CALEB CONOVER arrrrj— RAILROADER •••CoMovctxr"' —— STORY ©/■ LOVE,POLITICS,INTRIGUE, op A RICH &« POWERFUL BOSS * AND AN INTREPID YOUNG REFORMER 2?fcd&\w.J BY ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE vV-" 1907 BV AL.BERT PAVSON TERHUN& "Well," vouchsafed Caleb, grudging ly, "that's an answer anyhow, and It comes nearer being sense than any thing you've said so far. But you're wrong for all that. You talk about honesty. What's honesty? The pious Pilgrim Fathers came here and swin dled old Lo, the poor Indian, out of his country In a blamed sight more raw fashion than I've ever bamboozled the people of the Mountain State. And the Mountain Staters were will ing while the Indian wasn't. Yet the old settlers are called 'nation builders' and 'martyrs,' and a lot of other hot air titles, and they get statues put up to their memories. How about the Uncle Sam's buying a whole nation of Filipinos and coolly telling 'em: 'l'm bossing your islands now. Listen to me while I soften your rebellious hearts with the blessed gospel of the gatling gun.' Yet Uncle Sam's all right. So's John Bull, who done the same trick, only worse, in India and Egypt. No one's going to call Ameri ca or England or the Pilgrim Fathers dishonest and crooks, is there? Then why do you ca'.l Caleb Conover dis honest for doing the same thing, only a lot more squarely and mercifully? The crook of to-day is the hero of to morrow. And I'm no crook at that. Why, son, a hundred years from now there's liable to be a statue stuck up somewhere of 'Caleb Conover, Rail roader, Champion of the People.' Honesty, eh? What you call 'hon esty' Is just a sort of weak-kneed vir tue meaning lack of chance to be something else. 'llonester than mo' means 'less chance than me.' The honestest community on earth, accord ing to you reformers' way of think ing. is In the State Penitentiary. For not a crime of any sort's committed there from one's year's end to the other." Conover chuckled softly to himself, then continued: "And there's something else about me that ought to make 'em sculp a halo onto that same statue. What I've done to build up my pile I've done open and with all the cards on the* table. I have called a spade a spado, and I haven't referred to it, vague- 1 like, as an 'industr'l.' I haven't took the Lord in as a silent partner on my deals. What I've took I've took, and I've said, 'Whatcher going to do about It?' I've won out by strength, and I ain't ashamed of my way of playing the game. I haven't talked through my nose about being one of the noblo class picked out by Providence to watch over the wealth that poor folks'd have had the good of if I hadn't grabbed it from 'em. And I haven't tried to square myself On High by en dowing colleges and heathens and libraries and churches. I guess a sin ner's hush-money don't make so much of a hit with the Almighty as these philanthropist geezers seem to think It will. What I've given I've given on the quiet an where it'd keep folks from the poorliouse. When it comes to the final show-down on Judgment Day, I've a sneaking notion the out and-out pirate—me, if you like —will win out by about seven lengths over the holy hypocrite. That's another reason why I tell you you're wrong when you say I ain't honest. I don't hope to convince you by any of the words I've been wasting. If you were the sort of man reason could reach you wouldn't be a reformer. l'\e squandered enough time on you for one evening. Save all the pat replies that I can see you're bursting with, and spring 'em at your next meeting. I've no time to listen to 'em now. Good night." Unceremoniously as he had entered the room h quitted it, leaving Stan dish togo as he would. "I talked more'n I have since that fool speech of mine at the reception," muttered the Railroader as he clat tered down the broad staircase. "But I steeled him off from the chance to say what ho really wanted to, and 1 dodged nny scene that would be of use to him In his campaign. Too bad he's a Reformer! He's got red blood in him, the young Idiot. Yes, and he's not such an idiot either If It comes to that." Olive Standish, descending the Btalrs a moment later, puzzled, disap pointed, vaguely aware that he had feomeliow been tricked, heard the shout of a groom and the thundering bert of Dunderberg's flying hoofs along the gravel of the drive. "If he was as much master of the situation, and as content with himself as he tried to make me think," re flected Clive as he passed out Into the darkness, "he'd never ride like that." Wearied, Standish returned late to his own rooms. His man said, as he helped the candidate ofT with his light covert coat: , "A messenger boy brought a letter 1 for you, sir, about an hour ago. He ■aid there was no answer. I left it on your desk." Clive picked up the typewritten en velope listlessly and tore it open. It contained a note, also typewritten, and a thicker enclosure. He read: "Anonymous letters carry a stigma. Perhaps that is is why you did not profit by my last one. I have good reasons for not signing my name. And you have good reason to know bv now that what I write Is the truth. Be wiser this time. 1 enclose a list of the County Chairmen who have sold out to Conover, the name of the Chair man "to be chosen for next week's State Convention, and a rough draft of the plan to be used for your defeat. Next to each detail you will find my suggestion for blocking it. You owe it to yourself and to the people to take advantage of what I send you." "He's right, whoever he Is!" ex claimed Clive, half-aloud. "It's the only way I can fight Conover on equal terms. There's no sense in my standing on a foolißh scruple when so much hangs on the result of the Con vention." He snatched up the enclosure which had slipped to the floor. Irresolute he held it for almost a minute, his Arm lips twitching, his eyes cloudy with perplexity. Then, with a sigh of