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Show ByNBOOTH TARKINGTONB JPiTvatooT ay tMjirf ar no, ' """"':33j er was for anything nor fer anybody! in his life. I had a talk with the old! mutton-head the other day; he said cur' candidate ought to be a farmer, a 'man of the common people, and when I asked him where he'd find anybody more o nmn of the common people' than Beasley, he Bald Beasley wn 'too much of a society man to suit him I Tho Idea of Dave as a 'society man was too much for me, and" I laughed, in Sim Peck's face, but that didn't stop Sim Peck ! 'Jest look at the style he lives in,' he yelped. 'Ain't he fairly lapped In luxury? Look at that big house he lives In I Look at the way he1 goes around In that big car of his and a nigger to drive him, half the tlmel I had to holler again, and, of course, that made Sam twice as mad as he started out to be; a ad he went oft swearing he'd show me, before the campaign was over. The only trouble he and Grist and that crowd could give us would be by finding out something against Dave, and they can't do that .because there isn't anything to find out" I shared his confidence on this latter lat-ter score, but was somewhat less sanguine san-guine on some others. There were only two newspapers of any political Influence In-fluence in Walnwrlght, the Despatch and the Journal, both operated In the Interest of Beasley's party, and neither had "come out" for him. The. gossip I heard about our office led mo to think that each was waiting to see what headway Sim Peck and his faction fac-tion would make; the Journal especially, espe-cially, I knew, had some Inclination to coquette with Peck, Grist, and Com-rmnv. Com-rmnv. Altogether, their faction was VI. Autumn trailed the last leaves behind be-hind her flying brown robes one night ; we woke to a skurry of snow next morning; and It was winter. Down town, along the sidewalks, the merchants mer-chants set lines of poles, eovered them with evergreen, and ran streamers stream-ers of green overhead to encourage the festal shopping. Salvation Army Santa San-ta Clauses stamped their feet and rang bells on the corners, and pink-faced children fixed their noses Immovably to display-windows. For them, the season of seasons, the time of times, was at hand. To a certain new reporter on the Despatch the stir and gayety of the streets meant little more than that the clays had come when it was night in the afternoon, and that he was given fewer political assignments. This was annoying, because Beasley's candidacy for the governorship had given me a personal Interest In the political situation. situa-tion. The nominating convention of his parly would meet in the spring; the nomination was certain to carry the election also, and thus far Eensley showed more strength than any other man In the field. "Things are looking his way," said Dowden. "He's always worked hard for the party ; not on the stump, of course," he laughed; "but the boys understand there are more Important things than speechmaklng. Ills record In Congress gave him the , confidence of everybody In the state, and, besides that, people always trust a quiet man. I tell you if nothing happens he'll get It" " "I'm fer Beasley," another politician explained. In an interview, "because he's Dave Beasley i Yes, sir, I'm fer him. You know the beys say if a man Is only for you, in this state, there I t i ... V Continued. Beasley had just opened the front door, returning at noon from his office, of-fice, when Hamilton Swift, Junior's, voice eame piping from the library, where he was reclining' in his wagon by the window. "Ceusln David Beasley I Cousin David, Da-vid, come a-runnlng!" he cried. "Come "a-running f The Hunchhergs are here !" Of course Cousin David Beasley came a-runnlng, and was Immediately Introduced te the whole Hunchberg family, a ceremony which old Bob, who was with the boy, had previously undergone with courtly grace. "They like Bob," explained Hamilton. Hamil-ton. "Don't you, Mr. Hunchberg? Yes. be says they do extremely 1" (He used such words as "extremely" often ; Indeed, In-deed, as Dowden said, he talked "like a child In a book," which was due, I dare say, to his English mother.) "And I'm sure," the boy went on, "that ill the family will admire Cousin David. Yes, Mr. Hunchberg