The Holly chieftain., 1919-04-03
By
IRVING BACHELLER
tCopyfight, by living Bkthe1iefT
CHAPTER xvIIi-continued.


-16-
He had priceless and unusual tai
ent for avoiding school-reader English
and the arts of defamation and for
preparing difficult subject to enter
the average brain. The underlying se-
cret OF his power was soon apparent
to me. He stood always for that great
thing in America which, since then,
whitman has called "the divine aggre-
gate" and seeing clearly how every
measure would be likely to affect its
welfare, he followed the compass. 1t
mad led him to height of power
above all others and was to lead him
unto the loneliest summit of accom-
plishment in American history.
Not much In my term of service
there is important to this little task
OF mine. l did my work well. if may
believe the senator, and grew familiar
with the gentle and ungentle arts Of
the politician.
one great fact grew in magnitude
and sullen portent as the months
passed: the gigantic slave-holding in
terests of the South viewed with grow
Ing alarm the spread of abolition SEN
timent. Subtly, quietly and naturally
they were feeling for the means to de
fend and increase their power. Straws
were coming to the surface in that
session which betrayed this deep un-
dercurrent of purpose. We felt 1t and
the senator was worried, ! knew, but
held his pnora IIa lypoxy bou, ~ lynay,
his opinions until the hour had struck
that summoned them to service. The
senator never played with his lance.
BY and by Spencer openly sounded the
note of conflict.
The most welcome year Of my life
dawned on the first of January, 1874.
! remember that arose before day
I light that morning and dressed and
went out on the street to welcome it.
had less than six months to wait
for that day appointed by Sally. / had
no doubt that she would be true to me.
had had my days of fear and depres-
sion, but always my sublime faith in
her came back in good time.
Oh, yes, indeed, Washington was a
fair Of beauty and gallantry those
days. saw it all. have spent many
years in the capital, and tell you the
girls OF that time had manners and
knew how to wear their clothes, but
again the magic of old memories kept
my lady on her throne. There was
one of them-just one of those others
who, l sometimes thought, was almost
as graceful and charming and noble
hearted as Sally, and she liked me, /
know, but the ideal of my youth
glowed In the light of the early morn
Ing, SO to speak, and was brighter than
all others. Above all, / had given my
word to Sally, and-well, you know,
the old-time Yankee of good stock was
fairly steadfast, whatever else may
be said of him-often little too
steadfast, as were Ben Grimshaw and
Squire Fullerton.
The senator and / went calling that
New Years day. We saw all the
great people and some of them were
more cheerful than they had a right
TO De. 1t was a weakness of the time.
l shall not go into details for fear of
wandering too far from my main road
Let me step aside moment to saw.
however, that there were two clouds
IN the sky Of the Washington society
OF those days. One was strong drink
and the other was the crude, rough
coated, aggressive democrat from the
frontiers Of the West. These latter
were often seen in the holiday regalia
of farm or village at fashionable func-
tions. Some of them changed slowly,
and by and by reached the stage of
white linen and diamond breastpins
and waistcoats of figured silk, II
must be said, however, that their mo-
tives were always above their taste,
The winter wore away slowly in
hard work. Mr.. Van Buren, came down
to see the senator one day from his
country seat on the Hudson. The ex-
president had been solicited to accent
the nomination again. / know that
Senator Wright strongly favored the
plan but feared that the South world
defeat him in convention, it being well
known that Van Buren, was opposed to
the annexation of Texas. However.
he advised his friend to make fight
for the nomination and this the latter
resolved to do. Thenceforward until
middle May I gave my time largely to
the inditing of letters for the senator
III Van Buren's behalf.
The time appointed for the conven-
ton in Baltimore drew near. One day