The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-02-28

is out Of the way. Hampden won't
be disgraced. There's to be no scandal
Your plans to save the bank are IN
der way. Other plans of yours are no
longer in jeopardy. So it's time to
think of payment. l have just come
from Dunmeade. He isn't a very
happy man, Senator Murchell. He's
oppressed by the knowledge that he
has been weak. He has lost his pride,
his belief in himself, his sense of abb
solute honesty-call it soul for short.
The poor fool even thinks he is to
blame for Warren Blake's shooting
himself. You and l know better. We
know who killed Cock Robin" Haig
laughed lnsinuatingly.
you have strange sense of hu-
NOR. Just what are you trying to in
sinuateT'
81 mean that we know that the man
who killed Warren Blake was the
man who killed Creighton, Hawkins,
Delehanty, Burns, Schneider, Larkin
and Blake. And he's the fellow that
created an atmosphere of dishonesty
in political banks and public treas
uries, made opportunities for thievery,
encouraged and profited by peculation
in short. the man who devised and
built the machine whose creatures and
victims have paid the penalty of their
crimes with suicide. Do l make my
self clear"
Murchell sat up angrily. "That isn't
true. I'm not responsible II a few
weaklings aren't able to resist tempta-
ton and take the easiest way out"
"It was Cain. believe" Haig pur-
red. "who first pleaded that excuse"
"See here. Haig! If you have any
thing important to say. say it Other
wise"-
Haig leaned over, interrupting men,
acingly, tapping the senator's knee to
emphasize his words: "I'd advise you
to listen. VIII youT'
"Go on"
"That's sensible" Haig resumed his
easy attitude. Lets take up Dun
meade's case. His mouth is closed by
his love for Katherine Hampden. The
question now is, who profits most by
his silence and hence will have to pay?
1t isn't Hampden. / think ] under
stand the political situation pretty well.
Just now, when you're trying to scram-
BILE back into power and Jerry Brent
has taken their convention out Of the
hands of your friends Of the opposi-
ton for another bank in which you
politicians have had your dirty fingers
to fail, with another cashier putting a
mussy little hole in his head. would
up money to cover Hampdens short
age. I've never heard you accused of
doing anything for anybody without
return. And since you've put up lot
Of money without security. it must be
because silence just now is particularly
to you. Now do you get the
point? Are you ready to pay?"
Haven't paid enough?'
Can you ever pay enough to balance
what Warren Blake and John Dun
meade have paid?'
"What do you want then"
"Well, you're trying to get back into
power through the convention. The
general impression is that you can't
beat Sherrod. But l guess differently.
You're not the kind of man to go back
into the scramble unless the chances
for a win are pretty good. Well-nom-
mate John Dunmeade."
"The thing" exclaimed Murchell, and
extreme irritation was speaking-'is
"You have thought of it as much as
nominate a fine, big, honest man?
Measure him against Wash Jenkins or
any one Of your kind you choose; his
character is something you haven't
been able to go to the people with for
many a year in this state, And his
would pull the teeth Of
dangerous Jerry Brent"
"Power," said the senator virtuous-
~, isn't to be taken lightly. Even If
I could do it, which isn't probable,
certainly don't propose to make joke
or fool of myself before the political
public by helping narrow, pig headed.
impractical romancer to a powerful of.
6ce"
Impractical and 'romancer'-you
need new point of view. senator.
John Dunmeade is the most practical
man know, because he sees true, sees
evil as evil and good as good. If this
state were to follow his ideal of sim
pie, straightforward common sense
honesty, political corruption would
cease to exist, vast amount of injus-
tice would be corrected and popular
government justified. You'll have to
find another excuse, Senator Murchell."
"Well, then" said the senator grim
ly, you may put it that l, seeker
after the valueless, don't propose to
help a practical man who has rejected
my honest offer of friendship and
spent six years vilifying me before the