"Your friends, Mr. Alwyn," he said, adjusting his glasses, "have a
rather high opinion of you. Here now is Stillings, who helped on the
campaign. He suggests an eighteen-hundred-dollar clerkship for you." The
Senator glanced up keenly and omitted to state what Stillings suggested
for himself. Alwyn was visibly grateful as well as surprised.
"I--I hoped," he began hesitatingly, "that perhaps I might get a
promotion, but I had not thought of a first-class clerkship."
"H'm." Senator Smith leaned back and twiddled his thumbs, staring at
Alwyn until the hot blood darkened his cheeks. Then Bles sat up and
stared politely but steadily back. The Senator's eyes dropped and he put
out his hand for the second note.
"Now, your friend, Miss Wynn"--Alwyn started--"is even more ambitious."
He handed her letter to the young man, and pointed out the words.
"Of course, Senator," Bles read, "we expect Mr. Alwyn to be the next
Register of the Treasury."
Bles looked up in amazement, but the Senator reached for a third letter.
The room was very still. At last he found it. "This," he announced
quietly, "is from a man of great power and influence, who has the ear of
the new President." He smoothed out the letter, paused briefly, then
read aloud:
"'It has been suggested to me by'"--the Senator did not read the name;
if he had "Mrs.
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