Part 27 (2/2)

Waving away the hotel waiter who had brought the breakfast to his apartment, Senator Peabody outlined the probable campaign of the day.

”If our best efforts to weaken and scare off Langdon fail to-day,” he said, ”it will naturally develop that we must render it impossible in some way for him to appear in the Senate at all, or we must delay his arrival until after the report of the committee on naval affairs has been made. In either event he would not have another opportunity to speak on that subject.

”Of course, later, at 12:30, we will know his plan of action. Then we can act to the very point, but we must be prepared for any situation that can arise.”

”Cannot the President of the Senate be persuaded not to recognize Langdon on the floor? Then we could adjourn and shut him off,” asked Stevens.

”No,” responded Peabody; ”he has already promised Langdon to recognize him, and the President of the Senate cannot be persuaded to break his word. I am painfully aware of this fact.”

But Stevens was not yet dissuaded from the hope of defeating the junior Senator from Mississippi by wit alone.

”Can we not have a speaker get the floor before Langdon and have him talk for hours--tire out the old kicker--and await a time when he leaves the Senate chamber to eat or talk to some visitor we could have call on him, then shove the bill through summarily?” he suggested.

”I've gone over all that.” answered Peabody, quickly. ”It would only be delaying the evil hour. You wouldn't be able to move that old codger away from the Senate chamber with a team of oxen--once he gets to his seat. His secretary, Raines--another oversight of yours, Stevens”--the latter winced--”will warn him. Langdon would stick pins through his eyelids to keep from falling asleep.”

”I've been thinkin',” put in Steinert, slowly, ”that a little fine-esse like this might keep him away: When Langdon's in his committee room before goin' to the Senate send him a telegram signed by one of his frien's' name that one of his daughters is dyin' from injuries in a automobile collision a few miles out o' town. That 'ud--”

”Ridiculous,” snorted Peabody. ”He'd know where they were. They're always--”

”Huh! then put in more fine-esse.”

”How? What?”

”Hev some 'un take 'em out a-autoin'--”

”No, no, man!” snapped Peabody. ”They'd stick in town to hear their father's wonderful speech.”

”Well,” went on the lobbyist, ”I'll hev Langd'n watched by a careful picked man, a n.i.g.g.e.r that won't talk. He'll pick a row with the Colonel on some street, say, w'en he's comin' from his home after lunch. The c.o.o.n kin b.u.mp into Langd'n an' call him names. Then w'en ole fireworks sails into 'im, yellin' about what 'e'd do in Mississippi, the c.o.o.n pulls a gun on the Colonel an' fires a couple o'

shots random. Cops come up, an' our pertickeler copper'll lug Langd'n away as a witness, refusin' to believe 'e's a Senator. I kin arrange to hev him kept in the cooler a couple o' hours without gettin' any word out, or I'll hev 'im entered up as drunk an' disorderly. He'll look drunk, he'll be so mad.”

”But the negro--how could you get a man to undergo arrest on such a serious charge, attempted murder!” exclaimed Stevens.

”There, there,” said Steinert, patronizingly; ”c.o.o.ns has more genteel home life in jail than they does out. An' don't forget the District of Columbia is governed by folks that ain't residents of it, only durin'

the session. Th' politicians don't leave their frien's in the cooler very long. Say, Senator Stevens, are you kiddin' me? Is it any different down in your--”

The Mississippian choked and spluttered over a gulp of unusually hot coffee, and Peabody again decided Steinert to be on the wrong tack.

”That proceeding would attract too much attention from the newspapers,” he added.

”Well, I thought you wanted to win,” grunted Steinert. ”I've been offerin' you good stuff, too--new stuff. None of yer druggin' with chloroform or ticklin' with blackjacks. Why, I've gone from fine-esse to common sense. But, come to think of it, how about some woman? I c'n get one to introduce to--”

”This is the wrong kind of a man,” interrupted Peabody.

”Unless you got the right kind of a woman,” went on Steinert.

Senator Stevens choked some more.

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