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Harte, Bret, 1836-1902

"Drift from Two Shores"

His family are wealthy
and influential, and it's just as well in the fall elections to
have the supervisors and county judge pledged to support the
administration. Our delegates to the State Central Committee are
to a man"--but here, perceiving from the wandering eye of Mr.
Secretary that there was another man in the room, he whispered the
rest with a familiarity that must have required all the politician
in the official's breast to keep from resenting.
"You have some papers, I suppose?" asked the secretary, wearily.
Gashwiler was provided with a pocketful, and produced them. The
secretary threw them on the table among the other papers, where
they seemed instantly to lose their identity, and looked as if they
were ready to recommend anybody but the person they belonged to.
Indeed, in one corner the entire Massachusetts delegation, with the
Supreme Bench at their head, appeared to be earnestly advocating
the manuring of Iowa waste lands; and to the inexperienced eye, a
noted female reformer had apparently appended her signature to a
request for a pension for wounds received in battle.


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