court adjourned and the people gathered in knots to talk over the trial.
The judge's sentence for the rest of the grafters--from one to ten
years' imprisonment and complete restitution--met with hearty approval;
and from that day municipal grafting suddenly declined in Roma, and
honest politics began to be recognized.

Vickery was heard from soon after in Japan, but the chief offenders
having been convicted, there was no further interest in bringing him--an
outsider and a tool--to justice. The Boulevard Railway scheme was never
heard of more.

As soon as the trial was fairly over and the delinquents safely lodged
in jail, the Mayor called a meeting of the remaining councilmen. There
were six vacancies--that number of Roma's aldermen being behind the bars
of justice; and their places had to be filled.

"How shall this be done?" she asked of them, after calling the meeting
to order and stating its object. "The city charter provides for the
filling of vacancies by the mayor; but the fathers who framed this
charter could never have dreamed of this wholesale demand. I place it
before you. Shall we select the best men for the places ourselves--for I
should not dream of appointing any without suggestions from you--or
shall we call a special election, and let these aldermen be chosen by
the people for the unexpired term?"

There were good arguments on both sides, and every man spoke his
mind--for once, without fear or favor. At last Geoffrey Mason made the
decisive speech:

"We have come to the crisis of our municipal history. We have rid our
local government of some of the worst demagogues with which any city
ever was cursed; consequently, it is most important that we fill their
places with men of wide views, unusual intelligence and absolute
fearlessness. We are not sure of what the voters may do if an election
be called just now; but we are reasonably sure that we can pick out six
men who will help make our system of government a model of its kind
instead of a reproach and a by-word. Let us make our own selections--or,
rather, help our mayor to make hers--and show this town what can be done
with an honest and sane council, every man of whom has at heart the
framing of a model municipality and the development of an ideal city. To
this end, I move that the mayor, assisted by the entire council, shall
fill the vacancies in our board."

This motion was carried without further debate, and some of the best and
most public-