Part 25 (2/2)

”Sayler,” he interrupted, in a forbearing tone, ”I wish you would not remind me so often of your prejudice against Senator Goodrich. It is unworthy of you. But for my tact--pardon my frankness--your prejudice would have driven him away, and with him a support he controls--”

I showed my amus.e.m.e.nt.

”Don't smile, Sayler,” he protested with some anger in his smooth, heavy voice. ”You are not the only strong man in the party. And I venture to take advantage of our long friends.h.i.+p to speak plainly to you. I wish to see a united party. One of my reasons for sending for you was to tell you how greatly I am distressed and chagrined by the attacks on Senator Goodrich in our papers.”

”Did you have any other reason for sending for me?” said I very quietly.

”That was the princ.i.p.al one,” he confessed.

”Oh!” I exclaimed.

”What do you mean, Sayler?”

”I thought possibly you might also have wished to tell me how unjust you thought the attacks on me in the eastern papers, and to a.s.sure me that they had only strengthened our friends.h.i.+p.”

He was silent.

I rose, threw my overcoat on my arm, took up my hat.

”Wait a moment, please,” he said. ”I have always found you very impartial in your judgments--your clear judgment has been of the highest usefulness to me many times.”

”Thank you,” I said. ”You are most kind--most generous.”

”So,” he went on, not dreaming that he might find sarcasm if he searched for it, ”I hope you appreciate why I have refrained from seeing you, as I wished. I know, Sayler, your friends.h.i.+p was loyal. I know you did during the campaign what you thought wisest and best. But I feel that you must see now what a grave mistake you made. Don't misunderstand me, Harvey. I do not hold it against you. But you must see, no doubt you do see, that it would not be fair for me, it would not be in keeping with the dignity of the great office with which the people have intrusted me, to seem to lend my approval.”

I looked straight at him until his gaze fell. Then I said, my voice even lower than usual: ”If you will look at the election figures carefully you will find written upon them a very interesting fact. That fact is: In all the doubtful states--the ones that elected you--Scarborough swept everything where our party has heretofore been strongest; you were elected by carrying districts where our party has always been weakest.

_And in those districts, James, our money was spent--as you well know._”

I waited for this to cut through his enswaddlings of self-complacence, waited until I saw its acid eating into him. Then I went on: ”I hope you will never again deceive yourself, or let your enemies deceive you. As to your plans--the plans for Goodrich and his crowd--I have nothing to say. My only concern is to have Woodruff's matters--his pledges--attended to. That I must insist upon.”

He lowered his brows in a heavy frown.

”I have your a.s.sent?” I insisted.

”Really, Harvey,”--there was an astonis.h.i.+ng change from the complacent, superior voice of a few minutes before,--”I'll do what I can--but--the responsibilities--the duties of--of my position--”

”You are going to _take_ the office, James,” said I. ”You can't cheat the men who _gave_ it to you.”

He did not answer.

”I pledged my word,” I went on. ”You gave the promises. I indorsed for you. The debts _must_ be met.” Never before had I enjoyed using that ugliest of words.

”You ask me to bring myself into unpopularity with the entire country,”

he pleaded. ”Several of the men on your list are ex-convicts. Others are about to be indicted for election frauds. Many are men utterly without character--”

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