Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-10-15


10 talk than pOlitlcs1 III tell dad
about your father and see II he
won't"
mol You mustn't You must prom
ise not 10 tell him who am. PROMISED"
"Oh, ! promise. n you like. But /
can't bear 10 have you 80 on hating
dad. He's the klndest. dearest old
chap alive Maybe he didn't know"
Does the organization do anything
Jim Blake doesn't know and dletate?"
Mister Thomas Blakel" PACED a
liyeried boy. at the far end OF the cor
rldor mister Thomas Blakei"
Tom caught sight OF a telegram on
the tray the lad carried. But before
he could signal the boy himself. the
latter had gone out Of sight.
Hes carried Il TO the bar with all
the unerring instinct OF homing
dovel" grumbled Tom. And he'll
bawl Mister Thomas Blakel In that
disreputable place for a solid hour II
/ don't go and choke him OFT"
Wanda watched her sutton hurry
away in search Of his quarry. and her
dark eyes took on a tenderer light
than ever he had seen in them. Then,
at sound Of a chance word behind her,
she became all az once her alert bust
nessllke self again She glanced into
little mirror that swung obliquely
from the top Of the switchboard. In
this bit Of glass. without turning, she
could command a full view of the
amen corner a few feet to the rear OF
the switchboard rail.
Three men had seated themselves
there. One she recognized as the Hon.
Tim Neligan; and a second as the
Hon Silas Gregg, a leggy and tow
headed representative from Kansas
The third of the trio was an iron-gray
man of clean-cut face and scrupulously
well groomed aspect
Wanda knew him we'll. by sight For
whenever political crises swept Wash,
ington he was as certain to appear as
are vultures to congregate for the
feast. He was Ralph Van Dyke, a
| p
railroad His was one Of the shrewd
est legal minds In America. And he
had so carefully trained that mind "a
the million dark intricacies of corpora
ton law as to be doubly worth the an
nual fortune he reaped from the Inter
ests' What Jim Blake was in politics
Ralph Van Dyke was in corporation
law. The chance word Wanda had
just overheard had been spoken by
him.
Are things still going as badly with
the Mullins bill as when you wired me
today" he had asked Neligan.
oh" returned Neligan, I'VE had the
house cinched when it was reported
We'd have passed it. hands down. Il
we could have jammed it through then
But now-we may as we'll stand up tC
facts-we're as good as licked"
But, gentlemen, urged Van Dyke
impatiently, this bill has to pass"
Sure it has" gloomily assenteC
Neligan "Only it can't Unless some
thing explodes Standish before /
comes to a vote. Oh, it's the people
They're reform-crazy. They don't know
what they want, and nine years out o
ten they don't want anything except Il
stay asleep and let the right GROVE
handle the country. But when a MAJ
like Standish gets them to listen {,
him, they all wake up and yell for re
form and purity In politics as hard a
waking baby squalls for it's bottle
They've made him a popular idol"
THE people!" scoffed Van Dyke
They make an idol one minute AM
overturn it the next"
That's right" agreed Gregg, "bu
the Mullins bill will be defeated befor
they get time to overturn Standisf
The people are awake. They reall
seem to have an idea we ought to kee
some of our promises. And, say! Afte
all, we did promise them lot Q
> things"
! did WEI" echoed Neligan. "W
, made our platform look like cross
, section of the Ten Commandment
fringed with pages of Pilgrims Pros
ress. Yah! That's the trouble. We'r
pover-promised."
. IF we could loosen Standish's pu
= with the parsons" said Neligan, I'VE
, have him against the ropes in on
G round"
g Now you are talking sanity" al
: proved the lawyer. That was jus
e what was waiting to suggest"
well, we didn't wait for you to sus
gest it," retorted Neligan. I'VE aren
r corporation aw-contortionists, PEE
s haps, but we've got a few grains c
:. gray matter left. That's the first stun
e we tried. We put good men on tn
Il case to look up Standish's record-t
d find one break that we could hang
d story on"
e ''WeH?"
g. We'll, from their reports. Stands
J. seems to have led life that woul
} make Saint Anthony and Sir Galaha
a and the Pilgrim fathers look like
e bunch of soused Tenderloin FOUNDERS
s You're sure your men left nothin
h uncovered?"
d DO you think we'd overlook an,
n thing when the whole game hangs o
Il it?"
, That's right, Van Dyke" suppl
h mented Gregg. We've been owe
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