ere 's more in that job than the measly salary the company pays; and
a man 's entitled to take something of what would be his by rights if
things were as they should be in this world. There 's a higher law
than the law made by the privileged few for their own enriching, and
sometimes a man has to take the matter into his own hands and decide
what's due him." This was rather an elaborate way of telling her that,
like most of his fellows, he was accustomed to "knock down" fares on
crowded trips, when it could be done undetected. Perhaps he took some
satisfaction in going over again the arguments by which he justified
the practice. Perhaps he was curious to see whether she would make a
condemnatory comment, but nothing was further from her thoughts, and he
went on. "I have n't spent a cent of my baseball salary for years.
Where do you suppose it is?"

"In the savings bank?" she suggested.

He chuckled at her simplicity. "Better than that--salted
down--invested. I could live on the interest of it, after a fashion,
if I wanted to." He was flattered by her wide-eyed admiration and
wonder, and moved to disclose himself to her still more. "Why, look
here, Lena, there 's more than politics in this game. They say I have
n't the ghost of a show. We 'll see about that; but whichever way it
turns out, I shan't be a beggar. Only, if I am elected, I 'll take
every cent I 've got and put it into the bonds the city is going to
issue to build the new bridge. There's nothing better in the country
than the bonds of this town. None of your Central America rubber bonds
or Colorado mining stock for me. I want something I know about and can
keep my eye on."

"Then you are n't poor!" she cried gladly. "You're rich!"

He squared his jaw determinedly, and his eyes glowed. "Not rich yet,
but I will be--I will be yet!"

She did not doubt that he could be anything he wished, but from this
very confidence in his power a great fear was born. She put her lips
close to his ear, and whispered tremulously: "Tom, dear, I know you
think I 'in pretty, and all that, but do you love me, Tom? When you
get to be mayor, or when you 're rich, will you love me just the same?
You won't be too proud to think of marrying me then? Tell me you
won't!"

She withdrew herself and placed her hands on his shoulders as before,
an attitude pathetically suggestive of her effort to fix his attention
upon her words. The poise of her little head was ext