and fro across the
lake. I'm hungry."

"So am I. Let me take the paddle."

The exchange was made, and he sent the canoe over the water rapidly.
Patty eyed him with frank admiration.

"Is there anything you can't do well?"

"A good many things," he acknowledged.

"I should like to know what they are."

Neither spoke again till the canoe glided around the dock and a
landing was made. Warrington strung the fish, and together he and
Patty went toward the kitchen. At seven-thirty the family sat down to
a breakfast of fried bass, and Patty told how the catch had been made.

"He's a better fisherman than you, John."

"Just as you say, Patty. I care not who catches bass, so long as I may
eat them," in humorous paraphrase.

There was no little excitement over the arrival of the mail-boat. They
were all eager to see what the Times had to say. There was a column or
more on the first page, subheaded. Warrington's career was rather
accurately portrayed, but there were some pungent references to
cabbages. In the leader, on the editorial page, was the master-hand.

"In brief, this young man is to be the Republican candidate for mayor.
Grown desperate these half-dozen years of ineffectual striving for
political pap, Senator Henderson resorts to such an expedient. But the
coup falls flat; there will be no surprise at the convention; the
senator loses the point he seeks to score. Personally, we have nothing
to say against the character of Mr. Warrington. After a fashion he is
a credit to his native town. But we reaffirm, he is not a citizen, he
is not eligible to the high office. If he accepts, after this
arraignment, he becomes nothing more than an impertinent meddler. What
has he done for the people of Herculaneum? Nothing. Who knows anything
about his character, his honor, his worth? Nobody. To hold one's
franchise as a citizen does not make that person a citizen in the
honest sense of the word. Let Mr. Warrington live among us half a
dozen years, and then we shall see. The senator, who is not without
some wisdom and experience, will doubtless withdraw this abortive
candidate. It's the only logical thing he can do. We dare say that the
dramatist accepted the honor with but one end in view: to find some
material for a new play. But Herculaneum declines to be so honored. He
is legally, but not morally, a citizen. He is a meddler, and
Herculaneum is already too well supplied with meddlers. Do the wise
thing, Mr. Warrington;