"Trust me," he said.

While Jane was rescuing her property from her brother and was
safeguarding it against future attempts by him, or by any of that
numerous company whose eyes are ever roving in search of the most
inviting of prey, the lone women with baggage--while Jane was thus
occupied, David Hull was, if possible, even busier and more absorbed.
He was being elected governor. His State was being got ready to say to
the mayor of Remsen City, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Thou
hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many."

The nomination was not obtained for him without difficulty. The
Republican party--like the Democratic--had just been brought back under
"safe and sane and conservative" leadership after a prolonged debauch
under the influence of that once famous and revered reformer, Aaron
Whitman, who had not sobered up or released the party for its sobering
until his wife's extravagant entertaining at Washington had forced him
to accept large "retainers" from the plutocracy. The machine leaders
had in the beginning forwarded the ambitions of Whitman under the
impression that his talk of a "square deal" was "just the usual dope"
and that Aaron was a "level-headed fellow at bottom." It had
developed--after they had let Aaron become a popular idol, not to be
trifled with--it had developed that he was almost sincere--as sincere
as can be expected of an ambitious, pushing fellow. Now came David
Hull, looking suspiciously like Whitman at his worst-and a more
hopeless case, because he had money a plenty, while Whitman was luckily
poor and blessed with an extravagant wife. True, Hull had the backing
of Dick Kelly--and Kelly was not the man "to hand the boys a lemon."
Still Hull looked like a "holy boy," talked like one, had the popular
reputation of having acted like one as mayor--and the "reform game" was
certainly one to attract a man who could afford it and was in politics
for position only. Perhaps Dick wanted to be rid of Hull for the rest
of his term, and was "kicking him upstairs." It would be a shabby
trick upon his fellow leaders, but justifiable if there should be some
big "job" at Remsen City that could be "pulled off" only if Hull were
out of the way.

The leaders were cold until Dick got his masters in the Remsen City
branch of the plutocracy to pass the word to the plutocracy's general
agents at Indianapolis--a certain well-known firm of political bankers.