in the State with the determination and pertinacity which make him a marked man; although the convention wherein his fate will be decided is now but a few d

Distribution of Power is not as complete as it once was. Certainly, Hilary Vane is not the man he was-although this must not even be whispered. Senator Whitredge had told-but never mind that. In the old days an order was an order; there were no rebels then. In the old days there was no wavering and rescin

urable Hilary's horse took his own gaits, and that the reins, most of the time, drooped listlessly on his quarters. A September stillness was in the air, a September purple clothed the distant hills, but to Hilary the glorie

r when he had something on his mind; and every few moments he would glance towards his mantel at the clock which was set to railroad time. In past days he had never known Hilary Vane to be a moment late to an appointment. The door was open

-past thre

and sat down b

at I'm late,

rs coming here in less

in

less than an ho

e got to be frank with you, Vane, and tell you plainly t

ary to tell me t

do you

that I k

o days off, and we don't know where we stand, how many delegates we've got, or whether this upstart at Leith is going to be nominated over our heads. H

to go in?" Hi

sly. "Hunt had been promised the governorship for a l

ome out of the ques

e a gesture o

oolishness in the Leg

said Hilary. "And if I'd been you, I wouldn't have let Hunt in this year. But you didn't ask my o

a turn up and

dled, that's certain,-whoever muddled it." And the president looked at his counsel as though he, at

ascom and Botcher are do

ts-they haven't been h

enough to move the who

ey're gettin' delegates

tredge says that Jake Bo

scom know their busines

oncentrated man, he mig

not cut a piece of Hon

" asked Mr. Flint-a litt

I taught 'em,"

decided to let it pass. He looked at the

ith you, Vane? You'r

N

took ano

we going to do? If you've got

ne was

with enough delegates to lock it up, s

State at odd dates, and that the delegates pledged for the different candidates had been published in the newspapers from time to time-although very much in accordance with the desires of their i

hree hundred and fift

ims six hundred. He'll hav

undred! It was incredible, preposterous. Mr. Flint looked at his c

ly gives him

him ten, in the begi

ations of Imperial decrees. "Do you realize what it means if we lose control? Thousands and thousands of dollars in improvements-rolling stock, better service, new bridges, and eliminations of grade crossings. And they'll raise our tax rate to the average, which means thous

etty good at 'em, F

al, did not improve the temper of

l my other work, I've had to go into this myself. Hunt hasn't got a chance. Bascom and Botcher are egging him on and making him believe he has. When Hunt gets into the convention and begins to fall off, you've got to talk to him, Vane. And his delegates have all got to be seen at the Pelican the night before and understand that th

s, isn't it?" Hilary asked

, but his eye rested aga

himself than to his companion. "You pay me for that sort of thin

ng away; and if so, to whom was he to turn at this eleventh hour? No man in the State knew the ins and outs of conventions as did Hilary Vane; and, in the rare times when there had been crises, he had sat quietly in the little room off the platform

Flint had recognized a man with whom he would have to deal,-a stronger man than Hilary. Since then he had seen Austen's hand in various disturbing matters, and now it was as if he heard Austen speaking. "I'm that kind of a lawyer." Not Hilary Vane, but Hilary Vane's son was responsible for Hilary Vane's condition-this recognition came to Mr. Flint in a fl

val of the fittest. He did not yet feel pity for Hilary-for he was angry. Only contempt,-contempt that one who had been a power should come to this. To draw a somewhat far-fetched parallel, a Captain Kidd or a Caesar Borgia with a conscience would nev

st do so. And yet he could not resist saying: "I get a good many rumours here

asked

n the room of a man na

s candidate," said Mr.

young Gaylord has been

n his i

ghtened, and the old look which had commanded the

my son?" h

en the time comes, your, son will be a candi

ary, "they tell

ment, a tell figure to be remembered. Mr. Flint remembered it for many years. Hilary Vane's long coat was open, and seemed in itself to express this strange and new-found vigour in its flowing lines; his head

!" he

r. Flint. He evinced n

ressed i

n as counsel f

, bewildered by this sudden trans

w-to-day?

u'll need a new man to do-the kind of work I've been doing for you for twenty-five years. But you can't get a new man in a day, and I said I'd stay with you, and I keep my word

" Mr. Flin

to me this way before. Do you remember how you took hold of me that day, and begged me to stay? I do, and I stayed. Why? Because I was a friend of yours. Association with you for twenty-five years had got under my skin, and I thought it had got under yours." Hilary let h

hile with a courage and a defiance that were superb. And h

ne," he cried. "My God,

t the desk with

o you." He paused, cleared his throat, and continued in a voice that all at once had become unemotional and natural. "I've thr

esident of the Northeastern stood where he was, holding the envelope in his hand, apparently without the power to move or speak. He watch

conditions that violated every sacred principle of