Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-19
CHAPTER XXI
Nemesis.


ers in the concluding weeks Of the
campaign. A serene, yet boyish Joy, a
confident step, a Frightening eye, and
brilliant daring in debates; a sense OF
power discovered and the rapture of
achievement.
whats come over him?" muttered
Arne Vance to his sister. 1T can't be
Just the election! Elected? Why, he'll
roll up the biggest majority any man
ever got in this county! The Demo-
cratic central committee have as good
as thrown up the fight. And the Tan
ner split is joke-rll bet Curran will
even carry the High street precinct.
Rube Van Hart and went all around
the square offering three to one on
Curran and couldn't get bet!"
Janet looked calmly at her brother.
In his ardor of the fight he had not
noticed her preoccupation of late. Stead
fast in her work; resolute and untiring
In her counsels to the impetuous and
Uncontrolled young men who dominat-
ed the headquarters Of the impecunious
Progressive League over in Eariville
and managed Curran's fight. "Thad
swears he'll resign the county chair
manship II Wiley wins" he went on,
"and that means the end Of things!"
Yes she answered, "the end Of
things!"
Y, o..hoa har o,,rionslv noting
now her WEAKNESS. He wondered II
she had come upon that story Of La
deau's which he and Purcell and Rube
Van Hart had so successfully kept
stilled. Wiley himself might have told
her. At least, with all Janet's loyalty,
Arne discerned some unfathomable
negation in her heart. He laid 1t to her
tiredness; the stress was inevitably
too much for woman. even for ia
nets superb health and iron vitality.
But with a brothers constraint he did
not intimately question the matter.
He was busted with plans for the big
meeting the night before the election.
Curran had never spoken In his home
town. He had always evaded 1t. and
early In the campaign his managers
had thought 1t wise. But now. when
he had addressed the people in every
country district, in every town OF the
constituency-when he had met every
issue and the progression Of his cause
had spelled his triumph everywhere,
Mcbride, Purcell, the Vances, and all
the exultant group Of young men in
Earlyille, had insisted that they con-
clude the battle in his home spot That
battle, indeed, was won; but they
wanted to brawl their victory in the
faces Of the old county ring at Rome.
Curran had assented; he caught the
fire Of their ardor Here. where he had
been the failure, he would sting them
with his success!
"It can't go wrong" exclaimed Arne,
mot even IL every mossback in this
town stayed away. Wen take care OF
that. The Earlville bunch will send
over enough to pack that dinky opera
house and then We'll overflow on to the
court house lawn. Two bands and red
fire, and Wen burn up half the side
walks on High street. Rub 1t in-yell
1t in their faces damn 'em!"
The town was talking Of that wind
up meeting for two weeks. The old
line county committee was helpless.
Old Thad Tanner might curse impotent-
ly in his Office; but on the street Cur
ran walked with the consciousness that
men looked back at him. The trans
formation suddenly became acute in
the minds OF his townsmeh: the farm
ers, over their Saturday trading In the
stores, said that "all the folks would
come in to Wiley's meeting"
Old Mowry, the undertaken, with his
ten years grievance against the coun-
ty crowd since they threw him out Of
the coroner's office, ambled into the
News and sat where he could stare at
the Widow Steger's-always waiting"
Busted, Wiley!" He cackled: why
this mornin' even Dickinson admitted
they was bustedi Some of these days
there'n be a board that'n pay me for
that nigger buried! Wiley, want I
always your friend?"
Friend? The town, the county, the
vast Midlands all voiced 1t.
He was getting his mail the day be-
fore election when Cal Rice. white
faced, young-old man, habitually re-
fiecting the last word Of his first wife's
father, Thaddeus Tanner, detached
himself from a group in the postoffice
lobby to detain him. His pasty smile
was apologetic.
"How's prospects, Wiley?" The
banker had never before had anything
but grim nod for the editor.
"Splendid!" He felt throb Of mag
unanimous condescension.
"I suppose you'll want to renew your
mortgage on the first?"
'I think not, Mr.. Rice" Wiley smil-
ed leisurely. THE Merchants Bank of
Earlville will take it up"
Rice looked up quickly. "Ah, your
friend, Purcell, SUPPOSE"
I've a good many friends over there
Well acquainted these days. So I'll take
up that mortgage when it's due. Eight
hundred and forty dollars, interest and
all. isn't it?"
Something like that. Drop in this
morning. Well look 1t up" Rice fid-
geted a moment. There's another mat
ter, Mr.. Curran. Come at eleven"
Mr.. Curran drew out his watch laz-
lily. He found 1t hard to conceal his
triumph. Cal Rice of the First Nation
al coming to him, wanting a confer
ence! Beaten, eh? And they knew it
the whole court house crowd! They
wanted to placate the victor, that was
it. In a flash Wiley guessed it-Thad
Tanner was going to offer some COM
promise, plead for some agreement
with him-anything, so that Thad
might retain control of the county COM
mittee Curran in congress and solid as
he was in the county would dethrone
Thad from his local power sure as
shooting fish in a bucket" All over
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