Mr. Crewe's Career -- Volume 2

ned the state-house to pioneer Kentucky, a dark and bloody ground over which the battles of selfish interests ebbed and flowed,-no place for an inn

roduce bills and calmly await their fate; a man who, like Senator Sanderson, only came do

riculturists (expenses paid) were sent for from other States; Mr. Ball and others came down from Leith, and gentlemen who for a generation had written letters to the newspapers turned up from other localities. In two cases the largest committee rooms proved too small for the gathering which was the result of Mr. Crewe's energy, and the legislative hall had to be lighted. The State Tribune ga

enting his case-to which they absolutely agreed-that they took to a forced seclusion. The member from Leith also wrote letters and telegrams, and sent long typewritten argu

ion to the Associated Press; and old Tom Gaylord, who may be likened to Mars, had no intention of sending Jupiter notice until he got his cohorts into line. The strife, because it was to be internecine, was the more terrible. Hitherto the Gaylord Lumber Company

pointed out to him. The plan contemplated a line of railroad from the heart of the lumber regions down the south side of the valley of the Pingsquit to Kingston, where the lumber could take to the sea. In short, it was a pernicious revival of an obsolete state of affairs, competition, and if persisted in, involved nothing less than a fight to a finish with the army, the lobby of the Northeastern. Other favoured beings stood aghast when they heard of it, and hastened to old Tom with timely counsel; but he had reached a frame of mind which they knew well. He would listen to no reason, and maintained stoutly that there were other lawyers in the world as able in political sagacity and lobby tactics as Hilary Vane; the Honourable Galusha Hammer, for instance, an old and independent and wary war-horse who

ad written him weekly letters of a nature spurring to his ambition, which incidentally contained many references to Alice's interest in his career. And Mr. Crewe's mind, when not intent upon affairs of State, sometimes reverted pleasantly to th

s as to the day of his speech, in case they might wish to travel to the State capital and hear him deliver it. Having unexpect

inter garb against a pale winter sky, and there arose in him the old restless desire for the woods and fields which at times was almost irresistible. His thoughts at length descending from the azure above Sawanec, his eyes fell again on Mr. Crewe's typewritten words: "It may be of intere

career of the gentleman from Leith with some care, even to the extent of reading of Mr. Crewe's activities in the State Tribunes which had been sent him. Were such qualifications

unerative. On occasions gentlemen from different parts of the State, and some from outside of it who had certain favours to ask at the hands of the lawmaking body, had visited his back office and closed the door after them, and in the course of the conversation had referred to the relationship of

ated idea of his income-it might be said that he was beginning to have what may be called a snug practice for a lawyer of his experience. In other words, according to Mr. Tooting, who took an intense interest in the matter, "not wearing the collar" had been more of a financial success for Austen than that gentleman had imagined. There proved to be many clients to who

great corporation which he served, and the cherished vision of a son in whom he could confide his plans, upon whose aid and counsel he could lean, was gone forever. Hilary Vane had troublesome half-hours, but on the whole he had reached the conclusion that this son, like Sarah Austen, was one of those inexplicable products in which an extravagant and inscrutable nature sometimes indulged. On the rare evenings when the two were at home together, the Honourable Hilary sat under one s

himself as well as Austen because of the instinct that bade him keep silent. He told himself fiercely that he had nothing to be ashamed of, nor would he have acknowledged that it was a kind of shame that bade him refrain even from circumstantial accounts of what went on in room Number Seven of the Pelican. He had an idea that Austen knew and silently

pig-headed when he gets to fighting, and won't listen to reason. If he believes he can lick the Northeastern with a Hammer, he is durned badly mistaken, and I told him so. I have been giving him sage advice in little drops-after meals. I tell him there is only one man in the State who has sense enough even to shake the Northeastern, and that's you. He thinks this a pretty good joke. Of course I realize where your old man is planted, and that you might have some natural delicacy and wish to refrain from giving him a jar. But come down for an hour and let me talk to you, anyway. The new statesman from Lei

