The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-04-24


meet BEFORE ~ Il the rough board
sneakers stand. hastily knocked to-
rether and literally bedecked with
nses and autographs 81 Lincoln and ot
Beck. the candidate for treasurer. In
front are many rows Of pine hrnches.
Over all falls the white splendor Of the
full October moon. to I've dlmmed when
the four kerosene Torches guarding the
speakers stand are set faring and
smoking. and by many other lights.
Debuuching into Main street from
other roads comes u steady stream OF
steeds. gaunt aud strong and slow
moving rs the human freight they
draw. shying awkwardly at the lights
flashed IN their eyes 10y reckless. mis-
chievous boys. The steeds are safely
hltcbed IN various churchyards. aud
the drivers gather In the square In
shifting. serious groups. Gradually the
square Hills. A boarse hum " voices
rises. The air becomes charged with
an unnatural excitement-t sense OF
an oc,'asion- bred Of the strange lights
and hustle and the presence OF many
men. John between haDdshakes has
time to feel It. His tagging soul. Jaded
by much questioning. leaps forth sud
denly responsive. These men nre-tbe
people The power OF 1.-THE power
and the glory. lie thrills under q
sense OF oneness with them Murchell
and his machine. Sbeehan and his con
troll. seem far away, unreal. impossible
The candidates, properly acclaimed.
and their party OF distinguished citi
sens are on the platform. The benches
are tlled Around them stands fringe
OF men. mostly farmers, who In the
rush for seats have been too slow
John. sandwiched In between Sheehan
and Congressman jenkins. looks out
over the audience. a strange question
| In his eyes. tie Is seeking reason"
as though II were ~ I've found written
on the faces Of the men before him
The speaking begins After short
/ preliminary speech the chairman intro
/ duces Heck. candidate for treasurer. as
| tnconSiderable now ms he vii, be when
/ In Office Then comes rarrott. a IA
lures somehow suggest that he N well
named He IL adept Ia the Use Of those
| phrases which elicit enthusiasm. hut do
not convince. After him Marx Sherrod.
! state senator. a tall. suave man with
magnetic something about him. one
OF his eyes has n slight csst and gives
/ his face n sinister expression which not
all his undoubted attraction can re-
move He IL a coming man Already
q power in the big eastern city. u Is
whispered thai he Is planning TO sue
coed neCk In the treasurershlp. And
after him the Hon. q. Washington Jen.
kins. congressman from the district,
Lincolninn In figure. shrill and nasal OF
voice. but with the old campaigner's
fund of stories aud a rough and ready
eloquence that catches the crowd In
spite OF his time worn arguments.
The front seats roar their approval.
From the fringe OF farmers. Jim Shee-
han observes. comes only grim silence.
There Is an uneasy sense that Jerry
Brent's suspicious have not been an
wered
Through II all John sat. hardly NOV
ing. But within him was tumult. lie
was contrasting the grandiloqueut. vir-
tuous phrases with the machine as he
had seen IT, And he knew that In the
devious devices ~ which be could not
help hearing hints In his campaigning
he had caught but GLIMPSE OF the
thlng-the machine. He did not believe
that good employs evil to its ends: by
its agencies cause was to be judged.
He sighted along the line OF those who
profited by it-Sheehan. Beck. Parrott,
Sherrod. Murrhell rhe line was lost
IN the mist OF mis- incomplete kDowl-
edge This knowledge. his ranking
suspicious. Brent's questionings. rose
up to Confront him. demn nding 'rea-
son" He could not lind II And the
people-the sturdy. patient, hard headed
men ont there were they such dolts ms
to lie fooled by the hollow mockery be-
ing enacted before them? lie could
not believe II And yet he-he who
doubted WAS expected to play a part
In the mockery. to give the lie to his
inner consciousness. TO befog the issue
in the minds Of the listeners. to take
his place In the ranks OF the machine.
The speech In his pocket burned TO the
skin.
The tumult was still raging when the
Hon Wash Jenkins concluded his 6orid
peroration and the applause died down
Vaguely. as from a distance. John
heard the chairman introduce New
Chelsea's candidate" and the sudden
cheers that rose lie did not realize.
although i'arrott and Sherrod did. that
In the cheers was n quality not felt In
the other greetings that night He rose
mechanically. lie hardly knew when
Sh-ehan. grasplng his arm. shouted
into his ear: Don't forget the state
{ ticket play II up hard"
He stood silent before them The
well conned speech. with Its smooth
periods. the dramatic climaxes. TO
which his clear. flexible voice lent H.
self so beautifully. refused TO he ut
tered lie could not speak the lie he
had prepared: n reason" he had not.
At last words came. In q dry. sup
pressed voice. He did not mean TO he
/ facetions. and no one laughed nj his
oruVa urotpstinu irony