a man from
jealousy! It was ridiculous. Why did they not go to court, like
civilized human beings?

Of course there is always scandal in politics; everybody understands
that this is unavoidable. Another franchise had slipped out of the
Common Council into the transit company's pocket, and even the
partizan papers mildly belabored the aldermanic body. The Evening
Call, however slashed the ward representatives vigorously. It wound up
its editorial with the query: "How much longer will the public stand
this sort of thing?" The Call was the only independent sheet in town,
and did about as it pleased.

Warrington found himself taking more than normal interest in the
situation. Occasionally, on Monday nights, he wandered into the City
Hall and listened to the impassioned speeches of the aldermen. Many a
tempestuous scene passed under his notice. Ordinances were passed or
blocked, pavement deals were rushed through or sidetracked. And once,
when the gas company was menaced with dollar-gas, the city pay-roll
was held up for two months by the lighting company's cohorts. Only
Heaven knows how much longer it might have been held back, had not an
assemblyman come to the mayor's help by rushing up to the capital and
railroading through a law that required only a two-thirds vote.

The Democrats had remained in power for six years, and Herculaneum was
essentially a Republican city. On the Democratic side was McQuade, on
the Republican side was ex-Senator Henderson. These men were bosses of
no ordinary type. The first was from the mass, the second from the
class; and both were millionaires. The political arena was a pastime
for these two men; it was a huge complex game of chess in which
recently the senator had been worsted. The public paid, as it
invariably does, to watch this game on the checkerboard of wards. The
senator had been unfortunate in his candidates. He had tried young men
and old, lawyers and merchants; but he had failed to nominate a man
who was popular with class and mass.

The present mayor was a shrewd Democrat who understood the diplomacy
of petty politics. He shook the grimy hand of toil in preference to
the gloved hand of idleness. He was thoroughly a politician. He never
disregarded public opinion openly. He never sailed close to the wind,
but spent his time in safe tacks to whatever harbor he desired. He was
McQuade's man just so long as McQuade made the business worth while.
He had opened up many new street