the little wheels of the gear
of the machine which had so long ground political grist; but they
were unwilling to temp fate by venturing on such a general overturn as
putting up for governor a man who had not been selected and groomed for
high office during the accustomed term of apprenticeship--legislature,
senate, and council.

He realized how well the great ring had intrenched itself in absolute
power by appealing to conservatism in matters of safe men for high
office. Safe men meant those who protected the big interests and saw
that no raids were made on capital--no matter how many abuses capital
might be fostering.

Mumble and grumble all about him, and men's faces showing that they were
agreeing with the tremolo appeals of the elderly orators!

Even the Honorable Archer Converse, his legal cautiousness governing his
opinion, knowing the temper of conditions in his state, had emphatically
discouraged Farr when the young man had timidly questioned him in regard
to the advisability of securing a candidate for governor outside the
ring's dynasty.

Mr. Converse's discouragement of such hopes would have been even more
emphatic had he ever dreamed that this apostle whom he had sent out into
the field was coddling the audacious hope that Mr. Converse himself by
some miracle might be put into the governor's chair.

The orators proceeded, one after the other. They were applauded. They
retired.

Walker Farr was oppressed by the lugubrious conviction that he was the
only man in that great assemblage who felt enough of the zealot's fire
to be willing to put all his hopes to the test.

He looked at the faces on the platform. There sat Colonel Dodd, wearing
his expression assumed for that day and date--smug political hypocrisy.

His henchmen winged out to right and left of him. They represented
finance and respectability.

Sometimes political rebels will gallantly and audaciously venture when
they rail behind the backs of their leaders; but when those leaders
appear and fill the foreground with their personalities the rebels
subside; they are impressed by the men whom they behold. They defer,
even when they are stung by knowledge of their leaders' principles.

Colonel Dodd and those with him were the accredited leaders.

Delegates glared, but were cowed and silent.

Farr pondered. Perhaps the advice of Mr. Converse was best:

"Take what we can get in our first skirmish. Keep it for the nucleus of
what we hope to