Part 1 (1/2)
L. P. M.
by J. Stewart Barney.
CHAPTER I
THE MAN AND THE HOUR
The Secretary of State, although he sought to maintain an air of official reserve, showed that he was deeply impressed by what he had just heard.
”Well, young man, you are certainly offering to undertake a pretty large contract.”
He smiled, and continued in a slightly rhetorical vein--the Secretary was above all things first, last, and always an orator.
”In my many years of public life,” he said, ”I have often had occasion to admire the dauntless spirit of our young men. But you have forced me to the conclusion that even I, with all my confidence in their power, have failed to realize how inevitably American initiative and independence will demand recognition. It is a quality which our form of government seems especially to foster and develop, and I glory in it as perhaps the chief factor in our national greatness and pre-eminence.
”In what other country, I ask you,” he flung out an arm across the great, flat-topped desk of state, ”would a mere boy like yourself ever conceive such a scheme, or have the incentive or opportunity to bring it to perfection? And, having conceived and perfected it, in what other country would he find the very heads of his Government so accessible and ready to help him?”
The young man leaned forward. ”Then am I to understand, Mr. Secretary, that you are ready to help me?”
”Yes.” He faced about and looked at his visitor in a glow of enthusiasm. ”Not only will I help you, but I will, so far as is practicable, put behind you the power of this Administration.
”Doubtless the newspapers,” his tone took on a tinge of ironic resentment, ”when they learn the broad character of the credentials that I shall give you in order that you may meet the crowned heads of Europe, will say that I am again lowering the dignity of my office.
But I consider, Mr. Edestone, that I am, in reality, giving more dignity to my office by bringing it closer to and by placing it at the services of, those from whose hands it first received its dignity, the sovereign people. 'The master is greater than the servant'; and to my mind you as a citizen are even more ent.i.tled to the aid and co-operation of this Department than are its accredited envoys, our ministers and amba.s.sadors, who, like myself, are but your hired men.”
His face lighted up with the memory of the many stirring campaigns through which he had pa.s.sed and his wonderful voice rang out, responding to his will like a perfect musical instrument under the touch of the artist.
”I tell you, sir,” he declared, ”I would rather be instrumental in bringing to an end this cruel war which is now deluging the pages of history with the heart's blood of the people, whose voices may now be drowned in the roar of the 42-centimeter guns, but whose spirits will unite in the black stench clouds which rise from the festered fields of Flanders to descend upon the heads of those who by Divine Right have murdered them,--I would rather be instrumental in bringing about this result, than be President of the United States!”
He had risen, as he spoke, and had stepped from behind his desk to give freer play to this burst of eloquence, but he now paused at the entrance of a secretary for whom he had sent, and changing to that quizzical drawl with which he had so often disarmed a hostile audience, added, ”And they do say that I am not without ambition in that respect.”
He turned then to the waiting secretary, and letting his hand drop on Edestone's shoulder:
”Mr. Williams,” he said, ”this is Mr. John Fulton Edestone, of New York, whose name is no doubt familiar to you. He is desirous of meeting and discussing quite informally with the potentates of Europe, a little matter which he thinks, and I more or less agree with him, will be of decided interest to them.”
He chuckled softly; then continued in a more serious tone: ”Mr.
Edestone hopes, in short, with our a.s.sistance, to bring about not only the end of the European war, but to realize my dream--Universal Peace--and his plan, as he has outlined it to me, meets with my hearty approval.
”I wish you to furnish him with the credentials from this Department necessary to give him _entree_ anywhere abroad and protect him at all times and under all circ.u.mstances.
”And, Mr. Williams,” he halted the retiring subordinate, ”when Mr.
Edestone's papers have been drawn, will you kindly bring them to me?
I wish to present them in person, and I know of no more appropriate occasion than this afternoon, when I am to receive a delegation of school children from the Southern Baptist Union and the Boy Scouts of the Methodist Temperance League. I will be glad to have these young Americans, as well as any others who may be calling to pay their respects--not to me but to my office--hear what I have to say on peace, patriotism, and grapes.”
With the departure of the secretary he unbent slightly. ”Well,” he smiled, ”you cannot say, as did Ericsson with his monitor and Holland with his submarine and the Wrights with their aeroplane, that you could not get the support of your Government until it was too late. In fact, my dear fellow, when I think of the obstacles so many inventors have to contend with, it strikes me that you have had pretty easy sailing.”
”Perhaps,” Edestone raised his eyebrows a trifle whimsically, ”it has not been so easy as you think, Mr. Secretary.”
”Oh, I know, I know!” the other replied. ”You still must admit that in comparison with most men you have been singularly fortunate. You have had great wealth, absolute freedom to develop your ideas as you saw fit, and finally the influence to command an immediate hearing for your claims. Do you know that perhaps you are the richest young man in the world today? It is this which, I must confess, at first rather prejudiced me against you.”