It seemed to Bles an exceedingly silly thing to do--calling on a busy man with no errand; but he went. He decided that he would just thank the Senator for his interest, and get out; or, if the Senator was busy, he would merely send in his card. Evidently the Senator was busy, for his waiting-room was full. Bles handed the card to the secretary with a word of apology, but the secretary detained him.
"Ah, Mr. Alwyn," he said affably; "glad to see you. The Senator will want to see you, I know. Wait just a minute." And soon Bles was shaking Senator Smith's hand.
"Well, Mr. Alwyn," said the Senator heartily, "you delivered the goods."
"Thank you, sir. I tried to."
Senator Smith thoughtfully looked him over and drew out the letters.
"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. Vanderpool" would have meant little to Alwyn--"'It has been suggested to me by blank that the future allegiance of the Negro vote to the Republican Party might be insured by giving to some prominent Negro a high political position--for instance, Treasurer of the United States'--salary, six thousand dollars," interpolated Senator Smith--"'and that Alwyn would be a popular and safe appointment for that position.'"
The Senator did not read the concluding sentence, which ran: "Think this over; we can't touch political conditions in the South; perhaps this sop will do."