inent enough up at
Groveton. He wanted a trolley franchise some years ago, you remember."

"And didn't get it."

Mr. Crewe's answer was characteristically terse and businesslike. The
overwhelming compliment of a request from such gentlemen must be treated
in the nature of a command--and yet he had hesitated for several weeks,
during which period he had cast about for another more worthy of the
honour. Then followed a somewhat technical and (to the lay mind) obscure
recapitulation of the iniquities the Northeastern was committing, which
proved beyond peradventure that Mr. Crewe knew what he was talking about;
such phrases as "rolling stock," "milking the road"--an imposing array of
facts and figures. Mr. Crewe made it plain that he was a man who "did
things." And if it were the will of Heaven that he became governor,
certain material benefits would as inevitably ensue as the day follows
the night. The list of the material benefits, for which there was a
crying need, bore a strong resemblance to a summary of the worthy
measures upon which Mr. Crewe had spent so much time and labour in the
last Legislature.

Austen laid down the paper, leaned back in his chair, and thrust his
hands in his pockets, and with a little vertical pucker in his forehead,
regarded his friend.

"What do you think of that?" Tom demanded. "Now, what do you think of
it?"

"I think," said Austen, "that he'll scare the life out of the
Northeastern before he gets through with them."

"What!" exclaimed Tom, incredulously. He had always been willing to
accept Austen's judgment on men and affairs, but this was pretty stiff.
"What makes you think so?"

"Well, people don't know Mr. Crewe, for one thing. And they are beginning
to have a glimmer of light upon the Railroad."

"Do you mean to say he has a chance for the nomination?"

"I don't know. It depends upon how much the voters find out about him
before the convention."

Tom sat down rather heavily.

"You could have been governor," he complained reproachfully, "by raising
your hand. You've got more ability than any man in the State, and you sit
here gazin' at that mountain and lettin' a darned fool millionaire walk
in ahead of you."

Austen rose and crossed over to Mr. Gaylord's chair, and, his hands still
in his pockets, looked down thoughtfully into that gentleman's square and
rugged face.

"Tom," he said, "there's no use discussing this delusion of yours, which
seems to be the only flaw