The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, October 07, 1909, Image 6
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A 11
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Gentleman
I from i '
.
Mississippi
1 ? J
? ~*i,
CnAPTETv XXVII.
MTtS. RPANGLER GIVES A I.U.VCHEO*.
WHEN Senators Peabody #nd
Stevens bad gone Liingdon ]
and Had went over the situation
together and eoncluded j
that their opponents had no means of j
defeating Laugdou's program?that, j
after all, Peabody misrlit really have
meant his words of surrender.
"But they might try foul play. Better
stay right here in the cnpltol the
rest of the day." suggested Bud.
Langdon scoffed at tlie idea.
Haines bustled away to get a few
mouthfuls of lunch to fortify himself
for a busy afternoon?one that was going
to be far busier than he imagined.
Tlie teiepnone oen rang ai iuc sma- .
tor's desk. It was Mrs. Spangler's
voice that spoke.
"Senator Langdon," she said, "Carolina
and Hope Georgia are here at my <;
home for luncheon, and we all want t
you to join us." I
"Sony I cannot accept," answered jtbe
Mississippian, "but I am to make ,
an important speech this afternoon"? (
"Oh, yes, I know. The girls and I j
are coming to hear it. But you have j
two hours' time, and if yon come we ]
can all go over to the senate together.
Now, senator, humor us a little. Don't ]
disappoint the girls and me. We can ,
all drive over to the capitol in my car- i
riage."
The planter hesitated, then replied, ]
"Ail right: I'll be over, but it mustn't j
be a very long luncheon." ,
"Gone to eat: back by 3 o'clock," he (
^rmtrhed nuicklv on a Dad on the sec- 1
fretary's desk and departed. <
Mra^Spangler's luncheons wert i
equally^s popular in Washington as 1
Senator Langdon's dinners. The Mis j
siasipplan and his daughters enjoyed
the delicacies spread lavishly before ]
them.
Time passed quickly. The old plant- i
er enjoyed seeing his daughters have
so happy a time, and he was not insen-/1
Bible to the charm of his hostess* conrersation,
for Mrs. Spangler had '
studied carefully the art of ingratiating
herself with her guests. j
Suddenly realizing that he had probably
reached the limit of the time he j
could spare, the senator drew out his 1
watch.
"What a stunning fqb you wear," i
quickly spoke Mrs. Spangler, reaching I
out her hand and tuking the watch <
from her guest's hands as the case i
snapped open. j
^ahaHuo'o /l/\{ncro " ldlitrh. I
"VII, lUai ? vaiuiiiia c uviu^o,
ed Langdon. "She said the old gold l
chain that my grandfather left me I
was"?
"Why. how lovely," murmured Mrs. i
Spaugler. glancing at the watch, i
"We have plenty of time yet. Won't 1
th a v e to hurry.
Your time is the i
same as mine," \
she added, nodding
her head to- <
ward a French ;
re n n a i ssance
clock on the bla< i
marble mantel. ]
.?v. \ / As the hostess i
I' did this she deft- !
ly turned back
the hands of the i
fffl* senator's watch
/ fcf thirty-five m i u- <
* Deftly turned Intel* utes.
the hands <>) the "])o you care i
senator's icnteh. to smoke, seua- i
tor." Mrs. Spangier asked as her
guests concluded ilieir repast, "if the
young ladies do not objectV*
Langdon inclined his head gratefully
and laughed.
"They wouldn't he southern girls, I i
reckon, if tliey didn't want to see a i
man have cvtrything to make him I
happy?er. I be.: pardon. Mrs. Spaugler,
I mean, comfortable. Nobody that's :
your guest could l?e unhappy." I
The hostess beamed on the chivalrous
southerner. ,
Lungdoii drew forth a thick black i
perfecto and settled back luxuriously ;
in his chair, after another glance at <
Mrs. Spangler's clock. He was absorbed
in A mental resume of his forth
coming speech and did not hear the
Dext words of the woman, addressed
pointedly to his daughters.
"Do you know, really, why this luncheon
was given today?" she queried.
Then she continued before Carolina
and Hope Georgia could formulate re- i
ply.
"Because your father and I wanted
to take this opportunity to announce to
you?our engagement."
The speaker smiled her sweetest
smile.
The two girls gazed at each oihw in
uncontrollable amazement, then at Mrs.
Spangler, then at their father, who bad
turned partly away from the table and
whs gazing abstractedly at the ceiling.
Hope Georgia was the first to regain
her voice.
"Oh, Mrs. Spangler," she ejaculated,
"you are very kind to marry father,
but"?
