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Tommy And Thomas
by
Then Mrs. Carriswood remembered; she asked, amused, how was Tommy and where was he?
“Tommy? Oh, he went to the State university; the old man was bound to send him, and he was more dutiful than some sons. He was graduated with honors, and came back to a large, ready-made justice court’s practice. Of course he drifted into criminal practice; but he has made a fine income out of that, and is the shrewdest, some folks say the least scrupulous, political manager in the county. And so, Harry, you have persuaded him to cast in his lot with the party of principle, have you? and he is packing the primaries?”
“I see nothing dishonest in our trying to get our friends out to vote at the primaries, sir.”
“Of course not, but he may not stop there. However, I want Bailey elected, and I am glad he will work for us; what’s his price?”
Harry blushed a little. “I believe he would like to be city attorney, sir,” said he; and Mr. Lossing laughed.
“Would he make a bad one?” asked Mrs. Carriswood.
“He would make the best kind of a one,” replied Harry, with youthful fervor; “he’s a ward politician and all that, I know; but he has it in him to be an uncommon deal more! And I say, sir, do you know that he and the old man will take twenty-five thousand of the stock at par if we turn ourselves into a corporation?”
“How about this new license measure? won’t that bear a little bit hard on the old man?” This from Mr. Lossing, who was biting his cigar in deep thought.
“That will not prevent his doing his duty; why, the old man for very pride will be the first to obey the law. You’ll SEE!”
Six months later they did see, since it was mostly due to Fitzmaurice’s efforts that the reform candidate was elected; as a consequence, Tommy became prosecuting attorney; and, to the amazement of the critics, made the best prosecuting attorney that the city had ever known.
It was during the campaign that Mrs. Carriswood met him. Her goddaughter, daughter of the friend to whom years ago she described Tommy, was with her. This time Mrs. Carriswood had recently added Florida to her disappointments in climates, and was back, as she told Mrs. Lossing, “with a real sense of relief in a climate that was too bad to make any pretensions.”
She had brought Miss Van Harlem to see the shops. It may be that she would not have been averse to Harry Lossing’s growing interested in young Margaret. She had seen a great deal of Harry while he was East at school, and he remained her first favorite, while Margaret was as good as she was pretty, and had half a million of dollars in her own right. They had seen Harry, and he was showing them through the different buildings or “shops,” when a man entered who greeted him cordially, and whom he presented to Mrs. Carriswood. It was Tommy Fitzmaurice, grown into a handsome young man. He brought his heels together and made the ladies a solemn bow. “Pleased to meet you, ladies; how do you like the West?” said Tommy.
His black locks curled about his ears, which seemed rather small now; he had a good nose and a mobile, clean-shaven face. His hands were very white and soft, and the rim of linen above them was dazzling. His black frock-coat was buttoned snugly about his slim waist. He brushed his face with a fine silk handkerchief, and thereby diffused the fragrance of the best imported cologne among the odors of wood and turpentine. A diamond pin sparkled from his neckscarf. The truth is, he knew that the visitors were coming and had made a state toilet. “He looks half like an actor and half like a clergyman, and he IS all a politician,” thought Mrs. Carriswood; “I don’t think I shall like him any more.” While she thought, she was inclining her slender neck toward him, and the gentlest interest and pleasure beamed out of her beautiful, dark eyes.