CAROLINA LANGDON'S RENUNCIATION
Senator Langdon's committee room at the Capitol presented a busy scene
at an unusually early hour the morning after the entertainment at his
home. Bud Haines, reinstated as secretary, was picking up the thread
of routine where he had dropped it the day before, though his frequent
thought of Hope and the words that had thrilled him--"I love you, I
love you fondly"--made this task unusually difficult. He impatiently
wished the afternoon to hasten along, as he knew he would then see her
in the Senate gallery, where she would go to hear her father's speech.
This speech had to be revised in some particulars by Bud, and the work
he knew would take up much of the morning. The Senator's speech was
"The South of the Future," which he would deliver when recognized by
the President of the Senate in connection with the naval base bill,
that officer having agreed to recognize Langdon at 3:30, at which time
the report of the naval affairs committee would be received. Just how
Langdon would turn the tables on Peabody and Stevens and yet win for
the Altacoola site not even the ex-newspaper man, experienced in
politics, had solved. Clearly the Senator would have to do some tall
thinking during the morning.
The junior Senator from Mississippi burst into the office with his
habitual cheery greeting, his broad-brimmed black felt hat in its
usual position on the back of his head, like a symbol of undying
defiance.
"A busy day for us, eh, Senator?" queried Bud.
"Now, look here, my boy, don't begin to remind me of work right off,"
he said, with a humorous gleam in his eye. "Go easy on me. Don't
forget I'm her father."
Bud laughed through the flush that rose in his cheeks.
"No, I won't forget that. But have you decided what to tell Peabody
and Stevens as your plan of action if they come in here at 12:30?"
"If they come?" exclaimed Langdon. "They'll come. Watch 'em."
Then he hesitated, worriedly.
"I'll have to incubate an idea between now and noon, somehow. But
don't forget this, Bud--we're worried about them, true enough, but
they're worried a heap more about us."
Senator Langdon stepped into an adjoining room, where he could be
alone, to "incubate."
As Haines resumed his work Carolina Langdon entered.
Avoiding the secretary's direct gaze, she asked for her father.
"He ought to be back shortly, Miss Langdon," responded Haines. "You
can wait here. I must ask pardon for leaving, as I must run over to
the library."
As the secretary bowed himself out of the door he almost collided with
Congressman Norton. Both glared at each other and remained silent.
"Carolina," spoke Norton, as he entered, "I hope--I know you won't
allow your father to influence you against me--because of last night.
I--"
Carolina would rather not have met Charles Norton on this morning. She
had hardly slept for the night. She had fought a battle with herself.
Her father had shown her plainly the mistake she had made. She saw
that her influence had not been without effect on Randolph. Probably
for the first time she realized that there are glory and luxury,
pleasure and prestige for which too big a price can be paid.
The Senator's daughter turned slowly and faced the man she had
promised to marry.
"Charlie, I have come to a decision. I came here to talk with father
about it."
Norton started toward Carolina, a look of apprehension on his face.
He gathered from the trend of her words and her demeanor that she had
turned against him.
"You couldn't be so cruel, Carolina," he protested.
"Charlie," she went on, determinedly, "I will always cherish our
friendship, our happy younger days down in Mississippi, but, I must
give up thinking of you as my future husband. We've both made a
mistake, mine probably greater than yours, but I now am convinced that
I should not marry you. Your way of thinking about life is all wrong,
and you are too deeply entangled with the dishonest men in Washington
to draw back. I cannot love you."
"But I am doing it all for your sake, Carolina. Don't let an
old-fashioned father come between a man and a woman and their love,"
he cried.
"Charlie, I must give you up."
The girl turned to one side, as though to give Norton a chance to
leave.
He looked at her in silence for a moment or two. Then a change came
into his bearing. Wrinkling his face into a sneer, he stepped before
the girl.
"You've been converted mighty sudden, I reckon, from land speculating
to preaching--and preaching, too, against folks who tried to make a
fortune for you."
Norton stopped, expecting a reply, but the girl remained silent.
"You think I'm done for, that I've lost my money; that's why you
turned from me so quickly," he laughed, scornfully. "But I'll show
you, you and your blundering old father. I'll win you yet, and I'll
ruin your father's political reputation. I'll--"
"Are you quite sure about that?" spoke a voice, sharply, behind the
Congressman. He swung around vigorously. Bud Haines had returned in
time to hear Norton's threat.
"Yes; and while I'm doing that I'll take time to show you up, too,
somehow. I guess a Congressman's word will count against that of a
cheap secretary--that's what Miss Langdon said you were."
Carolina looked appealingly to Haines to rid her of the presence of
this man, whose last words she knew Haines would not believe.
But Norton had had his say. He retreated to the door.
"Miss Langdon," he cried, as he backed out and away, "you have an idea
that I am dishonest, but kindly remember that, whatever you think I
am, I never was a hypocrite."
Haines advanced and procured a chair for Miss Langdon.
"I'm very sorry to have come back at such a time," he began.
The girl cut him short with a gesture.
"I want to say to you," she said, then halted--"that I want to
be friends with you. I want you to forget the happenings of
yesterday--last evening--so far as I was concerned in them. I want to
work together with you and father--and so does Randolph. Father and
you are standing together to uphold the honor of the Langdons of
Mississippi, and Randolph and I, no matter the cost of our former
folly, want to share in that work."
Before Haines could reply Senator Langdon burst into the room.
"Bud! Bud!" he cried, "I've got it! I've got it!"
"You've got what, Senator?" exclaimed the secretary.
"That idea, my boy, that idea! It's incubated all right, and Peabody
and Stevens can come just as soon as they want to."