published."

The one thought uppermost in Derrick's mind, his one impulse of the
moment was, at whatever cost, to preserve his dignity, not to allow
this man to exult in the sight of one quiver of weakness, one trace of
defeat, one suggestion of humiliation. By an effort that put all his
iron rigidity to the test, he forced himself to look straight into
Genslinger's eyes.

"I congratulate you," he observed, handing back the proof, "upon your
journalistic enterprise. Your paper will sell to-morrow." "Oh, I
don't know as I want to publish this story," remarked the editor,
indifferently, putting away the galley. "I'm just like that. The fun
for me is running a good story to earth, but once I've got it, I lose
interest. And, then, I wouldn't like to see you--holding the position
you do, President of the League and a leading man of the county--I
wouldn't like to see a story like this smash you over. It's worth
more to you to keep it out of print than for me to put it in. I've got
nothing much to gain but a few extra editions, but you--Lord, you would
lose everything. Your committee was in the deal right enough. But your
League, all the San Joaquin Valley, everybody in the State believes the
commissioners were fairly elected."

"Your story," suddenly exclaimed Magnus, struck with an idea, "will
be thoroughly discredited just so soon as the new grain tariff is
published. I have means of knowing that the San Joaquin rate--the issue
upon which the board was elected--is not to be touched. Is it likely the
ranchers would secure the election of a board that plays them false?"

"Oh, we know all about that," answered Genslinger, smiling. "You thought
you were electing Lyman easily. You thought you had got the Railroad to
walk right into your trap. You didn't understand how you could pull off
your deal so easily. Why, Governor, LYMAN WAS PLEDGED TO THE RAILROAD
TWO YEARS AGO. He was THE ONE PARTICULAR man the corporation wanted for
commissioner. And your people elected him--saved the Railroad all the
trouble of campaigning for him. And you can't make any counter charge
of bribery there. No, sir, the corporation don't use such amateurish
methods as that. Confidentially and between us two, all that the
Railroad has done for Lyman, in order to attach him to their interests,
is to promise to back him politically in the next campaign for Governor.
It's too bad," he continued, dropping his voice, and changing his
position. "It really is