ongratulate Boland on
the success of his maneuver. Somehow these felicitations did not please
him as his fellow advisers had expected.

His mood was gloomy. He could not shake it off. Constantly the same
question returned to his mind he had won, yes, but what difference did it
make? Was he any happier? Was the world any better? Boland had never been
worried by questions of this sort before. He could not answer them.

He was still in this gray mood when the guardian of his door announced
the arrival of Grogan. Michael Grogan was, perhaps, Boland's most
intimate friend. He had not taken Grogan into his confidence when he
planned his coup to release Druce. He felt that Grogan would not be in
sympathy with his campaign for destroying the work of the reformers.
Still he was glad to see Grogan. After all he was a friend. And this
morning John Boland, for the first time, perhaps, in his life, felt the
need of a friend.

"John," said Grogan taking a seat, "I see you've 'sprung' Druce?"

"Yes? Mike you're an inveterate reader of the newspapers."

"They're yelling about it this morning."

"Let them yell."

"You did it?"

"Well Mike, I'm a modest man. I had something to do with it."

"It's a rotten business!"

"What!"

"I said it was a rotten business."

"The commercial interests of the city demanded it. Do you think I will
stand idly by and see a bunch of half-baked reformers shake down the
business institutions of Chicago?"

"John, they are right."

"O yes, I suppose if you take the mamby-pamby, hysterical, sentimental
end of it, any campaign that hits at vice is right."

"It was a great movement. Mary Randall is a fine girl. You'll live to
regret that you helped to thwart her."

"Pshaw, what's the matter with you, man? You're blood seems to be turning
to milk. The papers will howl for a few days and then they'll forget it.
We'll invite them to. We'll suggest that if they don't forget it the
interests we represent may feel called upon to cut down their
advertising. They'll forget it all right."

"No, John," Grogan spoke deliberately. "You can't kill off a great and
righteous movement by choking a few newspapers. The newspapers are
powerful but their power has its limits. That girl has built a fire under
this town that will rage in spite of you or me, or any one else. We can't
stop it." Grogan rose. "That's all," he said, "I just dropped in to let
you know how I feel about it. I thought I might be able to pe