ched by a careful
picked man, a nigger that won't talk. He'll pick a row with the
Colonel on some street, say, w'en he's comin' from his home after
lunch. The coon kin bump into Langd'n an' call him names. Then
w'en ole fireworks sails into 'im, yellin' about what 'e'd do in
Mississippi, the coon pulls a gun on the Colonel an' fires a couple o'
shots random. Cops come up, an' our pertickeler copper'll lug Langd'n
away as a witness, refusin' to believe 'e's a Senator. I kin arrange
to hev him kept in the cooler a couple o' hours without gettin' any
word out, or I'll hev 'im entered up as drunk an' disorderly. He'll
look drunk, he'll be so mad."

"But the negro--how could you get a man to undergo arrest on such a
serious charge, attempted murder!" exclaimed Stevens.

"There, there," said Steinert, patronizingly; "coons has more genteel
home life in jail than they does out. An' don't forget the District of
Columbia is governed by folks that ain't residents of it, only durin'
the session. Th' politicians don't leave their frien's in the cooler
very long. Say, Senator Stevens, are you kiddin' me? Is it any
different down in your--"

The Mississippian choked and spluttered over a gulp of unusually hot
coffee, and Peabody again decided Steinert to be on the wrong tack.

"That proceeding would attract too much attention from the
newspapers," he added.

"Well, I thought you wanted to win," grunted Steinert. "I've been
offerin' you good stuff, too--new stuff. None of yer druggin' with
chloroform or ticklin' with blackjacks. Why, I've gone from fine-esse
to common sense. But, come to think of it, how about some woman? I c'n
get one to introduce to--"

"This is the wrong kind of a man," interrupted Peabody.

"Unless you got the right kind of a woman," went on Steinert.

Senator Stevens choked some more.

"The boss of the Senate" sank down in his chair, crossed one knee
over the other and drummed his fingers lightly on the table. He gazed
thoughtfully at Stevens.

"Yes," he observed, slowly, "unless you've got the right sort of a
woman."

Rising, he led the Mississippian to one side.

The lobbyist heard the Southerner give a short exclamation of
astonishment as Peabody whispered to him.

"It's all right. It's all right," he then heard the Pennsylvanian say,
irritably. "She'll understand. She can be trusted. _She expects you_."

Stevens gave a violent start at the last assurance, but his colleague
hurriedly helped