o be down about something, too?"

"Not exactly down," replied Jane. "Simply--I've been doing a lot of
thinking--and planning--or attempt at planning--lately."

"I, too," said Davy.

"Naturally. How's politics?"

"Of course I don't hear anything but that I'm going to be elected. If
you want to become convinced that the whole world is on the graft, take
part in a reform campaign. We've attracted every broken-down political
crook in this region. It's hard to say which crowd is the more
worthless, the college amateurs at politics or these rotten old
in-goods who can't get employment with either Kelly or House and, so,
have joined us. By Jove, I'd rather be in with the out and out
grafters--the regulars that make no bones of being in politics for the
spoils. There's slimy hypocrisy over our crowd that revolts me. Not a
particle of sincerity or conviction. Nothing but high moral guff."

"Oh, but YOU'RE sincere, Davy," said Jane with twinkling eyes.

"Am I?" said Davy angrily. "I'm not so damn sure of it." Hastily, "I
don't mean that. Of course, I'm sincere--as sincere as a man can be
and get anywhere in this world. You've got to humbug the people,
because they haven't sense enough to want the truth."

"I guess, Davy," said Jane shrewdly, "if you told them the whole truth
about yourself and your party they'd have sense enough--to vote for
Victor Dorn."

"He's a demagogue," said Davy with an angry jerk at his rein. "He knows
the people aren't fit to rule."

"Who is?" said Jane. "I've yet to see any human creature who could run
anything without making more or less of a mess of it. And--well,
personally, I'd prefer incompetent honest servants to competent ones
who were liars or thieves."

"Sometimes I think," said Davy, "that the only thing to do is to burn
the world up and start another one."

"You don't talk like a man who expected to be elected," said Jane.

"Oh--I'm worrying about myself--not about the election," said Hull,
lapsing into sullen silence. And certainly he had no reason to worry
about the election. He had the Citizen's Alliance and the Democratic
nominations. And, as a further aid to him, Dick Kelly had given the
Republican nomination to Alfred Sawyer, about the most unpopular
manufacturer in that region. Sawyer, a shrewd money maker, was an ass
in other ways, was strongly seized of the itch for public office.
Kelly, seeking the man who would be the weakest, combined business with
g