Mr. Heath was very well satisfied with the result of his dinner-party.
It had enabled him to appear in the light of a leading and prominent
public man. He could in the future refer to the views he had propounded
on that occasion, as the origin of the memorable "Peace Congress,"
whereby the demon of discord was banished forever from the councils of
the nation, and the North and South were reconciled to remain
perpetually locked in a fraternal embrace. Then the opportune time would
follow when his great work, the "Federal Code," would be accepted by an
admiring people as a complement to the Constitution, and an additional
band to unite indissolubly the fasces of the Union. The prospect was
brilliant and flattering, and dizzy eminences of fame bewildered him.
But there was much to be done. It was the hour for action, and with
fervent enthusiasm he set to work. He opened a correspondence with
every prominent public man in the country, every prominent conservative
man of course, on the necessity of casting aloof from old organizations
and framing one better adapted to meet the exigencies of the period.
The crisis was imminent, and prompt measures to avert the peril were
imperative. A movement had been inaugurated, of which ex-President ----
was at the head, which required the adhesion of every true lover of his
country, etc., etc. This was about the burden of every despatch, and Mr.
Frisbee, Mr. Heath's secretary, was almost distracted with the increased
amount of writing and multiplicity of letters. Meanwhile Mr. Heath did
not slacken in his efforts to obtain the candidature for Governor. He
wrote numerous articles for the _Sentinel_, of like tenor to the one we
have quoted, in advocacy of his claim to the nomination, and wherein,
likewise, he showed no desire to emulate the violet. Senator Rangle, who
had been much flattered by Mr. Heath's advances, was appealed to and
promised his aid. John Peter, whose peculiar temperament was decidedly
antipathetic to labors at the desk, was made serviceable in a different
way. He was the go-between at primary elections and nominating
convention, to fee agents and distribute largess. His chief mission,
however, was to court popularity in Belton and the adjoining towns; for
it will be remembered that the Hon. Rufus Heath, despite many munificent
benefactions and public-spirited acts, was anything but a favorite with
his neighbors. No amount of generosity on his part could countervail the
effects of his ill-concealed airs of superiority, and patronizing
suavity towards them, and wounded self-esteem never forgets nor
forgives. Mr. Heath was unaware of the prevalence of this feeling
against him, and his instructions to his son were intended simply to
placate his open and avowed opponents. In particular was he anxious to
conciliate George Gildersleeve. That individual, to be sure, was, as he
expressed it, a "dyed-in-the-wool" Democrat, but Mr. Heath argued that
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