ed a fallen woman. If I adopted the religion of men I would have
no religion at all. Turn what way I will--"

[Illustration: "YOU'LL HAVE TO TAKE YOUR MEDICINE LIKE A MAN."]

"But not every woman feels the way you do, my daughter," broke in the
Senator.

"No, you are right, because their spirit has been crushed by
generations, by centuries of forced subserviency to men. They tell us
we should be thankful that we do not live in China, where women are
physical slaves to men. In our country they are forced to be mental
and social slaves to men. Is one very much worse than the other?"

"Then, dear," and her father's tone was very gentle, "if you want an
equal chance--want to be equal to a man--you must take your medicine
with Randolph, like a man."

"What are you going to do, sir?" she asked, afraid.

"I'm going to spoil all your little scheme, dear," he returned,
smiling sadly. "I'm going, I fear, to make you lose all your money.
I'd like to make it easy for you, but I can't. You've got to take your
medicine, children, and when it's all over back there in Mississippi I
shall be able, I hope, to patch up your broken lives, and together we
will work out your mistakes. I can't think of that now. The honor of
the Langdons calls. This is the time for the fight, and any one who
fights against me must take the consequences."

He walked over and touched the bell.

"Thomas," he said to the servant who responded, "take that letter at
once to Senator Peabody, in the library."

"What is it, sir?" asked Randolph.

"It's the call to arms," responded his father grimly.

Senator Peabody read the letter to which Haines had signed Langdon's
name and jumped up from his chair in the library in astonishment.
Without a word to the startled Stevens he rushed to confront Langdon.

"What's the meaning of this?" he shouted as he burst in on the junior
Senator from Mississippi.

"Of what?" asked the Southerner, with a blandness that added fuel to
Peabody's irritation.

"Don't trifle with me, sir!" cried "the boss of the Senate." "This
letter. You sent it. Explain it! I'm in no mood to joke."

Langdon looked at him calmly.

"I think the letter is quite plain, Senator," he said. "You can read."
Then he turned to his daughter. "This discussion cannot possibly
interest you, my dear. Will you go to the drawing-room to receive our
guests?"

Carolina obeyed. She seemed to be discovering new qualities in this
father whom she had consid