ck--break his heart if he didn't--you understand. If I'd knowed
last winter Jethro meant business, I wouldn't hev' helped Gus Flint out.
Tell Jethro he can have 'em--you know what I mean.' Bije waited a little
mite too long," said the senator, who had given a very fair imitation of
Mr. Bixby's nasal voice and manner.

"Well, I'm d--d!" ejaculated Mr. Balch, staring at Jethro. "How did you
work it?"

"Sent Chauncey through the deestrict," said Mr. Hartington.

Mr. Chauncey Weed had, in truth, gone through a part of the
congressional district of the Honorable Heth Sutton with a little
leather bag. Mr. Weed had been able to do some of his work (with the
little leather bag) in the capital itself. In this way Mr. Bixby's
regiment, Sutton was the honorary colonel, had been attacked in the rear
and routed. Here was to be a congressional convention that autumn, and a
large part of Mr. Sutton's district lay in the North Country, which, as
we have seen, was loyal to Jethro to the back bone. The district, too,
was largely rural, and therefore anti-consolidation, and the inability
of the Worthington forces to get their bill through had made it apparent
that Jethro Bass was as powerful as ever. Under these circumstances
it had not been very difficult for a gentleman of Mr. Chauncey Weed's
powers of persuasion to induce various lieutenants in the district
to agree to send delegates to the coming convention who would be
conscientiously opposed to Mr. Sutton's renomination: hence the
departure from the capital of Mr. Sutton; hence the generous offer
of Mr. Bixby to put his regiment at the disposal of Mr. Bass--free of
charge.

The second factor on which victory hung (we can use the past tense now)
was none other than his Excellency Alva Hopkins, governor of the state.
The bill would never get to his Excellency now--so people said; would
never get beyond that committee who had listened so patiently to the
twelve weeks of argument. These were only rumors, after all, for the
rotunda never knows positively what goes on in high circles; but the
rotunda does figuring, too, when at length the problem is reduced to a
simple equation, with Bijah Bixby as x. If it were true that Bijah had
gone over to Jethro Bass, the Consolidation Bill was dead.

CHAPTER XVIII

When Jethro Bass walked out of the hotel that evening men looked at him,
and made way for him, but none spoke to him. There was something in his
face that forbade speech. He