to-morrow. Mr. Gwynn— with your pcr
mifsion. You can and should play a most
Important Dart in selecting that same
Speaker. Your measureless Interests In
the ereat Anaconda Airline warrant me
in the assertion." -
CHAPTER IV.
How a Speakerahlp Wan Fought For.
Fate now and then turns jester in a bit
ter way, and stoops to Ironies and grin
ning sarcasm. Often it gives with the
right hand onlj-j to take with the left, and
blinded ones are set to chop and saw and
pl?.ne those trees which In the end make
pailows for their hopes. The story of the
world shows many an inadvertent Frank
enstein and deeply justifies the grewsome
Mrs. Shelley.
Something less than two years prior to
that evening when Senator Hanway took
the congealed Mr. Gwynn into a corner
and told him how, with his great Anacon
da Airline, he should cut a figure in the
selection of a next Speaker for the House
of Representatives, .it had been that
statesman's fortune to so reconstruct a
tariff that it gave unusual riches and
thereby unusual comfort to the dominant
ones of a certain manufacturing North
eastern State. This commonwealth at the
time was politically in the hands of the
party opposed to Senator Hanway. MolII
i:ed by the friendly tariff and anxious to
mark their gratitude, those domi
nant ones arose and in the fol
lowing autumn elected to be Governor
of said State a middle-aged individual,
eminent {<$r obstinacy and a kind of
bovine integrity that nothing might cor
rupt or turn aside. The Obstinate One
of course, belonged with the party of
Senator Hanway.
At this pinch a vile chance befell. No
sooner was the Obstinate One given the
Governorship of a State doubtful and ac
counted the enemy's country than
straightway he was looked upon as
White House timber by sundo' architects
of politics, and thereafter his name went
more or less linked with a possible Presi
dency. The situation stirred the spleen
of Senator Hanway. It was discouraging
to have those identical tariff triumphs,
which had been Intended as an argu
ment favorable to* himself, give birth to
a rival; one also who, for his geography
and the popularity which those personal
obstinacies and thick-skulled integrities
invoked, might work a great disturbance
in his plans. To make bad worse, the
Obstinate One possessed a sinister luck
of his own and with closed eyes backed
into a fight on the right side and won it
against a pack of lobby wolves who were
yelping and snapping about the State
treasury. This, although the Obstinate
One of all men least appreciated what
he had done, confirmed him as a val
uable asset of party; pending further
honors the public to reward him gave,
him the title of Governor Obstinate.
In his white, still, rippleless way. Sen
ator Hanway hated in his soul's soul the
name of Governor Obstinate. Night and
day h<« carried that dull, fortunate gentle-,
man on his swell of thought and never
ceased to consider how he might deal him
a blow or withstand him in any Presi
dential stepping forward. And yet at
no time had Senator Hanway— and him
self the master of every art of cord
and creese In politic?— felt more helpless.
If Governor Obstinate had been no more
than jU6t a finished politician, a mere
Crillon of political fence. Senator Han
way might have flashed his ready point
between his ribs. But the other's very
crudities defended him. He was primitive
to the verge of despair. Even his strength
was primitive, inasmuch as it dwelt
among the people rather . than with \u25a0 the
machinists of party. Senator Hanway's
monkish brow went often puckered of
a most uncanonical frown as he thought
upon that sardonic Destiny which {-had,
t hrust this Governor Obstinate ! forward
to become a stumbling block, in his way.
In. his angry contempt he could compare
him to nothing save a grizzly bear-
Whatever the justice of this last' shaggy
simile, even Senator Hanway could not
deny its formidable side. A grizzly,
whether in fact or in hyperbole,, is no.
one good to meet. There is a supremacy
of the primitive; when the natural and
the artificial have collided the latter has
more than once come limping- off. Our
soldiers cannot make the Indians fight
their fashion; the Indians make the sol
diers fight their fashion. \u25a0 If the soldiers
were dense enough to insist upon their
formation, the Indians— fighting all over
the field and each red warrior for him
self—would an them as full of holes as
a colander. When, therefore. Senator
Hanway called Governor Obstinate a
grizzly, it was a name of respect. The
usual methods would not prevail in his
stubborn case. Most of all, money could
not.be employed to overthrow him; for
his foundations. like the foundations of
any other grizzly, were original ; and be
yond the touch of money. -- — *
Now all this served to palsy the
strength of Senator Hanway. In one
shape or another, and whether by prom
ise or actual present production, money
was his one great tool, and where the
tool has lost its power the artisan is
also powerless. It is- not to Senator Han
way's discredit that he would fail where
money failed; Richelieu, wanting money;
would have been a turtle on Its , back.:
Wherefore, let It be rewritten that Sen
ator Han way in the face of those' clumsy,
uncouth, half-seeing yet tremendous po
tentialities of his enemy was seized of a
helplessness never before I felt To op
pose the other with only those narrow
means of money was like trying to put
down a Sioux uprising with a resolution
of the Board of .Trade. Still, he must
do his best; he must hold this Governor
Obstinate as much as he might In check,
trusting to the chapter of accidents,
which in politics is a very lair of sur
prises, to suggest final ways and means
to baffle his advance.
