relieve Fanshaw of the
pressure of the too heavy burden of copper stocks; then up to their
club where he assisted Fanshaw in composing the breaking-off letter to
Leonora.

XXII.

STORMS IN THE WEST.

While the Fanshaw-Herron storm was slowly gathering in Dumont's eastern
horizon, two others equally black were lifting in the west.

In the two months between Scarborough's election and his inauguration,
the great monopolies thriving under the protection of the state's
corrupted statute-book and corrupted officials followed the lead of
their leader, Dumont's National Woolens Company, in making sweeping but
stealthy changes in their prices, wages, methods and even in their
legal status. They hoped thus to enable their Legislature plausibly to
resist Scarborough's demand for a revision of the laws--why revise when
the cry of monopoly had been shown to be a false issue raised by a
demagogue to discredit the tried leaders of the party and to aggrandize
himself? And, when Scarborough had been thoroughly "exposed," business
could be resumed gradually.

But Scarborough had the better brain, and had character as well. He
easily upset their program and pressed their Legislature so hard that
it was kept in line only by pouring out money like water. This became
a public scandal which made him stronger than ever and also made it
seem difficult or impossible for the monopolies to get a corruptible
Legislature at the next election. At last the people had in their
service a lawyer equal in ability to the best the monopolies could buy,
and one who understood human nature and political machinery to boot.

Dumont began to respect Scarborough profoundly--not for his character,
which made him impregnable with the people, but for his intellect,
which showed him how to convince the people of his character and to
keep them convinced. When Merriweather came on "to take his beating"
from his employer he said among other things deprecatory:
"Scarborough's a dreamer. His head's among the clouds." Dumont
retorted: "Yes, but his feet are on the ground--too damned firmly to
suit me." And after a moment's thought, he added: "What a shame for
such a brain to go to waste! Why, he could make millions."

He felt that Gladys was probably his best remaining card. She had been
in Indianapolis visiting the whole of February, Scarborough's second
month as governor, and had gone on to her brother in New York with a
glowing report of her pro