y a genial social diversion out of which nothing would
come. In that gathering a suffragette would have been squelched by her
own sex.

Harlan Thornton came to the State House early.

Morning had brought him wiser counsel. He felt no impulse to rush to the
Presson house. He wondered now what he would have said if he had gained
access to Madeleine Presson the night before. The astounding insult by
Herbert Linton troubled him less. It had been a jealous
outburst--Linton's confession of his love for the girl had revealed his
animus. Probably Linton regretted it--in Harlan's calmer mood he trusted
that such was the case. Conscious of his innocence, it did not seem to
Harlan that any man would dare to deal further in such outrageous
slander after what had been said in their interview.

Harlan was one of the first to escape from the House through the press
of women. There were too many of them. Officious gentlemen had begun to
introduce him to wives and daughters and friends. He was not shy, but
the presence of so many women--chattering, vivacious, exchanging
repartee, challenging retort from him, was disquieting. He made his way
to his committee-room. It was in a far corner of the building and was
quiet. He had not been able to inspect the bill that Governor Waymouth
had placed in his hands. He determined to put behind himself for a time
the presence of women and the thoughts of women--even those thoughts
which had so occupied him the night before.

There was no one in the committee-room. The State House holiday had
attracted his associates. He examined the measure that he was expected
to sponsor.

It provided for a commission of three men to be appointed by the
Governor and to remain under his direct control--a bipartisan board.
These men were to appoint special deputies to any number desired. To any
county, city, or town these deputies were to be dispatched when it
became apparent that police or sheriffs were lax or dishonest in
enforcing the prohibitory law. No limits were placed on the number of
these men empowered to kill saloons and put liquor-peddlers out of
business. No special amount of money was to be asked of the
legislature--the bill provided that the State treasury should stand
behind the movement.

The young man was quick to understand the tremendous power granted to
the Governor by that bill. Under it no party management, no group of
politicians, could club or coax the liquor interests into line at the