For the business of making him Presi
dent, the complacent Senate had become
the workshop of Senator Hanway. Now,,
on the brink of a new Congress, one
which would be in session when the
nominating convention of his party was
called to order and therefore might be
supposed to own power over its action
and the Presidential ticket It would put
up. Senator Hanway resolved to add the
House of Representatives to his ma
chine. He would elect its Speaker, and
make the House an annex to his work
shop of a Senate. He would hook up
House and Senate as a coachman hooks
up his team, and driving them tandem
or abreast as the exigencies of the hbur
suggested, see how far two such power
ful agencies might take him on his White
House road. '.-\u25a0-.: t
It was on the side of Senator Hanway
a* brilliant thought and a daring one,
this plan to seize a Speakership and ap
ply it to his personal fortunes; for your
Speakership is that office second only to
a Presidency, and comes often to be the
Jatter*s -superior in practical force. Those
wise ones who designed the Government
intended the House of Representatives to
be a republic Through its own groveling
abjections, however, it long ago
sunk to an autocracy with the
Speaker in the role of autocrat.
It sold its birthright for no one knows
what mess of pottage to pass its slav
lsn days beneatb a tyranny ot tne
gavel. The Speaker settles all things.
No measure is proposed, no bill passes,
no member speaks except by the Speak
era will. He : constructs the - commit
tees and. selects their chairmen and;
lays out their work. With a dozen mem- !
bers, every one of whom votes and acts
beneath his thumb, the Speaker trans
acts the- story of £he House. So far
as the' other three hundred and forty,
odd members are concerned, the folk
who sent them might as well , have
written a letter. They live as much
without art or part or lot in planning
and executing House affairs as' do {the
caged menagerie animals in; the, plan
ning and execution of the. affairs . of
what show they happen to exist aa the
attractions. These caged ones of the
House are never regarded and but Bel
dom heard. The best that one of them
may gain is "L-oave to print," which is
a kind of consent to be fraudulent, and
permits a member to pretend through
the Congressional Record that he made
a speech (which he never, made) and
was overwhelmed by applause (which
he did hot receive) which swept 'down
in thunderous peals (during moments
utterly silent) from crowded galleries
(as empty as a church).. -
Senator Hanway, when he decided to
pick out a House Speaker favorable to
his hopes, had plenty of -time wherein
to lay his plans. • The personnel. -of ; a
coming^ House Is 'known for over a*
year;-, tne members are elected nearly
thirteen- months before they take their
seats.! These thlrteen'months of grace
are granted the new. member . by the
constitution jj on a "hopeful theory that
he will devote thera'to a study of his
country's needs.; In this instance, as
in many another, '\u25a0 theory and practice
wander wide apart:- the new, member'
gives those thirteen months to; a pro
found study, of his own needs, and con
cerns himself no more over the nation's
than over wine-pressing in | far-away
Bordeaux. It Is the glaring fault of
every scheme of government, your own;
being- no exception to the rule, that" it
seems meant for man as he should be
rather than for man as he Is.. '.'
Every member of, the coming House,
•among matters of personal moment -to
himself, had given no lltle thought to
what comittees he would be placed up
on; and this, in the nature of House
things, likewise compelled him to .a.
consideration of the Speakership and,
who should fill It. It was by remem-"
berlng ftiose committee hopes' and fears :
of members, and adroitly fomenting;
them, that Senator Hanway expected. to:
control the Speakership election. ..'.,
But he must go warily to work.
Coming from the- Senate end of the.
Capitol, Senator Hanway,; in * his pro
posed interference In the organization
of the House, must maintain himself
discreetly in the dark. Jt was hot a
task to accomplish blowing a bugle.
The House had surrendered Its .powers
to. the Speaker;. but it had, retained Its
vanity, . and' like* all 'weak, animals' it
was the more. vain for being weak/The'
members,, were It once, known and par
cel of the common gossip how they In
clined to. Senator, Hanway's rnfinipula'-f
tlon. would.be compelled to rebeL They.
would be driven to oppose .him 'as 'at
method of preserving what they called, \u25a0
their self-Tespect. Aware";of Uhisr- Sen
ator Hanway. never: cam£ into : ihe bpeiv;
never appeared- upon the -surface.? I . iHo
secretly pitched* .upbn ; : a ° 'candidate
among the older ones of the House-arid/
made his dear, with !hlm,':working^the
wires "of .'his diplomacy from b010w. .-" 5
"There was . peicullar^deroand.f or. effort # :
!on •', Scnator';ilanway/B part. .Ills , man,':
when \ now , he\haft" selepted^hinv
not find* himself uninterrupted
opposed. in his maroh • forlhat ; Speaker-,
ship. v. There /was another,', and, if
tlve popularity- -were.. to : count,' a .strong
er hand " stretched forth to. seize" the
gavel prize. " Had It lain |n| the; cards,
Senator' Hariwa'y, '" who always., sought j
his '"ends'* on \u25a0_ lines-of 'least .resistance,
would - himself \have pitched \u25a0 upon this
stronger one. Butsuch was beyond the
question. The strong,one_cl\irned to be.
of that party clan which pushed" the
offensive Governor^ Obstinate;... for Jthe^
Fresldency; and tills not. only offered*
a perfect reason 1 why_ Senator_ Hanway
shduldmake no 'alliance witti~hYih,~but
it multiplied the necessity ;for~his. de.-. .
feat.
That member upon whom Senator..
Hanway settled for Speaker owned the
biting name of Frost; it was an- in—
stance, however, when -there was noth
ing In a name.' Mr. Frost 1 was a round,'
genial personage and only biting with,
occasional sarcasms; then, it : is true,'
his sentences cut like a rawhide.. He :
was big, breezy, careless,- quick, and
coming of an aquatic ancestry, oceanic
in his' sort; even his walk reminded
one of a grouna swell. And yet he was
defective as. a candidate. The House
members liked, him well, despite" those
verbal. acridities which shaved the sur
face of debate as lawns are shaven by
a scythe; but with the last word there
existed no recognized House or party
reason, whether of the past, the pres
ent or the future, why he should bo
made Speaker. In the lay of 'House
topography he was on the wrong side
of the river from the Speakershlp.Vand;
to land him within stretch of the gavel V
required that Senator Hanway either
ferry or pontoon him across. This the
latter gentleman set himself to accom
plish by, a series of intrigues and;strat
agems that would have brightened the'
fame of a Talleyrand.
