Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-09
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BOOK 1.-THE ROOT.
CHAPTER 1.
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ter from Nan which was hard to an
swer. &.
For nine years he had refused to
see or speak to her. He met Bivens
as a matter of course. but always
down town during business hours or
at one of his clubs. For the first year
Nan had resented his attitude in an
cry pride and remained silent And
then she began to do a curious thing
which had grown to be a part of
his inmost life. For the past eight
years she had written brief daily
diary recording her doings, thoughts
and memories which she mailed to
him every Sunday night. She asked
no reply and he gave none. No names
appeared in its story and no name
was signed to the daily sheets of pa
per which always bore the perfume of
wild strawberries.
But the man who read them in ST.
lence knew and understood.
The letter he held today was not an
unsigned sheet of her diary-it was a
direct, personal appeal-tender and
beautiful in it's sincerity. She begged
him to forget the past, because she
needed his friendship and advice,
and asked that he come to see her at
once.
This letter was his first temptation
to break the resolution by which he
had lived for years.
He rose and paced the room with
fury, as he began to realize how des-
perate was his desire to go.
Have 1 fought all these years for
nothing?" he cried.
The thing that drew him with all but
resistless power was the deeper mean
ing between the lines. He knew that
each day the incompleteness Of her life
had been borne in upon her with
crushing force. He knew that the mad
impulses which had expressed them
selves in luxury, dress, extravaganza,
balls and bizarre entertainments were
but the strangled cries of sorrowing
heart And he knew that the faulty
of it all had begun at last to terrify
her. The more desperately he fought
the impulse to go the keener became
his desire to see her again. And yet
he must not. He felt, by an instinct
deeper than reason, that the day he
returned from his exile and touched
her hand would mark the beginning Of
a tragedy for both.
And yet the desire to go cIamoured
with increasing madness. The changes
that had come into his life counted for
nothing-today only a great passion
torturing, challenging,
tempting. Could he never live 1t
down? He looked about his Office, re-
minded himself Of his dignity and res
possibility, and sought refuge in his
sense of duty to the people.
i've done some things worth while!"
he cried, with brooding pride.
And the record confirmed his boast.
In the past nine years he had thrown
his life away only to find it in greater
power. He recalled it now with re-
newed sense of gratitude.
The first year which he had given
of unselfish devotion to the service of
the people had been a failure. He saw
at the end of it that in reaching an
individual here and there he was
merely trying to bale out the ocean
with a soup ladle. He saw that If he
would serve the people he must work
through them. He must appeal to the
masses, teach, lead, uplift and inspire
them to action. And he entered poll
tics. Only organic social action could
get anywhere or accomplish anything
worth while. He joined the organiza-
tion of the local Democracy in his dis
trict and went to work.
1t happened that he Joined just be-
fore an exciting municipal election
He threw himself into the campaign
with the zeal of a crusader. The peo-
pie who crowded to hear him were not
merely thrilled by the eloquence of his
impassioned speeches-they felt in
stinctively that the heart of real man
was beating back of every word.
His advancement was remarkable
At the end of four years he was NOM
mated for district attorney, and was
swept into office by a large majority.
Under his vigorous administration
of this important and powerful office
the enforcement of justice ceased to
be a joke and became living faith.
His work had stirred the state to a
nobler and cleaner civic life. During
the past year he had become one OF
the foremost figures in American
Democracy-the best loved and the
most hated and feared man in public
life in New York.
He remained alike Indifferent to the
cheers of his friends or the threats oi
his enemies. He was the most power
full man who had ever held such an Of
flee because he had no ambition be-
yond the highest service he could rem
der the people. He asked no favors-
he sought no preferment
To the men who secured his nomina-
ton and election he was an insolvable
mystery He said he wanted nothing
They had taken that as a wise saying
of a very shrewd man. When he ac-
cepted the nomination, they smiled
knowingly. But when they demanded
that he use his high office to punish
enemies and reward friends-and h'
politely refused-they served notice OF
him of political death unless he yield
ed within a given number of hours.
His answer was a laugh as he open
ed the door and pointed the way by
which the astonished delegation mign
find a safe and swift way OF exit
They passed out in speechless aston
ishment, and sent their big chief t
hrowbeat and bully the young upstar
into submission. The incredible
swiftness with which he returned lef
the question open as to how he go
out of the district attorneys office
He claimed to have bowed himself pO'
litely out the door-but, from the CON
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