"It's my life or his--I warn you----"

"Then it's yours--I choose my country!"

She walked with quick, firm step to the door leading into the family
apartments of the President. On the threshold her feet faltered. She
grasped the door facing, turned, and saw him standing with folded arms
watching her--with the eyes of a madman. Her face went white. She lifted
her hand to her heart and slowly stumbled back into his arms.

"God have mercy!" she sobbed. "I'm just a woman--my love--my
darling--I--I--can't--kill you----"

Her arms relaxed and she would have fallen to the floor had he not
caught the fainting form and carried her into the hall.

Two men were at his side instantly.

"Take Miss Winter downstairs," he whispered. "There's a carriage at the
gate. Bring it quietly to the door--one of you take her to the Senator's
home. The other must return here immediately and wait my orders. There's
no guard in this outer hall at night. The one inside is with the boy.
Keep out of sight if any one passes."

The men obeyed without a word and John Vaughan stepped quickly back into
the Executive office, drew the short curtains across the window, turned
the lights on full, examined his revolver, and sat down in careless
attitude beside the President's desk. He could hear his heavy step
already approaching the door.

CHAPTER XXXVI

THE ASSASSIN

John Vaughan's face paled with the sudden realization of the tremendous
deed he was about to do. It had seemed the only solution of the Nation's
life and his own, an hour ago. The air of Washington reeked with deadly
hatred of the President. Every politician who could not control his big,
straightforward, honest mind was his enemy. The gloom which shrouded the
country over Grant's losses and the failure of his campaign had set
every hound yelping at his heels in full cry. He spent much of his time
in the hospitals visiting and cheering the wounded soldiers. These men
were his friends. They believed in his honesty, his gentleness and his
humanity, and yet so deadly had grown the passions of war and so bitter
the madness of political prejudice that the majority of the wounded men
were going to vote against him in the approaching election.

An informal vote taken in Carver Hospital had shown the amazing result
of three to one in favor of McClellan!

John Vaughan, in his fevered imagination, had felt that he was rendering
a heroic service to the people in removing the one ob