al talk was that you didn't seem to be worrying much about the
election."

Mr. Converse turned a benignant smile on his new law partner.

"It's generally conceded, then, that I feel sure of being elected?"

"Why, they think you wouldn't have skyhooted off unless you were
confident."

"Exactly! That attitude of mine takes care of the band-wagon crowd. They
have climbed aboard, I'm told."

"Yes," admitted Mr. Breed. "But the state committee has taken advantage
and has laid down on ye!"

"Breed, you run along and tell the chairman of that committee--from
me--that unless he gets busy with his crowd in every county of this
state inside of twenty-four hours I'll come out with a public statement
that I have been forced to run my own campaign in behalf of the people.
You don't think there'd be any doubt about my election after that
statement, do you?"

"Not a bit," confessed Mr. Breed. "You're more of a politician than I
had any idea of. Excuse me for any other kind of remarks. I'll go shoot
a little hot lead in that chairman's left ear."

"Ordinary intelligence and common honesty," commented the Honorable
Archer Converse when Mr. Breed had departed. "They are such new elements
in running politics in this state that they seem to the crowd to be a
brand-new variety of political astuteness, Thornton! I'm not going to
be quite as frank and honest in some other statements I'm about to
make, under the circumstances. I don't believe my conscience is going to
trouble me a bit. We'll go over, if you please, and have a word or two
with Colonel Symonds Dodd."

Mr. Converse's secretary prefaced that call by a telephoned request for
an appointment, and therefore Mr. Peter Briggs led them directly into
the presence of the colonel.

"This is my friend and law partner, Mr. Thornton Bristol," said
Converse, apparently and blandly unconscious that he was tossing at the
magnate something much in the nature of a bomb.

Colonel Dodd came forward in his chair, his hands clutching the carved
mahogany of the desk in front of him.

"Oh, I beg your pardon, Colonel," purred Mr. Converse, amiably. "I
forget that you are not as familiar with Mr. Bristol's identity as I am.
You have known him merely as a stranger who has called himself Walker
Farr."

"Yes, and he has registered himself on the voting-lists as Walker Farr,"
blustered Colonel Dodd. "Mr. Converse, something will drop in your camp
before long--and it won't be rose-leaves!"

M