ately!"
declared Lawler.

The governor cleared his throat and gazed steadily at Lawler, his eyes
gleaming with a vindictive light that he tried to make judicial.

"As a matter of fact, Lawler, this question of shipping cattle is not as
important as you might think--to the state at large, that is. If you
take all the packing out of the case you will find at the bottom that it
is merely a disagreement between cattle owners and cattle buyers. It
seems to me that it is not a matter for state interference. As I
understand, the cattle buyers have offered a certain price. The owners
ask another; and the owners want the state to force the buyers to pay
their price. I can't see that the state has any business to meddle with
the affair at all. The state can't become a clearing-house for the
cattle industry!"

"We are not asking the state to act in that capacity, Haughton. We want
the state to force the railroad company to provide cars."

"It can't be done, Lawler! There is no provision in the law under which
we can force the railroad company to provide cars."

Lawler laughed mirthlessly and got to his feet, crossing his arms over
his chest and looking down at the governor. For a time there was silence
in the big room, during which the governor changed color several times,
and drooped his eyes under Lawler's grimly humorous gaze. Then Lawler
spoke:

"All right, Haughton," he said; "I'll carry your message back to my
friends at Willets. I'll also carry it to Lafe Renwick, of the _News_,
here in the capital. We'll make it all plain enough, so that your
position won't be misunderstood. The railroad company is not even a
resident corporation, and yet you, as governor, refuse to act in the
interests of the state cattle owners, against it--merely to force it to
play fair. This will all make interesting conversation--and more
interesting reading. My visit here has proved very interesting, and
instructive. Good-day, sir."

He strode out, leaving Haughton to glare after him. Ten minutes later he
was in the editorial office of the _News_, detailing his conversation
with Hatfield and the governor to a keen-eyed man of thirty-five, named
Metcalf, who watched him intently as he spoke. At the conclusion of the
visit the keen-eyed man grinned.

"You've started something, Lawler," he said. "We've heard something of
this, but we've been waiting to see just how general it was. You'll
understand, now, why I was so eager to have you run las