it--right here now! And it'll be used. Don't you worry, Dave! And keep
your mouth shut!"

It was a colloquy that no one else in the room heard--Everett putting in
suggestions as the chairman whispered hoarsely in his ear. Harlan
Thornton, looking on, guessed what it might be. Linton, at his side,
ironically hinted at the possibilities of that hurried conference in the
corner. Senator Pownal walked about the room, chewing his short beard
and incapable of a word--for his re-election came before the next
legislature, and to jump the wrong way now in the gubernatorial matter
was political suicide.

Thelismer Thornton remained in his place on the corner of the table,
staring reflectively at General Waymouth.

Presson ended his whispered exhortations with a rather savage reference
to the manner in which the Duke had involved the campaign. Everett shot
a baleful glance at the man who had so cold-bloodedly planned his
undoing.

"Look here, Thornton," he called out, as he started for the door, "you
and I will have our reckoning later. We use old horses for fox bait up
our way, too, but we always make sure that the horses are dead first."
He went out and slammed the door.

Thornton did not turn his head. He kept his eyes on Waymouth.

"Vard," he said, "I reckon I haven't been keeping my political charts up
to date. I had you down as a peninsula, jutting out _some_ from the
Republican party, but still hitched on to it. I find you're an island,
standing all by yourself, and with pretty rocky shores."

"Perhaps so," admitted the General.

"This has been a sort of a heart-to-heart meeting here to-night. In the
general honesty I'll be honest myself. I can't support you."

"Then you lack honesty."

"No, but your scheme of honesty takes you right into the king-row of the
ramrodders, and I can't train with the bunch that will flock to you.
Your theory is good--but the _practice_ will break your heart just as
sure as God hasn't made humans perfect! You'll be up against it! You're
going to test man to the limit of his professions--and it isn't a safe
operation, if you want to come out with any of your ideals left
unsmashed. If you start on that road you'll have to travel it without
me."

"Well, there's a little common sense left in the Republican party,"
snapped Presson. "General Waymouth, you've had considerable many honors
in your life, and the party gave 'em to you. That calls for some
gratitude. You can show it by keepin