uth was gaping. He framed his lips
to question her, but the words would not come. Flo greeted him
demurely, and smiled mischievously over his evident embarrassment.
"Don't worry, Tommy," she said, "I'm in this fight too. They're not
going to beat your man if I can help prevent it. If they have their
bands--well, I can sing still," with just a touch of pride.

"Flo--Flo," gasped Tommy, "you're a brick. There's lots here who know
you, and some of them know you're going to be Mrs. Tommy Watson pretty
soon, and they'll tell the others. Flo, this is worth hundreds of
votes to us. Oh! but you're a woman in a thousand." She flushed with
pleasure at this. "You'll have to tell me later all about it," Tommy
went on; "who put you up to this, or did you think of it yourself?"

"It was Pa Turnpike," she said.

"Good old Turnpike. Say, but that Pa of William's is certainly smart.
You remember William: the lad who sang for you at the Variety."

And just here Jimmy Duggan, who had been making a brief address,
finished suddenly, as was his wont, with an invitation to all, "whether
they know me or not, to solemnly weigh the merits of the two
candidates, and to decide in favour of the man whose platform
prin-ciples are those for which the common people have long been
fighting, and if you do, you'll vote for me."

On the instant that he finished Tommy Watson was up. "The next
speaker," said he, "will be a singer. (Cheers.) Our respected town's
lady, Flo Dearmore--(cheers)--who has won a high place on the stage.
She is for Duggan--(loud cheers)--and says it'll break her heart if he
ain't elected, and that wouldn't do. (Cheers.) She's a woman in a
million."

Here some one cried out, "Why don't you marry the lady, Tommy?"

"I'm going to, and pretty soon," answered Tommy, promptly, turning
toward Flo as he spoke. All blushes, she nodded her head
affirmatively, while the crowd shouted approval. Then she sang for
them--two songs only--and afterwards went on to another meeting,
accompanied by Tommy Watson, Tony Gaston, and William, where she sang
again. And William's heart was throbbing with happiness, for, from the
night in the Variety, when he had first seen her on the stage, he had
placed this lovely lady in a niche of his heart next to that occupied
by the mother to whom he was an unsolvable puzzle. He would have
followed her to fifty meetings that night had she been going to that
many, but his happiness was the mo