his name
be used against him. Therefore, we've got to keep it quiet from him; the
whole thing has to be worked quietly. The McCune folks were quiet until
they thought they were sure; we've got to be quieter still. Well, we've
made out a plan."

"And a plan that will operate," added Mr. Bence. "For the name of
Harkless shall--" Mr. Keating interrupted him energetically:

"We explain it to all the Halloway delegates, you see, and to all the
shaky McCune people, and interview all the undecided ones. The McCune
crowd may see them afterwards, but they can't fix men in this district
against John Harkless. All we've got to do is to pass the word. It's all
kept quiet, you understand. We go into the convention, and the names of
Halloway and McCune are placed before it. Then will come a speech naming
Harkless--and you want to stuff your ears with cotton! On the first
ballot Harkless gets the scattering vote that was going to nominate
McCune if we'd let things run, and Halloway is given every vote he'd
have got if he'd run against McCune alone; it's as a compliment; it will
help him see how things were, afterwards; and on the second ballot his
vote goes to Harkless. There won't be any hitch if we get down to work
right off; it's a mighty short campaign, but we've got big chances. Of
course, it can't be helped that Halloway has to be kept in the dark; he
won't spend any money, anyway."

"It looks a little underhanded at first glance," said Warren Smith;
"but, as Miss Sherwood said, you've got to be a little underhanded
sometimes, especially when you're dealing with as scrupulous a man as
John Harkless. But it's a perfectly honest deal, and it will be all
right with him when he finds it's all over and he's nominated."

"It's a plain case," added Boswell. "We want him, and we've got to have
him."

"There's one danger," Mr. Keating continued. "Kedge Halloway is honest,
but I believe he's selfish enough to disturb his best friend's deathbed
for his own ends, and it's not unlikely that he will get nervous towards
the last and be telegraphing Harkless to have himself carried on a cot
to the convention to save him. That wouldn't do at all, of course,
and Miss Sherwood thinks maybe there'd be less danger if we set the
convention a little ahead of the day appointed. It's dangerous, because
it shortens our time; but we can fix it for three days before the day
we'd settled on, and that will bring it to September 7th. What we want
of you