Alma record., 1913-09-04
gan. His blear eyes we're filmy with
disappointment

pihcently. Inc vote was unCndnBeu
The chairman ordered another ballot
And then. all at once, as II a breath
from sanded desert had blown into
the room, Underwood was sensible of
. change in the atmosphere. The afr
was perhaps no hotter than It had
been for hours at the close of that
sitting day. no bluer with tobacco
smoke, no heavier with the smell
borne in from Clark street ON hot
winds that had started cool and fresh
from the lake four blocks away. a
smell compounded OF many smells, the
smell ascending from foul and dark
cellars beneath the sidewalk the
smell of stale beer. the ammoniac
smell of filthy pavements. mingled
with the feculence OF unclean bodies
that had sweated for hours In the vi.
tiated air OF that low-ceilinged, crowd
ed room
A hush fell Muldoon, his black,
curly locks shining with perspiration,
was leaning on his improvised gavel,
his keen eye, the Irish eye that sa
readily seizes such situations, dart
ing into every face before him.
And suddenly came that for which
they were waiting A man entered the
hall and strode straight across the
floor into the Fifth ward delegation,
into the group where the Underwood
men were clustered about their lead
err He wore evening clothes, his
black dinner coat and white shirt bos
ON striking a vivid note in the scene,
He walked briskly, but his mind was
so intent upon his pose that It was not
until he had removed his cigarette
from his lips and had observed I'm
derwood, that his white teeth showed
beneath his reddish mustache In the
well-known smile Of George r. Bald
win. He elbowed his way into the
very midst of the Underwood men
from the Fifth ward, and leading one
Of them aside, talked with him an In
stant, and then returned him, as II
were, to his place in the delegation
Then he brought forth another, whis
pered to him for an earnest moment
and sent him back. with a smile and
a slap on the shoulder. The third
delegate detained him longer, and
once as he argued with him, the
slightest shade of displeasure crossed
Baldwin's face, but in an instant the
smile replaced II, and he talked-con
vincingly, 1t seemed. Before Baldwin
returned this man to his delegation
he shook hands with him.
The secretary was calling the
wards, and Nolan had announced the
result In his delegation. The Fifth
ward was a long while In preparing
its ballots. There was trouble OF
some sort there, among the Under
wood men. Nolan was urging, expos
tulating, cursing, commanding. The
air was tense. It seemed to Underwood
that It must inevitably be shattered
by some moral cataclysm In the soul
of man. Grogan's brow was knit, az
he waited, hat In hand. The delegates
voted Feverishly, with trembling fin
gers, Grogan opened and counted the
bits Of paper. Then he sprang to his
feet with wild, glad light in his
face.
Mister Chairman!" he cried, "the
Fifth ward casts twenty-five votes for
Conway and four for Underwood"
The three boilers in the Fifth war6
delegation sat with defiance in their
faces, but they could not sustain the
expression, even by huddling close to
gether They broke for the door
wriggling their way through masses
of men, who made their passage un
certain, almost perilous. billow OF
applause broke from the Conway men
and submerged the convention. Dele
gates all over the hall were on theii
feet, clamoring for recognition, but
Malachi Nolan's voice doomed heavily
above all other voices His fist was ir
the air above all other fists
"Misther Chairmanl' he yelled, 81
challenge that vote!"
"Misther Chairman!" yelled Grogan
"a point of order! The gentleman
isn't a member Of the Fifth ward dele
cation and can not challenge its
vote!"
"The point Of order Is we'll taken
promptly ruled the chair. THE gen
tleman from the First ward is out OF
order-he will take his seat"
Men were screaming. brandishine
fists, waving hats. coats, anything
scraping chairs, pounding the floor
with them. There were heavy, brutal
oaths, and, here and there, the smack
Of fist on face. In the tumult, the
FIVE Simmons votes went to Conway
Muldoon was beating the table with
his club and crying:
"Order! order! orderi"
ITO hell with order!" bawled some
one from the First ward delegation.
"On this ballot" Muldoon was call
ing, there were sixty-nine votes cast;
necessary to choice, thirty-five
James p. Conway has received forty
votes; John W. Underwood, twenty.
nine, and George w. Simmons"-he
paused, as II to decipher the vote
none. James r. Conway, having re-
ceived the necessary number Of votes,
is therefore declared the nominee Of
this convention"