ll me about it. How did you get the riot stopped, after you
got me out? And how did you--?"

Cardon shook his head. "You play that record over again; get yourself
in the mood. When you go on, we'll have you in a chair, wrapped in a
blanket ... you're supposed to have crawled back out of the Valley of
the Shadow of Death to make this speech ... and we'll have the wire
run down inside the blanket, so that you can listen to the speech
while you're giving it. Chet, this is going to be one of the great
political speeches of all time--"

* * * * *

Literate William R. Lancedale looked up from his desk and greeted his
visitor with a smile.

"Well, Frank! Sit down and accept congratulations! I suppose you got
the returns?"

Cardon nodded, dropping into a chair beside the desk. "Just came from
campaign headquarters. This automatic tally system they use on the
voting machines is really something. Complete returns tabulated and
reported for the whole state within forty minutes after the polls
closed. I won't be silly enough to ask you if you got the returns."

"I deserved that, of course," Lancedale chuckled. "Can I offer you
refreshment? A nice big stein of Cardon's Black Bottle, for instance?"

Cardon shuddered and grimaced horribly. "I've been drinking that slop
by the bucketful, all day. And Pelton's throwing a victory party,
tonight, and I'll have to choke down another half gallon of it. Give
me a cup of coffee, and one of those good cigars of yours."

Lancedale grinned at him. "Ah, yes, the jolly brewer. His own best
advertisement. How's Pelton reacting to his triumph? And what's his
attitude toward his children? I've been worrying about that; vestigial
traces of a conscience, I suppose."

"Well, I had to keep him steamed up, till after he went off the air,"
Cardon said. "Chet isn't a very good actor. But after that, I talked
to him like a Dutch uncle. Told him what a swell pair of kids and a
fine son-in-law he had. He got sore at me. Tried to throw me out of
the house, a couple of times. I was afraid he was going to have
another of those attacks. But by the time Ralph and Claire get back
from their honeymoon and Ray finishes that cram-course for Literate
prep school, he'll be ready to confer the paternal blessing all
around. I'm going to stay in town and make sure of it, and then I'm
taking about a month's vacation."

"You've earned it, all right." Lancedale poured Cardon's coffee