above calumny. A summer resident who, to satisfy his
lust for office, is rolling to defame--'"
"Yes," interrupted Mr. Crewe, "never mind reading any more of that rot."
"It's botched," said Mr. Tooting, whose artistic soul was jarred. "I'd
have put that in Avalon County, and Weave, and Marshall. I know men that
take all three of those papers in Putnam."
No need of balloonists to see what the enemy is about, when we have a Mr.
Tooting.
"They're stung!" he cried, as he ran rapidly through the bundle of
papers--Mr. Crewe having subscribed, with characteristic generosity, to
the entire press of the State. "Flint gave 'em out all this stuff about
the railroad bein' a sacred institution. You've got 'em on the run right
now, Mr. Crewe. You'll notice that, Democrats and Republicans, they've
dropped everybody else, that they've all been sicked on to you. They're
scared."
"I came to that conclusion some time ago," replied Mr. Crewe, who was
sorting over his letters.
"And look there!" exclaimed Mr. Tooting, tearing out a paragraph,
"there's the best campaign material we've had yet. Say, I'll bet Flint
taken that doddering idiot's pass away for writing that."
Mr. Crewe took the extract, and read:--
"A summer resident of Leith, who is said to be a millionaire
many times over, and who had a somewhat farcical career as a
legislator last winter, has announced himself as a candidate
for the Republican nomination on a platform attacking the
Northeastern Railroads. Mr. Humphrey Crewe declares that the
Northeastern Railroads govern us. What if they do? Every
sober-minded citizen, will agree that they give us a pretty
good government. More power to them."
Mr. Crewe permitted himself to smile.
"They are playing into our hands, sure enough. What?"
This is an example of the spirit in which the ridicule and abuse was met.
It was Senator Whitredge--only, last autumn so pleased to meet Mr. Crewe
at Mr. Flint's--who asked the hypocritical question, "Who is Humphrey
Crewe?" A biography (in pamphlet form, illustrated,--send your name and
address) is being prepared by the invaluable Mr. Tooting, who only sleeps
six hours these days. We shall see it presently, when it emerges from
that busy hive at Wedderburn.
Wedderburn was a hive, sure enough. Not having a balloon ourselves, it is
difficult to see all that is going on there; but there can be no mistake
(except by the Honourable Hila
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