self contempt he slipped note and enclo sure in a long envelope, addressed it and rang for his man. "See that this is delivered to night," he ordered. The valet, as he left the room, glanced surreptiously at the envel ope's address. To his infinite be wilderment he saw the superscription: "Caleb Conover, Esq., 107 Pompton Avenue. Personal." There was a terrible half hour in the Mausoleum that night. CHAPTER XIV. A Convention and a Revelation. TIHE day of the State Conven tion! The Convention Hall gjjfisfig at Granite was a big-barn i like building, frequently used for church and school entertain ments, and occasionally giving tem porary home to some struggling the atrical company. For the holding of the convention which was to name the Governor of the Mountain State a feeble attempt at decorating the vast Interior had been made by Conover's State chairman. There was the usual noise and tramping of feet and clamoring of brass bands, the customary rabble of uniformed campaign clubs with their gaudy banners and pompous drum majors about The hall and in it, for an hour before the time that had been set for the calling of the convention. Here, there and everywhere circu lated busy lieutenants of Boss Con over. Their master, with a little co terie of chosen lieutenants moved early into his headquarters in one of the rooms at the rear of the stage, where he sat like some wise old spider in the hea r t of his web, sending out warn'-.ftH, advice and admonitions to his under-strappers. Conover felt calmly confident of the result. Even had Standish been the choice of a majority of the people in all eight counties of the State, It would have availed him little, for through the routine tricks whereof the Railroader was past master, his young opponent was at the last able to con trol the votes of but two counties Matawan and Willr. Standish's contesting delegates from the other six counties sat sullen and grim In the gallery. Fraudulent Con over delegates, who had usurped the former's places by the various ruses so successfully put into action at the caucuses, held the credentials and occupied the seats belonging by rights to the Leaguers on the floor of the Convention Hall. There the Machine delegates smilingly sat awaiting the moment when they should name their Boss as candidate for Governor. From the seats of the usurpers there went up a merry howl of derision as Standish's two little blocks of dele gates from Matawan and Wills marched In and took their places well down In front, where they "ormed a pitifully small oasis among the Con over delegates from Bowdcn, Carney, Haldane, Jericho, Sparta and Pomp ton counties. There was no cheering by the Stan dish delegates on the floor of the con vention. Nine out of ten knew that it was practically a hopeless fight into which they were about to plunge. Karl Ansel, with an inscrutable grin on his long, leathery face, might have sat for a picture of a typical poker player, as he slipped into his place at the head of the Wills County delegation. Standish was nowhere in sight. Fol lowing the ordinary laws of campaign etiquette, he did not show himself be fore the delegates in advance of the nomination; but, like Conover, sat in temporary headquarters behind the stage. About him were a little knot of Civic Leaguers. One and all they were Job's comforters, for they knew It would take a miracle now to snatch the nomination from the Railroader's grip. Promptly at twelve o'clock Slievlin, In his newly acquired capacity of State Chairman, called the convention to order. He had judiciously dis tributed bunches of his best trained shouters where they would do the most good. They cheered when ho named the secretaries and assistant secretaries who would act until the oermanent organization had been ef fected. And Detween times tney cheered just for the joy of cheering. Both sides knew that the first and last test of strength would come upon the selection of Committee on Creden tials, since It was to this committee that the contests of the six larger counties for the right to sit In the convention would go for settlement Previous conventions had always de cided that delegates whose seats were contested should not be allowed to sit as members of the Committee on Con tested Seats. Clive Standlsh lrno cently supposed this rule would be ad hered to by this convention. He was wrong. Conover had no Quixotic no tion of giving his rival any such ad vantage. The night before he had de creed that the chairman should rule that this Committee on Contests should consist of three members from each county, and that these members should be chosen by the sitting dele gates from each county. This meant that the committee would stand eighteen delegates for Conover and six for Standlsh. And so it was. Chair man Bourke ruled exactly as Conover had dictated. When the convention understood the purport of it all the maddest up roar broke out. All semblance of or der was lost. A dozen fist fight* started simultaneously. A 'longshore man —Conover district captain from one o': the "railroad" wards of Gran ite —wittily spat in the face of a vo ciferating little farmer from Wills County, and then stepped back with a bellow of laughter at his own powers of repartee. But others understood the gentle art of "retort courteous" almost as well as he. Losing for once his inherited New Kngland calm, Karl Ansel drove his big gnarled fist flush into the grinning face of the dock-rat, and sent him whirling backward amid a splintering of broken seats. Ansel, smarting and past all con trol, ploughed his way down the main aisle, and halting below the stage, shook his clenched fist at Caleb Con over's crayon likeness. "I've seen forty pictures of Juads Is cariot in my time," he thundered, apostrophizing the portrait in a nasal voice that rose high above the clamor, "aad no two of them looked alike. But by the Eternal, they all