The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-12

! STANDING
book behind his back
"Why, this outrageous art!clef' and
she thrust a newspaper under his eyes.
DO you mean to say you haven't seen
the morning papery'
ITO tell you the truth. Miss Danger
field, l hardly ever read the papers,"
Whats that you were reading when
1 came in7'' she demanded severely,
Withholding the paper until she should
be answered.
TITS a book about the government, and
the powers reserved to the States and
that sort Of thing. I was Just reading
the Constitution; thought ii might help
us-I mean youth your work"
THE Constitution help me? Hasn't It
occurred to you before this that what
I'm doing Is all against the Constitution
and the revised statutes and ali those
books you see on the shelf there?"
But the Constitution sounds all right
II seems remarkably reasonable. You
couldn't ask anything fairer than that"
so are the Ten Commandments fair
enough; but you're on the wrong track,
Mr. Ardmore, II you're trying to support
the present administration with stupid
things in books. I don't follow prece-
dents, Mr.. Ardmore; 1 create them"
But l should think you would have 70
be awfully careful not to mix UP the
cuisines Of the executive and judicial
branches OF the government l think
heard Grissy speak of that once,
though I'm not certain. Grissy knows
more than almost any other living man."
i don't doubt that your friend is a
well-educated person. but In times like
these you've got to rise above the cOnsti-
tuition; and just now it's more convent
ent 10 forget it. There's a constitution
OF North Carolina, too. II you're looking
for constitutions, but in good society
such things are not mentioned. Papa
always refers 70 the Constitution with
tears IN his eyes when he's making
speeches, but papa's very emotional IL
could make speech | should tell the
people what I think of them-that they're
too silly and stupid for words"
You are right, Miss Dangerheld.
have felt exactly that way about the
people ever since I was defeated for al
derman IN New York. But let mo have
the paper"
She turned 70 the morning mail while
he read, and opened the envelopes rapid
~. Such Of the letters as she thought
interesting or important she put aside,
and when Ardmore finished reading a
double-leaded telegram from Columbia,
IN which the governor Of South Carolina
was quoted as declaring his intention OF
taking immediate steps for the appre-
hension Of Appleweight. she was stn
reading and sorting letters. tapping her
cheek lightly meanwhile with the official
paper-knife.
Here, Mr.. Ardmore." she said. draw
ing paper from her pocket, as the
answer 20 that telegram we sent yes
terday evening. Suppose you read that
next, and we can then decide what to
do"
She was making the letters into little
piles. humming softly meanwhile: but
he felt that there was a storm brewing.
He read the message from Columbia a
number Of times. and II the acting
governor had not been so ominously
quiet he would have laughed az the terse
sentences.
There must be a mistake about this.
He wouldn't have used 'diverting that
way. that's insulting"
$50 YOU appreciate its significance, do
you, Mr.. Ardmore? The iron enters your
soul. does fl? You realize that I have
been insulted, do youg'
I shouldn't put II that way, Miss
Dangerfeld. Governor Osborne would
never have sent message like that TO
you-he thought he was sending II 10
your father"
He's insulted me and every other citI-
zen in the Old North State; that's who
he's insUlted. Mr.. Ardmore Let me
read II again" and she repeated the
telegram aloud:
Your extremely diverting telegram
in Appleweight case received and fled
l think it's the extremely that's so per-
fectly mean The diverting by Itself
would not hurt my feelings half so
much. He's a good deal smarter man
than 1 thought he was to think UP a
telegram like that But what do YOU
think of that piece in the newspaper?''
HE says he's going to catch Apple
weight dead or alive. That sounds pretty
serious"
Il think IT'S bluff myself. That tele-
gram we sent him yesterday must have
scared him TO death. He was driven
into a corner and had TO do something
10 avoid being disgraced, and rs easy
enough 20 talk big In the newspapers
when you haven't the slightest inten-
ton Of doing anything at all. I've no.
ticed that father talks the longest and
loudest about things he doesn't believe
at all"
Us It posslbIe?" whispered Ardmore
incredulously
"Of course it's possible! Father would
never have been elected if he'd expressed
bis real sentiments; neither would any
body else ever be selected II he said be-
forehand what he really believed"
That must have been the reason got
defeated for alderman on the reform
ticket. told EN- I was for turning the
rasoals out"
That was very stupid Of you You've
got 70 get the rascals TO elect you first
"a
need them any more you bounce them
But that's political practice; it's q theory
we've got TO work out now. Governor
Osbornes telegram is much more i'm
portant than his interview in the news
papers, which Is just for effect and of
no Importance at all He doesn't say
the same things In the telegram to
father that he said to the reporter. A
governor who really meant 70 DO any,
thing wouldn't be so ready to insult
another governor. The newspapers are
lot of bother. I spent all yesterday
evening talking to reporters. They came
to the house to ask where papa was
and when he would be homer
What did you tell themp'
Il didn't tell them anything. sent
out for two other girls and we all just
talked 20 them and kept talking. and
gave them lemon sherbet and 9inger
cookies; and Eva HungerfOrd PLAYED the
banjo-you don't know Eva? OF course
you don't know anybody, and I don't
want you 10, for II would spoil you for
private secretary. But Eva is simply
killing when she gets to cutting I'D, and
we made those reporters sing to US.
and all they say IN the papers, even the
opposition papers. thls morning Is that
Governor Dangerfeld is in Savannah
visiting an old friend. They all tell the
same story, so they must have fixed II
up after they left the house But what
were you doing. Mr.. Ardmore, that YOU
didn't come around to help? Il seems
to me you don't appreciate the response