she had been
convinced by Norton and Randolph.
would prove a stumbling block to them.
to her father. to herself in her career
at the capital. If his influence over the
senator should be permitted to exist or
to increase And so on the surface
Carolina Langdon was most amiable
to the secretary. encouraged him in his
attentions to her, led him surely into
her power, Norton having prevailed on
her to keep the knowledge of their en-
gagement secret from every one, even
her father.
The days and nights became filed
with important work for Senator Lang
don and his secretary. Together they
went over the important measures. out
lined what appeared to be the best
course of procedure and carried it into
effect as far as possible. Langdon be-
came prominent figure in the senate,
owing to his consistent support of
measures that fitted in with the public
policy, or what should be the public
policy, of the nation. He had learned
that the only practicable way to out
wit or to cope with the members of
the dominating machine, made up, he
was surprised to see. of members of
both the parties-the only two in
Washington-was to oppose what the
machine wanted with enough power to
force it to grant him what he believed
the public ought to have. He was de-
scribed by some of the hidebound Gin
siders" on Capitol hill as "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 a 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 factor when 1t final
ly prevailed on the president to take
over 1000 postmasters from the up
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.