Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-14

please said i. I'D like to talk to the
old man about this"
People who don't like the old man
and some who do--call him boss.
Well let 1t pass.
He listened to me and chewed on his
unlighted cigar Little gossip starts
that he doesn't get wind Of, but I
was giving him light on the spread
of the poison.
"Umph! Back to her, is it?" he COM
mented. wonder ii she knows, party
--unnamed~-is quoted as seeing her
looking over the ground-in Reno"
said one of the things nobody
should say.
Amen" quoth the old man. Next
week they'll be describing the whip
he beats her with. But she's right;
it's hurting the governor-thats the
intention. The thing cuts ice."
Both Of us. fancy, had in mind the
same case, one in which a good man
was defeated by stories which never
were referred to in print or from the
stump, but which spread, state wide,
from whispering lip to strainlng ear
The old man is broad minded; mil
lionaire or a deacon's vote counts as
much as a coal heavens or a bar
keeps: he'd take as much pains to
save one as the other. 4,
Somebody's fathering the business
or mothering It," he went on. Take
1t up. CARING. Go see"
Well, put myself in circulation. I
drifted in the currents of the life Of
the town with all my feelers out.
They touched widely scattered spots
it's my stock in trade to know all
sorts of people. I gathered a hint
here and tip there. and a bit over
the way. A Y. M. c. A. boy gave me
something which fitted into con-
tribution from a poolroom; flash of
light travelled over an area railing,
from cook to copper. on its way
to me; the SWEETEST club in the city
supplied q twin twinkle. 1t was not
evidence to satisfy law court, much
of 1t was negative, the best of it was
hearsay. Yet upon it l based a report
to the old man.
II smell high-class work-method.
There's -person-somehow
1 think he's mixed up in it, though I
can't fairly explain to myself why ]
think so. 1 can't figure him the brains
of the scheme"
"Umph! shawley?' said the Old
Man. Retired list Johnny-gloves
and swagger stick-tame o'clock
tea cat. He's out Of his class in this
game. Man, he'd no more vote than
black his own boots! Say, though!
If you're hunting for brains and
malice, don't overlook Mrs. Harne."
And now just word about Mrs.
Harne. Some years back she had
married the richest man in town
married him in fit of spite, because
Kate Starrett had become engaged to
George Forrest. Then, having a long
memory for the injury to her pride,
and being clever, Mrs. Harne con-
trived to break the Forrest Starret
engagement. Moreover, she kept on
hating the two, and when Forrest ran
for governor she all but turned a lit
tie trick which would have wrecked
his chance Of election, had it not been
for the slight cooperation Of Miss
Starrett and Jim CARING. to which 1
'hduC ACACIcH <AS ~ was, lue pdTIeQ
pair were brought together again
and Mrs. Harne was left to grit her
teeth until she could use them to bet
ter advantage. Maybe she thought
the time for that had arrived. She
had money; she was as shrewd as a
fox, and II she read the dictionary she
never got as far as forgiveness" &c.
Of course, she was pages and pages
short of quit"
1 began to keep tabs on Mrs. Harne
A friend Of friend Of mine was a
friend of her maid, and didn't have
to turn in itemized expense accounts
There were other sources Of informa-
ton, too: but, all together. they
yielded little. The lady's meetings
with Shawley seemed to happen nat
urally, accidentally. in the run of So
cial things in their set.
AS for Shawley, he was a tall chap,
well built, always groomed to the last
hair. His teeth were the most strik-
ing thing about him-big, white,
strong teeth, and a good deal in evil
dence. First Impressions might not
rate his intelligence highly, but the
more I studied him the less sure of
him l was: 1t takes more than plain