nd the time seemed all too short. Each granger took this
opportunity of inquiring after the health of the other grangers of the
county. The young people wandered in laughing, romping groups about the
grounds, buying peanuts and sugar candy, and drinking the soda water
and lemonade which the venders called with strenuous enterprise.

On the shadowed side of the stand the leading men of the grange
gathered, consulting about plans and measures.

"Now, it seems to me that we're going on all right now," said Deering.
"We're getting our goods cheap and we're cuttin' off the middleman."

"And we're getting hold of the railways."

"Yes, but it don't amount to nothin' compared to what ought to be done.
We ought 'o oust them infernal blood-suckers that's in our court-house,
and we want to do it as a grange."

"No," said Jennings in his placid way, "we can do that better. I've got
a plan."

"What we want," said Hobkirk, "is a party, a ticket of our own, then we
can"--

"No, we can't do that. It won't be right to do that. We must stand by
the party that has given us our railway legislation."

Milton and several of the younger farmers drew off one side and talked
earnestly about the fall campaign.

"They'll beat us again unless we go in together," Milton said with
emphatic gesticulation. Milton was a natural politician. His words
found quick response in the erratic Hobkirk, who had good ideas but
whose temperament made all his words jagged shot. He irritated where he
meant to convince.

Bradley listened to it all without feeling that he had any part in it.
It didn't seem to him that politics had anything to do with the
beautiful words of the girl. On the stand the choir began to sing again
and he walked toward them. They sang on and the people listened while
they packed away the dishes. They sang "Auld Lang Syne," and "We'll
Meet Beyond the River," with that characteristic attraction of the
common people for wistful, sorrowful cadences which is a paradox not
easily explained.

"All aboard!" called Councill from his wagon as Bradley drove the team
up to the band stand. While the merry young people clambered in and
paired off along the seats he was seeing Miss Wilbur shaking hands with
the people who paused to say good-by. His heart ached for a glance of
her brown eyes and a word, but he held the reins in his great hands and
his face showed only his usual impassive reticence. He was only
Councill's hired man.

The bann