The statesman opposed to Mr. Frost
for the Speakership was a personage
named Hawke. He stood possessed of
honesty. Intelligence and energy; also
he had been for long the leader of his
party In the House, and ; given . his
name to ' a tariff measure. "With- \u25a0
out one -gleam of humor, he- was.
of a temper hot as that of any,.
Hecla.and like his fellow volcano, bVin?.
often in. a ptate of eruptlonr he, offered V
many reasons for being admired and
none for befns* loved. ."\u25a0\u25a0'. -
This should be a key to the man.
He had been a brave soldier during
the Civil War, and when his men. most
ni whom were armed with shotguns
it being In the early hours of that strife
and these men. arming "themselves—
complained that their weapons were
no match for the Enfiolds of tne foe, re
buked them fiercely.
"General," said the spokesman* of ttie
soldiers, "these yere shotguns; ain't no
even break for them rifles the "Yanks
are Bhootln'!"
"They are a match for them.", retort- •
ed the furious Mr. Hawke, "if you will .
only go close enough.". ,-. ."•\u25a0 ' .
For all hH soberness of humor and'
choleric upheavals, Mr.: Hawke.'.ber'.
cause of his record as a House leader
and a tariff maker — he had tinkered
together that : identical bill which, whea'"
Senator .Hanway later revamped -It In
the , Senate, produced , the , Obstinate One 9
as a Go vernor— was the legitimate heir
to the Bpeal«rshlp; and In" the House, :
where ", tradition is something ; sacred
and custom itself the strongest of-ar
guments/ his defeat for the place was \u25a0
thereby rendered . well-nigh ? impossible.' g
Senator Hanway had i - undertaken no
child's * task \u25a0 when he went about " the I
gavel" elevation of the popular, \u25a0 yet— by .
' '-:-'\u25a0\u25a0'. : •'\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 '\u25a0'\u25a0':[ \u25a0 \u25a0.-\u25a0"' *!jit~-\ '-*'. < >.^5
THE SAN -FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL.'
House usage— the illegitimate- Mr.
Frost.,... •.*.'•}' ':;-.;,.'•\u25a0\u25a0>\u25ba\u25a0'*';,'. ;•': ;;:\u25a0„-.-,\u25a0•\u25a0; \. \u25a0- -.-
Months before ever. Senator Hanway
was; granted the" honor/of knowing Mr.
Gwjenn, he uad v been; burrowingjy ' busy
about i the Speakership. /./As '.a', primary
step fhe .was obliged .to .« suppress his
ebullient .brother-in-law. /^ Mr. > Harley,
the I moment a v conquest of -the 7 : Hoqge
In the interests'df Senator Hanway was
proposed,, waxed, threateningly, exuber
ant He.\vas r £or;;lßsuing forth to lyo-;
clferate ;and slap members upon ' their
backs and jovially arrange committee
ships on : the -gaff, principle of give
us the Speakership and you'^shall be
come a- Chairman. -.^The' optimistic: Mr.
Harley, whose methods- were soineiwhat
coarse ; and who. did most .things ! with
an ax, was precisely of * that hopeful
sort who .would ndverttee an auction of
the lion*; hide awhile Lit : was yet upon
the beast. :•: Senator,. Hanway. 7 with 'in
stincts safer fand more ; upon' the i order
of the mole's,, forbade /such campaigns
'ni noise. . - ' v ~. ~ >; .
"You must keep silent.V John," said
he, "nnd never-let men know, what we
are about. You are inclined, apparent
ly, to regard, a Speakership as .[you
might a swarm of bees; you think one
has only tobeat a tin pan long enough
or blow a tin horn; loud enough In or
der to hive It according to one's wish.
The Speakership,. however, so. far from
being a swarm .of bees is more like a
flock of blackbird?, and the system to
;which you- incline ; would -. prove the
readiest means -of- frightening away
our every chance. In short, .you must
work by my orders and^meet no one,
say nothing, except as I direct.", . ; ,
Then Senator Hanway. sent Mr. Har
ley. much modified of his 'vigor, with
a secret invitation to. Mr. J Frost! When
that personage was -brought to 'the pri
vacy of the. Harley' house, he laid open
to his ;ambitlon\-those gavel prospects
\yh}ch he, denator> Hanway, had al
ready constructed , In his thoughts. .
• There was no conflict of argument
wUli Mr. Frost;. he rose to' the sugges
tioh>llke a bass to a fly. Knowing him
jielf to be of. a genius too -openly bluff
find frank, and no one to conquer those
elements which his. campaign would re
quire, he put .^himself In the hollow of
Senator -.•. • Hanway's \u25a0'hstnd-. to 'X be 'con
trolled, by him shut eyes. This
voluntary prompt submission the
part of Mr.' Frost: had a further sub
tluing effect uppn^Mr.- Harloy. In ; imi
.tation .thereof he, too, began to speak
in whispers ans step r; with care, and ask
his eminent- relative for -orders in all
he- went -about. • :
\u0084 Now when; Senator- Hanway had
trained, his partner and his candidate
to come to heel he began to unravel his
diplomacy. .By 'his .-suggestion, Mr.