"What's that?" exclaimed the senator,
roused from his thoughts by his
youngest daughter's words and thrusting
himself forward.
Mrs. Spangler laid her band on bis
arm.
t "Oh, senator, I have Just told the
dear girls that you had asked me to
marry you?that we were soon to be
married.", she said archly, looking him
straighf in t lie eye. She clasped her
tiands and murmured. "I am so hapi?.vr
The hero of Crawfurdsville tried to
speak, hut lie could not. He stared at
lis hostess, who smiled the stuiie of the
budding dehutante. His own open
mouthed astonishment was reflected in
I he faces of Carolina and Hope Oeorria
as they observed their father's expression.
He forgot he was in Washington.
He did not know he was a sou11or.
The fact that he had ever even
bought of making a speech was furliest
from his mind.
What did it all mean? llad Mrs.
<pangler gone suddenly insane? His
VI '} J J
? flw;'
!ifW
10
"Grvjit ht/iveiis!' i'm Zflte. i'/n lateT'
laughters?what did fhey think? These
:houghts surged through his flnstered
aralu. Then it flashed over him?she
was joking in some new fashionable
way. He turned toward the fair wld)w
to laugh, but her face was losing
Its smile. A pained expression, a suggestion
of Intense suffering, appeared
!n her face.
"Why do you so hesitate. Senator
Langdon?" she finally asked in low
rolce, just loud enough for the two
girls to overhear.
The junior senator from Mississippi
looked at his hostess. She had entertained
him and had done much for his
laughters In Washington. She was
ilone Jn the world?a widow. He felt
(hat be could not shft&e her before
3arollna and Hope Georgia. His southmi
chivalry would not permit that
Then, too, she was a most charming
person, and the thought, "Why not?
why not take her at her word?" crept
into his mind.
"Yes, father, why do yoa hesitate?"
asked Carolina.
Seuator I*angdou mustered his voice
Into service at last.
"I've been thinking," he said slowly,
"that" "That
your daughters did not know."
interrupted Mrs. Spangler, "of our"?
"The telephone?upstairs?is ringing,
madam," said a maid who had entered
to Mrs. Spangler.
The adventuress could not leave th?
senator and his daughters alone,
though she knew it must be Peabody
falling her. At any moment he might
remember his speech and leave. Already
late, he would still be later,
though, because he would have no car
riage?hers would purposely be delayed.
"Tell the person speaking that you
are empowered to bring me any message?that
1 cannot leave the dining
hail," she said to the maid.
To gain time and to hold the senator's
attention Mrs. Spangler asked
slowly:
"Well, senator, what was it that you
were going to say when I interrupted
j-ou a few moments ago?"
Langdon had been racking bis brain
for some inspiration that would enable
him to save the feelings of his hostess
and yet indicate his position clearly
He would not commit himself in anyway.
He would jump up and prouounce
her an impostor first.
After a moment of 6ilenee his cloud
ed face cleared.
"Mrs. Spangler." be began, "your announcement
today I bare considered
to be"?
"Premature," she suggested.
The maid returned.
"Mr. Wall says Senator Langdon is
wanted at once at the capilol."
"Great heavens!" exclaimed Langdon
springing to his feet and glancing al
the clock. "I'm late, I'm late! I hop*
to God I'm not too late!"
"Mr. Wall says a carriage is coining
for Senator Langdon," concluded tbt
maid.
"We must talk this matter over sunn
other time, Mrs. Spangler," the Mis
slssippian cried as he sent a servanl
for his hat and coat. "I hope thai
carriage hurries, else I'll try it on tht
run for the eapitol."
"It's a half hour away on foot," said
Mre. Spangler. "Better wait You'll
save time."
But to herself she muttered although
mystified:
"I wonder why Pea body changed his
mind so suddenly? Why should bf
now want the old fool at the eapitol?"
fiiu <if wheels was heard
outside.
"Hurry, father!" cried Hope Georgia
The senator hurried down the stone
? steps of Mrs
Spangler's re si
fdence as rapidlj
as his weig'hl
and the excitement
u n d e i
which he labored
would permit
Opening the
coach door, he
plunged insideto
come face te
face with Bud
Haines, whi
had huddled
down In a cor
uer to avoid ol>
Ca"u' laij T}". ^acc servance from
with BudIIairies. . u~? ?
the spanglei
windows. The driver started hie
horses off on a run.
Struggling, to regain his breath, the
: senator cried:
"Weil. \? hat are"?
".Net or mind now. Cut first gather
in all I say. senator, as we've no time
to lose. When i couldn't locate you
and 1 saw you j-rol.alily wouldn't he
ut the senate ehamher in time to make
ytnir sjH'eeh on the naval hasp hill I
IK'rsuaded Senator Mil bank of Arkansas
to rise ami make a sjieeeh ?-n the
I ? ? - - ...
