o after her."

"Did she agree?" asked Uncle Denny eagerly.

"No," said Jim serenely. "She's in the frame of mind that's to be
expected after the life she's lived with Sara. She is afraid of
everything. After the election, I shall go to her. She and I have missed
enough of each other."

Dennis brought his fist down on his knee. "Then that's settled right,
thank God!" he said to the dawn at large.

The next day Mrs. Ames came up to the dam. She was inconsolable that she
had not been sent for, to help Pen and Mrs. Flynn's air of superiority
was not soothing. Uncle Denny took to Mrs. Ames at once.

"I've done nothing but gad for Mr. Manning, lately," she said.

"How are things going?" asked Mrs. Flynn. "Has Bill Evans got all the
money yet?"

"Eh? What's this?" exclaimed Uncle Denny.

"Mrs. Pen thought it would do a lot of good if we could get the
farmers' wives to working against Fleckenstein," said Jane. "I've been
calling on a lot of them. Bill Evans takes me in his auto."

"Who pays Bill?" asked Uncle Denny. "Ames?"

"He does not, though he honestly offered to," said Jane. "This is a
woman's job. Mrs. Flynn is paying for it. And don't you tell Mr.
Manning. So far he hasn't asked any questions. Oscar says he's too
worried over other things."

"Bless us!" cried Uncle Denny. "That won't do! You must let me
straighten it up."

Mrs. Flynn rapped on the table with the dripping mixing spoon with which
she had followed Jane in from the kitchen. "Michael Dennis! You will
not! What's me money for if it ain't for him? Ain't he all I've got in
the wide world and you grutch me that? God knows I never thought I'd
come to this to be told I couldn't do for him! If God lets me live to
spare my life I hope to spend every cent I've got back on the Boss."

Uncle Denny nodded. "All right! You're a good woman, Mrs. Flynn. How is
your campaign going, Mrs. Ames?"

Jane shook her head. "You never know which way a woman will jump. If
only Fleckenstein can be beaten, it will be Mr. Manning's personality
that beats him, and after that he can do whatever he wants to with the
valley. But the election is only a little way off and I'm scared to
death. I've talked and visited until I'm ashamed of myself. And there's
only one woman in the valley I'm sure of."

"Who is she?" asked Uncle Denny.

"That's Mrs. Cady, a rich widow who lives near Cabillo. She's the
terror of the valley. She's a scold and she holds half the mortgages in
the