So all hearts hoped and felt.
About two years from Belton's appointment as stamping clerk and one year from the date of his marriage, a congressional convention was held for the purpose of nominating a candidate for Congress.

Belton's chief, the postmaster, desired a personal friend to have the honor.
This personal friend was known to be prejudiced against colored people and Belton could not, therefore, see his way clear to support him for the nomination.

He supported another candidate and won for him the nomination; but the postmaster dismissed him from his position as clerk.

Crushed in spirit, Belton came home to tell his wife of their misfortune.
Although he was entitled to the postmastership, according to the ethics of the existing political condition, he had been given a commonplace clerkship.

And now, because he would not play the puppet, he was summarily dismissed from that humble position.