Frost topk jnto confidence' two of his
party colleugues in the House. These
would, on- every: occasion act as his
agents;t>r'> lieutenants. Senator Han
way""and^ Jlc. (Harley were not to ap
pear^too. obvtojusly. • ' \u25a0<•
: >; Strhato.r Han way,'- lying- back in the
darl--, looked 'over the, field and sent
those '.lieutenants variously to a
score of members. These t .were sounded
on the engaging .. topic iof; committee
cbairroahshlps,' ar^d .one*. by one such
coigns of congressional, . npt to . say per
sonal, advantage as the, heads-,of. Ways
'; ;•• - Meaiii.x ; 'the,,. Appropriqtions, • the
ft'preigpi'' Affairs, the. N.av.al.-.the Military
;«ntf ; a number of ;other,gr,eatßUb;bodles
iwere ; disposed) of— bartered., away _ on
Uheicontingency always of Mr. Frost's
ijselecUorii.to be the -Speaker.. The en
jtik-el House was laid off;, into, lots, like
•real"' estate and sol^-^.the purchaser
'promising Jiisvote^any^influeiice.Jn, the.
party -caucus, v taking -^lefefofci^yerbal
contract;' to .ghe.hinir'ilhe-v^oinmUtee
place the.- pr«f erred. \u25a0 p -S£il .'** -
fjv^This^ '.labor/; of ,. an, a4Tance, partition'
f of.'tho'spoits^ajid 'the^ linking' of , every
f possible-, faction 5 , with the 1 campaign of
Mr. 1 / Frost iiyas.' conciuded}kb6uf a .fort-,
might..' prior : to"* Mrs.' H.arl^y's dinner." to
Mr/.Gwynn: • Senate^* Hanway ran
hisVexp'Srienced fey^Over >the list" arid
-counted the; nq'seat of ! 4lr. ''Frost's arrays
he saw.thaU It wwars r riot "enough.: The
\u25a0 pontoon "would not reach; there- Was
still a'< wide expanse- of 'water between
:hia:_,candidale; -..And"- the :: coveted
Speakership. , j As ,-•* matters • rested,
and -Avery mpfscl /of House patronage
disposed;, of ; -to . this - hungry « > one
-or: — thativ the enemy, Mr. Hawke
—being Ooubly the enemy for. tout- he
was- become an" open supporter of Gov-'
erno'r ; Obstinate and ; . made no - secret
that" hls.^ candidacy . for -the .Speakership
was^meant to* : be a step toward mak
ing thift" gentleman President—^^would
still; rise victorious in caucus by -full
forty votes. ' '*. '-•\u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0": - ; .,}. } \u25a0-, '\u25a0".•' - : ": ; ;^:-- v
j .Senator Hanway's anxious wits were
driven hard.:: He "had drawn; to Mr.
Frost every splinter of power he could
command by barter/ and thrown in his
own State delegation in • the House?by;
sheer stress of .that machine which he
\u25a0had; upreared-^for his own defense at
home: "it was- not enough; even the
subtraction . of, two- State delegations
from the.- standards of the foe, by the
adroit sphenie^ applied to each dele
gation, of dragging one of its .mera
bers^forward; to. be f a- candidate for
Speaker, was. not enough. ~ After ten
months \ of . labor, . Senator Hanway:
went ) over* the ! result ' and could ; read
nothing therein nave failure. And it
was like an Icicle through his 'heart;
for_ .from what' advantage the
control of i thej House might give- his
own 'ambitions, Jhe knew " beyond : ques
tion .that with the gavel In tho fingers
Of- a; professed- partisan of . Governor
Obstinate, the latter thick, yet for
tunate," individual would occur as the
next Presidential candidate of his party
•so surely. as the Bun came up on a con
vention morning. -
•Senator Hanway was in this valley
of. gloom when. he heard of Mr. Gwynn.:
It was- Mr.^Harley;. ever brisk in* rail
way matters,"' who ~ told him of that gen
tleman^as the Colossus of the Anaconda
Airline.. ' ', ; . / «
"He nblds no offices In the managei
iment of the company,", explained Mr. 1
Harley, "but j being j millions upon .mill
ions', a ; majority shareholder his least
word Is "Anaconda Airline law." < "
.Senator Hanway. did not. have to be
told of . the ; Influence of > rail ways ;in
the'destinles of his country. He glancr
ed iip • tit a / map on. the wall ;, there he
could sec the nation 'caught like some
great, clumsy fish; In a -very seine;; of
\u25a0', He traced the black; thread
like flight/from seaboard to seaboard,
oti-the .Anaconda | Airline. Then Jhe
\u25a0 m'ado a* calculation. , The: Anaconda
Airline was. the political backbone, first
one. State "and: then another, of forty
House* members, twenty-three .of whom
being of his own complexion of politics,
would -/have *a , caucus vote. ; •Of ; the
twenty- three, 1 V luck ; upon . good , i luck!
twenty' belonged to. Mr. HawkeMf Sehf
ator Hanway knight only get " the;Ana
conda^ Airline • to'fcrack the .{thong -of
its ; authority joyer (; these \ recalcitrants."
they^ could -be whipped into the \ Frost
traces.',',.- Not : one :>.would \u25a0< dare ' def y ; an
Anaconda: order ; iit J would •"\u25a0 be ; political
hafa-kirl. . At Ihis ? point • bur., wily \u25a0'' Sen-^
ator,:Hanway- began laying, plans' to
bring ;^ Mr. '; ; .^within; his
reach;: "it was, in def erenceTto^- those
plans inai • our solemn capnansv
\ found .' . .- himself upon 9 . Mjrs. » ' Han
way-Harley's hospitable right .. hand on
that; evening- 61 the dinner, with' his
severe, lejp^putstretched beneath the Har
ley mahogany. ',- .'\u25a0\u25a0-..: ;'..'-' "•
"I ; will .see you to-morrow— with*.' your
permission,", observed Senator Hanway,
as he parted with Mr. Gwynn. . ; ,
, .When Mr.'. Gwynn j returned from Mrs.
