The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-28
HIS RISE
 TO
 POWER
By He qry Russell Miller,
 Auf6or % "Thle. Man Higher Up"
cepyrigh {, 1911. by the BObbs-Merriil
 Company
 0C0ptinued.)

(Continued.)
 t's joke I've just thought of-you wouldn't appreciate it.
 Was it, she pressed him-~was E bout your speech tonightT'
 sTndirectly, I suppose he replied, will you tell me about that? It was 4he reason-one reason-whe wanted Fou to come home with me. Pm of two minds about it Of course, didn't understand what it was all about, ex- Eept that you were expected to say far more and something different Any one could see that the men on the p1at1orm were angry. But one had the feeling that somehow you were finding and asserting yourself-doing some lhing rather splendid I know it made EAunt Roberta begin to snufae-she said nf was a cold in her head heard one man near us-a big, hulking farmer nay. By Joshua! I always thought there was considerable of man under Rhat white skin of Johnny Dun meade's' He didn't mean to be funny, T think. Another, q different sort of man, laughed and said, Now that's the cIsverest move yet It's grand stand play, but it'll make him if he's big enough to follow it up It'll get him a folIowing.'''
 She looked up at him inquiringly- He saw again the eager interest in her @yee-
 '.It was neither splendid nor crafty" he said grfmly. 'T was expected to rant and lie about the virtues of can didatas I've no faith in, cover up q lot of things that, it seems, can't be an swered- had that speech ready. But when it came to the point ISeouldn't nay it. That's all. Sheehan and the t organization will probably knife me under cover and beat me if only as horrible example to the next young man Fho happense aleag with 8 work Ing conscience 'a Tsd sf1s oaas
 ssWhyss sbe exeIafnaled increduloasly s.that would elect your opponent, wouldn't it2 Senator Murchell won't allow 1t, surely"
 Senator MurcheIl will be the first to recommend the knifng." he laughed shortly T begin to. suspect that the senator is false god-v
 What have you against the candi- 1nf Sstsss7A A--s-s s-s 4>- @- .Tt's rather aRafnst the forces behind them Bad methods and general sus- pzcion.> guess. I probably couldn't make it clear"
 .Just thats I do not think,'' she said slowly, -that I like 1t, after all. Pm disappointed in-for you"
 Would you have me lie? For that's what. it would amount to'
 .Oh, she cried, that's not a fair way to put it. Pm so ambitious for you. That's unvEomanly, too, SUD- pose. but don't care. am ambitious fer you. And 1 do so admire the men who sst along! And in politics you could 20 SO far. You have Senator Murchelrs friendship. You don't know how much he admires you. And you have brains and popularity. Do you Know what would do if were man like you3 I would go into politics seri- rously- I would master methods and conditions and adapt them to my pur- posa.a. would keep on until the organ hzation was mine. And then when my power wns secure I would remove, lit f1e by little, the evils saw, and when T had finished and measured my com promises against the good had done l know the balance would be in my fla ~or.s
 But h0 merely smiled bitterly. "And I suspect that by the time I'd got the power i'm the fashion you describe, I'd have become the sort of man that doesn't use his power for good.''
 What are you going to do about it p
 About the eIect1on?v He shrugged A1is shoulders in indifference. "Let lem beat me, I suppose haven't thought ahead as far as fomorrow''
 ssNow that it's all over can admire ygur refusing to make that speech It was splendid in a way. You see, I can appreciate unseIhshness in the ab- stract or when 1t can't be remsdied."
 'I told you that wasn't unselfsh. It was involuntary he insisted 'fBut can add to the evidenee-your kindly, even If mistaken, interest in me and my fnturss And you mustn't sneer at yourself,s 2 he added graYeIy. s5
 She turned to look fairly into his ayes "Do you still think it necessary to let me down easily P she asked quietly
 His body became rigid, nails biting into palms in the effort not to take her in his arms. For. without reason ing, he knew that to accept now what she unasked had offered would be to place hiRself in heF5posverss And that he dared nUts For as1Ougsm6unen4 their eyes ciung, then at the same instant they both looked hastily away.
 The silent minutes heightened as the cob drew them slowly up the face of East ridge. Behind them lay the val ley, always beautiful, never so won drous as in the paIIor of night; but they looked sfeadfast1y ahead
 To his credit be it writte9 John did not think carpingly of her boldness- let us use the word he>used, courage His longing was not Iessened because she had abandoned the woman's weap- on of indfrection for the man's frank ness. Yet his hold on himself did not reIax-ft became even the more secure And he wondered at the strength now