onstantly
occupied in the making of ridiculous laws and limitations. But do not
attempt to foist your laws upon the people. Tell me, why all this
agitation about teaching sex-hygiene in the public schools? Why not,
for a change, teach Christianity? What would be the result? But even
the Bible has been put out of the schools. And by whom? By your
Church, that its interpretation may continue to be falsely made by
those utterly and woefully ignorant of its true meaning!"

For some moments they continued their meal in silence. Then the girl
took up the conversation again. "Doctor," she said, "will you come out
from among them and be separate?"

He looked at her quizzically. "Oppose Ames?" he finally said.

"Ah, that is the rub, then! Yes, oppose ignorance and falsity, even
though incarnate in Mr. Ames," she replied.

"He would ruin me!" exclaimed the doctor. "He ruins everybody who
stands in his way! The cotton schedule has gone against him, and the
whole country will have to suffer for it!"

"But how can he make the country suffer because he has been blocked in
his colossal selfishness?" she asked.

"That I can not answer," said the doctor. "But I do know that he has
intimated that there will be no cotton crop in this country next
year."

"No cotton crop! Why, how can he prevent that?"

The doctor shook his head. "Mr. Ames stands as the claim of omnipotent
evil," was his laconic reply.

And when the meal was ended, the girl went her way, pondering deeply.
"No cotton crop! What--what did he mean?" But that was something too
dark to be reported to the Express.

* * * * *

Three weeks from the day he had his brush with Carmen in the presence
of the President, Ames, the great corruptionist, the master
manipulator, again returned from a visit to Washington, and in a
dangerous frame of mind. What might have been his mental state had he
known that the train which drew his private car also brought Carmen
back to New York, can only be conjectured. It was fortunate, no doubt,
that both were kept in ignorance of that fact, and that, while the
great externalization of the human mind's "claim" of business sulked
alone in his luxurious apartments, the little follower after
righteousness sat in one of the stuffy day coaches up ahead, holding
tired, fretful babies, amusing restless children, and soothing away
the long hours to weary, care-worn mothers.

When the financier's car dre