steady stream
of ideas. He became like a gigantic electric storage battery to which
a hundred, a thousand small batteries come for renewal. He charged his
associates afresh each day. And they in turn became amazingly more
powerful forces for acting upon the minds of the people.

In the last week of the campaign it became common talk throughout the
city that the "Dorn crowd" would probably carry the election. Kelly
was the only one of the opposition leaders who could maintain a calm
front. Kelly was too seasoned a gambler even to show his feelings in
his countenance, but, had he been showing them, his following would not
have been depressed, for he had made preparations to meet and overcome
any majority short of unanimity which the people might roll up against
him. The discouragement in the House-Alliance camps became so apparent
that Kelly sent his chief lieutenant, Wellman, successor to the
fugitive Rivers, to House and to David Hull with a message. It was
delivered to Hull in this form:

"The old man says he wants you to stop going round with your chin
knocking against your knees. He says everybody is saying you have
given up the fight."

"Our meetings these last few days are very discouraging," said Davy
gloomily.

"What's meetin's?" retorted Wellman. "You fellows that shoot off your
mouths think you're doing the campaigning. But the real stuff is being
doped up by us fellows who ain't seen or heard. The old man says you
are going to win. That's straight. He knows. It's only a question of
the size of your majority. So pull yourself together, Mr. Hull, and
put the ginger back into your speeches, and stir up that there gang of
dudes. What a gang of Johnnies and quitters they are!"

Hull was looking directly and keenly at the secret messenger. Upon his
lips was a question he dared not ask. Seeing the impudent, disdainful
smile in Wellman's eyes, he hastily shifted his glance. It was most
uncomfortable, this suspicion of the hidden meaning of the Kelly
message--a suspicion ALMOST confirmed by that mocking smile of the
messenger. Hull said with embarrassment:

"Tell Mr. Kelly I'm much obliged."

"And you'll begin to make a fight again?"

"Certainly," said Davy impatiently.

When he was alone he became once more involved in one of those internal
struggles to prevent himself from seeing--and smelling--a hideous and
malodorous truth. These struggles were painfully frequent. The only
consolati