. Then he tore up the paper, on which he had been scribbling, into very small bits, consulted a time-table,

ng. Now that he was here, where was he to stay? The idea of spending the night at the Pelican was repellent to him, and he was hesitating between two more modest hostelries when h

n Austen had told him his dilemma: "Come right along up to my lodgings.

e storm up the hill, he inquired how legislative matters w

r what you did for Zeb Meader, and how you went against your interests. And I guess it ain't done you any harm in the Sta

rook?" asked Austen, with a ser

rom Mercer, and paused suddenly. "But I don't want to hurt

d Austen, "I

feller, Doby, Speaker, and he's stuffed all the important committees so that you can't get an honest measure considered. You can talk to the committees all you've a mind to, and they'll just listen and never do anything. There's five hundred in the House, and it ain't any more of a Legislature than a camp-meetin' is. What do you suppose they done last Friday morning, when there wahn't but twenty men at the session? We had an anti-pass law, and all these

abruptly, and glanced co

goin' so," he said, "b

nment'd never

way myself, Mr. Red

stern louder than a whisper. They want an electric railrud bad up in Greenacre, and when some of us spoke for it and

e Widow Peasley's, stamping

sten asked, after he had set down h

ough feel as I do to turn that House upside down-if we

ch use," Austen answered. "They'

w to him, with a seat high above the backs of two long-bodied, deep-chested horses, their heads held with difficulty by a little footman with his arms above him. At that moment two figures in furs emerged from the house. The young woman gathered up the reins and leaped lightly to the box, the man followed; the little groom touched his fur helmet and scrambled aboard as the horses sprang forward to the music of the softest of bells. The sleigh swept around the c

r, ain't it?" inquired

llate you'

exceedingly foolish, b

ital. She used to go t

, and she used to come to Mercer to see him after he

nk she is,"

h Bascom and that Botcher and the rest of 'em are trailin' him along and usin' him for the best thing that ever came down h

ing to th

ttee meetin' of Agricul

e at Mis' Peasley's

n replied, "if yo

id Mr. Redbrook, significa

spied a florist's sign with a greenhouse behind it. He halted again, irresolutely, in front of it, flung open the door, and entered a boxlike office filled with the heated scents of flowers. A little man eyed him with an obsequious interest which he must have accorded to other young men on similar errands. Austen may be spared a repetition of the very painful conversation that ens

" He glanced at Austen apologetically. "Excuse me,

Austen, wit

t name,

g of his rashness, and slamming the glass door i

rb of the crossing, he began to

a voice, which he reco

know you ever came dow

ng down here, Bru

in appreciation o

th," he said; "I pr

agrees with some p

om grinn

ived?" he

" said

't much use. You'll find the honourable Hilary doing business at the same old stand, next to the gove

, I came down to hear that promising protege of yours speak on

t deliberation, shut

, "come and see me

ched the stairs. Mounting, he found the door with the numeral, and knocked. The medley of voices within ceased; there were sounds of rattling papers, and of closing of folding doors. The key turned in

d the senator. "Come in,

e. Where'd y

said Austen,

g doors; and Mr. Manning, the division superintendent, sat pensively, with his pen in his mouth, before the marble-topped table from which everything had been removed but a Bible. Two gentlemen, whom Aus

any-entertainment going on here," he added, glancing in turn at the thoughtful occupants of th

stomary grunt being the only indication of surpri

yself until this mo

" remarked the Honourable Jac

pleasure trip,

the two State senators in the window g

the mountains in such

tc

ten. "I understand that Mr. Crewe is to deliver an epo

Tooting and Mr. Billings and his two colleagues roared, t

ooting, admiringly

you so comfortably fixed. Good-by, and give my regards to the governor. I'm sorry