Hanway-Harlev*s : he stood in the-middle
of ( the. floor, and : told j Richard, word for
word,: all 'thfat -had ; taken place. The
; latter , young* gentleman rwas \u25a0 In a pro
digiously : good humor. .; Epr the ' first time
in his life he,' had i done ft day's work.ibe
: lnglthe; twenty-five, hundred -word .story
written and dispatched to the Daily Tory,
and that .was -one -reason •, for Joy. ; Be
skies,; there : was :; the i manager's wire iof
praise— and . Richard : : thought it • marked
; af weakness 'in too. . ! had
warmed the cockles of , his heart. . Being
good humor, .he listened without inter
rupting : comment':to; theirasping.v parirot
tones of. Mr. . Gwynn -while that gentle
man,' without J inflection . or ; emphaais jor
.-slightest, shade, of .personal interest, tola
\u25a0 the. tale "^ of : the ; night's "adventures, from
Mrs. Hanway-Harley's flattery: and Mr,
Harley's song, to Senator; Hanway's last
handclasp and that parting promise of a
;caU:. /\u25a0\u25a0'- >. \-;.-.;;-.V/-"'' '': : -' ; V"-'
\u2666 -"And that is all, slr, l^ said Mr. Gwynn.
at ; the close, coughing apologetically be
hind his- palm as though fearful of criti
cism. \u25a0';, .' -J- '->,:\u25a0 '.'\u25a0'\u25a0'. \u25a0 }h:i~P'< I \u25a0"'-'->
-\u25a0 "You did well," was Richard's response.
"When, Senator Hanway.calls to-morrow,
Introduce me to him at once. > After that,
. I shall talk and- you will acquiesce.' You
go.'*; :'' ; \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0-:.\u25a0
."Tharik.you, sir. Very, good," slr!"^ said
Mr. Gwynn., . i ,"'..\ \" -
Mr. Gwynn . received jj Senator' Hanway
in his library; Richard was present, con
sidering the world at large from a' win
dow. \
"And first of all." said Mr. Gwynn,
after greeting Senator Hanway, "and
first of all, let me Introduce to your
notice Mr. Storm 3 ." I may say to you,
sir, I have, confidence- In Mr.; Storms;' I
act "much by his advice." And here Mr.
Gwynn looked at: Richard as though ap
pealing for corroboration. . :
Senator ... Hanway, from whose nimble
faculties; nothing escaped, noted this ap
peal: He thought the less of it. since Mr.
Harley had given him .some glint- of the
measureless mllllonss of Mr. Gwynn, and
he deduced " from this "stiff turning', to
ward' Richards, this brittle deference,
nothing save a theory j that Mr. \ Gwynn,
by virtue of his tremendous riches, haa
grown too great to do his own listening
and thinking. It was as plain, as it was
proper, that he # should hire them done,
precisely, as he' hired a groom S for his
clothes. Senator Hanley," himself,' was at
bottom impressed by nothing so much as.
money, and was quite prepared to believe
thnt one of the .world's ' wealthiest' men
- — for such he xmtlerstood to be the. case
of Mr. Gwynn— would ; prove In* word
and deed; nnd thought a being wholly
different , from one about him.
Wherefore.'- his heaped millions ac
counted In' Mr. : Gwynn for what other
wise might have,. been considered by
Senator Hanway as queernesses.
, To add to this. 1 Mr. Gwynn was of a
certain \u25a0 select -circle of English exclu
sives;.- Senator Hanway had learned
that .much from his sister, Mrs. Han
way-Hurley.. It was to be expected
then- that he would have some one
about him to furnish brains for his de
liberations, and to make up his mind
as a laundress makes up shirts. . Sena
tor Hanway, knowing these things of
Mr. Gwynn;' was In no wise surprised
that heispossessed In his -service one
who ' wasi^hearer, \ talker and decider,,
"just ns ancient- kings kept folk about
business, was to make witty re
itorts.for them and conduct sparkling
conversations In ; ; their /stead, '-* they,
themselves, being. too royal' for anything
so; much beneath that level of.exalted
inanity, which as all men know is the
only proper mark of. princely minds.
Something of. : this 'raced hit or miss
through Senator Han way's thoughts, as
Mr.' Gwynn presented Richard and then
relap'sedT-hinge by; hinge as .though
his joints were rusty with much aris
tocratic unbending — into 'a' chair: '
' 'Richard gave him no space to; dwell
upon j the phenomenon. • He' came for
ward .with' a little atmosphere of def
ference; for Richard had his own deep
designs. Then, too, \u25a0'-;. Senator 'Hanway
was white of hair and twice his'age, to
say nothing of being ascertain /young
lady's uncle. V • - . '
\u25a0 "Mr. Gwynn has told me of you," said
he. Then -pushing straight for- the
point after methods of his own, he con
tinued: "What is it the -Anaconda Air
line can do? -Mr. Gwynn", is quite con
vinced, from what -he has been told of
those positions you have from time to
time asumed In the -: Senate, '.' "that :hls
own interest with that of every, rail
way . owner lies* ln&followlng your
leadership. . Indeed, I think he hais de
cided to adopt; whatever suggestion you
may make.'' Richard glanced to%vard
Mr. Gwynn, and 'that great man gave
his mandarin bow. - >
-"\u25a0./' Senator Hanway, .while smitten : of
vague amazement at; Mr. : Gwynn* s ac
quiescent spirit,; accepted it. without
pause. - However marvelous it might
be, at least -he himself ran no risk.
