old them in City Hall that you would stay here and fight," pursued
Citizen Drew. "That is brave work."

"I'll be much obliged to you, Citizen Drew, if you'll leave me out of
your catalogue of heroes. And I take back what I said about his facing
it. I hadn't any right to make any such comment."

"So the girl went to work in Symonds Dodd's office and his nephew is
courting her. I hope he doesn't get Andrew Kilgour's daughter. He never
went after any other girl honestly. I have looked into this case because
I was Andrew's friend. Young Dodd wants to marry her and the mother is
helping him. But I know that rapscallion, Mr. Farr. I can't believe that
Kate Kilgour will be caught by him."

"He has a fine position, they tell me," said Farr, still gazing out of
the window.

"The Machine made old Peleg Johnstone state treasurer, and he doesn't
know bonds from biscuit. Colonel Dodd put in his nephew as chief clerk,
and old Peleg is a figure-head, smoking his pipe in the back office and
resting his wool-tipped boots on his desk. Oh, I know the bunch of 'em,
sir. I can tell you the inside of things. Young Dodd takes orders from
his uncle and runs the treasury. All the state's money is in the Dodd
banks on the checking-account basis--and the gang is letting it out at
six percent. Tidy little profit! And nobody to say a word, even to ask
how Richard Dodd finds so much money to spend. But that's the principal
wonder in the world, Mr. Farr--how your neighbor gets his money to blow.
Jones, Smith, Brown, and Robinson--they stand and look at one another
and ask the same question. And folks in the Eleventh Ward are even
asking me how you get your living," added Citizen Drew, smoothing his
curiosity with a bit of jocoseness.

"I have been working in this city--doing good, hard work," stated Farr,
moving toward the door.

"Yes, but you have been discharged."

"I understand how it is you know so much stuff to tell me," returned the
young man, smiling. "Well, Citizen Drew, I'm going to take the first job
that offers itself. Tell 'em that!"

"I'm glad of it," said Citizen Drew, with blunt heartiness. "If you have
set out to do anything among the plain folks you've got to be at work in
the open, earning honest wages, or they'll suspect you. They have been
fooled too often by fakes and loafers. But since you advertised yourself
in City Hall you may find jobs a little hard to land. It's pretty much
of an air-tight proposition, Consolidated