says, he thinks they will." nd then (cs Bob told me) he wont cliiiost out of his head with joy when Hem-ley offered Mr. Hunchberg n clgni and struck a match for him to light it. "But whnr," exclaimed . the old darky, "whar In de name o' de good Gawd do de chile get dem names? lilt Ink to skeer me!" That was a subject often debated between Dowden and me: there wa nothing In Walnwrlght that could have I' suggested them, and It did not seem probable he could have remembered them from over tho water. In my opin-j opin-j ion they were the Inventions of that , busy and lonely little brain. ' I met the Hunchberg family, myself, the day after their arrival, and Bens-ley, Bens-ley, by that time, had become so well acquainted with them that he could w remember all their names, and helped In the Introduction. There was. Mr. Hunchberg evidently the child's favorite, fa-vorite, for he was described as thf possessor of every engaging virtue and there was that lively matron, Mrs. Hunchberg; there were the Hunchberg yonng gentlemen, Tom, Noble and Grandee; and the young ladles. Miss not entirely to be despised. Thus, my thoughts were a great deal more occupied with Beasley's chances than with the holiday spirit that now, with furs and bells and wreathing mists of snow, breathed good cheer over the town. So tittle, indeed, had this spirit touched me, that, one eve-, nlng when one of my colleagues, standing before the grate-fire In tho reporter's room, yawned and said he'd be glad when tomorrow was over, I asked him what was the particular trouble with tomorrow. "Christmas," he explained, languidly. lan-guidly. "Always so tedious. Like Sunday." "It makes me homesick," said another, an-other, a melancholy little man who wus forever bragging of his native Duluth. "Christmas," I repeated "tomorrow!" "tomor-row!" It was Christmas eve, and I had not known it I I leaned back in my cliair in a sudden loneliness, what pictures coining before me of long-ago Christmas Christ-mas eves at home! old Christmas eves when there was a Tree. . . . My name was called; the night city editor had an assignment for me. "Go up to Sim Peck's, on Madison street," he snld. "He thinks he's got something some-thing on David Beasley, but won't say any more over tho telephone. See what there is In It." I picked up my hat and coat, and left the ollce at a speed which must have given my superior the highest conception of my journnllsJc zeal. At a, telephone station on the next corner I called up Mrs. Apperthwalte's house and asked for Mr. Dowden. "What are you doing?" I demanded, when his voice responded. "Playing bridge," he answered. "Are you going out anywhere?" "No. What's the trouble?" "I'll tell you later. I may want to see you tonight before I go back to the office." "All right I'll be at home all the evening." I hung up tbe receiver and made off on my errand. Down town the streets were crowded crowd-ed with the package-laden people, bending heads and shoulders to the bitter wind, which swept a blinding, slect-llke snow horizontally against them. At corners it struck so tumul- tuous a blow upon the chest of the pedestrians pe-destrians that for a moment It would halt them, and you could hear there gasping half-smothered "Ahs" like bathers in a heavy surf. Yet there was a gayety In this eager gale; the crowds pressed anxiously, yet happily, hap-pily, up and down the street in their gonerous search for things to give away. It was not the rich who struggled strug-gled through the stortu tonight ; these were people who carried their own bundles home. You saw them: tollers and savers, tired mothers and fathers, worn with the grinding thrift of all the year, but nor for this one ntght careless of how hard-saved the money, reckless of everything but the Joy of giving it to bring the children Joy on the one great tomorrow. So they bent their heads to tbe freezing wind, their arms laden with daring bundles and their hearts uplifted with the tremulous tremul-ous happiness of giving more than they could afford. Meanwhile, Mr. Slmeou Teck, honest man, had chosen this season to work harm if he might to the gentlest of his fellow-men. I found Mr. I'eck waiting 'for me at his house. There were four other men with him, one of whom I recognized recog-nized as Orlat, a