1 currency iiiicmimii, vi in. .i i in.-.
In orcor. Ik- \v:'s under obligation to
me for some important information I
once obtained for him. and lie eon seated
to keep the floor until vc 1 nr.,red,
though he knew he wouki earn the
vengeance of I'eahody. That was over
nn hour and a half ago. He must fie
reading quotations from 'Pilgrim's
Progress' to the senate by now* to keep
the door."
Hud paused to look at his watch.
The senator stretched his head out of
the window* and cried. "Drive faster!"
"Got your speech all right?" called
Bud above the din of the rattling
wheels.
"Yes. here," was the response, the
senator tapping his inner breast pocket.
"Thought maybe she"? cried Bud.
jerking his head back in the direction
from which they had come.
The Mississippian shook his head
i negatively and set his Jaws determini
?diy.
The coach swung up to the capitol
l entrance.
"Tell ine," asked, Langdon, as both
| Jumped out, "how* did you find out
that"?
1 "I phoned the house?gave a name
Pea body uses"?
"Great heavens, but how did you
know where to pboue?"
They were at the door of the senate
i chamber.
"Norton gave ine the tip?for your
| sake and Carolina's?for old time's
j sake, be said," was Bud's reply.
I
CH ,X>TER XXVIII.
| 05 TUX FLOOR OF THX llAiTL
TOO much occupied In concentrating
bis thoughts on his speech,
Langdon failed to notice the
consternation on the faces of
| Peabody and Stevens as he walked to
his seat )n the senate. They had failed
to succeed In getting Mllbank to conr
elude and consequently could cot push
the naval base report through. But
: they noted the passing of over an hour
after their opponent's appointed time
I and had felt certain that he would not
appear at all.
. "The boss of the senate" leaned
i across to Stevens and whispered hur,
j rledly:
"We must tear him to pieces now?
discredit him publicly. It's his own
fault. Our agents can sell the land to
Standard Steel. Our connection with
1' the scheme will be Impossible to discover?after
we have made the public
. believe Langdon is a crook."
"But how about our supposed combination
to protect the government that
Langdon will tell about?" asked Stevens.
"We cau't deny that, of course."
"No," answered I'eabody. "We can't
deny it, but we will not affirm It. We
will tell interviewers tnat we prerer
not to talk about it."
"It's our only cbanee," replied S?te
vens cautiously.
"Yes. and we owe it all to Jake
Steinert," went on Peabody. "That
9
' j "A lie, a lie " acrcaincd Laiujdon.
' fellow Telfer will do anything to
1 ; please Jake. Jake has convinced Telfer
. thot Langdon was responsible for the
' ; defeat of tJulf City, and the mayor is
; wild for revenge."
: "The boss of the senate" rose and
walked to the rear of the senate chamber
to issue orders to two of his colleagues.
"Iteport of the committee on naval
affairs." droned the clerk mechanicalir
"House bill No. 1109 is amended
f to read as follows"? And bis voice
sank to uii unintelligible mumble, for
^ every senator present he well knew
1 was aware that the amendment named
iltacoola as the naval base site.
1 Senator Langdon rose in his seat.
"Mr. President," he called.
? "Chair recognizes the gentleman
! from Mississippi," said the presiding
1 officer as he leaned back to speak to
' j Senator Wluans of Kansas, who had
approached to the side of the rostrum.
The Laugdou speech on "The New
South and the South of the Future"
proved more than a document suited
only to a reverent burial in the Congressional
Itecord. Although wearied
at the start owing to the exciting happenings
of the day, the Mississlppian'u
enthusiasm for his cause gave him
strength and stimulation as he pro
TTIoi
gfCWCU. up V U1V.C IVOC uiaJV OUV.IUJJ
as be came to the particular points he
? wished to accentuate, and even those
In the uppermost rows In the galleries
could hear bis every word.
1 At the close of his formal speech he
> began on his statement of the action
1 of the naval affairs committee in buy
ing control of Aitacoola land to foil
attempts to rob the government. As
i he had predicted, the senate did "sit
up." The senate did agree that a new
) kind of politics had arrived.
During this latter part of the speech
s qjanv curious glances were directed at
! Peabody and Stevens, who sat In tf?
same tier of seats, in the middle of the
, chamber, only an aisle separating
them. Through this choice of seats
they could confer without leaving their
places. Various senatorial associates
of these two men in other deals found
it diSicult to believe their ears?but
was not old Langdon at this moment
narrating the amazing transaction on
the floor of the senate? Would the
statue on the pedestal step down?
