died men; he was not one of those amiable theorists who believe that
the People always have sense enough in the mass to turn to and elect the
right men for rulers. He understood perfectly well that accomplishing
real things in politics is not a game of tossing rose-petals.

He went to call on Colonel Dodd. He went with the lofty purpose of a
patriotic citizen, resolved to exhort the colonel to clean house.
It seemed to be quite the natural thing to do, now that the idea had
occurred to him. Certainly Colonel Dodd would listen to reason--would
wake up when the thing was presented to him in the right manner; he must
understand that new fashions had come to stay in these days of reform.

Thinking it all over, considering that really the matter of this
water-supply and attendant monopoly of franchises had become an evil,
that the prospects of the party would be endangered if the party leaders
continued to nurse this evil, Mr. Converse was certain that he and the
colonel would be able to arrange for reform, by letting the colonel do
the reforming.

They faced each other. Their respective attitudes told much!

Colonel Dodd filled his chair in front of his desk, using all the space
in it, swelling into all its concavities--usurping it all.

The Honorable Archer Converse sat very straight, his shoulders not
touching his chair-back.

Physically they represented extremes; mentally, morally, and in
political ethics they were as divergent as their physical attributes.

"I'm sorry that you were able to take those Danburg men into camp," said
Mr. Converse, couching his lance promptly and in plain sight like
an honorable antagonist. "I had been retained and proposed to expose
conditions in the management of water systems."

"I don't know what you mean," replied the colonel, following his
own code of combat and mentally fumbling at a net to throw over this
antagonist.

"Yes, you do," retorted Mr. Converse. "You know better than I do because
you own the water systems of this state. But if you need to be reminded,
Colonel, I'll say that you are making great profits. You can afford to
tap lakes--spend money for mains even if you do have to go fifteen or
twenty miles into the hills around the cities and towns."

"Whom do you represent, sir?"

"Colonel Dodd, I think--really--that I'm representing _you_ when I give
you mighty good advice and do not charge for it."

"I've got my own lawyers, Mr. Converse."

Both men were employ