More than that, on second thought it
did : not : occur Jto him as so \ peculiarly
unusual; ; a 'Senator in a measure ' be
comes inured -to the wondrous.
Senator Hanway did not reply direct
ly to ,v Richard's r -query. Direct replies
were not the, habit at \this '.practiced
one. He made a f speech .full of flat
tering -generalities, rHe spoke of
Richard's connection . with \u25a0 the Daily
TorY, and expanded : - upon .the
weight and influence of that jour
nal. : Also, with; a. ' beaming- albeit
delicate f patronage , which Richard ' stom
ached for reasons of his ; own," . he ' inti
mated complimentary things : of : Richard
himself . and . seemed to congratulate > the
Dally Tory |on the ' services \u25a0 of one '\u25a0\u25a0 so
keen, '. so jj sure, so graphic ; ..which , last
was the more kind; ; since Senator 'Han
way could have known no single reason
for assuming >nytKing of the sort. He
told Richard that he hoped to \u25a0 see him
personally \u25a0 every day. Here . Richard
broke in;oh .thelfienatorlaltflow -to ask
ii . he .might wait upon Senator Hanway
every ": morning at 1 - eleven. .: '*\u25a0*
•"For I am' warned by,; Mr.: Gwynn," .ex
piaihed Richard, with; an; alert mendacity
which \u25a0 would j have" ; done honor, to \u25a0 Benato ( r
Hanway himself,' f'that he will L hold any
thing short r of : calllng. upon you once a
day *~ as barefaced : neglect of r ; his ' Inter 7
et>ts."- • ';\u25a0 ' ."\u25a0' . r : . ". - \u25a0-\u0084---..;. r .' : . \u25a0\u25a0•\u25a0\u25a0.'.
' "Certainly, ;'• sir; most \ barefaced!"
creaked Mr. .Gwynn, giving the mandarin
bow/;;. ;. ; : ,' "'.:.: .\u25a0.\u25a0,\u25a0'.:/•\u25a0 '•'/;\u25a0.-\u25a0-•".- '\u25a0'-'': ;\u25a0•; '- \u25a0 \u25a0 "
''Senator' Hanway l would be graciously,
pleased to ' see' Richard every, morning; at
eleven: ,"' Also, he .would raid hiny- as ~ far
as" was • proper, V with a. recount '< of what
' gusts* and "windy '< currents of news were
moving. In the upper j ethics of govern
ment:;"iV''."'--' ''\u25a0\u25a0:"\u25a0 ' "\u25a0•-:\u25a0:\u25a0 '-:. : \u25a0'\u25a0•\u25a0-"'"" : '^- '*\u25a0'"-
.. Then, < haying, been : polite,^Senator ' Han-,
way got down, to business and statedtbat
M r. i Frost,* if Speaker, \u25a0 would ! t avor^ a cer
tain 'pooling i bill; i much . desired ?by ; rail; ,
ways, and * particularly - dear , to the -An I
conda Airline. '\u25a0: On, the obdurate other
hand, Mr. Hawke was an enemy to pool-
Ing bills - and , railways. \u25a0 Mr. Gwynn's . in
terest was plainly with, Mr. Frost.
"Not that -I\ care ; personally for the.
success i/of Mr. Frost," remarked Sena
tor Hanway, "but I know tow the rail
ways desire . that pooling bill, and how
that..- pooling, bill is a darling measure
with ' Mr. Frost.".
• "Whjch brings us back," observed Rich
ird, who never took his eyes oft a ques
tion, once put, until he saw It mated with
in answer, "to Mr.- Gwynn's . first inter
rogatory: What can the Anaconda Air
ine do?" -'.' . •, r -
Senator Hanway explained. The Ana
:onda"; Airline could . press \u25a0 down the
weight of . its Influence upon. those twen
.y-three members. The Anaconda influ
ence might better be exerted through' its
president and general attorney, and per
laps what ..special attorneys were, local
u> the Congressional districts of thos^
twenty-three.-. , \u25a0 \u25a0' •
VMr,; Gwynn," observed Richard, "an
ticipated something; of the kind, and I
think is. prepared to request those officers
trdu.'name to come' to Washington.? ;
"They shall be requested, sir; certainly,
sir,"-, ra?ped : Mr. Gwynn. ' Richard's,
words seemed ever to reverberate In A*r. r
Grwynn's noble \u25a0 Interior •as in a cavern.
md thereafter to- issue-forth by way. of
r»l^' mouthin the manner of an t-cho.
'Certainly, 5 sir; they' shall be requested,"
repeated the, cavernous Mr. Gwynn.
"Now this is highly gratifying," said
Senator Hanway. • "And you will have
them call upon me. "too, I've no doubt.
You should wire them at once; the cau
cus, you know,. lsn't ten days away; Con
gress convenes on the first Monday of
next month." * t-"'
Senator Hanway. .being of a -quick in
telligence, had by this time found his
rightful line. He divided . himself fairly;
for he gave his entire, conversation to
Richards while he . conferred upon Mr.
CSwynn his whole, respect. In good truth,
the less Mr. Gwynn said and the less
he . seemed to hear and understand, the
nore Senator Hanway did him honor in
liis heart, ; The rigid witlessness of Mr.
3wynn fairly came over him a3 the token
md sign of an indubitable nobility, and
it was with a feeling treading upon rcv
?rence for that wonderful man that Sen
ator Hanway arose to go. . . . « •
"I am muc"h refreshed by this inter
dew," said he, taking Mr. Gwynn's
riand and shaking it pump-handlewise.
