Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-03-02

OF my iifeP
man nature, you know, to pick up the
things that are thrown away by the
| owners-to pick them up and keep
them and value them, I mean. That
applies to purses and all other posses
sions, including hearts and loyalty"
He started to say something to her,
even though the throng pressed about
them he would have said it-but the
voice of the crier at the door announc
ed what all were waiting for.
His excellency the governor, the
honorable council and his excellency
| the governor elect and partyI"
They filed along in dignified process
sion down the center aisle, the uni
forms of the officers of the staff giving
formal frock coats.
The secretary Of state announced the
official figures of the vote electing Var
| den Weymouth as governor, and after
his sonorous final phrase, God save
| the state of - Governor Weymouth
repeated the oath of Office administered
| by gaunt, sallow lawyer who was the
| president of the senate.
The clerk of the house set a reading
desk on the speakers table and ar
ranged the governors manuscript. AS
the old man read he made a striking
picture. He stood very erect. His
| snowy hair, the empty sleeve across
his breast, the lines the years had
etched on cheeks and brow, gave those
who looked on him little thrill of
sympathetic regret that one SO old
should be called from the repose of his
later years to take up such public bur-
dens as he had assumed. But his
voice was resonant, his eye was clear.
Nature seemed to have given him new
strength to meet what he was now
facing. And yet, thought some of those
who listened, 1t might be that he did
not propose to make a martyr of him
self, after all.
The address did not threaten or COM
plain. The radicals who sat there
with set teeth and bent brows hoping
to hear denuncfation after their own
heart were disappointed. The politi-
clans who had feared now took new
grip on their hope. 1t probably was
not to be as bad as they had antici-
pated.
Harlan Thornton listened to the
calm, moderate statement of the states
general financial and political situation
with growing sense of mingled disap-
pointment and relief. His fighting
spirit and his knowledge of conditions
as they had been revealed to him made
him hope that at last an honest man
proposed to clean the temple, entering
upon his task with barred arms and
clarion call. This mild old man, con-
filming himself to the details of the
states progress and needs, was not
exactly the leader he had expected him
to be. And yet Harlan was relieved.
He looked at the girl beside him, and
that relief smoothed away his disap-
pointment- As matters were shaping
themselves he no longer anticipated
that he would be driven into pitched
battle. forced to fight intrenched enc
mics of reform-Luke Pressons face
most conspicuous of all those behind
the party wall of privilege. There
would be no more occasion for trou-
bled arguments between himself and
the girl at his side. He did not under
stand exactly in what way it would be
done, but he felt that Governor Way
mouth knew how to win his reforms
without such party slaughter as the
first engagements limited at
He had lost some of his respect for
reform" 1t had been exemplifed for
him mostly by such men as Prouty and
his intolerant kind, by Spinney and his
dupes. He felt that he might call de-
cency by some other name and arrive
at results by the calm and dignffied
course which Governor Weymouth now
seemed to be pointing out. He sudden
ly felt a warm appreciation of the wis
dom of Madeleine Presson as she had
made that good sense known to him in
their talks.
For it is by my works, not my words.
that would be judged" concluded the
governor solemnly, and bowed to the
applause which greeted the end.