he
General, anxious and keen in his scrutiny.

"Vard!" he cried, heartily, noting the resolution in the countenance,
the light in the old soldier's eyes, "you're looking better, here, than
you sounded over the telephone a few hours ago. You're going to
stand--of _course_ you're going to stand!"

"I'll take the nomination, Thelismer--that is, providing you want me to
stand as a candidate who will go into office without a single string
hitched to him."

"I guess the party isn't running into any desperate chances, Vard, with
you in the big chair. Sit down now and take it easy. I'll call Luke in.
After we've had our talk with him, we'll begin to enlarge our circle a
little--it's a pretty close combination up to now."

The porter at the door summoned the chairman of the State Committee.

"The Senator is just in from Washington," he announced, after his
enthusiastic greeting of the General. "I took him right up to Room 40,
where the Committee on Resolutions is at work. He wanted to attend to
that first. Then he'll be down here."

The chairman was referring to the United States Senator who would, by
party custom, preside at the convention next day for the purpose of
tinkering his own fences.

"Is Senator Pownal dictating the platform?" inquired the General, rather
icily.

"He's got a few little ideas of his own he wants to work in," affably
explained the chairman. "Nothing drastic. A little endorsement of some
things he's gunning for. It'll be all safe and sane. We backed those
resubmission fellows out of the room."

"By-the-way, keep a sharp eye out for those chaps, Luke," counselled the
Duke. "I've been hearing around the hotel this evening that they're
going to introduce a resubmission plank from the floor to-morrow."

"I'll rush an early vote in the convention, providing that all
resolutions shall be presented to the Committee on Resolutions without
argument," stated the chairman. "All that foolishness can be killed
right in the committee-room. We've got trouble enough on hand in the
party this year without letting the convention express itself on the
liquor question, even if the split only amounts to a sliver."

He pulled his chair to the table, spread some papers there, and
commanded attention by tapping his eyeglasses on the sheets.

"Here's the programme for the routine: Called to order at ten-thirty by
chairman of State Committee. Call read by secretary. On motion of Davis
Bolton, of Hollis, proceed to