the necessary papers got
considerable more."

Stevens' gasp of amazement caused the narrator genuine enjoyment.

"I know of a certain Senator who was drunk an' laid away in a Turkish
bath when the roll was called on a certain bill. He was a friend of
Peabody's," laughed the lobbyist to the Mississippian.

"But in this case," said Stevens, "we must be very careful. Possibly
some of your methods in handling the men you go after--"

"Say," interposed Steinert, "you know I don't do all pursuin', all the
goin' after, any more than others in my business. Why, Senator, some
of these Congressmen worry the life out of us folks that sprinkle
the sugar. They accuse us of not lettin' 'em in on things when
they haven't been fed in some time. They come down the trail like
greyhounds coursin' a coyote."

The speaker paused and glanced across at Peabody, who, however, was
too busily engaged in writing in a memorandum book to notice him.

"Why, Senator Stevens," went on the lobbyist, "only to-day a Down East
member held me up to tell me that he was strong for that proposition
to give the A.K. and L. railroad grants of government timber land in
Oregon. He says to me, he says: 'What'n h--l do my constituents in New
England care about things 'way out on the Pacific Coast? I'd give 'em
Yellowstone National Park for a freight sidin' if 'twas any use to
'em,' he says. So you see--"

"I must go," broke in Stevens, rising and glancing at his watch. "It
will soon be daylight."

"If you must have sleep, go; but you must be here at 9 o'clock sharp
in the morning," said Peabody. "Steinert will sleep here with me.
We'll all have breakfast together here in my rooms and a final
consultation."

"You won't plan anything really desperate, Peabody, will you? I think
I'd rather--"

"Nonsense, Stevens, of course not. Our game will be to try to weaken
Langdon, to prove to him in the morning that he alone will suffer,
because our names do not appear in the land deals. The options were
signed and the deeds signed by our agents. Don't you see? Whereas his
daughter and son and future son-in-law actually took land in their own
names."

"How clumsy!"

"Yes. Such amateurism lowers the dignity of the United States Senate,"
Peabody answered, dryly.

"But suppose Langdon does not weaken?" asked Stevens, anxiously, as he
picked up his hat and coat.

"Then we will go into action with our guns loaded," was the reply.

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE HONEY