d, I'll find out how much those will pay
who do want him."

The routine of the great convention had been proceeding.

"And the gentleman from Danton, Mr. Gray, moves that we do now proceed
with the nomination of a candidate for governor," intoned the chairman
in sing-song tones.

XXVIII

THE MAN WHO WAS NOT AFRAID

One after the other, dignified and decorous, three men of the Big
Machine, representing three of the large counties of the state, came
upon the platform and put in nomination the name of Governor Harwood to
succeed himself.

These speakers had been carefully selected. They were elderly
gentlemen whose reputations, tones, and demeanor bespoke safe and sane
conservatism. They took occasion to rebuke the new spirit of unrest
in the old party, and their tremolo notes of protest were extremely
effective. While these men talked, a listener was compelled to feel that
rebellion against the established order of things could only be rank
sedition; for many years have these arts of oratory been employed to
appeal to the average man's party loyalty; voters have listened and
have been ashamed to revolt--as a son dutifully bows his head under a
father's reprimand and responds to a father's appeal--for, after all,
in matters where appeal is made to loyalty the human emotions are not so
very complex.

The elderly gentlemen put great stress on the fact that not in twenty
years had a faithful governor been refused the honor of renomination for
a second term. Would their convention deny that compliment to Governor
Harwood? It was the same appeal that had been made for twoscore years
in order to perpetuate the dynasty of gubernatorial figureheads who had
obeyed the ring's orders.

Walker Farr heard _sotto voce_ murmurings of men in his vicinity. They
were men who had joined the new revolt and had stood bravely enough for
a change in county political managers. But these men revealed that
they were timorous about altering long party custom. They said, one
to another, that it would be going too far to refuse renomination to
Governor Harwood. It might split their party so widely that the rival
political party would be able to carry the state--and that would never
do.

Farr was in no wise surprised to hear these murmurings.

He had sounded men before that convention as he had traveled about the
state.

He had found them ready to begin house-cleaning in the smaller affairs
of county management, and by assault on