"Your help should insure Mr. Frost's
luccess. With Mr. Frost Speaker, rail
way interests will be safeguarded. And,"
:ontinued Senator Hanway, quoting from
?ne of his Senate speeches, lifting his
roice the while, and falling into a fine
jeclamatory pose, "he who safeguards
he railroads safeguards his country. Pa
triotism-cannot count the debt the nation
jwes the railroads. Had it not been for
the . knitting together of the country by
the .railroads, bringing into closer touch
with one another the West and the East,
the South and the North— the wiping out
A sectionalism— the annihilation of spec
ial ' Interests by making all interests gen
eral—all done by : the. railroads, sir!— this
:ountry» broken across the knee of moun
tain ranges and sawed \u25a0 Into regions by
;reat - rivers, would ere this have been
frittered Into fragments; and v where we
dave now the glorious United | States — a
free and unified people— Europe, who en-,
vies. as well: as fears us, would be.gratl
tled by the spectacle of four and perhaps
a. half dozen different and differing coun
:rles, each alien and,: doubtless, each ho*-,
tile to the others.": Senator Hanway. had
reached- the / door.'*. ' ." And -.« that «this-,.con
lition. of dlsseverment .'•\u25a0 does^ndt ' exist,", ;
sried he, as he bowed with final grace'to«
Mr.' Gwynn, whoyappruvedl.stjp.nili'. :if i'iai
due to you, sir; and, io', gentlemen, like!
,'nu; and to those railways;.whlch,%like i
;he Anaconda Airline, form the ties that;,
>md us safe against such dismembering;
jossibilitles and give us, for war or for,
peace, absolute coherency as a common
ivealth."
CHAPTER V.
tfoW Richard Wan Taught Many
- » . Thlnss.
Richard went every day at eleven for
a brief _confern2e with Senator Hanway.
The latter was no < wise backward in> his
use .of the columns of the . Daily Tory.
There are so many things concerning both
men and measures that statesmen want
said, and which, because of their modes
ty,. they themselves hesitate to say, that
-Senator Hanway, when- now through
Richard he might tell thls-etory of poli
tics or declare that proposal of state, and
still keep his own name under cover, dis
covered in the Daily Tory a source of
relief. So, much, in truth, did Senator
Hanway, by. way of Richard and the
Dally Tory. 'contribute to the gayety of
the times, that the editor-in-chief was
duly scandalized. He aroused - himself
on the third evening, killed Richard's dis
patch and rebuked that earnest Journal
ist with the following:
"Send news; nothing but news. No one
wants your notion, of the motives of
Representatives In fight over Speaker
, ship."
." This led to a word or two between Rich
ard and Mr. G wynn;- the upcome being a
wire f rum ' Mr. uwynn to the editor de
siring him on all occasions and without
alteration or additlonto print Richard's
dispatches. The editor In retort remind
ed Mr. Gwynn that the Daily Tory had ,a
reputation and a policy; also there were
laws of libel. Mr. Gwynn declined to b«
moved by these high considerations, and
reiterated his first. command. After that
\u25a0 Richards in each issue gave way to an
unchecked column letter, which was run
sullenly by the editor and never a word
displaced. • . . . \u25a0
; This dally letter, signed "R. S."
brought Richard mighty comfort; he read
if fresh and new* each morning, with
mounting v satisfaction. ' Richard. . like
other. authors, found, no literature so good
to his : palate . as his own; and while his
stories looked well- enough when he wrote
them,"- the typ^s never failed In uncover
ing charms that had escaped his ken.
These were complacent days for Richard
the. defective; ones to nourish his self
love;' ... '\u25a0 . • .
Being his first work, and performed un
der his own tolerant mastery, with none
to molest \u25a0 film or. make -him editorially
afraid, it stood V scant wonder that Ihe
went'about the subject- of his own sleep-
It ss : self-congratulations." What Richard
needed— and never, knew it— was dismissal
in rapid succession '" f rom at least, four
newspaperi*; such a course of Journalistic
sprouts would have set his feef in proper
paths. Undtr* the -circumstances, how-"
ever, . this Improving • experience 'was ! im
possible: missing .the benefits thereot,
Richard : must .struggle on as best he
might without a bridle.
\u25a0 It was fortunate, when one remembers
his -f blinded i ignorance, a condition : ag
gravated, by. | his • own acute; approval of
himself, -that' Richard had ;a ;no; more^
radical guide than was the cautious Sen-"
ator : Han way;. 1 /While that designing ' gen- \
tleman— the Dally : Tory - turning s the^ stone
— grinded 'manyl a" personal: ax— nota bene,'
never once without exciting ; the i sophisti
cated wrath of the edltorrin-chief-^he was
no ; such ] headlong ; temper : of a 1a 1 man as to
Invite the i paper ; into ; foolish ..;. extrava
gancies, whether of statement or of style.
As the bug under tha chip the Daily-
Tory's Washington correspondence. Sen
ator 4 Hanway was neither a vindictive nor
yet a reckTess bug; and the paper, while
it became the organ o£ his ambitions,
made some reputational profit by the
very melody of those guarded tunes be
ground. S
Richard, you are not to suppose, went
unaware of those employments to which
Senator Hanway put him in the vine
yard of his policies. He realized the sit
uation and walked therein with wide and
willing eyes. It served his tender pur
pose; it. would take him to the. Harley
house and throw him. perTcnance. Into
the society of Dorothy without the dul
cet "privilege being Identified as the true
purpose of hl3 call.
