hich Butler would have opposed, because by keeping Stener
in he kept Cowperwood in, became a much easier matter. The scandal of
the treasury defalcation was gradually dying down; the newspapers had
ceased to refer to it in any way. Through Steger and Wingate, a large
petition signed by all important financiers and brokers had been sent
to the Governor pointing out that Cowperwood's trial and conviction had
been most unfair, and asking that he be pardoned. There was no need
of any such effort, so far as Stener was concerned; whenever the time
seemed ripe the politicians were quite ready to say to the Governor
that he ought to let him go. It was only because Butler had opposed
Cowperwood's release that they had hesitated. It was really not possible
to let out the one and ignore the other; and this petition, coupled with
Butler's death, cleared the way very nicely.

Nevertheless, nothing was done until the March following Butler's death,
when both Stener and Cowperwood had been incarcerated thirteen months--a
length of time which seemed quite sufficient to appease the anger of
the public at large. In this period Stener had undergone a considerable
change physically and mentally. In spite of the fact that a number of
the minor aldermen, who had profited in various ways by his largess,
called to see him occasionally, and that he had been given, as it
were, almost the liberty of the place, and that his family had not
been allowed to suffer, nevertheless he realized that his political and
social days were over. Somebody might now occasionally send him a basket
of fruit and assure him that he would not be compelled to suffer much
longer; but when he did get out, he knew that he had nothing to depend
on save his experience as an insurance agent and real-estate dealer.
That had been precarious enough in the days when he was trying to get
some small political foothold. How would it be when he was known only as
the man who had looted the treasury of five hundred thousand dollars
and been sent to the penitentiary for five years? Who would lend him
the money wherewith to get a little start, even so much as four or five
thousand dollars? The people who were calling to pay their respects now
and then, and to assure him that he had been badly treated? Never. All
of them could honestly claim that they had not so much to spare. If he
had good security to offer--yes; but if he had good security he would
not need to go to them at all. The ma