The Washington herald., 1913-10-12

is here" She laid the yellow slip o.
memoranda on the desk 1t was COW
cred with careless entries, figures, alb.
breviationS. To Harlan it meant Moth
ing. This is Boydston's writing
Boydston, the go-between.'
Those old yarns Harlan mur.
INJURED; then her dominance stilled
him. He looked again at the paper
You mean this is-proof?"
This and Boydston's confession"
"Confession?"
1T amounts to that His admissions
to Hemminger, his fellow-board men,
Der, on the way of the last deal-the
Lindstrom Pocket deal-was put
through. He admitted he took money
he offered Hemminger $500 to keep
silent on this
She tapped the paper Harlan stared
at her incredulously. why, / saw
Boydston coming from the bank not
an hour ago. There was conference
OF some sort Father was there, and
Tanner and Wiley Curran. There are
rumorS that Tanner threw up the fight,
and wants to make an agreement with
Wiley and his league hackers to keep
their, hands off the county committee
shipp
"Boydston,H she retorted quietly,
has confessed, two weeks ago. He
dare not tell Tanner. He has been
begging, threatening, pleading with Mr..
Hemminger to keep silence, and to de-
stroy this'-she fingered the paper.
Last Tuesday, a week ago, this was
placed in my hands by mistake. The
sillieSt thing a bribe taker ever did,
and only a bungling old farmer like
Boydston could have done it. | drove
out to the DECKS place to get petit
ton that the people have been circu-
lating there to divide their school dis
trict That is the place Boydston sold
to Diecks when he moved to town.
Well, this German had charge of this
petition and kept it in crack of the
chimney in BoydstouS old sitting
room. When ! called for the petition,
his wife-who can't read a word of
EngliSh-handed me an envelope, which
did not look at until ! came back to
town. Then when | went to file that
petition | din't have it. Instead, these
any sense of them. But there were
computations of money paid, and
money divided. all i'll Boydston'S hand
writing. | studied i and the dates.
and it struck me curiously that the
dates of the transactions tailed with
several county board meetings. And
then it dawned on me like a lightning
fash. | sent for Hemminger, and we
compared the notes with his recollec-
tionS of board transactions. Why,
BOydston had actually put Thad's name
after one division OF $500 between him
self and Curry! | couldn't believe
such idiocy Then Hemminger took
the memoranda to Boydston and de-
nanded an explanation, and Boydston
collapsed in his front parlor and ad-I
mitted it. He lost his nerve COM
and wept for Hem
ninger not to show the memoranda
TO allow him to settle some way or
other; and. above all, not 10 tell Tan
ner. Hemminger brought the notes
back to me. Ever since we've been
discussing you"
Harlan met her defiant gaze steadily. |
'Well?"
The county crowd put you in.
Boydston, in his frenzy, declared it
would do us no good to publish the
notes. He said the new district at
.orney was Tanners man! Said we
couldn't get it to the grand jury with
Dut YOU"
The young man turned his serious
syes on Hemimnger. Yes" |
Harlan" put in Janet, I'VE decided |
@ wait. l consulted no one. l was /
afraid if we exposed it Just before |
election it would look like a roorback
If our people and would hurt Wiley |
,Ome way or other. You know TO at !
ack the best families in this way
with Tanners money and power and ,
he Mercury -JOurnal-well, we could |
not prove the facts for weeks, and .
I would look like mere politics on our ,
part. But you'-She watched him |
,oolly-"I made up my mind today |
wanted to know what you'd do when |
'ou're elected
"DO:' He stared at her with a trace .
of anger. Janet. you ask what Id
10? Blow the lid off-send Boydston
md Curry 20 the pen! Tanner, too, if
can get him.
She looked off through the window
II the bank corner 1T will be a tre-
nendOuS job, Harlan. YOU. a new man /
wholly without experience in Office.
,ucling a combination that no man
lere ever dared to fight. The money,
he influence, the Best People
He followed her glance out to the
,ountry folk iding about the ancient
idewalk of the First National. Far
her down High Street, under the leaf
esS naples, he could see the tidy
lwns, the prosperous houses, and then
is home. The judge was slowly driv-
ng in from lunch behind Old Dutch.
20 long he watched, so imperturbably,
hat she could not guess the struggle
n his mind. Not of right or wrong;
ut to grasp issues dimly 1imned be-
ond. One fights for ones class, ones
ind, ones heritage of thought and
ceiling; basic greed, the instinct to
urvive, vestigal promptingS from fued-
] privilege to protect and eXculpate-l
IL battled in his subconsciousness for
clay and pretext and caution.
Hemminger, the pale-eyed country
nan, shuffled his feet with nervous
Pprehension. Il guess there are people
ut there"-he lifted his bony finger
D the hills-"who will be with you in
lie fight. Better people"
The young man suddenly tipped his
hair forward with smile.
Il thank you for the word. Bert" he
miled. He reached for the memo
anda. Janet's eyes silently followed