Mr. Heath was very well satisfied with the result of his dinner-party.
It had enabled him to appear in the light of a leading and prominent
public man. He could in the future refer to the views he had propounded
on that occasion, as the origin of the memorable "Peace Congress,"
whereby the demon of discord was banished forever from the councils of
the nation, and the North and South were reconciled to remain
perpetually locked in a fraternal embrace. Then the opportune time would
follow when his great work, the "Federal Code," would be accepted by an
admiring people as a complement to the Constitution, and an additional
band to unite indissolubly the fasces of the Union. The prospect was
brilliant and flattering, and dizzy eminences of fame bewildered him.
But there was much to be done. It was the hour for action, and with
fervent enthusiasm he set to work. He opened a correspondence with
every prominent public man in the country, every prominent conservative
man of course, on the necessity of casting aloof from old organizations
and framing one better adapted to meet the exigencies of the period.
The crisis was imminent, and prompt measures to avert the peril were
imperative. A movement had been inaugurated, of which ex-President ----
was at the head, which required the adhesion of every true lover of his
country, etc., etc. This was about the burden of every despatch, and Mr.
Frisbee, Mr. Heath's secretary, was almost distracted with the increased
amount of writing and multiplicity of letters. Meanwhile Mr. Heath did
not slacken in his efforts to obtain the candidature for Governor. He
wrote numerous articles for the _Sentinel_, of like tenor to the one we
have quoted, in advocacy of his claim to the nomination, and wherein,
likewise, he showed no desire to emulate the violet. Senator Rangle, who
had been much flattered by Mr. Heath's advances, was appealed to and
promised his aid. John Peter, whose peculiar temperament was decidedly
antipathetic to labors at the desk, was made serviceable in a different
way. He was the go-between at primary elections and nominating
convention, to fee agents and distribute largess. His chief mission,
however, was to court popularity in Belton and the adjoining towns; for
it will be remembered that the Hon. Rufus Heath, despite many munificent
benefactions and public-spirited acts, was anything but a favorite with
his neighbors. No amount of generosity on his part could countervail the
effects of his ill-concealed airs of superiority, and patronizing
suavity towards them, and wounded self-esteem never forgets nor
forgives. Mr. Heath was unaware of the prevalence of this feeling
against him, and his instructions to his son were intended simply to
placate his open and avowed opponents. In particular was he anxious to
conciliate George Gildersleeve. That individual, to be sure, was, as he
expressed it, a "dyed-in-the-wool" Democrat, but Mr. Heath argued that
at the forthcoming election old issues would be in a great measure
abandoned, and he hoped, if not able to obtain Gildersleeve's support,
to at least secure his neutrality. George, in truth, would have been a
powerful auxiliary, for apart from the large number of men in his
employment, who all liked him as a fair and liberal "boss," his bluff,
hail-fellow ways won the hearts of the hard-handed everywhere; and he
could control more votes than any other man in the county. No wonder,
then, that John Peter suddenly became very deferential to him when he
met him at Hank Bird's livery stable; no wonder that he solicited
George's opinion on the merits of a new trotter, and even came down to
the Archimedes Works for a social chat, where, meeting Mark, he actually
shook hands with him, offered a cigar, and inquired in a pleasant way
how he was "getting along." So astounded was Mark at these unexpected
amenities, that he did not know how to take them; but his surprise over,
he replied with equal friendliness, not being one to harbor resentment
when a show of placation was made--especially when it came from Edna
Heath's brother. So the two young men had a pleasant smoke together,
recalled reminiscences of their school days; of old Pugwash, who kept
the academy, and of the great conspiracy in which Jack was the
ringleader, to thrash old Pugwash, when the boys signed a round-robin
(an awful compact), with red ink in lieu of blood, that fluid--although
the proper one to have used under the circumstances--not being readily
procurable; and how old Pugwash, getting hold of the round-robin, turned
the tables on the conspirators by flogging them one and all soundly.
These and many similar incidents were talked over until all constraint
wore off, and when they separated, Mark felt convinced that he had
greatly misjudged Jack Heath, and was much pleased at the
reconciliation. He told his sister-in-law that evening, when relating
the circumstance of their meeting, that Jack was as good-hearted a
fellow at bottom as ever lived, the only trouble with him being his
inclination to drink.
"Dear, dear, what a pity!" said Mrs. Gildersleeve, whose sympathies were
instantly aroused. "I've noticed signs of it for some time, and feel so
sorry for him. He has grown so fleshy for a young man, and his face is
always so flaming red. Such a beautiful complexion as he used to have,
too, when a boy--and to think that it is all owing to this dreadful,
dreadful habit of drinking! If he would only consent to join our Band of
Hope. Don't you think, Mark, you might persuade him to join? or do you
think it would be better to have Brother Close speak to him on the
subject first?"
Mark shook his head dubiously at these suggestions, as if he mistrusted
his ability or that of the entire Band of Hope, to say nothing of
Brother Close, to induce Jack Heath to falter in his devotion to strong
waters.
"I'm afraid it's inherited, sister Margaret," said he. "They say he had
a grand-uncle who died from the effects of drink, and that his
grandfather, old Mr. Obershaw, had a great propensity that way, and that
the only thing that saved him was his stinginess. Much as he loved
liquor, he loved money more, and seldom drank it except at somebody
else's expense."
"Well, my child, let us not judge lest we be judged. Old Mr. Obershaw no
doubt did a great many good deeds that we know nothing about, and as he
is now in the hands of One who is all-wise and merciful, it does not
become us to pass judgment on his memory. I don't see why it is that
people are so censorious; I should think that after all the money that
Mr. Obershaw spent in building that church and endowing it, that every
sensible person would be convinced that he was a Christian, and I'm
sure no one could find fault with the way in which the money he saved is
being used, for there is not an institution, or a society, or object of
any kind, that the Heaths don't give to."
"That may all be, sister Margaret, and it's very praiseworthy, no doubt.
All I said, or meant to say, was that I didn't think Jack Heath was so
much to blame for drinking, as he inherited the propensity from his
grandfather, who they say had the reputation of being a hard drinker."
"Well, I suppose we shall all have to answer for ourselves," replied
Mrs. Gildersleeve, reflectively. "And very likely it's his misfortune
and not his fault."
The worthy lady's capacity for forgiveness and charity was unbounded;
far more ready, too, to defend than to censure, and she doubtless would
have had a good word for Satan himself, had his sable majesty been
captured and arraigned for judgment.