The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-07
CHAPTER XIV.
The Peoples Choice

| l spent happy month with Uncle Paul and Aunt Jane, a month of play and then the call of the clans came again. l was duly elected delegate to the State Democratic convention and early in June I went to Lexington
 to attend 1t and to help make the next Governor. An entire State ticket was to be nominated, but the interest cen tered on the governorship, because of it's uncertainty. Grey had continued
 his campaign with great vigor, that is With the use of money which he
 thought so effective, and Harrison was still acting as his lieutenant There
 were five or six other candidates. all
 obscure mediocre men, though respec-
 tab bIe.
 1 When I reached the city, I saw that
 the Grey delegates and supporters
 were arriving in great force, with all
 the whoop and noise that impress the
 unobservant so much. The city was l pervaded by the Grey forces, they were l talking Grey everywhere. and in the | Hobbies of the hotels they were claim l ing that he was as good as nominated. l 1t was easy enough to see through it all. It is common device at conven- tions to attempt 8 stampede to 8 can didate who seems far in the lead, and sometimes it succeeds. Harrison, if not Grey, was shrewd enough to see the opportunity and he was making the most of it.
 I met Harrison at the entrance to the convention hall, and he seemed il9 high spirits.
 "I think I've got you this time, M~ Clarke" he said, you beat me on that apportionment bill, and I didn't like it, I'm frank to say, but Pm going to put Grey through and make him the next Governor"
 made an ambiguous reply, and I'm n wa 0T1f nn hall, more resolved than ever that we should beat Grey, but further than ever from a knowledge how to do it.
 I recognized a new note as soon as the convention met. Much of the old suavity and courtesy was gone, it was no longer "my learned frtend," or 'smy distinguished friend" when political foe addressed political foe on the floor, but it was the personal attack full of acrimony and hostility, men sought t.. override each other, to attain the end by any means they could. in short we led to the full what was then popular 1y called "the strenuous life" and I am frank to confess that did not like it.
 The first day was a series of un. broken triumphs for Grey Harrison controlled the convention and carried everything as he wished it to go. New CT was there a finer illustration of the  strength. The Grey forces. united, were invincible we.divided. were beat en whenever we made a fight. AS Jimmy Warfield whispered to me: "The only thing we can do is to run. and we don't seem to be such good runners either"
 Grey was suffused with triumph, and he would have made a great display of it had Harrison let him, but his skillful manager kept him, for the time being, in state of suppression.
 We held a meeting that evening in Judge Wharton's room and I brought up the subject of his candidacy, but he would not hear to it, declining with an emphasis that was little short of being abrupt. Then we talked about three hours and as before all the talk came to nothing. I felt sick and dis been snubbed 1 decided to leave the m eeting go to my own roonl,a and sleep if I could
 rose and announced that I would { withdraw as we seemed to me to be ! wasting time, and to my surprise no one made any objection. I was hurt ] much hurt, at this proaf of indiffer- I ence from old friends. personal as well 1 as political, and with brief good 1 night I left the room.
 We met again the next morning with a great attendance of both dele gates and spectators. and before the was a half hour old, I no ticed a new feeling in the opposition It was not a thing that one could see with the eye. or hear with the ear. b''t 1t was perceived rather by the unde- fined and unknown sixth sense. II was note of union. of hone. and of but when I sought to trace 1t to its ultimate source found that l was on the outside.
 The morning passed on and the time |