FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95  
96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>   >|  
u'd better go and study law," said the indignant mayor. He pounded his gavel to indicate that the recess was over. "I'll take your advice," replied Farr, towering over the policeman and vibrating his finger at his Honor. "If you hadn't found law so handy in your own case you wouldn't forget yourself in your excitement and recommend it to others. If we've got to fight the devil we'd better use his weapons." Men shouted approval all around him. "Clear the room," ordered the mayor. "Everybody out!" "Keep your hands off," Farr advised the officer nearest him. "I'll go without any help. I have found out that I'm only wasting my time in this place." In the corridor men pressed around him. Some of them insisted on shaking his hand. Others shouted commendation. Still others exhibited only frank curiosity in the stalwart stranger. And others were clamorously hostile. "By gad! If you wanted to start something you took the right way to do it," affirmed one of the throng. "You showed good courage," declared an elderly man with an earnest face. "Some of the rest of us have tried to do something in the past. But those who didn't have much power were either kept out or kicked out of any office in city government or the legislature--and those who did amount to something were gobbled up by the machine. The machine can pay. Working for the people isn't very profitable. So I'm afraid you won't get very far." "You needn't worry about that chap not getting along all right," remarked one of the group--but his indorsement was ironical. "He's a construction boss for the Consolidated, and he went into that hearing to start some kind of a back-fire. Shrewd operators--the Consolidated folks." The men about Farr pulled away from him and there was considerable malicious laughter in the crowd. "So we see the game, even if we don't catch on to the meaning of it just now," said the observant one. Farr squared his shoulders. They stared at him with fresh interest and a bit of additional respect. They saw in him something more than a mere popular agitator--a disturber of a municipal hearing; he must be a trusted agent of the great political machine, executing a secret mission. "You're right--I have been working for the Consolidated," he admitted in tones that all could hear. "Move on! Get outdoors! Clear this corridor--all of you," shouted a captain of police who had come hurrying up from down-stairs and had taken command
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95  
96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
shouted
 

Consolidated

 

machine

 
hearing
 

corridor

 

Shrewd

 

operators

 

laughter

 

malicious

 

pulled


considerable

 
indignant
 

profitable

 
afraid
 
construction
 

ironical

 

indorsement

 

remarked

 

working

 

admitted


mission

 

political

 

executing

 

secret

 

hurrying

 
stairs
 

command

 

outdoors

 

captain

 

police


trusted

 

stared

 
shoulders
 

interest

 

squared

 

observant

 

people

 

meaning

 

additional

 

respect


disturber
 
municipal
 

agitator

 

popular

 

pressed

 
insisted
 

shaking

 
stalwart
 
stranger
 

curiosity