The Candidate

Moreover, both conventions had nominated dark horses, but the second nominee was the darker of the two. James Madison Grayson, affectionately called Jimmy Grayson by his neighbors and ad miters, was quite young, without a gray hair in his head, tall, powerfully built, smooth-shaven, and with honest eyes that gazed straight into yours. He was known as a brave man, with fine oratorical powers and a winning personality, but he had come to the convention merely as a delegate, and without any thought of securing the nomination for himself. Not a single vote had been instructed for him, but in that lay his Opportunity. All the conspicuous candidates were weak; good men in themselves, a solid political objection could be raised against every' one of them, and for a while the voting was scattered and desultory. Then Grayson began to attract at tention; as a delegate he had Spoken two or three times, always brie?y, but with grace and to the point, and the people were glad both to see him and to hear him. At last a far-sighted old man from the same state knew that the moment had come when the convention... Joseph Alexander Altsheler (April 29, 1862 - June 5, 1919) was an American newspaper reporter, editor and author of popular juvenile historical fiction. He was a prolific writer, and produced fifty-one novels and at least fifty-three short stories. Thirty-two of his novels were part of his seven series: The Civil War Series (8 volumes) The French and Indian War Series (6 volumes) The Gold Series (2 volumes) The Great West Series (2 volumes) The Texan Series (3 volumes) The World War Series (3 volumes) The Young Trailers Series (8 volumes) Although each of the thirty-two novels constitutes an independent story, Altsheler suggested a reading order for each series (i.e., he numbered the volumes). The remaining nineteen novels can be read in any order. [Note, however, that A Knight of Philadelphia was later expanded through the addition of nineteen chapters and some minor tweaks to become Mr. Altsheler's novel In Hostile Red.]The short stories, of course, can be read in any order. However, some readers might prefer to read them in the order in which they were published. The short story list below is displayed in chronological order with the publication dates shown alongside the titles. Early life and educationAltsheler was born in Three Springs, Hart County, Kentucky, to Joseph and Louise (née Snoddy) Altsheler. He attended Liberty College in Glasgow, Kentucky, before entering Vanderbilt University. CareerIn 1885, he took a job at the Louisville Courier-Journal as a reporter and later worked as an editor. He started working for the New York World in 1892, first as the paper's Hawaiian correspondent and then as the editor of the World's tri-weekly magazine. Due to a lack of suitable stories, he began writing children's stories for the magazine. Personal lifeAltsheler married Sarah Boles on May 30, 1888; they had one son, Sidney. Altsheler and his family were in Germany in 1914 when World War I began, and they were forced to remain in Germany for a time. The hardships the Altshelers endured in returning to the U. S. damaged Altsheler's health and rendered him a semi-invalid until his death. Upon returning to the U. S., he wrote The World War Series of books based on his ordeal. DeathAltsheler died in New York City on June 5, 1919, aged 57; his obituary appeared in The Evening World, on June 6, 1919. His widow, Sarah, died 30 years later. Both are buried at the Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.