Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-03-09


floor
1t had come like a thunderclap on
moonlit night. 1t was sudden tempest
prefaced by the lul of perfect calm
1t was the signal to combat sounded
when peace seemed assured The
young man perceived now how much
of his early zeal had deserted him. He
shrank from the task the governor had
assigned to him. 1t was a blow thab
was aimed at the tenderest point of
his own party. 1t was obliging the
party, as the dominant power, to
thrust upon the mass of the people
the radical execution of a law which
public opinion secretly opposed, that
opinion even slyly welcoming the
breach of it. He was summoned to
carry out his pledge of loyalty to Gov
ernor Weymouth by attacking the pet
policy of notification that kept his
own party off the shoals to which ex-
treme radicalism would surely drive
it. The first man who would be hit
both as chairman of the party state
committee and in his personal inter
ests-would be the man whose daugh-
ter he was seeking. Harlan wonder
ed how that marriage proposal would
sound, either on the heels or on the
eve of the introduction of 1.-THE Thorn
ton BILL,
His uncertainty showed so plainly in
his face that the governor walked
around his table and scrutinized him
closely.
MY boy" he asked, has the enemy
captured you while you've been rest
ing on your arms? Remember, there
are slick and specious ways of making
ifht in, I
hope you haven't been tempered with"
I'm going~to tell you just why I'm
a bit slow in this matter" Harlan said
manfulIy. 1T may seem trivial rea-
son to you. Governor Weymouth. 1
stopped to wonder how it would affect
my friendship with the Presson family
if should introduce that bill"
''Oh, 1 see how the land lieSi You
can understand now how old 1 am
old and cold with all the romance
burned out of me. I'd forgotten that
there's anything except politics left in
the world So He paused, beam
| ing kindly on the young man, and
| pursuing his lips ready for the jocose
superstition that Harlan foresaw and
anticipated.
NO" he declared, flushing, sit isn't
| that way. 1t hasn't gone that far, gov
ernor. l ask your pardon for mention
| ing my personal affairs, especially an
affair of this sort. But l should be
very sorry to break off my friendship
with the Pressons."
I'm afraid / spoke of the case of
our mutual friend Presson in rather
harsh terms 1t would not work like
that Of course he would bow to the
inevitable if such law were passed.
But if'it becomes a personal matter in
any respect, Mr.. Thornton, do you be-
lieve that any member of Presson' S
family would be offended if Presson
were made to obey the law?''
''Well. if he persisted against the
new law it would be pretty hard po-
sition for any fair person to Defend
admitted the young man.
Il think we may depend on it that
this young person, admittedly fair
| at my age l can be allowed to bestow
that compliment-will respect your in
| tegrity 1 do not command you to do
| the service. / cannot do that. But
shall be disappointed if you allow per-
| Sonal reasons to interfere with your
public duties. / have depended on you
to do it. 1 have only a few that l can
trust"
At that instant, in the presence of
this man who had sacrificed SO much,
| Harlan felt that his own interests were
too petty for consideration
| He put the document into his pocket.
Forgive me for hesitating, Cover
nor Weymouth. I'm afraid I'll never
make a very good public servant. But
I'll try to hold my eyes straight ahead
after this"
Keep the paper in your pocket.
| Think it all over. You're at the place
every man reaches What you want to
do and what you ought to do split very
sharply sometimes I'll let you de-
eide. 1 have no more to say"
Harlan walked back to the hotel try
ing to adjust himself to this new phase
| of the question. Once more he had
been called upon to lead the charge of
the forlorn hope He had not the same
thrill of jealous loyalty as before He
was a little hurt because the governor
| had made the affairs of his heart of
so small Importance. He understood
plauded by the radicals-he had met
their leaders and did not like them
he would get the applause the mob
| gives to "a well meaning fellow" but,
| more than all. he would be sneered at
| behind his back as "a crank trying to
reorganize human nature" and there
fore to be summed There was his
grandfather, there was Luke Presson,
there were the political associates with
whom he had already begun to train
on the basis of compromise.
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