r. Brotherton explained: "You've beaten the Judge. They all think that
it's your father's idea to knife him, and the foremen of the mines who
are running these county delegations and the South Harvey contingent are
changing their votes--that's how!"

In another instant Morty Sands was on his feet. He stood on a seat above
the crowd, a slim, keen-faced, oldish figure. When he called upon the
chairman a hush fell over the crowd. When he began to speak he could
feel the eyes of the crowd boring into him. "I wish to state," he said
hesitatingly, then his courage came, "that my vote against this
resolution, was due entirely to the inferential endorsement of Judge
Thomas Van Dorn," this time the anti-Van Dorn roar was overwhelming,
deafening, "that the resolution contained."

Another roar, it seemed to the Judge as from a pit of beasts, greeted
this period. "But I also wish to make it clear," continued the young
man, "that in this position I am representing only my own views. I have
not been instructed by my father how to cast this ballot. For you know
as well as I how he would vote." The roar from the anti-Van Dorn crowd
came back again, stronger than ever. The convention had put its own
interpretation upon his words. They knew he was merely making it plainer
that the old spider had caught Judge Van Dorn in the web, and for some
reason was sucking out his vitals. Morty sat down with the sense of duty
well done, and again Mr. Brotherton leaned over and whispered, "Well,
you did a good job--you put the trimmings on right--hello, we're going
to vote again." Again the young man jumped to his feet and cried amid
the noise, which sank almost instantly as they saw who was trying to
speak: "I tell you, gentlemen, that so far as I know my father is for
Judge Van Dorn," but the crowd only laughed, and it was evident that
they thought Morty was playing with them. As Morty Sands sat down Nathan
Perry rose and in his high, strong, wire-edged tenor cried: "Men, I'm
voting only myself. But when a man shows doghair as Judge Van Dorn
showed it to this convention in that question to Grant Adams--all hell
can't hold me to--" But the roar of the crowd drowned the close of the
sentence. The mob knew nothing of the light that had dawned in Nathan
Perry's heart. The crowd knew only that the son and the future
son-in-law of the old spider had turned on Van Dorn, and that he was
marked for slaughter so it proceeded with the butchering which gave it