door. I will say this: the
Federal Constitution guarantees protection against any irregular,
illegal, or confiscatory action under state authority. That is, no
states shall pass any law impairing the obligation of contracts nor
shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without
due process of law nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws. Now, of course, a corporation is a person
in the meaning of the law, and therefore we can carry the matter to the
United States Supreme Court, but I want to tell you that if the next
legislature enacts law permitting water districts, and the state
authorities proceed to condemn your plants, you may as well get ready to
step out from under. You are a shrewd man and you understand the spirit
of these times in regard to giving to the people their full rights in
public utilities. I say again, you'd better get a line on this Walker
Farr, because it's either a case of ignorance inspired or else he's a
deep one. He has started with a plan that can be defended by law--and
the judges in these days are handing the people's rights and property
back to them when there is a legal opportunity."

"Why, this Farr is a nothing--nobody. Dug in our trenches for a while
until he was discharged. Briggs looked him up for me. The only man
in this city he has been at all intimate with is an old Canuck named
Provancher who tends the rack down at Gamonic Mill. You can judge him by
the company he keeps."

"Well, he seems to be fraternizing with better men just now," drawled
the judge. "Archer Converse, for instance!"

"The thing to do," suggested young Dodd, still watching the girl, "is
get something on that hobo and boot him out of town or put him in jail.
It ought to be easy enough."

"And it will be attended to," declared the colonel, with venom. "We'll
kill that one crow and hang him up in full view of the rest of those
croakers! I'll put something over on that fellow and have all the papers
in the state print it--and high-and-mighty Converse will be so disgusted
that he'll quit and the rest of the crowd will be ashamed to keep on.
Disgrace a reformer! That's the surest play in politics! We must get
Farr!"

He turned his scowling gaze away from the flowers and found Miss Kilgour
looking at him with an expression in her eyes he had never seen there
before. Reproach and scorn seemed to mingle in the stare she gave him.
He blinked, and when he lo