vernon was glad enough of a breath of the evening air, and they went down the steps to the sidewalk. along the curbstone many men had placed chairs and in these cool and quiet eddies of the brawling stream of politics they joked and laughed peacefully. sixth street stretched away dark and inviting. vernon and cowley turned southward and strolled along companionably. the air was delicious after the blaze of the hotel; the black shade of a moonless night was restful; their cigars were fragrant.
“i’ve just got hold of a story,” began cowley, after they had enjoyed the night for a moment in silence. “i’ve just got hold of a story—” he spoke, of course, as always, from the detached standpoint of a newspaper man, “which you ought to know.”
“what is it?” asked vernon.
“porter and braidwood are against your resolution.” cowley spoke these names in a tone that told how futile any opposition would be. “and wright and his fellows are against it, too,” he added.
“nonsense,” said vernon.
“well, you’ll see,” replied cowley.
“but they told me—”
“oh, well, that’s all right. they’ve changed in the last day or two.”
“why?”
“well, they say it’s risky from a party standpoint. they think they already have all the load they want to carry in the fall campaign. besides, they—”
“what?”
“they say there’s no demand for such a radical step, and so see no reason for taking it.”
“no demand for it?”
“no, on the contrary,” cowley halted an instant and in his palm sheltered a lighted match for his extinguished cigar. “on the contrary, there’s a lot of people against it.”
“since when?”
“they’ve been getting letters in the last few days—they’ve just been pouring in on ’em—and they’re from women, too.”
“from women!”
“yes, from women; the first ladies in the land.” cowley spoke with a sneer.
vernon laughed.
“all right,” said cowley in the careless tone of one who has discharged a duty. “wait till you see mrs. overman hodge-lathrop land in here to-morrow.”
“mrs. overman hodge-lathrop!” vernon stopped still in the middle of the sidewalk and turned in surprise and fear to cowley. cowley enjoyed the little sensation he had produced.
“yes, she’s coming down on the alton to-night. and she’s bringing some of her crowd with her. the women’s clubs are all stirred up about the matter.”
vernon was silent for a moment, then he wheeled suddenly, and said: “well, i’m much obliged to you, cowley, but i’d better be getting back to the hotel.”
“it may not be serious after all,” cowley said with tardy reassurance, “but there’s danger, and i thought i’d let you know. i’m sending a pretty good story in to-night about it; they’ll cover the chicago end from the office.”
“but they were all for it,” vernon muttered.
“oh, well, you know they never took the thing very seriously. of course they passed it in the house just to line up old man ames for the apportionment bill. they didn’t think it would amount to anything.”
“yes, i know—but maria burley greene—”
“well, she’s a pretty woman; that’s all.”
“you bet she is,” said vernon, “and she’ll be down here again to-morrow, too.”
“will she?” said cowley eagerly, with his strange smile.
“yes—but, look here, charlie!” vernon exclaimed, “don’t you go mixing me up with her, now, understand?”
“oh, i understand,” said cowley, and he laughed significantly.
when vernon reached the hotel he set to work in earnest. he tramped about half the night, until he had seen every senator who could be found. he noted a change in them; if he did not find them hostile he found many of them shy and reluctant. but when he went to his room he had enough promises to allay his fears and to restore, in a measure, his confidence, and he fell asleep thinking of maria greene, happy in the thought that she would be there with her charms to offset the social influence of mrs. overman hodge-lathrop.
