Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-02
CHAPTER XVIII
The Sentimentalist.


curious reserved respect toward him
from men Of the town who had long
ignored him as a mere disturber. And
Arne Vance coming in from a last tour
of the county on his pigs and poll
tics" campaign, grimly explained 1t.
The Honorable James Hall came
home tc work over the district, as the
old crowd desired. And he got frost'
Wiley! He knows it-they all know II
They're scared Tom Purcell and
have been comparing notes. We've
showed Hall up something fierce on MS
votes In congress, and the farmers
were glum to the Honorable Jim. Ana
he never had a show with the new ele-
ment-the foreigners in Earlville's new
factory district. Halls licked! Thad
Tanner knows 1t. Judge Van Hart
knows It! But"-he looked grimiy al
the candidate-"we want to cinch the
fight. We need some money for print.
ing and stuff Got any?"
Mr.. curran smiled Good lord. Arne!
I'm bled dry as bone! / tried to get
some more on a mortgage at the bank
Cal Rice rubbed his hands and said'
wait till after election" don't know
whether he's trying to scare me with
q threat of foreclosure on the News, or
wants to conciliate me In case I'm
elected" He glanced at Janet ruerui-
". But money? Our crowd has no
money. Money be damned! I'm sim
ply going on telling men that I'm whey
Curran and 1 want them to vote tor
me-and why!"
The rmer-student went away dis
satisfied. The candidate was In MISS
yance's Office. He had been there an
hour talking lightly Of AFFAIRS, put
conscious of some rift in the old inti-
macy. Janet had been reserved, I'M
personal businesslike. She looked
thoughtfully at him now.
wiley, you must have money. It's
the crisis Of your campaign. Arnes
right. You're winning splendidly. The
state press is noticing your fight down
here. I should almost say the coun-
try is, for Hall is a national figure It's
splendid"
1t was the first touch Of her old en-
thusiasm for his success. For his sue
cess was in the air. There was a sense
of change, an undercurrent Of panic on
one side. Of vivifying unity on the
other. Men were talking OF new Is
sues, new figures-the control OF
commonwealth was being wrested from
accustomed hands, and the obscure
group of malcontents in Winnetka
county were acute with this feeling OF
being on the crest Of a wave. Ihe
radical papers had taken up Arne
yance's phrase of pigs and politics
campaign among the farmers; II nad
undoubtedly caught the popular hu-
NOR. ..... ..
Curran nodded buoyantly. His con-
straint vanished with Janet's. Yet his
intuition told him Of change In her.
She sat forward now and spoke as one
turning to a definite joint of business.
wiley, you need money. And I have
II idle In the bank 1 want you to use
It"
He stared at her. A flash came to his
face. "Janet?"
You can give me your note.
81 could give a bushel Of them-but
who'd take them?"
"I will-for FIVE hundred dollars
1T wouldn't be worth a cent at the
bank!"
Doubtless not. But to me" She
looked away seriously. Then, with hot
impulse breaking through, "Oh, Wiley,
want YOU to win-win!" She swept
I'D his hand from the table. your
big chance, and want to help"
He was silent. Then muttered:
Janet, I can't take your money! /
I'm not worth it, girl. God bless you
ia not feel right. I-our friendship so
beautiful-so big a thing" he would
not finish. A damning sense OF re-
creance was on him. She loved him,
and he had never been able to make
such q disaster of himself that she
would not love him. That was the
wonderful thing about women! And
Janet, with her great wide horizons. to
love him! Her steady, all-forgivlng
faith in him; Janet the confidant OF
men like Governor Delroy, the leaders
of new ideals. Janet, whose work was
ever calling her to finer achievements
She had refused advancement, she had
waited-for him! No. he would say no
more A man had best stumble on in
his own fashion.
I'm sorry" She looked away i'm
personally. II only meant it for the
common good-the new democracy
we're fighting for. Just that-you are
one of the leaders now-one OF the
coming men-Td hoped" Her voice
had died low. Then she went on in her
business tone go see Purcell today,
will you. wiley?"
Within the hour she called up the
Honorable T. P. Purcell, Mr. Curran's
political manager, and told him her
check for five hundred dollars was to
his credit in an Earlville bank. The
candidate was not to be apprised at
present. Young Mr. Purcell was too
pleased to dissent; he leaned much on
Miss Vance.
Mr.. Curran walked to the Junction
and took the interurban to Earlville
that afternoon with the firmest inten-
ton to see his political manager at
once. But he went into the Hotel Me-
tropole with director of the stone and
contracting company which had been
so disgruntled over the Tanner COM
pany's monopoly Of county work, and
was, therefore. for reform and revoiu-
tion. And after this conference he sud
denly remembered Aurelie. He had
been assuring himself that he didn't
know she was under the same ,of, but
this was futile.
Il suppose she's leaving tonight" he
mused "and 1 ought to call up-why.
of course / had! To let the little girl