"One cannot but marvel that Richard
should be at the trouble of so much dif
ficult chicane. It is strange that he
should so entangle what might have been
the simplest of love stories; for you may
as well know here as further on that,
had Richard laid bare the truth of him
self, Mrs. Hanway-Harley, far from
fencing her daughter against him and
his addresses, would have taken the door
off its hinges to let him in. But Richard,
as was heretofore suggested, had been
most ignorantly brought up, or rather had
been granted no bringing up at all. More
over, in the sensitive cynicism of his na
ture, which made a laugh Its armor and
was harsh for fear of being hurt, our
Democrltus had long ago bound himself
with vows that he would accept nofriend
shlp, win no love, that did not come to
him upon his mere and unsupported mer
its as a man. In his own fashion, so far
from being the philosopher he thought,
Richard was a knight errant— one as mad
and as romantic as the most feather
headed Amadis that ever came out of
Gaul, and so he is to make himself a
deal of trouble and have himself much
laughed at before ever he succeeds in
slipping through the fingers of this his
tory to seek obscurity with Dorothy by
his side. For all that, it is Richard's
due to say that his "R. S." letters at
tracted polite as well as political atten
tion, and got • him much respected and
condemned. Also they lodged him
high .in the esteem of Senator Han
way, who discovered dally new-excel
lencies in him: and this came somewhat
to the rescue of- Richard One day.
Senator Hanway had a room In a wing
of the Harley house which Mrs. Han
way-Harley called his study. It was a
sumptuous apartment, furnished , in ma
hogany and, leather. »nd a bookcase,
filled with Congressional Records which
nobody ever looked at, stood against the
wall. Here It was that Senator Hanway
held his conferences: it' was here he laid
his plans and brooded them. When Sen
ator Hanwav desired to meet a gentle
man and preferred to keep" the meeting
dark, j this study was the scene of that
secrecy. In such event, the blinds were
drawn to baffle what prying or casual
eye might come marching up the street;
for in Washington, to see two men con
versing Is to know nine times in ten
precisely what the conversation Is about.
Commonly, however, the bllnd3 were
thrown wide, as though the study's pure
proprietor courted a world's scrutiny.
It was in this study that Richard was
receive* by Senator Hanway. There was
an" outside door; a caller might be ad
mitted from the veranda without
troubling the main portals of the Har
ley house. To save the patience of that
Journalist. Senator Hanway called Rich
ard's attention to the veranda door and
commissioned him to make use of it.
Senator Hanway said that he 'did not
• wish* -to "subject "one 'whom he valued
?&e)^m'jrhly, and who was on. such near
terms with his good friend. Mr, Gwynn.
to the slow ceremony whicn attended a
regular invasion of ; the premises, r , x
I Richard thanked Senator Hanway. al
though he could have liked it 'better had
he been less thoughtfully polite. Richard
would have preferred the main, door, with
whatever delay and formal clatter such
entrance made imperative. The more
delay and the more clatter, the more
chance of seeing Dorothy. It struck him
with a dubious chill when Senator Han
way suddenly distinguished him with the>
fredeom of that veranda door— a fran
chise upon which your statesman laid
flattering emphasis, saying that not ten
others^had been granted it
This episode of the veranda door befell
upon the earliest visit which Richard
made in his quality of correspondent of
theiDally Tory- On that day. being ad
mitted by way of the Harley front door,
Richard had the felicity of coming In
with the before mentioned dally sheaf of
roses. Richard and the blossom-bearing
colored youth entered together, the door
making the one opening to admit both;
nnd by this fortunate chance — which
Richard the wily had waited around the
corner to secure— he was given the Joy
of seeing and hearing, the beautiful
Dorothy gurgle over the flowers.
"And to think," cried Dorothy, her
nose In the bosom of a rose, "no
one knows from whom they come!
Mamma thinks Count Btorrt sends them.
It's so good of him. If he does!" •
Dorothy's head was bowed over the
flowers. As she spoke, however, her blue
eye, full of mischief, watched Richard
through a silken lock of hair that had
fallen forward.
"But you don't think it's Storrl?" cried
Richard dolorously.
"Oh, no!" returned Dorothy, shaking
her head with wise decision. VI don't
think it's Count Storri. But of course
I wouldn't tell mamma so; she doesn't
like to be contradicted. Still," and here
Dorothy looked quite wistful, "I wish
I knew who did send them.;*
Before Richard could take u» the de
licate question of - the . roses and their
origin, there arrived the word of Sen
ator Hanway that he be shown into the
study.
"Now that I'm a working Journalist,
Miss Harley," said Richard. "I shall be
obliged to see your, uncle every d«r."
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Dorothy, with
a fine sympathy; "how hard t!»v fcrive
you poor newspaper peoplel"
"Still, we go not without our re
wards," returned Richard.
Then observing that Senator Hanway*s
messenger— who had not those reasons
for loitering which made slow the feet or
Richard— was already halfway down the
hall. Richard took Dorothy's small hand
in his, and - before she knew her peril
or might make an effort to avoid It,
rapturously kissed the Sneers, not once,
not twice, but five times. The very fin
gers themselves burned with the scandal
of it! Following this deed of rapine.
Richard went his vandal way: Dorothy's
face turned a twin red with the roses.
Dorothy said : nothing in rebuke of
Richard, and It is. to be assumed that so
flagrant an outrage left her *rt«£out
breath to voice* her condemnation. That
she was disturbed, to the heart is sure,
for she' went .instantly to her friend, the
sibyl of the golden locks, for conference,
confidence and- consolation.
"Wasn't he " wretchedly bold. Bessr
said Dorothy In an awe-stricken whisper.
"Absolutely 5 abandoned!" said Bess.
/Then the two sat in silence for ten Im
pressive seconds.
Continued Next Sunday.