Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-06-23
CHAPTER XVI.
"Only an Old Joke"

nearer to castle-building than at any
time since my boyhood castles col
lapsed under the rude blows of prac.
teal life
My paths have not always been
straight and open, said | to myself:
like all others who have won in the
conditions of this world of men till
thrall to the brute, | have had to use
the code of the jungle In climbing |
have had to stoop, at times to crawl.
But, now that l have reached the top.
| shall stand erect | shall show that
the sOrdidngss Of the struggle has not
untitled me 20 use the victory True.
there are the many and heavy polit-
ical debts I've had to contract in get
ting Burbank the presidency; and as
we must have a second term to round
out our work, we shall be compelled
to make some further compromises.
We must still deal with men on the
terms which human nature exacts.
but in the main we can and we will
do what is just and right, what helps
to realize the dreams of the men and
women who founded our country
the meb and women like my father
and mother.
And my mothers grave, beside my
fathers and among the graves Of my
sisters and my grandparents, rose be-
fore me. And | recalled the pledge
had made there in the boyish begin
nings of my manhood and my career.
MY chance and Burbank's," said |,
comes just in time. We are now at
the age where reputation is fixed:
and our children are growing up and
will soon begin to Judge us and be
judged from us.
Years of patient sowing, thought |,
and at last the harvest! And what a
harvest it will be! For under the
teachings of experience | have sown
not starlight and moonlight, but
seeds.
The next morning | could not rise;
1t was six weeks before | was able
to leave my bed. During that saw
age illness | met each and every one
of the reckless drafts l had been
drawing against my reserve vitality.
Four times the doctors gave me up:
once even Frances lost hope When
! was getting well she confessed to me
how she had warned God that he
need never expect to hear from her
again If her prayer for me were not
Answered-and i saw she rather sus.
pected that her threat was not una
ISOLATED with my recovery.
Eight weeks out of touch With a
fairs, and they the crucial eight week
of all my years of thought and action
At last the harvest, indeed and | wa
reaping what | had sown.
In the second week of January re
VOTED against the doctors and nl"r'-
and had my political secreta y.
Wheelock, telephone for Woodruf-
the Legislature had elected him tC
the senate three days before. When
he had sat with me long enough tc
realize that could bear bad news
he said: Goodrich and Burbank have
formed combination against you"
How do you know?' said /, show
ing no surprise, and feeling none
"Because'-he laughed-'T was in
it. At least, they thought so until
they had let me be safely elected As
nearly as l can make out, they b.
gan the plot about ten days after
you fell sick At first they had it
on the slate to do me up, too. But
the day after Observation-Disclosures sent
for me-"
wait minute" / interrupted, And
/ began to think 1t was on Christmas
day that Burbank telephoned for the
first time in nearly three weeks, in.
curing about my condition. | remem-
bered their telling me how minute
his questionings were. And | had
thought his solicitude was proof Of
his friendship Instead, he had been
ports in the papers that I was Ger
tain to recover in order that he
might shift the factors in his plot ac-
cordingly. when did you say Bur
bank sent for your" I asked
ION Christmas day" Woodruff re-
piled
laughed; he looked at me inquir-
ingly. Nothing" said l. only an
old ioke--as old as human nature Go
on"
Christmas day" he continued; ~
didn't get to him until next morning
/ cant figure out just why they in
vited me into their combine"
But I could figure it out, easily. II
had died, my power would have dis
integrated and Woodruff would have
been no use to them. When they
were sure I was going to live, they
had to have him because he might be
able to assassinate me, certainly
could so cripple me that | would
as they reasonable helpless undeI
| their assaults But it wasn't neces
sary to tell Woodruff this, I thought
We'll" said l. "and what hap
pened?"
Burbank gave me a dose of his
great and gracious way-you ought
! ~ sae tho side he putg on uGWi-