legislature.

His open-heartedness won him many friends, and when the primary was
held, those who had opposed him were chagrined to see him win the
nomination with votes to spare. Some at once predicted that he would not
be elected.

"Those who opposed him at the primary will not vote for him," they
said. "They would rather help the Democrats."

But this prediction proved false. At the election Theodore Roosevelt was
elected with a good majority. It was his first battle in the political
arena and if he felt proud over it, who can blame him?

The State Capitol of New York is, as my young readers must know, at
Albany, on the Upper Hudson, and hither the young assemblyman journeyed.
The assemblymen poured in from all over the state, and were made up of
all sorts and conditions of men, including bankers, farmers, merchants,
contractors, liquor dealers, and even prize-fighters. Many of these men
were thoroughly honest, but there were others who were there for gain
only, and who cared little for the passing of just laws.

The party to which Theodore Roosevelt belonged was in the minority, so
that the young assemblyman found he would have to struggle hard if he
expected to be heard at all. But the thoughts of such a struggle only
put him on his mettle, and he plunged in with a vigor that astonished
his opponents and caused great delight to his friends.

"He is fearless," said one who had voted for him. "He will make things
warm for those who don't want to act on the square." And he certainly
did make it warm, until a certain class grew to fear and hate him to
such a degree that they plotted to do him bodily harm.

"He has got to learn that he must mind his own business," was the way
one of these corruptionists reasoned.

"But what can we do?" asked another. "He's as sharp on the floor of the
Assembly as a steel trap."

"We'll get Stubby to brush up against him," said a third.

Stubby was a bar-room loafer who had been at one time something of a
pugilist. He was a thoroughly unprincipled fellow, and it was known that
he would do almost anything for money.

"Sure, I'll fix him," said Stubby. "You just leave him to me and see how
I polish him off."

The corruptionists and their tool met at the Delavan House, an
old-fashioned hotel at which politicians in and around the capital were
wont to congregate, and waited for the young assemblyman. Roosevelt was
not long in putting in an appearance and was soon in deep discu