ed so far as the treasurer and the bank are concerned."

"So we can't pay it back if we want to? Is that the way, John?" asked
Hendricks, his fingers twitching as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Ah, don't get so tragic about it. Some day when Gabe has calmed down,
and wants a renomination, I'll take him in the back room and show him
the error that we've both made, and we'll just quietly put back the
money and give him the laugh." There was a pause, and Barclay tilted
his chair back and grinned. "It's all right, Bob--we were where we
had to do it; the books balance to a 'T' now--and we'll square it
with Gabe sometime."

"But if we can't--if Gabe won't be--be--well, be reasonable? What
then?" asked Hendricks.

"Oh, well," returned John, "I've thought of that too. And you'll find
that when, the county treasury changes hands in '79, you'll have to
look after the bond account and the treasurer's books and make a
little entry to satisfy the bonds when they really fall due;
then--I'll show you about it when we're over at the court-house. But
if we can't get the money back with Gabe or the next man, the time
will come when we can."

And Bob Hendricks looked at the natty little man before him and
sighed, and began working for the Larger Good also. And afterwards as
the months flew by the Golden Belt Wheat Company paid the interest on
the forged note, and the bank paid the Golden Belt Wheat Company
interest on a daily ledger balance of nine thousand, and all went
happily. The Larger Good accepted the sacrifices of truth, and went on
its felicitous way.

After Barclay left the bank that night, Hendricks found still more of
the truth. And the devil in the background of his soul came out and
glared through the young man's sleepless eyes as he appeared in
Barclay's office in the morning and said, before he had found a chair,
"John, what's your idea about those farmers' mortgages? Are you going
to let them pay them, or are you going to make them sell under that
option that you've got in them?"

"Why," asked Barclay, "what's it to us? Haven't the courts decided
that that kind of an option is a sale--clear through to the United
States Supreme Court?"

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" persisted Hendricks.

Barclay squinted sidewise at his partner for a few seconds and said,
"Well, it's no affair of ours; we've sold all the mortgages anyway."

Hendricks wagged his head impatiently and exclaimed, "Quit your
dodging