of any higher side of life.

He could not help noticing that Washington was a city full of beautiful
girls. His idolatry of Miss Wilbur could not prevent him from admiring
them as they streamed along the walk to church. He sometimes looked
wistfully at this flood of sunny laughing life that moved by him so
near and yet so completely out of his reach. He knew at such times that
he had missed something sweet out of his own lonely life.

But these moments were few. He realized that there was no place in the
social life of the city for him, and the librarian knew him better than
the butlers in the houses of rich senators. He attended one or two
public receptions and was thoroughly disgusted with the crush, and felt
the essential vulgarity of the whole thing.

His life at the capital was not entirely that of the politician. He had
in him capabilities for appreciating art and literature, which most of
his colleagues had not. He studied upon economic problems, rather than
upon partisan politics, and tried to grasp the meaning of social change
and social condition, and to comprehend economic causes and tendencies.
He spent many hours upon problems which were unconsciously unfitting
him for partisan success.

His life was very full and happy, save for the dull hunger at his heart
whenever he thought of Ida. He wrote to her still, but her replies
still kept their calm, impersonal tone. One night, when he returned
from the capitol, he found a letter from her enclosing some clippings.

"I have joined the Farmers' Alliance," she wrote. "I begin to believe
that another great wave of thought is about to sweep over the farmers.
The _spirit_ of the grange did not die. It has passed on into this new
organization. The difference is going to be that this new alliance of
the farmers will be deeper in thought and broader in sympathy. I never
believed the grange a failure. It taught people by its failure. I'm
going to Kansas to speak for them there. The alliance is very strong
there. This order will become political. Its leaders are very
enthusiastic."

She passed on to write of other things, but Bradley was deeply affected
by this news. He had heard of the alliance obscurely, but had felt
that it was only an attempt to revive the old grange movement, and that
it could not succeed. But her letter set him thinking.

He wrote away on a speech till nine o'clock, and then went out for his
usual walk about the capitol and its grounds, which