The Alaska citizen., 1911-07-03


  almost hidden behind a pyramid f blooms. to the long gallery that ran around three sides of the room. Seemingly this gallery was given over to womeu-wives. daughters and sweethear'S of these men OH the floor below. gl.w of pride envel- oped him when he realized that he Jim Warren. was part of that splendid picture. If only the little mother had lived, As il was, no wo- man in all that mass of flu'tcring ribbons and plumes and handcrChiefs had word or thought for him: none knew him, unless She would be there. of course, He turned and studied the gallery deliberately. He didn't see her.
 From the moment of his entrance Jim Warren was made 10 feel his importance. for he had instantly been surrounded by a besieging body of alert-faced young men - newspaper reporters. He was the chap who put it all over Lewis and they didn't permit him 10 forget it. Now that he was here on the job. what was he going 10 do? He had accepted Lewis support; did that mean that he would vote with Lewis party? Did he understand that as an independ- ent he would have absolutely no power otherwise? Did he have the panaCea for all labor troubles con cealed anywhere about his person Now. Confdentially. what was the real inside history of that flop of Lewis after the photograph episode He wasn't married, of course? How old was he? And few thousand other questions.
 A large man with a large stick
 finally took Jim Warren away from the reporters and led him to desk in remote corner of the chamber a desk that was almost hidden beneath an enormous mound of flow CTS. Jim Warren stared. He un- steadily turned over the card on the flowers and there was an absurd tightening of his throat as he read it:
 From old Bob and the Boys.
 God bless 'em," said Jim War
 ren softly.
 There was another bunch of flow.
 CTS too-a small, tissue-wrapped clus- ter of violets. cool damp, fragrant There was no card. Jim Warren $ eyes opened in wonder; then he turn
 ed slowly and for the second time studied the mass of color in the gallery. No; he didn't see her. II was foolish. Of course. that he should 1 imagine such a thing; but if net she then who had sent them? 1 There came the call to order the tedious work of Organiza ion. the par tial announcement of committees and all the other routine Late in the ai ternuon of a weary day Lewis. with the freedom of a quondam member appeared before his desk. Apparently
 he had forgotten all those things ! that had gone before. He brought a
 smile and a pleasant word.
 How do you like il as far as You i have gone?'
 T can answer that better in a
 month from now Jim Warren grin ned.
 It's not very good seat you have here" Lewis remarked care
 lessly "I don't suppose you would object to a better one if l could ar range it?"
 Co ahead" said Jim Warren.
 And what about the committt es What have you drawn sc far?'
 Church and Parish Affairs Again
 Jim Warren grnned. "l can't see my self setting the state on fire as T hot
 some of the committees haven't i been completed" Lewis remarked
 musingly T don't suppose you'd ob, l ject if l said a word for you in that
 direction? l happen to be pretty close
 to Tillnghast.'
 "Go as far as you like" Lewis strolled away and Jim War
 ren, watching him with narrowed eyes. fell to wondering. What was Lewis looking for? Another bump? From Lewis his thoughts travelled on
 to the distractingly pretty girl. and
 she reminded him of violets. He picked up the dewy blossoms and inhaled their odor deeply. A legislature is like a sitting hen it takes a week or more to ge; down to business. Jim Warren spent that week in observation; and the longer he looked the more he was impressed with the bigness Of this particular bit of state machinery. He
 was in the kindergarten; he didn know his AB-abs. Slowly. too, he came 10 see the tremendous power ol the speaker; and. seeing that he knew that Lewis. despite the fact that he was no longer member, had greater influence than he had ever had before. He owned Filling hast. body and soul. He was out to make him governor and Tllllnghast
 was paying for that job in advance as far as he was able 10. Gro be continued)
 S|DFTRACK FAR FIR R0RINS