The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-07-18


 to the photographers the day afte, Leicester had made his memorable speech, and she appeared at her best Moreover, the photographer, and the maker of the slide, were to be con- graduated. It was a fine picture There was a smile upon her lips, the light of gladness was in her eyes while the nobility of her face inn pressed all who saw it.
 Almost without realizing it, Leices- ter turned and saw. He remembered accompanying her to the photo grapher's, and he recalled the happy day they had spent afterwards. Yes, this was the woman he had won and lost. All the ghastly mockery of held the beautiful woman who had sent him away from her home in scorn and anger. The shouts of the multitude maddened him. He want ed to rise and tell them that the whole thing was a shameful lie, a bitter mockery. But he sat still, looking and looking. Presently he became almost unconscious of the shouting crowd, in his consciousness of his hopeless misery, and wrecked hopes. Great God, what was this election to him now, when his heart was all torn and bleeding, and when, to forget everything, he had de- bauched himself in whisky. Never had he realized his loss more than he realized it then. She was his no longer, she had driven him from her because he had outraged her wo- mans pride, because he had made her the subject of a drunken jest.
 In moment all bad changed again. The hall was ablaze with light, and the slide had been remov- ed from the lantern. They were again brought back to the business of the meeting.
 And now," said the chairman, "I have pleasure, unbounded pleasure. in asking our brilliant candidate, who I am sure will be not only your fu- ture member, but in good time will occupy Cabinet rank in this country, to address the meeting. Moreover, I want, in your name, to assure him that we are all anxious, not only to welcome him as our future member. but to tell him that we look forward to the time when we shall see him and his beautiful wife upon this platform
 The chairman was not possessed of very sensitive nature, or he would not have uttered this last gen. timent Besides, he was carried away with the ardour of the meeting and the dignity of his own position.
 As Leicester rose to speak he felt that his head was swimming, and he realized that his brain refused to fasten upon the things he wanted to say. The atmosphere of the ill., ventilated hall had now become stiff ling to degree, and the whisky he had been drinking during the last two days was having its effect As he said, his long abstinence had made him more susceptible to its power, and he not only knew that he was drunk, but he also realized that others were in danger of know ing it as well.
 He stood staring stupidly at the audience, as cheer followed cheer At first a great dread filled his heart, only to be followed by a kind of idiotic mirth, over which he had no control. When he spoke it seemed to him that his voice was not his own, it sounded ludicrous in the ex- treme; it was like the babble of a senseless idiot, rather than that of a strong, self contained man.
 Ladies and gen'Tmen," he said, and felt himself rocking to and fro as he spoke, 'I'm 'bliged to you, verr-y 'bliged to you, for the kind sentiments yuo've 'xpressed fir my beautiful bride" Here he stopped; he felt that the people were looking towards him with wonder. He heard derisive laughter in the hall. He tried to think of something else to say, but his brain refused to act; the whisky had taken effect. The scenes through which he had passed and the stifling atmosphere of the room had mastered him. For the first time in his life he revealed the fact that he was drunk. For several seconds he stood, staring at the people with lack-lustre eyes, and rocking to and fro in his helplessness.
 Ladies and gen'Fmen,' he hic- coughed, i've been drinking to her health t'day, and I b'lieve I'm little bit drunk. Never'less, I'll 'nde'vour to-
 He tried to speak further, but in vain; then, looking around the hall, he broke into a senseless laugh, and fell on the floor of the platform in a Sfafa of iy,ohaoiIifu