elighted to see
them. Mr. Black succeeded in repressing his joy.

"For the Lord's sake, Dan!" he exclaimed, when, he and the captain were
alone, "isn't there EVER going to be any let-up to this tom-foolery? Are
these women of ours going stark crazy?"

Daniel gloomily replied that he didn't know.

"You're worse off than I am," continued B. Phelps. "There's two lunatics
in your family and only one in mine. Your daughter's just as bad as her
mother, every bit--worse, if anything. But, it seems to agree with HER.
I never saw her so lively or so pretty either. Humph! your pet cousin
there is badly gone, or I'm no judge. Well, you remember what I told you
about him."

Daniel nodded. He was too depressed for words.

"All right, it's your funeral, not mine. But, say! there's one ray of
hope. The whole crowd may be licked to death in this election. If they
are, my wife says she'll resign from the Chapter and never speak to one
of the bunch again. It sounds too good to be true, but it may be. It's
enough to make a fellow hop in and do some political work himself--for
the other side. What?"

The political work continued, mornings and afternoons, evenings and far
into the nights. Serena was in it, Gertrude was in it, and Cousin
Percy and Mr. Holway were in it because she was. Monty's calls were of
frequent occurrence. Mr. Hungerford and his erstwhile chum did not speak
to each other at all now. But at receptions and teas and dances and
musicals and committee meetings one or the other was on hand at Miss
Dott's elbow. And Gertrude was very gracious to them both; not more to
one than the other, but exceptionally kind and agreeable to each.

The social affairs were of almost as frequent occurrence as the
political meetings. Gertrude accepted all invitations and urged her
mother to accept.

"You must, Mother," she declared. "Now is the time when you can't afford
to offend or neglect anyone. You may need their votes and influence."

"But, Gertie," pleaded poor, tired Serena, "I can't go everywhere."

"You must. If this vice-presidency is worth all the world to you, as you
say it is, you must sacrifice everything else to get it."

"But, I can't! I'm almost worn out. I--I--oh, sometimes I feel almost
willing to give it all up and go back to--to--almost anywhere, even
Trumet, if I could rest there."

"You don't mean that, Mother."

"No; no, of course I don't."

"Because if you do, why--well, that is different. If you WANT