squat young man with slippery-looking black hair an4 a lambrequin mustache. They wero donning their coats and hats In tha hall when I arrived. (TO B8 cormift'BD.) Queen, Miss Marble and Miss Molanna all exceedingly gay and pretty. There was also Colonel Hunchberg, an uncle; finally there was Aunt Cooley Hunchberg, a somewhat decrepit but very amiable old lady. Mr. Corley Linbridge happened to be calling at the Bame time ; and, as it appeared to i be Beasley's duty to keep the conversation conver-sation going and constantly to Include all of the party Kn Its general flow. It struck roe that he had truly (as Dow-den Dow-den said) "enough to keep him busy." The Hunchbergs had lately moved to Walnwrlght from Constantinople, 1 learned; they had decided not to live In town, however, having purchased a , i . v.- fine farm ont in the country, and. on account of the distance, were able to cnJI at Beaeley's only about eight times a day, and seldom more than twice in the evening. Whenever a mystic telephone announced that they were on the way, the child would have himself wheeled to a window; and when they came In sight he would cry out In wild delight, while Beasley hastened has-tened to open the front door and admit ad-mit them. They were so real to the child, and . Beasley treated them with such consistent con-sistent seriousness, that between the two of them I sometimes began to fee! that there actually were such people, and to have moments of half-surprise J that I couldn't see them; particularly as each of the Hunchbergs developed a character entirely his own to the last pl'or,ty. BUch 08 nKPd Aunt Cooley Hunchbcrg's deafness, on which account Beasley never forgot to raise his voice when he addressed her. Indeed, the details of actuality In all this appeared to bring as great a delight de-light to the man as to the child. Certainly Cer-tainly he built them up with Infinite care. On one occasion when Mr. Hunchberg and 1 happened to he calling. call-ing. Hamilton remarked with surprise that Slmpledorla had come Into the room without licking his hand as he - nsnollj did, and had -crept under the table. Mr. Hunchberg volnnteered the Information (through Beasley) thai opon his approach to the house he had seen Slmpledorla chasing a cat. It was then debated whether chastisement chastise-ment was In order, but finully decided that Slmpledorla's surreptitious manner man-ner of entrance and his hiding under the table were stiflloient Indication (hat he well understood his baseness and would never let It happen nenln. And ro, Benxley having coaxed him out from umler the tnM. the offender "nt up." begged, nnd wus funriven. I omiht almost fr! the splendid (dmw head tir.;ler tur hsnd when. In fun. I raited H'lU'ileilorlu to kIiow that th'' re-eo::ol!lfttlon wns unanimous. ! Ths Head and Front (and Backbone, Too), of the Opposition to Beasley Was a Close-Flatfd, Hard-Knuckled, RIsan-From-the-Soil Sort of Man, One Named Simoon rack. Isn't much In it and he may go back on It; but'lf he's fer you, he means It. Well. Tm fer Beasley 1" There were other candidates, of course; none of them formidable; but I was surprised to learn of the existence exist-ence of a small but energetic faction opposing our friend In Walnwrlght, his j own town. ("What are you surprised J about?" inquired Dowden. "Don't you know what our folks are like, yet? If St. Paul lived In Walnwrlfiht, do I you suppose he could run for constable con-stable without some of his near neighbors neigh-bors getting out to try and) down blm?") The head and front (and backbone, too) of the opposition to Beasley was , a close-fisted, hard knuckled, rlsen-from-the-soll sort of man. one named Slmpon Peck. He po-.sed no In-: considerable Influence, I heard; was a hard worker, nnd vigorously seconded by an energetic lieutenant, a young niim nnmed Crist These, and others they had been able to draw to their faction, were bitterly find eagerly opposed op-posed to Beasley's nomination, and worked without ceftslnc to prevent It. I quote the Invaluable Mr. Dowden again: "Crlsl's ou'.-ii't lis lerHtise t. r.nd n qimn-el writ n clerk In IleiixW's l!e, !!ir wnnte.l Bensley 0 d!t-( d!t-( ImiVT him, find Bonsley wouldn't Sim Peck's fieri lust us out of j'ist iih'ln wronshcndetliiess, and ticcuune he n-v- |