The Conflict [100]
advance. You'll soon see the last of Boss Kelly and Boss House--and of such gentle, amiable frauds as our friend Davy Hull.''
Jane laughed merrily. ``Why do you call him a fraud?'' she asked.
``Because he is a fraud,'' said Charlton. ``He is trying to confuse the issue. He says the whole trouble is petty dishonesty in public life. Bosh! The trouble is that the upper and middle classes are milking the lower class--both with and without the aid of the various governments, local, state and national. THAT'S the issue. And the reason it is being forced is because the lower class, the working class, is slowly awakening to the truth. When it completely awakens----'' Charlton made a large gesture and laughed.
``What then?'' said Hastings.
``The end of the upper and the middle classes. Everybody will have to work for a living.''
``Who's going to be elected this fall?'' asked Jane. ``Your man?''
``Yes,'' said Doctor Charlton. ``Victor Dorn thinks not. But he always takes the gloomy view. And he doesn't meet and talk with the fellows on the other side, as I do.''
Hastings was looking out from under the vizor of his cap with a peculiar grin. It changed to a look of startled inquiry as Charlton went on to say:
``Yes, we'll win. But the Davy Hull gang will get the offices.''
``Why do you think that?'' asked old Hastings sharply.
Charlton eyed his patient with a mocking smile. ``You didn't think any one knew but you and Kelly-- did you?'' laughed he.
``Knew what?'' demanded Hastings, with a blank stare.
``No matter,'' said Charlton. ``I know what you intend to do. Well, you'll get away with the goods. But you'll wish you hadn't. You old-fashioned fellows, as I've been telling you, don't realize that times have changed.''
``Do you mean, Doctor, that the election is to be stolen away from you?'' inquired Jane.
``Was that what I meant, Mr. Hastings?'' said Charlton.
``The side that loses always shouts thief at the side that wins,'' said the old man indifferently. ``I don't take any interest in politics.''
``Why should you?'' said the Doctor audaciously. ``You own both sides. So, it's heads you win, tails I lose.''
Hastings laughed heartily. ``Them political fellows are a lot of blackmailers,'' said he.
``That's ungrateful,'' said Charlton. ``Still, I don't blame you for liking the Davy Hull crowd better. From them you can get what you want just the same, only you don't have to pay for it.''
He rose and stretched his big frame, with a disregard of conventional good manners so unconscious that it was inoffensive.
But Charlton had a code of manners of his own, and somehow it seemed to suit him where the conventional code would have made him seem cheap. ``I didn't mean to look after your political welfare, too,'' said he. ``But I'll make no charge for that.''
``Oh, I like to hear you young fellows talk,'' said Martin. ``You'll sing a different song when you're as old as I am and have found out what a lot of damn fools the human race is.''
``As I told you before,'' said Charlton, ``it's conditions that make the human animal whatever it is. It's in the harness of conditions--the treadmill of conditions-- the straight jacket of conditions. Change the conditions and you change the animal.''
When he was swinging his big powerful form across the lawns toward the fringe of woods, Jane and her father looking after him, Jane said:
``He's wonderfully clever, isn't he?''
``A dreamer--a crank,'' replied the old man.
``But what he says sounds reasonable,'' suggested the daughter.
``It SOUNDS sensible,'' admitted the old man peevishly. ``But it ain't what _I_ was brought up to call sensible. Don't you get none of those fool ideas into your head. They're all very well for men that haven't got any property or any responsibilities--for flighty fellows like Charlton and that there Victor Dorn. But as soon as anybody gets property and has interests to look after, he drops that kind of talk.''
``Do you mean that property makes a man too blind or
Jane laughed merrily. ``Why do you call him a fraud?'' she asked.
``Because he is a fraud,'' said Charlton. ``He is trying to confuse the issue. He says the whole trouble is petty dishonesty in public life. Bosh! The trouble is that the upper and middle classes are milking the lower class--both with and without the aid of the various governments, local, state and national. THAT'S the issue. And the reason it is being forced is because the lower class, the working class, is slowly awakening to the truth. When it completely awakens----'' Charlton made a large gesture and laughed.
``What then?'' said Hastings.
``The end of the upper and the middle classes. Everybody will have to work for a living.''
``Who's going to be elected this fall?'' asked Jane. ``Your man?''
``Yes,'' said Doctor Charlton. ``Victor Dorn thinks not. But he always takes the gloomy view. And he doesn't meet and talk with the fellows on the other side, as I do.''
Hastings was looking out from under the vizor of his cap with a peculiar grin. It changed to a look of startled inquiry as Charlton went on to say:
``Yes, we'll win. But the Davy Hull gang will get the offices.''
``Why do you think that?'' asked old Hastings sharply.
Charlton eyed his patient with a mocking smile. ``You didn't think any one knew but you and Kelly-- did you?'' laughed he.
``Knew what?'' demanded Hastings, with a blank stare.
``No matter,'' said Charlton. ``I know what you intend to do. Well, you'll get away with the goods. But you'll wish you hadn't. You old-fashioned fellows, as I've been telling you, don't realize that times have changed.''
``Do you mean, Doctor, that the election is to be stolen away from you?'' inquired Jane.
``Was that what I meant, Mr. Hastings?'' said Charlton.
``The side that loses always shouts thief at the side that wins,'' said the old man indifferently. ``I don't take any interest in politics.''
``Why should you?'' said the Doctor audaciously. ``You own both sides. So, it's heads you win, tails I lose.''
Hastings laughed heartily. ``Them political fellows are a lot of blackmailers,'' said he.
``That's ungrateful,'' said Charlton. ``Still, I don't blame you for liking the Davy Hull crowd better. From them you can get what you want just the same, only you don't have to pay for it.''
He rose and stretched his big frame, with a disregard of conventional good manners so unconscious that it was inoffensive.
But Charlton had a code of manners of his own, and somehow it seemed to suit him where the conventional code would have made him seem cheap. ``I didn't mean to look after your political welfare, too,'' said he. ``But I'll make no charge for that.''
``Oh, I like to hear you young fellows talk,'' said Martin. ``You'll sing a different song when you're as old as I am and have found out what a lot of damn fools the human race is.''
``As I told you before,'' said Charlton, ``it's conditions that make the human animal whatever it is. It's in the harness of conditions--the treadmill of conditions-- the straight jacket of conditions. Change the conditions and you change the animal.''
When he was swinging his big powerful form across the lawns toward the fringe of woods, Jane and her father looking after him, Jane said:
``He's wonderfully clever, isn't he?''
``A dreamer--a crank,'' replied the old man.
``But what he says sounds reasonable,'' suggested the daughter.
``It SOUNDS sensible,'' admitted the old man peevishly. ``But it ain't what _I_ was brought up to call sensible. Don't you get none of those fool ideas into your head. They're all very well for men that haven't got any property or any responsibilities--for flighty fellows like Charlton and that there Victor Dorn. But as soon as anybody gets property and has interests to look after, he drops that kind of talk.''
``Do you mean that property makes a man too blind or