Helen, returning from her evening's labor, jumped out lightly, and ran
around to pat the horses' heads. "Thank you so much, Mr. Willetts," she
said to the driver. "I know you will handle the two delegates you are
to look after as well as you do the judge's team; and you ought to, you
know, because the delegates are men. You dears!" She stroked the sleek
necks of the colts and handed them bunches of grass.

Briscoe came out, and let the friendly animals nose his shoulder as he
looked gravely down on the piquant face beside him in the dusk. "Young
lady," he said, "go East. Wait till we get on to Washington, and sit in
the gallery, and see John Harkless rise up in his place, and hear the
Speaker say: 'The Gentleman from Indiana!' I know the chills would go
up and down my spine, and I guess you'd feel pretty well paid for your
day's work. I guess we all would."

"Aren't you tired, Helen?" asked Minnie, coming to her in the darkness
and clasping her waist.

"Tired? No; I'm happy. Did you ever see the stars so bright?"

CHAPTER XVIII. THE TREACHERY OF H. FISBEE

An Indiana town may lie asleep a long time, but there always comes a day
when it wakes up; and Plattville had wakened in August when the "Herald"
became a daily and Eph Watts struck oil. It was then that history began
to be made. The "Herald" printed News, and the paper was sold every
morning at stands in all the towns in that section of the State. Its
circulation tripled. Parker talked of new presses; two men were added to
his staff, and a reporter was brought from Rouen to join Mr. Fisbee. The
"Herald" boomed the oil-field; people swarmed into town; the hotel was
crowded; strangers became no sensation whatever. A capitalist bought the
whole north side of the Square to erect new stores, and the Carlow Bank
began the construction of a new bank building of Bedford stone on Main
Street. Then it was whispered, next affirmed, that the "Herald" had
succeeded in another of its enterprises, and Main Street was to be
asphalted. That was the end of the "old days" of Plattville.

There was a man who had laid the foundation upon which the new
Plattville was to be built; he who, through the quiet labor of years,
had stamped his spirit upon the people, as their own was stamped upon
him; but he lay sick in his friend's house and did not care. One day
Meredith found him propped up in bed, reading a letter--reading it
listlessly, and with a dull eye.

"PLATTVILLE, _Septe