here?" asked the

of Mercer, and he took m

or you, a message w

Hilary, while the others ex

the length of the hall

Toot

up between you and

Austen asked, st

eeling growing in that House, and that Redbrook has

about Mr. Redbrook's i

g looked u

the wind, I wish you'd let

Ham," said Austen. "When there's anything in

ad," said Mr. Tooting. "I can see that

t to sink when the rats

st

ke smilingly, Mr. T

for young men in th

oble parts of the gove

st

'come on' with thirty thousand dollars to be a Northeastern governor and live next door to the Honou

and found them at the furthermost end of the building from the Railroad Room. The door was op

thought you'd come down when

but remembered, singularly enough, the closing sentences of Tom'

rce and compelling voice was heard crying out:-"Get out! Get out, d-n you, all of you, and

ognized as dismissed and disgruntled soldiers from the lobby army of the Northeastern; the fourth was the Honourable Galusha Hammer, whose mode of progress

manded of his son,

young Tom, "it

cation as to the region. But young Tom seemed to be the only bei

ore sense than Galusha and all the

ectedly, "but it ain't sayin' much. Bring

s, and a pull from young Tom

Pingsquit bill?"

said

m seems to think you can do anything. He wouldn't, give me any peace until I let him send f

propose anything, Mr.

of his customary and forceful excl

since I came, Mr. Gaylord," said Austen, "

ylord, who at first gave every indication of being abo

-n fool, anywa

to think I am

"Most of 'em haven't." And his glance, as it fell upon the yo

only lawyer who'd talk co

d much of it ye

sten, smiling a little, "that I didn't come down in

bring him in here for?" de

e powwow," said young T

you laug

, he seemed to be visibly cooling. "If you ain't in here to ma

we covered the old man with shavings at the mills in Av

Austen a moment with his small, filmy-blue eye. "I don't know but what you might take hold here and make it hot for those d-d rascals in the Northeastern, after all. You couldn't botch it worsen Hammer has, and you might do som

think of it now, Mr.

" old Tom dem

e bill passed, this sessi

er Mr. Gaylord was spe

hand heartily on h

Austen," he cried; that's what I've been telling

ylord, his voice trembling on the edge

Tom knew well, and which actually averted the imminent explosion from Mr. Gaylord, whose eyes glared and watered. "But aside fro

ber Seven as well as you

s eye f

aid young Tom, "that's n

the political and business future of nearly every one of the twenty S

ools won't look at mon

's trie

you started in," young

listen to sense. And th

epresent the Northeaster

s Sen

ailroad if I've got the money to do it. What in blazes are we comin' to in this country if we can't git competition? If Fl

how about the Gaylord Lumber Company? How about the time you used the lobby, with Flint's perm

ible to reproduce upon paper. Young Tom waited patiently for the exhibition to cease, which it did at length in a coughing fit of sheer exha

is own pocket-handkerchief (old Tom not possessing such an article) wiped the perspiration from Mr. Gaylord's brow and the drops from his shabby black coat. "There's no u

you know a sight, but you haven't got the stuff in you we old Tellers have. Where would I be if it wasn't

winked at

own to supp

d especially that table over which the Honourable Hilary Vane presided, with the pretty, red-checked waitress hovering around it. At the Honourable Hilary's right hand was the division superintendent, and at his left, Mr. Speaker Doby-a most convenient and congenial arrangement; farther down the board were State Senator Nat Billings, Mr. Ridout (when he did not sup at home), the Honourables Brush Bascom and

known to be anti-railroad) to take up the Gaylords' war against his own father? All the indications were that way, and a rumour flew from table to table-leaping space, as rumours will-that the Gaylords had sen

nd Austen in the rotunda, an

e Hilary wants to see you

with the message?

Mr. Tooting. "I guess

At the foot of the stai

lf, and Austen cr

to see me, Ju

Hilary faced

've got any

half-past nine to-night

Honourable Hilary, s

found Mr. Hamilton