Show 204 STUDENT LIFE ation for the district attorneyship at the next election For some moments after the offer was made McEwan remained still Hodson then knew he had located McEwan’s weak spot and told the alderman to think things over carefully before he decided He said he would be back Saturday morning for an answer All day long Alderman McEwan debated with himself His ambition was to be district attorney It would mean something higher up afterwards Then again when he became district attorney he would have the power to do more for the sake of the Reform movement If however he accepted the proposition he would be selling out his friends “But” he argued to himself “I would be able to do more for them afterwards” He knew his election would be a certainty if Chamberlain approved of the nomination for the “machine” was strong enough so this question didn’t bother him He remembered all of his talks and efforts for “reform” but he tried to argue with himself “Those fellows have too for some good arguments leasing the plant and there are always two sides to a question” So the battle raged within him all day and he left his office earl going to his room There was a feeling of unrest in him and he wanted something to occupy his mind besides this question which he knew placed him on the banks of the Rubicon He opened his trunk and began to delve down and pick out one by one souvenirs of college days gone by There were pennants arm bands pipes canes dance programs pictures badges pins books and in fact he often referred to the contents of the trunk as the net results of four years at college One by one he picked them out looked them over and laid them on the floor Down near the botton he came upon a manuscript which he proceeded to read A broad smile broke over his face and he muttered “ ‘Civic Purity’ — well I’ll be damned Always the same old question no mater which way I turn” He read on Then he got up and lit a cigar and read some more He finished folded the manuscript and put it in his pocket anti began to pace the floor talking to himself “Let’s see didn’t ‘Brick’ Matheson say something to me which made me mad after I finished giving this paper? Yes it was after I had read about ‘Civic Purity’ a long time ago at the Commencement Exercises when ‘Brick’ and I got our degrees He said — let’s see— Florence yes for he married Florence — I didn’t Oh yes! Florence was congratulating me on my address when ‘Brick’ came up and said something about ‘Fine paper old man but it’s froth You idealize too much and don’t consider the end life is Civic purity all right at of this stage of the game but I’ll bet my last year’s hat that before you get done with life you'll change your mind’ Yes then Florence bread-and-butt- er |