whole country has come to believe whatever your father does is
right, and they've got to have him."

"And father is completely under the domination of this secretary,"
murmured the girl, thoughtfully.

Norton nodded.

"We've got to get rid of him, Carolina. That's all there is to it. He
has to go! When it comes to bossing the Senator and making love to
you, too, he's getting too strong."

"How can you do it?" she asked. "You know when father likes any one he
won't believe a thing against him."

Norton agreed, sorrowfully.

"That's right. Seems like the Senator's coming to think more of this
fellow than he does of his own family. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if
he'd even let one of you girls marry him if he wanted to marry you."

"We'd have something to say about that," Carolina laughed, amusedly.
"Do you think that Hope or I could ever care for a man like this
fellow? Of course not. This Altacoola business must go through right.
It would be too cruel not to have it so. And then--"

"And then you and I'll be married at once, Carolina, whether your
father likes it or not," ended Norton for her. "With Altacoola safe,
we can do as we please, as between us we'll be rich. What does it
matter how we get the money, as long as we get it?"

CHAPTER XIV

WHEN A DAUGHTER BETRAYS HER FATHER

Bud returned to find Miss Langdon and Norton still in the room. New
buoyancy, new courage, thrilled in his veins. He would give this
Congressman the battle of his life for this prize, of that he was
confident.

"I have an engagement with Mrs. Holcomb, Senator Holcomb's wife," she
said, "so I must hurry away, but I expect to be back to see father."

"I think I'll just wait," suggested Norton. "I have to see the Senator
as soon as possible, and he ought to return from that ways and means
committee meeting pretty soon."

When Carolina had gone a slight feeling of constraint settled over the
two.

"The Senator's pretty busy these days with his naval base matter
coming up, isn't he?"

"Yes; keeps him pretty busy receiving delegations from Altacoola and
Gulf City and patting them both on the back," said Haines. "Had a man
from Gulf City in this morning with some pretty strong arguments."

The secretary watched Norton keenly to note the effect of this hint in
favor of Gulf City."

"Gulf City!" Norton sneered. "Shucks! Who'd put a naval base on a
bunch of mud flats? I reckon those Gulf City fellows are wasting their
tim