hborhood. My Senator is a great man. They can't appreciate him up
here because he's honest--crystal clear. I used to think I knew what a
decent citizen, a real man, ought to be, but he's taught me some new
things. He'll teach them all something before he gets through."

Cullen hung one leg over Haines' desk.

"You're a nice, quiet, gentlemanly little optimist, and I like you,
old fellow," retorted Cullen. "But don't deceive yourself too much.
Your Senator Langdon is personally one of the best ever. But he was
born a mark, and a mark he'll be to the end of time.

"He looks good now. Sure, I like his speeches, and all that, but just
wait. When some of those old foxes in the Senate want to put his head
in the bag and tie it down, they won't have any trouble at all."

Smiling, Haines looked up at his cynical friend.

"The bag'll have to go over my head, too," he said, with a nod.

"Well, I don't know that Peabody'd have to strain himself very much to
get such an awful big bag to drop you both in, if it comes right down
to that, old chap. You're making a mistake. You're as bad as your old
man. You're a beautiful pair of optimists, and you a good newspaper
man, too--it's a shame!"

After momentary hesitation, Cullen continued, thoroughly serious.

"But, my old friend," he said in low tone, glancing quickly about,
"there's one thing that you've got to put a stop to. It's hurting
you."

The secretary's face showed his bewilderment.

"What do you mean?" he snapped, abruptly. "Out with it!"

"I mean," replied Cullen, "that rumors are going around that you are
keeping Langdon away from the crowd of 'insiders' in the Senate for
your own purposes--that, in short, you plan to--"

"I understand," was the quick interruption. "I am accused of wanting
to 'deliver' Senator Langdon, guarantee his vote, on some graft
proposition, so that I can get the money and not he himself.
Consequently I'm tipping him off on what measures are honest, so that
he'll vote for them, until--until I'm offered my price, then influence
him to vote for some big crooked scheme, telling him it is all right.
He votes as I suggest, and I get the money!"

"That's what 'delivering a man' means in Washington," dryly answered
the Chicago correspondent. "It means winning a man's confidence, his
support, his vote, through friendship, and then selling it for cash--"

"But you, Dick, you have--"

"Of course, old man, I have denied the truth of this. I knew