I Would the sphinx of the desert speak
the story of the lost centuries? Would
honor take the place of expediency in
the affairs of state? What might not
happen, thought the seuate machine.
now that Penbody and Stevens bad
taken to their bosoms what tbey
termed tlie purple pup of political
purity?
j Neither did the full portent of the
' situation escape the attention of the
reporters' gallery. Dick Cnllen ot> i
served to Ilansel of the Record:
"Virtue's getting so thick around
I here it's a menace to navigation."
"Blocking the traffic, eh?" queried
I Hansel, and both laughed,
j "Hello! What's this?" exclaimed Cnl
len a few minutes later. "Ilorton has
j l>een recognized, when the program
[ was to adjourn when the naval base
bill was over with."
Langdon's speech had proved the hill
the sensution of the session. After he
| concluded, amid resounding applause,
j in which senators Joined, as well as
' occupants of the galleries, Senator
Horton of Montana rose and caught
the presiding officer's eye.
! "I ask unanimous consent to offer a
resolution."
Bearing no objection he continued In
! a manner that Instantly attracted unusual
attention:
"It is my unpleasant duty"?Peabody
i and Stevens exchanged glances?"to
place a matter before this body that to
me. as a member of this honorable
body, Is not only distasteful, but deepj
ly to be regretted.
'There has arisen ground to suspect
a member of this body of having endeavored
to make money at the gov.
crnment's expense out of land which
he Is alleged to have desired his own
committee to choose as the fisvsl base.
"I therefore offer this resolution pro
vlding for the appointment of an Investigating
committee to look into these
charges."
Langdon was intensely excited over
this new development. "Some one
has learned something about Peabody
, or Steven*," Do muttereu. lie leareu
! that this new complication might in
j some way affect the fate of the uav^'
base?that the south, and Mississlpp.
might lose it. He rose slo\0.- in Lis
seat, while the senate hummed with
the murmur of suppressed voices.
"I ask for more definite information,"
be began when recognized and
' after the president of the senate had
pounded with the gavel to restore
quiet, "so that this house can consider
j this Important matter more intelligeut:
Jy."
I Senator Horton rose. He said:
"I will take the liberty of atldiug
that the senator acca~ed is none other
than the junior se? ttor from Mississippi."
S
Langdon's eyes Jfiazed. He strode
swiftly Into the aisle.
"Mr. President." he cried passionately,
"I know this is not the time or
place for a discussion like this, but
ask that senatorial courtesy permit me
to ask"?then he concluded strongly
before he could be stopped?"what is
I the evidence in support of this preposterous
charge?"
"This is all out of order," said the
; presiding officer after a pause, "but
j iu view of the circumstances I will
; entertain a motion to suspend the
! rules."
Tbis motion passing, Hortcn replied
' to Laugdon.
"Your name is signed to a contract
with J. D. Telfer, mayor of Guif City,
Miss., calling for 3,000 shares In the
Gulf City Land company, and"?
"A lie, a lie!" screamed Laugdon.
j "That official," went on Hortcn coolly,
"is now in Washiiv on. He has
the contract and will swear to conversations
with you and your secretary.
His testimony will be corroborated
by no less a personage than Congressman
Norton of your own district,
who says you asked bim to conduct
part of the negotiations."
"And I might add," cried Iiorton.
"that it is known to more than one
member of this honorable body that
you had drawn up a minority report in
favor of Gulf City because of your
anger at the defeat of your plan to
take the naval base away from Aitacoola."
i Laugdon sank into his chair, bei
wildered, even stunned. There was a
conspiracy against him, but how could
he prove it? The ground seemed crumbling
from under him?not even a
straw to grasp. Then the eld lighting
blood that carried him along in lieauregard's
van tugged at the valves of
his heart, revived his spirit, ran through
his veins. He leaped to his feet.
A sound as of a scuffle-a bedy fall
ing hcavLlv?drew all eyes from I.angdon
to the rear of the main aisle. An
assistant*sergeant at arms was lying
face downward on the carpet. Another
was vainly trying to hold back Bud
Haines, who, tearing himself free,
i rushed down to his chief waving a
i sheet of paper In the senator's eyes.
"Bead that," gasped the secretary
breathlessly, and he harried away up
a side passageway and ont to reach
the stairs leading to the press gallery.
Langdon spread the paper before
him with difficulty with his trembling
hands. Slowly bis whirling brain gave
him. the_abillty to read. Slowly what
i appeared to him as a jumbled nothing
resolved Into orderly lines and words.
[CONCLUDED ON PAtJE 8.1
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