were the living image of YOU!" Then he went down under an ava lanche of Conover rowdies, giving and taking blows as he was borne head long to the floor. At the cost of a brief interim of fruitless rioting, the Machine at last hid its way. Stan dish had but six members on the com mittee. The contest was over. The Standlsh delegates offered but a perfunctory opposition to the work jf (.noosing the Committees on Organ ization and Platform. This much hav ing been done, the convention took the usual recess, leaving the commit tees togo into session in separate rooms back of the stage. The delegates Hied out, the men from Wills and Matawan angry and silent in their shamed defeat, those from the six victorious counties crow ing exuberant glee at their easy trl unjph. The adjournment announced, Clive slipped out of the Convention Hall by a rear entrance, and went across to his private office at the League rooms. He wanted to bo alone away from even the staunchest friends—in this black hour. Against all counsel and experience, against hope itself, he had hoped to the last. Ilis bulldog pluck, his faith in his mission, had upheld him above other, colder, saner reason. Even the repeated warnings of Ansel had left him unconvinced. Up to the very moment Conover's final success ful move was made Standlsh had hoped. And now hope was dead. He was beaten. Hopelessly, utter ly, starkly beaten. From the outset Conover had played with him and his plans as a giant might play with a child. It had been no question of open battle, with the weaker antag onist battered to earth by the greater, the whole campaign had been a futile struggle of an enmeshed captive to break through a web too mighty for his puny efforts, while his conqueror had sat calmly by, awaiting a victory that was sure as the rise of the sun. Standlsh knew that in a few min utes he would be able to pull himself together and face the world as a man should. In the interim, with the hurt animal's instinct, he wanted to be alone. Save for a clerk In the antecham ber, tho League's rooms were de serted. Everyone was at the conven tion. The clerk rose at C)' '« en trance and would have spoken, the defeated candidate passed unheeding into his own ofllce, closing the door be hind him. Then, stopping short, his back to the closed door, he stared, unbelieving, at someone who rose at his entrance and hurried forward, hands out stretched, to greet him. "I knew you would come here!" said Anlce Lanier. "I felt you would, so I hurried over as soon as they ad journed. Aren't you glad to see meT" He still stared, speechless, dumb founded. She had caught hlB unrespon sive hands, and was looking up Into his tired hopeless eyes with a wealth of pity and sympathy that broke through the mask of blank misery on his face and softened the hard lines of mouth and jaw into a shadow of a smile. "It was good of you to come," he said at last. "I thought I couldn't bear to see anyone Just now. But — It's so different with you, I—" He ceased speaking. His overstrung nerves were battling against a childish longing to bury his hot face In those cool little white hands whose lightest touch a/- thrilled him and to tell thia untie finitely tender glr] about his sorrows, nis DroKew nopes, nis crushed self-esteem. In spirit he could feel her arms about his aching head, drawing it to her breast; could hear her whispered words of soothing and encouragement. Then, on the moment, the babyish Impulse passed and he was himself again, self-controlled, outwardly stol id, realizing as never before that the price of strength is loneliness. "I am beaten," he went on, "but I think we made as good a fight as we could. Perhaps another time —" She withdrew her hands from his. Into her big eyes had crept something almost akin to scorn. "You are giving up?" she asked in credulously. "You will make no fur ther effort to—" "What more is to be done? The Committee on Credentials —" "I know. I was there. It's all been a wretched mistake from the very be ginning. Oh, why were you so foolish about those letters?" "Letters? What letters?" "The letters sent you with news of Mr. Conover's plans for —" "Those anonymous letters I got? What do you know —" "I wrote them," said Anice Lanier. CHAPTER XV. Anice Intervenes. HOU wrote them? You wrote them?" muttered Standlsh, over and over, stupid, dazed, refusing to believe, or un derstand. "Yes," she said, "I wrote them. And I wrote one to Mr. Ansel. He was wiser than you. He tried to profit by what I —" "And I —l thought it might be Ger ald Conover." "Gerald? "He never knew any of the more secret detai's of the cam paign. His father couldn't trust him." "And he did trust you." 112 > "And he did trust you." Clive had not meant to say, it. He was sorry before the words had passed his lips. Yet it was the first lucid thought that came to him as his mind cleared from the first shock of Anice's revelation. Ho knew how fully Conover believed in this pretty secretary of his; how wholly the Rail roader had, in her case, departed from his life rule of universal susjafion. That she should thus, coldbloodedly, calculatingly, lia"j betrayed the trust of even such t employer as Caleb was monstrous He could not recon cile It with ar ,hing in his own long of her. The revelation turned him sick. "You despise me. don't you?" she asked. There was no shame, no fal tering in her clear young voice. "I have no right to—to judge any one," he stammered. "I —" "You despise me." And now It was a statement, not a query. "No," he said, slowly, trying to gauge his own tangled emotions, ' I don't. I don't know why I don't, but I don't. I should think anyone else that did such a thing was lower than the beasts. But you—why. you are (Continued On la«t page.) Fine You don't have to pay bit? prices in order to pet the finest furniture from the host factories. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers