Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-12
Honorable
Senator
Sagebrush
By
FRANCIS LYNDE
Copyrights. 1910. by Street q Smith

Der of guests to fill two of the open
dress circle boxes. Gantry was Of the
number, and so were the Weatherfords
father mother. daughters and son.
BlOunt had been counting upon a
measure bly, undisrurbed evening With
Pau1c1a, but rate or a designing most
RS interviewed. apd he found himself
rornered between Mrs. Weatherford
md her younger daughter. with the
square snouldered reform candidate
! for governor strengthening the bar
cier which separated him from Pa
tricia
Blount had met Gordon socially a
number of times, and in the intervals
allowed him by Mrs. Weatherford he
was silently studying the face of the
big man. who. if the gods should so
direct, might be the leader and chief
political figure in the state for the sue
ceeding two years.
1t was a good face and. in Blount's
estimate, an exceedingly strong one
Almost uncOnsciously he fell TO con-
trasting it with that of Reynolds. the
candidate for whom the corporation
interests were working.
Though Blount himself was on the
corporation side. he could not help ad-
hitting that the comparison was not
! favorable to Reynolds. He said to
himself that Reynolds face was the
face of a timeserver.
| Weighing the two men one against
the other-Reynolds was sitting in an
adjacent box with party of railroad
/ officials-Blount was conscious of a
! twinge of regret that chance or his
convictions had made him a partisan
/ of the weaker man.
| Throughout the play and the inter
missions the Weatherfords - mother
and daughter-kept him from exchang-
! ing so much as a word with Miss An
| ners. whom Gantry was sharneessIy
mOnopolizing. But on the short re-
turn walk to the hotel after the play
Blount resolutely pushed his friend
aside and gave Patricia his arm.
II think you owe me a very abject
apology" was the way she began on
him when they had such privacy as
the crowded sidewalks conferred.
Consider them made and then tell
me what Tor, he countered.
Consider a moment. You come to
me with a really narrowing story of
your new experiences, and just as /
am beginning to get interested there
is an interruption, and in the morning.
at some perfectly impossible hour off
you go, and we hear no more Of you
for weeks and weeks. What have you
been doing?"
Il have been doing precisely what
you told me to do-preaching the Cos
pei OF honesty and fair dealing and
trying my level best TO make other
people practice it
You have been successfuI?" she
asked quickly.
REASONABLY so in the preaching.
since that depended solely upon me. As
10 the other, / don't know. Sometimes
1 think the hOuSecleaners are honestly
at work. and at other times am afraid
they are putting up a front only to
deceive me. Some time perhaps 1
may tell you how far l have had to
80 into the practical politics armory
TO get my weapons"
And your father, Evan-are you
coming to understand him any bet
teri"
He shook his head despondently.
NO. or. rather. yes. 1 am afraid
am coming TO understand him or his
methods only too well. The only way
we can keep from quarreling now is
10 Danish politics when we are to-
gether.''
Il am sorry" she said. and the sor-
row was emphatic in her tone. AS
have said before. you don't understand
him You are judging him by stand
ards which. however just and true they
may be. are peculiarly your own stand
ards ] know you can be broad for
others when you try. Can't you be
broad for hing
1t was good to hear her defend his
father 1t was what be would have
wished his wife TO do. Suddenly there
arose within him a huge reluctance TO
lessen or TO weaken in any way her
trust il David Blount.
Let US say that the fault is mine"
he said hastily. God forbid that I
should be the means Of making you
think less OF him in any respect
He is simply a grand old MANTLE
nrSt 1 have ever known for whom the
hackneyed phrase seemed TO have been
made" she asserted warmly IF he
has faults I am sure they are nothing
more than gigantic virtues, the faults /
Of man who is too strong to be little
in any way"
With Patricia in town. the silver /
tongued speubinder OF Quaretaro
Mesa. as the Daily Capital called the
new division counsel, would have been 4
glad 70 evade some of the speaking an
pointments. but as his engagements
mad been made for some days In ad- /
vance he was obliged TO go.
On bis return to the capital he was
delighted 10 find the party Of three sun |
occupying the private dining room suit