The Alaska citizen., 1911-07-17
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"Tilinghast has made me chairman of the Committee Cn Public StruC- lures" said Jim Warren.
 Very good," That was according tO the plan.
 And a member of the Committee on Railroads.
 The Committee on -" Lewis stopped and gazed al him in utter as. tonishment Did you CT draw gun on him - or anything?"
 "NC.'-simply
 What else?" Lewis was sarcastic
 Nothing"
 After little while Lewis went away and Jim Warren resumed his pondering on the problem in hand. II was simple enough. consisting as it did of only one question: Why couldn't a woman - Edna Tiiliug- hast. 10 be exact understand that a man who sold his own vote and influence in the legislature of his state. and trafficked in the votes of others. was just as much a traitcr to Lis country as was a soldier who walked into the enemy's camp and delivered over the plans Jf campaign? Gt course. in this instance the gil loved the man: but should love mikc her bind 10 his crookedaess? r.vi- Gentlv it had - but should it? In all his noody ponderings he was able to find only one answer to that. There was hullabaloo in the leg islative chamber on the following morning when Dwight Tillinghast an nCuaCed the Committee on Public Structures and the Committee od P2l'rCads Every precedent had been Vi, .ated, Everybody sail t at one aro, there being no possible chancn for argument. there followed the question: Why"
 Because MT. Tillinghast wanted mirtees. where a practical man was needed Lewis explained urbanely to the sCowling mob that besieged him. MT. Warren is practical"
 Jim Warren sat through the up roar with faraway thoughts. The mere fact that she loved Lewis was no reason why she shouldn't re- alize that he was crooked Why. then. was she blind to it? Was il that she didn't understand political right and wrong? Was it because of the lies of her father and of Lewis? Had they made her believe that all those charges by which he had made Lewis quit were mere vapory nDth- lngS - things of no moment. except ln so far as they might arouse senti- ment against him? She believed that Lewis withdrawal had been really a masnanimous act; therefore all that Jim Warren had said and done in opposition to him had strengthen ed her belief in his generosity. Al the las, she had accused him. Jim Warren. of being ungrateful, She had said she was not a child Jim Warren tried to make himself be- lieve that she was a child, If he could have only believed that,
 Lewis came and stood by Jim Warren's desk, looking out over the chamber with cold. cynical eyes. There was a sheer on his face
 Tt kicked up one fine young row, all right" he volunteered.
 'What?" asked Jim Warren.
 'Nhat.' Lewis repeated He star ed at Jim Warren a moment and went away
 As opposed to this generous hypo- thesis. there was another an ugly one. Perhaps she did understand and sought 10 palliate Lewis crook cdnesS. Riches make their possessors arrogant and give them standards of which the unit is the dollar mark. Was that it? Her father was a rich. complacent. fat. overfed hypCcrite. Sh ter of her luxurious life, the emDti- ness of it all - had it utterly crush ed every fine instinct in her every instinct of honesty? Was her attitude that of an innocent one who didn't understand. or of braZen one who didn't care?
 Days passed and still that last question remained unanswered. The expected bills providing for recrea- ton piers and a new state school and half dozen libraries were dump ed in on the house one day by Rep resentative Tyson, who incidentally was also on Public Structures These were the bills Jim Warren was to hSht Tor - to further Tillinghast's golden dream of the governOrship However, they would have to pass third reading before they reached the committee; meanwhile Jim War ren had time to brood. His abstrac- tlon at last aroused glimmer of suspicion in Lewis mind.
 The bills are all in." he remarked 70 Jim Warren gratuitously one day. There was something about Jim WaIren's attitude that he didn't like
 T know it." was the reply
 They'll be before your committee in day or sO"
 There's nothing l can do yet-is there?'
 No"
 "Well?"
 It was dismissal Lewis under stood it as such. He stood in corner of the lobby for long time and stroked his chin thoughtfully. It might be necessary to get to this man Ill another way. How?
 Slowly Jim Warren evolved an an- swer to the question that was tor menting him-slowly and reluctant ly: Edna Tillinghast did understand that Lewis was a crook but she did not care! It didn't matter to her whether men were honest or dishon- est! No other conclusion was possi- Die. She was not a fool. What if she hadn't read his charges against Lewis? It was impossible that she should not know of them She knew, all right! It didn't matter to