Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-10-23

an. HIS DleAf even Woi0 nAAhy VAN
disappointment
"He votes for John W. Underwood, 5
bisther Chairman" said Nolan com. Il
,lacently. The vote was unchanged |
rhe chairman ordered another ballot. 4
And then. all at once, as if a breath 4
rom sanded desert had blown into
The room, Underwood was sensible OF
4 change in the atmosphere The air
was perhaps no hotter than 1t 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 pavemcnts, mingled
with the feculence of unclean bodies
that had sweatcd for hours in the VI
tiated air of that low.oeilnged, crowd
ed room.
A hush fell. Muldoon, his black,
curly locks shining with Precipitation,
was leaning on his imrrovised gavel,
his keen eye. the Irish eye that s"
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 strobe 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 hos.
Om striking vivid note In the scene.
He walked brlskly but his mind was
80 intent upon his pose that 1t 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
welLknown 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
slant. and then returned him. as II
were. 10 his place In the delegation
Then he brought forth another. whls.
pered TO him for an earnest moment,
and sent him back. with q smile and
q slap on the shoulder The third
delegate detained him longer, and
once. az he argued with him, the
slightest shade of displeasure crossed
Baldwin's face, but in an instant the
smile replaced II. and he talkcd-cOn.
yincngly. it seemed Before Baldwin
returned this man 10 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 he shattered
by some moral cataclysm in the sou
OF man. Grogan's brow was knit, a.
lie waited,-hat in hand. The delegates
voted. Feverishly. with trembling fin
gers. Grogan opened and counted th'
bits of paper. Then he sprang to hi
feet, with a wild, glad light In hi
face.
"Mister Chairman" he cried, 9Th,
Fifth ward casts twenty-five votes fo
d. Conway and four for Underwood"
The three boilers in the Fifth war,
delegation sat with defiance in thei
faces, but they could not sustain IN,
expression. even by budding close ia
gether, They broke for the door
wriggling their way through masse
Of men, who made their passage I'M
certain. almost perlous A blllow .
applause broke from the Conway mer
and submerged the convention. Dele
gates all over the hall were on thei
feet, clamoring for recognition, bu
Malachi Nolan's voice doomed heavil
above all other voices. His fist was 1
the air above all other fists.
"Misther Chairman" he yelled,
challenge that vote"
"Misther Chalrman!" yelled Grogar
"a point Of ORDER The gentlema
isn't member OF the Fifth ward del,
cation and can not challenge 4,
lvote!"
"The point Of order Is well taken,
promptly ruled the chair. The ger
tleman from the First ward Is out O
order--ho will take his seat"
Men were screaming. brandishln
fists, waving hats. coats, anything
scraping chairs, pounding the foo
with them. There were heavy. brutS
oRths, and here and there, the smac
OF a fist on n face. In the tumult IN
Ave Simmons votes went to Conwa!
Muldoon was beating the table wit
his club and CRYING:
"Orderl order, order!"
ITO hell with order!" bawled SON
one from the First ward delegation.
"On this ballot" Muldoon was cal
ing, there were sixty.nlne votes cast
necessary to choice. thirty.fv,
James p. Conway has received fort
votes: John w. Underwood, twent!
nine. and George W. Simmons"-h
paused, as II TO decipher the vote
none. James r. Conway, having r.
ceived the necessary number of votes
is therefore declared the nominee q
this convention"
Underwood was stunned. He stag
gered through the horrible uproar tC
ward the door He longed for the al
outside, even the heavy air OF lowe
Clark street, where the people surge,
along under the Wild dazzling lights
In two opposite. ever-passing process
slons. His head reeled, He lost tn
aense of things the voices about hin
seemed far away and vague, he fel