Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-03-02
the broad shoulders that seemed 80

what tremendous power as chamber
lain he really exercised in the state.
He awoke to that fact more slowly
than did the men who came to solicit
He did not try to use his power for his
own ends He promptly noted the def
erence that men paid him: as promptly
he penetrated certain plans men made
to corrupt him if they could These
attempts were made slyly and did not
proceed very far. Something In his
demeanor prevented the plotters from
openly broaching their desires and
their willingness to make their inter
ests worth his while. They knew that
one of the Thorntons could not be won
by money, but they were rather sur
prised to find out that he could not be
beguiled by other Inducements The
pride of serving General Weymouth
Loyalty was worth more to him than
anything they could offer.
His duties took him often to the
state capital. The chairman of the
state committee was coolly courteous,
often gloomily deferent1al, sometimes
frankly cordial, uneasily trying to find
the proper level
In the case Of Madeleine Presson
there was none of this embarrassment
way with a frank interest In his work
and a sympathy which In those days
of truce did not question his ideals
He became a welcome intimate Of
the Presson household When he was
there the master himself put aside an
the brusqueness he displayed In their
downtown discourse on politics. The
girl welcomed him. There were many
uyh oil
in the home or on long drives into the
country. He drew more and more upon
his fund of worldly wisdom. There
was little touch of the cynic in her
He became secretly ashamed of some
of his ingenious beliefs after she had
deity shown him the other side of
things. She did show him the other
side, quite in a matter Of fact way. 1t
was not that she was trying to break
down his faith. There was nothing sly
nor crafty in her methods of improv
ingA his views But by informing him
she made him wiser and at the same
time more distrustful of motives, more
searching in his Investigations of meth
DDS. He began to doubt some of his
earlier ideas of what a public man
should be. He felt that his views were
broadening. That was a comfortable
way of excusing certain surrenderings
to her ideas.
The more he drew from her the more
he was drawn to her.
1t was not the love that comes with
a rush of the emotions and sweeps a
man away.
Through the intellect, through his
hunger for information and wider
views, she was making herself indis
pensable to his welfare and his ambi-
lions.
And yet Madeleine Presson was not
trying to make this young man of the
north country fall in love with her.
Her interest in him was first of all
based upon his winning earnestness
and the elements of success that she
OWNED in him, were they properly Gull
tivated.
But as the days went by and oppor
tunity gave them their hours together,
they were drawn more closely, each
insisting in secret meditation that it
was not love. He had arrived at such
a point of belief in her that he was
glad that she had opened his eyes.
He was finding men-meeting them
by the hundred-even as she had pic
tured them to him: selfish, scheming.
crafty and not understanding in the
least his occasional attempts to meet
them on the upper level Of perfect
candor. For her part, she found more
in this young man than she had ex-
pected to find.
Linton came to the capital with more
or less regularity and called on the
Pressons with fully as much appear
ance of being entirely at home as his
newer rival. When they were togeth-
er the girl treated both with impartial
interest and attention.
So the new year came in, and the
hordes of lawmakers, lobbyists, look
ers on and laymen descended. on the
state capital
The Republicans ruled house and
senate by safe majorities. Presson,
sauntering about hotel or statehouse
lobby, seemed bland and contented
again The wounds in tie party SEEM
ed to have been healed.
On Inauguration day Governor Way
mouth added to the general spirit of
harmony. He came unobrusively to
the statehouse from the modest man
sion he had leased in the capital city
for the legislative winter and took oath
of Office before an admiring throng
He had made a confidant Of no one,
not even regarding his inaugural
speech and his plans for his admins
tration.
In that ancient statehouse, its accom-
modations for spectators limited, there
admission to the floor. Harlan Thorn