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He gave her one last look of pathetic tenderness and rose.

“The Senator from Stackpole!”

“I want,” Alonzo began, in his big voice: “I want to say a few simple, straightforward but vigorous words about this bill. You may remember I spoke against it on its second reading–“

“You did that!” shouted Senator Battle suddenly.

“I want to say now,” the Senator from Stackpole continued, “that at that time I hadn’t studied the subject sufficiently. I didn’t know the conditions of the case, nor the facts, but since then a great light has broke in upon me–“

“I should say it had! I saw it break!” was Senator Battle’s second violent interruption.

When order was restored, Alonzo, who had become very pale, summoned his voice again. “I think we’d ought to take into consideration that Sunday is the working-man’s only day of recreation and not drive him into low groggeries, but give him a chance in the open air to indulge his love of wholesome sport–“

“Such as the ancient Romans enjoyed!” interposed Battle vindictively.

“No, sir!” Alonzo wheeled upon him, stung to the quick. “Such a sport as free-born Americans and only free-born Americans can play in this, wide world–the American game of baseball, in which no other nation of the Earth is our equal!”

This was a point scored and the cheering lasted two minutes. Then the orator resumed:

“I say: ‘Give the working-man a chance!’ Is his life a happy one? You know it ain’t! Give him his one day. Don’t spoil it for him with your laws–he’s only got one! I’m not goin’ to take up any more of your time, but if there’s anybody here who thinks my well-considered opinion worth following I say: ‘Vote for this bill.’ It is right and virtuous and ennobling, and it ought to be passed! I say: ‘Vote for it.'”

The reporters decided that the Senator from Stackpole had “wakened things up.” The gavel rapped a long time before the chamber quieted down, and when it did, Josephus Battle was on his feet and had obtained the recognition of the chair.

“I wish to say, right here,” he began, with a rasping leisureliness, “that I hope no member of this honoured body will take my remarks as personal or unparliamentary–but”–he raised a big forefinger and shook it with menace at the presiding officer, at the same time suddenly lifting his voice to an unprintable shriek–“I say to you, sir, that the song of the siren has been heard in the land, and the call of Delilah has been answered! When the Senator from Stackpole rose in this chamber, less than three weeks ago, and denounced this iniquitous measure, I heard him with pleasure–we all heard him with pleasure–and respect! In spite of his youth and the poor quality of his expression, we listened to him. We knew he was sencere! What has caused the change in him? What has, I ask? I shall not tell you, upon this floor, but I’ve taken mighty good care to let most of you know, during the morning, either by word of mouth or by note of hand! Especially those of you of the drains and dikes and others who might follow this young Samson, whose locks have been shore! I’ve told you all about that, and more–I’ve told you the inside history of some facts about the bill that I will not make public, because I am too confident of our strength to defeat this devilish measure, and prefer to let our vote speak our opinion of it! Let me not detain you longer. I thank you!”

Long before he had finished, the Senator from Stackpole was being held down in his chair by Truslow and several senators whose seats were adjacent; and the vote was taken amid an uproar of shouting and confusion. When the clerk managed to proclaim the result over all other noises, the bill was shown to be defeated and “killed,” by a majority of five votes.