Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-06-17

Iu0 pun vi II Oh lllC ll1CuuC2G dp-
roar broke out. All semblance of or
der was lost. A dozen fist lights
started simultaneously. A 'longshore-
man-Conover district captain from
one of the railroad" wards OF Gran
ite-wittily spat in the face OF yo-
ciferating little farmer from Wills
County, and then stepped back with
a below of laughter at his own powers
of repartee. But others understood
the gentle art of "retort courteous"
almost as well as he. Losing for once
his inherited New England calm, Kari
Ansel drove his big gnarled fist flush
into the grinning face of the dock-rat,
and sent him whirling backward amid
splintering of broken seats.
Ansel, smarting and past all con-
troll. ploughed his way down the main
aisle, and halting below the stage,
shook his clenched fist at Caleb Con-
overs crayon likeness.
1--WE seen forty pictures of Juads Is
CARROT in my time" he Numbered,
apostrophizing the portrait in nasal
voice that rose high above the clamor,
land no two of them looked alike.
But by the Eternal, they all were the
living image of YOU"
Then he went down under an ava
lanche of Conover rowdies, giving and
taking blows as he was borne head
long to the floor At the cost of
brief interim of fruitless rioting, the
Machine at last had its way. Stan
dish had but six members on the COM
mittee.
The contest was over.
The Standish delegates offered but
a perfunctory opposition to the work
of choosing the Committees on Organ
ization and Platform This much hav-
ing been done, the convention took
the usual recess, leaving the commit
tees to go into session in separate
rooms back of the stage.
The delegates filed out, the men
from Wills and MataWan angry and
silent in their shamed defeat, those
from the six victorious. counties crow
ing exuberant glee at their easy tri-
umph.
The adjournment announced, Give
slipped out of the Convention Hall by
a rear entrance, and went across to
his private office at the League rooms.
He wanted to be alone-aWay from
even the staunchest friends-in this
black hour, Against all counsel and
experience, against hope itself, he had
hoped to the last. His bulldog pluck,
his faith in his mission, had upheld
him above other, colder saner reason.
Even the repeated warnings of Ansel
had left him unconvinced. Up to the
very moment Conover's final success
full move was made Standish had
hoped And now hope was dead.
He was beaten. Hopelessly, utter
ly, starkly beaten. From the outset
Conover had played with him and his
plans as a giant might play with a
child. 1t had been no question of
open battle, with the weaker antag-
onist battered to earth by the greater,
the whole campaign had been futile
struggle of an enmeshed captive to
break through a web too mighty for
his puny efforts, while his conqueror
had sat calmly by, awaiting victory
that was sure as the rise of the sun.
Standish knew that in a few min
utes he would be able to pull himself
together and face the world as man
should. In the interim, with the hurt
animals instinct, he wanted to be
alone.
Save for a clerk in the antecham-
Der, the Leagues rooms We're de-
serted. Everyone was at the conven-
ton. The clerk rose at Gives en-
trance and would have spoken, but the
defeated candidate passed unheeding
into his own office, closing the door be-
hind him.
Then, stopping short, his back to
the closed door, he stared, unbelieving,
at someone who rose at his entrance
and hurried forward, hands out
stretched, to greet him.
81 knew you would come here!' said
Anice Lanier. 81 felt you would, so
hurried over as soon as they adj
iourned. Aren't you glad to see me?'
He still stared, speechless, dumb
founded. She had caught his unrespon-
sive hands, and was looking up into
his tired hopeless eyes with wealth
of pity and sympathy that broke
through the mask of blank misery on
his face and softened the hard lines of
mouth and jaw into shadow OF a
smile.
"It was good of you to come" he
said at last. 81 thought | couldn't
bear to see anyone just now. But
it's SO different with you, I"
He ceased speaking. His overstrung
nerves were battling against childish
longing to bury his hot face In those
cool little white hands whose lightest
touch so thrilled him and to tell this
gentle, infinitely tender girl all about
his sorrows, his broken hopes, his
crushed self-esteem. In spirit he
could feel her arms about his aching
heaa. drawing it to her breast; could
hear her whispered words of soothing
,Nx1f