confuse or abase him. In proportion to membership, he doubted whether
there were more able men there than in the State legislature. They were
more acute politicians; they were wilier, and talked in larger terms,
manipulating states instead of counties--that was all. The routine of
the day was of the same general character, and gave him no trouble.

Some of the more famous of the leaders he absolutely loathed--great,
bloated, swaggering, unscrupulous, treacherous tricksters. "I'll lend
you my _support_," they said, as if it were something that could be
loaned like a horse. He often talked them over with Radbourn, whose
experience in and about Congress as a newspaper correspondent had given
him an intimate knowledge of men, and had rendered him contemptuous, if
not rebellious.

"The men counted party leaders are manipulators, as a matter of fact.
They subordinate everything to party success. We've got to have another
great political revolution to--to de-centralize and de-machinize the
whole of our political method. Our system will break of its own weight;
it can't go on. It is supposed to be popular, when in fact, it is
getting farther and farther away from the people every year. Just see
the departments. Do you know anything about them?"

"No, I don't," Bradley admitted.

"You're like all the rest. Every year the army of useless clerks
increases; every year the numbers of useless buildings increases. The
whole thing is appalling, and yet the people are getting apparently
more helpless to reform it. Laws pile upon laws, when the real reform
is to abolish laws. Wipe out grants and special privileges. We ought to
be legislating toward equality of opportunity in the world, and here we
go with McKinley bills, and the devil knows what else. By the way, to
change the subject, what has become of Milton Jennings? He started out
to be a great Republican politician."

"Well, he lives there yet; he's still in politics, but doesn't seem to
get higher than a county office."

"He was a brilliant fellow, but he started in on the wrong side; there
is no hope for him on that side in the West."

"He's married, lives just opposite the Seminary, seems to be reasonably
contented."

Radbourn turned suddenly. "You are not married?"

Bradley colored. "No, I'm not."

Radbourn mused a little. "Seems to me, I remember some talk about your
marrying that little--Russell girl?"

"Well, I didn't." Bradley had just a moment's temptation t