Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-08-21

pie of months"
"And as to sealing the treasury"
continued the governor, Il presume
that the morning will be time enough
for that"
"Yes, it's bad night outside, any.
way" responded Gilman. The gov
ernor was lost again in thought. Gil
man went ON and out.
The clock in the hall tolled eleven.
The governor rose, and went slowly
up the staircase that winds gracefully
from the great hall to the floor above.
and thence to his chamber and his bed.
In a room on the parlor floor of the
Leland, the windows Of which looked
down on Sixth street a short, fat man
was pacing the floor.
Hell" he would say, "why the
devil doesn't he GOMEZ"
The little man was William Grigsby,
and he was the encouragement OF the
state of Illinois. He had come down
from the Jo Daviess hills. to serve
term in the house, and been nominated
for the office he now held by the gov
ernor, John Chatham. John Chatham
was his political creator. and the two
men had once been friends. The ad-
ministration had begun harmoniously
enough. but before two of the four
years of it's political life had expired
there was a split, and factions had
formed There had been a fierce fight
for the control Of the state central
committee that year. and the struggle
had been carried into the state conven-
ton, which nominated a state treas
urer. superintendent Of public in
struction. and trustees Of the univer.
sity Of Illinois. In one faction were
the governor the auditor Of public ac-
counts. and, Of course, his appointees,
the adjutant- general the railroad and
warehouse commissioners and the
trustees of the state institutions. In
the other We're the attorney-general
and the secretary Of state, Jennings.
Iockhart, the state treasurer, had
been neutral. He was everybody's
friend.
And now Grigsby was an avowed
candidate for governor, in opposition
to his old friend John Chatham, the
man who had made him.
The attorney-general continued to
smoke and pace the floor, and swear
After a while he consulted his watch
again, and then gave the old-fashioned
brass hell-pull a vigorous jerk. Pres
emily a negro boy came bearing pre-.
sumptive pitcher Of water, the tinkling
of the ice heralding his approach The
attorney general would have welcomed
ice water in the morning. but now he
seized it from the black boys hand
set it down with splash on his wash.
stand, and shouted:
go and tell Jim to mix me com
modore."
Just as the boy reached the door, II
opened and a tall man entered. The
tall man seeing the boy, looked at
Grigsby.
"Whatll you have. Hank?' said the
attorney general.
"A little whisky"
Bring Mr. Jennings some whisky"
OTutltu tne dllDl HtN '6'itihi'
"Bourbon, boy" added Mr.. Jennings
The boy withdrew.
The attorney general paused before
the fire, and looked up into the face
of the secretary of state.
"Well, Hank" he said, II began to
fear you hadn't got my message.
Heard the news?"
What news?"
why" replied the attorney general
haven't you heard? Jim Lockharts
dead"
"rhe hell he is" responded Jen-
nings. 81 hadn't heerd ary word.
When'd he die?"
"This afternoon"
"Sudden?"
Rather"
what was ailin' of him."
The attorney-gene smiled. pecu-
liar, mirthless smile.
The secretary Of state ceased to
rock.
"You don't reckon now"
That's it, exactly"
81 didn't know it'd got that bad.
What'd they give out fer the cause?"
"Oh, heart failure, | suppose"
Beats hell. don't it,"
The secretary of state was silent.
Presently he spoke again in an alb
stracted way:
"Well, Jim as devil of a good fell
ler; as good as you'd meet up ith in a
coon's age. An I reckon when 1t
come to a showdown, he as our
friend. If the boys 'p'ints an investi-
gatin' committee-Jim as al'ays lee
tie too free 18th the stuff"
Hank, I didn't send for you to-
night to hold memorial services over
jim Lockhart. There's something more
important than that-there's some
thing damned important, and it con-
Germs me-"
"You?"
Eyes, me. I'm in this thing just
twenty thousand dollars"
1.-THE hell you are!"
"Just-twenty-thou housand-dollars."
Grigsby sank into chair.
"Borrowed?" asked Jennings.
"Yes"
public funds?"
"Well-I don't know. Course"
"Jim Lockhart didn't have no pri'
vate fortune 'ithout it as the in,
trust"
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