and
ask Gilkey to rush it," he directed, and the shorthand man went to do
it.

"Now, Mr. Evan Anarchist Blount!" said Gantry, apostrophizing the late
disturber of his peace, "now we'll find out just where we're at and how
big a rope it's going to take to snub you down," and thereupon the desk
buzzer rattled again, and Mr. Richard Gantry squared himself for his
forenoon's work.

At the moment of his apostrophizing Blount was opening his mail in the
Temple Court office, and lamenting, as a loyal friend might, the
necessity for the recent clubbing into line of so fine a fellow as Dick
Gantry. But the mail-opening plunged him once more into the political
actualities. There were letters from all over the State, and among them
three invitations from widely separated cities, all based upon the
newspaper reports of his Ophir speech. It seemed to be plainly evident
that the "campaign-of-education" idea was striking a popular chord, and
the proponent of the idea saw what a miraculous opportunity was offering
for the railroad if only the "powers" that Gantry had refused to name
were broad enough and high-minded enough to seize it.

After a day and an evening well filled with detail, Blount went to the
station to take the nine-thirty west-bound, since the first of the three
speaking engagements--all of which had been promptly accepted by
wire--lay in that direction. On the platform, whither he went to
consult the bulletin-board, he found Gantry.

"Your train is half an hour late," said the traffic man, with a glance
for the travelling-bag in Blount's hand. "Didn't they know enough at the
hotel to tell you about it?"

"They told me it was on time," said the putative traveller, and he was
far enough from suspecting that Gantry himself had arranged to have the
inaccurate information given across the counter at the Inter-Mountain,
so that he might be sure of an uninterrupted half-hour with Blount
before he should leave the city.

"Ump!" said the traffic manager, "I've got to wait for it, too. One of
my men is coming in on it. Let's go up to the office. It's pleasanter
there."

Together they climbed the stair to the second floor of the station
building, and Gantry unlocked the door of his private room and turned on
the lights.

"Feeling any more humane than you did this morning?" he inquired
genially, after he had opened his desk and found a box of cigars.

"I haven't been feeling otherwise since--well, let's say since midn