Gilpin observer., 1914-01-08

ways gave an Oud impression that they
were fully a thousand years old Per
haps this was why Jim Blake seldom
opened them wide.
Hello. boys" repeated Jim Blake,
glancing genially and inexpressively
from one to the other. from beneath
his hanging lids. Seemed to me
smelt something burning. How are
you. Standish? What's up. Tom?"
Why" answered Tom vaguely en-
barrassed, nothing very much. Just
little political discussion"
so gathered" yawned Blake.
Mark. you seemed to have been sup
plying the fireworks for It. don't sup
pose it occurred to you that the whole
surrounding landscape is fairly crawl
ing with reporters? Nice little story
for the morning papers, hey? High
Words Between Speakership Aspirants
in Keswick Lobby And half COL
umn more of what you both would
have said If you'd said what the re-
porters thought maybe you might have
said. Fine business. Especially at
this time"
HE called me-" burst forth Mark.
And you showed your hand?"
hazarded Blake. Good poker, Mark.
I But punk politics. Mark, I'm afraid
we're keeping Mr.. Standish from his
dinner"
Good night replied Standish, tax.
ing the broad hint with no show of
feeling.
Good night-till the house meets
at ten o'clock" said Blake. Il suppose
you'll lead your gallant insurgent CO.
horts in person this evening?"
yes"
Don't want to call it OF and come
into the fold again, s'pose?" suggest
ed Blake quizzically.
mo, thanks, smiled the insurgent.
and passed on toward the dining room.
Hello, Van Dyke!" called Blake an
the lawyer, with Neligan and Gregg in
tow. came along the corridor toward
them. from the bar. What brings you
to Washington? What's up?"
That's what I'm trying to fnd out"
answered Van Dyke, shaking hands
with Blake and instinctively leading
the way to the adjacent amen corner.
What is up? You're supposed to be
managing this fight. Jim. And here
we find ourselves in the very worst
hole we've been in since ninety-seven.
II you and l hadn't fought shoulder to
shoulder for years and years, I'd be
tempted to say you were lying down"
THE crowd down on Broadway"
answered Blake. have handed us a
raw proposition in this Mullins bill.
The bill smells SO rank that even the
dear. dear public have got whiff Of
1t. And when the public gets its sense
Of smell into good working order-Oh.
what's the use, Van Dyke? You can
see what we're up against You know
the temper of the country. We can't
even defend that bill of yours. And
this is no time to put over such a raw
one. It's like"
Still" argued Van Dyke, you said
you'd be able to put the deal through.
And there's surely enough in 1t for
US ALL" G
Il said could put 1t through. And
I could-when we started. But Stand
ish wasn't fighting it then. This isn't
the Bill versus the People. It's Mat
Standish versus the Organization. And
Standish has the people-the waked-up
people-behfnd him. He's their idol.
He's the parsons pet. They look on
him as the Worthy Young Man who
couldn't do wrong II he tried and who
isn't wicked enough to try. In other
words. he's never been found out.
There's only two classes OF men that
ever met-the sort that have been
found out and the sort that haven't
II we can damage Standish in the eyes
of the people-if we can make the
Hergy repudiate him"
That's just the point" cried Van
Dyke. why haven't you been able to
do that. instead of sitting peacefully
to one side and waiting for him tn
wreck himself?"
We've had detectives on him." nut
in Neligan. Il told you all that, Van
Dyke"
"Detectives?" snorted the lawyer.
What good is that? Your detectives
will charge you seven dollars a day
and expenses es-mostly expenses-fof
giving you full report OF the way
Standish spends the day and what he
has to eat and the number of cigars he
smokes and the addresses of some of
the letters he writes. You'll never get
Standish that way. II ever he's broken
a law-and most men have"
"Oh, not so many" gently contra.
dicted Blake. Two 1ails would be
plenty large to hold all the folks who
have broken any law. And the two
jails could be built real easy-just by
running high wall around the euua-
tor. But you're right in one thing.
Van Dyke. Well never get Standish
in the way these boys have been 20