osited two one-thousand dollar bills and
four five-hundred dollar bills in a box--three hundred and eight was
the number--in a box in the Safety Deposit Vaults in San Francisco, and
then--let's see, you gave a key to this box to each of the gentlemen
in question, and after the election the box was empty. Now, I call that
interesting--curious, because it's a new, safe, and highly ingenious
method of bribery. How did you happen to think of it, Governor?"

"Do you know what you are doing, sir?" Magnus burst forth. "Do you know
what you are insinuating, here, in my own house?"

"Why, Governor," returned the editor, blandly, "I'm not INSINUATING
anything. I'm talking about what I KNOW."

"It's a lie."

Genslinger rubbed his chin reflectively.

"Well," he answered, "you can have a chance to prove it before the Grand
Jury, if you want to."

"My character is known all over the State," blustered Magnus. "My
politics are pure politics. My----"

"No one needs a better reputation for pure politics than the man who
sets out to be a briber," interrupted Genslinger, "and I might as well
tell you, Governor, that you can't shout me down. I can put my hand
on the two chairmen you bought before it's dark to-day. I've had their
depositions in my safe for the last six weeks. We could make the arrests
to-morrow, if we wanted. Governor, you sure did a risky thing when you
went into that Sacramento fight, an awful risky thing. Some men can
afford to have bribery charges preferred against them, and it don't hurt
one little bit, but YOU--Lord, it would BUST you, Governor, bust you
dead. I know all about the whole shananigan business from A to Z, and
if you don't believe it--here," he drew a long strip of paper from his
pocket, "here's a galley proof of the story."

Magnus took it in his hands. There, under his eyes, scare-headed,
double-leaded, the more important clauses printed in bold type, was the
detailed account of the "deal" Magnus had made with the two delegates.
It was pitiless, remorseless, bald. Every statement was substantiated,
every statistic verified with Genslinger's meticulous love for
exactness. Besides all that, it had the ring of truth. It was exposure,
ruin, absolute annihilation.

"That's about correct, isn't it?" commented Genslinger, as Derrick
finished reading. Magnus did not reply. "I think it is correct enough,"
the editor continued. "But I thought it would only be fair to you to let
you see it before it was