r faith in the nostrum's infallibility for any and all
ailments; to persuade into fulsome print solemnly asinine Senators and
unwarily flattered Congressmen--that was the touchstone of his living.
Some the Demon Rum betrayed into his hands. Others he won by sheer
personal persuasiveness, for he was a master of the suave plea. Again,
political favors or "inside information" made those his debtors from
whom he exacted and extracted the honor of their names for Dr.
Surtaine's upholding. Blackmail, even, was hinted at. "What does it
matter?" thought the deluded or oppressed victim. "Merely a line of
meaningless indorsement to sign my name to." And within a fortnight
advertising print, black and looming, would inform the reading populace
of the whole country that "United States Senator Gull says of Certina:
'It is, in my opinion, unrivaled as a never-failing remedy for coughs
and colds,'" with a picture, coarse-screen, libelously recognizable.

Certina Charley was not a testimonial-chaser alone. Had he been, Dr.
Surtaine would not have retained him at a generous salary, but would
have paid him, as others of his strange species are paid, by the piece;
one hundred dollars for a Representative, two hundred and fifty dollars
for a Senator, and as high as five hundred for a hero conspicuous in the
popular eye. The special employee of Certina was a person of diverse
information and judicious counsel. His chief had not incorrectly
described him as the diplomat of the trade.

No small diplomacy had been required for the planning of the Emergency
Committee scheme, the details of which Mr. Couch had worked out,
himself. It was, as he boasted to Dr. Surtaine, "a clincher."

"Look out for the medicos," he had said to Dr. Surtaine in outlining his
great idea. "They're mean to handle. You can always buy or bluff a
newspaper, but a doctor is different. Some of 'em you can grease, but
they're the scrubs. The real fellers won't touch money, and the worst of
'em just seem to love trouble. Merritt's that kind. But we can fix
Merritt by raising twenty or thirty thousand dollars and handing it over
to him to organize his campaign against the epidemic. From all I can
learn, Merritt has got the goods as a health officer. He knows his
business. There's no man in town could handle the thing better, unless
it's you, Chief, and you don't want to mix up in the active part of it.
Merritt'll be crazy to do it, too. That's where we'll have him roped.
Yo