ould not
afford it, even had her inclination bent that way. She had absorbing
riches. They were a man and her children.

When I brightened up, because my friends were coming back to me, was
the great season of the year to me, as to them. When the family
returned from the capital and reoccupied the home there was rejoicing.
And what rioters we were! But once more, each time, it was said by
Grant, and by me as well, the battle must be fought, and so came
re-elections and the flittings. And, after all, it was good. It was
not the rusting in the sheath.

And it came that there was another gallant fight on. The city
Congressional district is not like the country one, where a man once
firmly in the saddle may stay there for a quarter of a century. The
city constituencies have the fault in make-up that their Congressmen
are not selected as those who will do best for the districts, but
because they have hands on the lever of some machine. Of course, there
are always exceptions, as in Grant's case, but the rule prevails. And
now there had been flung down the gauntlet of a clever adversary, and
the battle was a warm one.

We both enjoyed this contest, for, though the struggle was likely to be
sharp, we knew the issue was ours, from the beginning, and the whole
thing, as Grant said, was like a hunting trip. But how it ended!

He had been out much at night, for it was a large district and there
were many meetings, and had been as tireless as was usual with him.
His thought was never given much to the care of himself, and in this
campaign he appeared more than ordinarily reckless. Jean, watchful
ever, reproached him and made him change his ways a little. Perhaps it
was not all his fault that one day he felt ill. It was on the eve of
the election.

We carried the day as we had hoped, and easily, and there was a demand
for Harlson that night which could not be refused with grace. He was
compelled to speak, and in the open air of a chill November evening.
He told me he felt ill. When, late at night, we reached his home and
he found Jean awaiting him, he turned to me and said:

"It's all right, Alf. I'll be myself again by morning. I'm where all
that is good for me is, and should be well in no time. She will but
pass her hands above my head, and--there you are!"

And we parted, as carelessly as usual, and as I went home I was
speculating on what the revised returns would show the majority to be,
not as to the