they have no friends in
politics. They regard the people as sticky and smelly and low. Bedelia
has that notion. But I love 'em! Love 'em and vote 'em!"

Amos Adams opened his mouth to protest, but the Doctor waved him into
silence. "I know your idear, Amos! But when the folks get tired of
politics that is jobs and want politics that is principles, I'll open as
fine a line of principles as ever was shown in this market!"

After the company had gone, Mrs. Nesbit faced her husband with a
peremptory: "Well--will you tell me why, Jim Nesbit?" And he sighed and
dropped into a chair.

"To save his self-respect! Self-respect grows on what it feeds on, my
dear, and I thought maybe if he was a judge"--he looked into the anxious
eyes of his wife and went on--"that might hold him!" He rested his head
on a hand and drew in a deep breath. "'Vanity, vanity,' saith the
Preacher--'all is vanity!' And I thought I'd hitch it to something that
might pull him out of the swamp! And I happened to know that he had a
sneaking notion of running for Judge this fall, so I thought I'd slip up
and help him."

He sighed again and his tone changed. "I did it primarily for Laura," he
said wearily, and: "Mother, we might as well face it."

Mrs. Nesbit looked intently at her husband in understanding silence and
asked: "Is it any one in particular, Jim--"

He hesitated, then exclaimed: "Oh, I may be wrong, but somehow I don't
like the air--the way that Mauling girl assumes authority at the office.
Why, she's made me wait in the outer office twice now--for nothing
except to show that she could!"

"Yes, Jim--but what good will this judgeship do? How will it solve
anything?" persisted the wife. The Doctor let his sigh precede his
words: "The office will make him realize that the eyes of the community
are on him, that he is in a way a marked man. And then the place will
keep him busy and spur on his ambition. And these things should help."

He looked tenderly into the worried face of his wife and smiled.
"Perhaps we're both wrong. We don't know. Tom's young and--" He ended
the sentence in a "Ho--ho--ho--hum!" and yawned and rose, leading the
way up stairs.

In the Van Dorn home a young wife was trying to define herself in the
new relation to the community in which the evening's news had placed
her. She had no idea of divorcing the judgeship from her life. She felt
that marriage was a full partnership and that the judgeship meant much
to her. She r