The San Francisco call., 1910-12-18

~ pointment after the matinee
"a and took him to a four bit
French dinner in Stockton
street where an Indifferent stringed
orchestra played; a nondescript table
d'hote given over largely to prosper
Gus clerks. heads of store departments,
family parties-a cafe with a sugges-
tion of Gallo smartness but tamely re-
spectacle, where one found trio of
rosy faced stenegraphers, middle aged
married women, spinsters and female
book Keepers who would come here
unattended and depart to the plays
after their eognac, with a buzzing
sense of the luxurious unimportance of
things.
kind of peaceful" Fred Wsldy said
as he sat back after the roast chicken
and the sprouts, cropfull and pleased
Arnold had been wittily inclined
drolly giving forth the most astonish-
ing theories on social evolution and
the philosophical aspect of Industrial
ism. matters on which Weldy loved to
argue with a prosy but German thor
oughness.
When they reached the coffee the
legislator was replete with satisfac-
tion. "Old man. it's the best, comfort
ablest time I've had since we had our
big dinner together at the Fiore
d'Italia, way last fall when I con-
cluded I'd go into politics. Lord, what
a fool 1 wasi Here I've been bully
ragged and hauled about and
asked questions on hundred
things l didn't dream Of What
the devil do I know about taxing the
railroads on their earning capacity and
ali that?'
Arnold laughed cheerily. Well, you
certainly are coming in for lot of
talk on this special committee, aren't
your
The whole city delegation is wild
at me-" purs,sed Fred dismally, and the
railroad lobby threatens me, and the
members tell me If / vote to investi-
gate the bribery scandals. they'll beat
the safety coupler bill the labor peo-
pie want. And vet the unions are dead
for the inquiry"
Fred, the unions don't amount to a
tinker's dam The boss and Sti1lman
control the leaders-and back OF the
boss is Chatom and the railroad So
you see all this yawp about bucking
the organization and delivering the peo-
pie from the corporation cinch, and re-
form, and all that stuff, goes right in
a circle. Everybody is traded in right.
sSt1ll, the Dig men INSIDE are q IItle
bit surprised al you"
.Oh, surei I know now what / was
elected fort The push wouldn't have
got behind me if they hadn't thought
l was all right
"And now you're putting me in a
funny fix. Fred-yeu know I stood for
you. I said the word in the back room
of the Maplewood that gave you the
nomination"
The statesman stirred restlessly
'Sure-sure, Ham, you're goingI to
plague me. too, amt you? It's getting
savage Why, they've even gone to my
wife-somebody dias-and the police
captain has been at Unc' Pops dozen
times Of late just talking around about
his side door, and IL women come in
there-iust think-at Unc' Pop's,'
Fred. I'm glad you see 1t. It's how
the system works
But, what's the racing bribery got
TO do with Unc' Pop? Women?-why
IL they want TO get after women drink
ing, why don't they raid some of these
big. downtown joints2" Weldy's indig-
nation overfowed, and Arnold laughed
his amusement. Fred never would
learn; he was always the boy
And the Central security company
holds a mortgage on your home for two
thousand dollars, doesn't itg"
Weldy turned on him, staring witt
excitement "What-what-how yot
know?"
We'll, don't attract every ones at
tention Come, let's get out. Only
Arnold,s grave voice came to the legis
lator,s ear-"I wanted to haye you SCI
the knives at your back, Fred. Tn
trying to put you wise"
Theeeassemblyman was dazed wher
they reached the sidewalk; he put hi.
hand through his friends arm. Sud
denly it seemed that the Burgund,