on had been one of the leading men of the
state, and Mrs. Owen, his sister, was not a negligible figure in the
background against which the reporter saw he must sketch the
Fraserville senator. Harwood had met the wives of other Hoosier
statesmen--uninteresting creatures in the main, and palpably of little
assistance to ambitious husbands.

It appeared that the Bassetts spent their summers at their cottage on
Lake Waupegan and that Mrs. Owen had a farm near them. It was clear that
Bassett enjoyed his family. He fell into a chaffing way with his
children and laughed heartily at Marian's forwardness. He met his son on
the lad's own note of self-importance and connived with him to provoke
her amusing impertinences.

Bassett imposed no restrictions upon Harwood's pencil, and this, too,
was a novel experience. His predecessors on the list of leaders in
Hoosier politics had not been backward about making suggestions, but
Bassett did not refer to Harwood's errand at all. When Dan asked for
photographs of Mrs. Bassett and the children with which to embellish
his article, Bassett declined to give them with a firmness that ended
the matter; but he promised to provide photographs of the house and
grounds and of the Waupegan cottage and send them to Harwood in a day or
two.

* * * * *

Harwood gave to his sketch of Morton Bassett a care which he had not
bestowed upon any of his previous contributions to the "Courier's"
series of Hoosier statesmen. He remained away from the law office two
days the better to concentrate himself upon his task, and the result was
a careful, straightforward article, into which he threw shadings of
analysis and flashes of color that reflected very faithfully the
impression made upon his mind by the senator from Fraser. The managing
editor complained of its sobriety and lack of anecdote.

"It's good, Harwood, but it's too damned solemn. Can't you shoot a
little ginger into it?"

"I've tried to paint the real Bassett. He isn't one of these raw
hayseeds who hands you chestnuts out of patent medicine almanacs. I've
tried to make a document that would tell the truth and at the same time
please him."

"Why?" snapped the editor, pulling the green shade away from his eyes
and glaring at the reporter.

"Because he's the sort of man you feel you'd like to please! He's the
only one of these fellows I've tackled who didn't tell me a lot of
highfalutin rot they wanted put into