-after a fashion. "Pa" Turnpike did a little in the
speech-making line. Tommy Watson did a great deal, and so did Tony
Gaston, who had distinguished himself by nominating Duggan on the night
the People's Party was formed.

Tony was a treat; William followed him around from meeting to meeting,
declaring one of Tony's speeches to be worth more than all the others
put together. "Gee! you'd orter hear him, Lucien," he said to Simmons'
office boy one afternoon. "He's a Dago--but he's white. He gets
leaning over the side of a wagon and he waves his arms till you'd think
he'd shake them off, and all the time he's spitten' out words so blamed
fast you'd wonder his tongue don't drop off. 'Ladies and der Gents,'
he says, 'dis is de pr'r'oudest minnit of me life. It's an honor to
stand befacin' such a audonce to spek a wor'r'd,' he says, 'for me
frend, James de Duggan.' Somebody yells, 'Well, yer work f'r him,
that's why.' 'Sure, I wor'rks for him,' says Tony, 'and I wor'r'ks
har'rd f'r him,' he says, 'and that's more'n you do f'r the man dats
payin' you good mon ev'ry week what you don't ear'r'r'n. Ladies and
der Gents,' he says, 'har'rk nottin's to dat loaf-er, but vote f'r the
frends of de honest wor'r'k de mans and stick de Big Wind so up he
blows-puff.'"

But a new problem faced the People's Party when, for the final four
days of campaigning, "The Big Wind's" committee announced a band or an
orchestra at every meeting for every night.

"That'll take lots of our people away," said Tommy Watson,
thoughtfully, when he read the announcement. "What can we do, I
wonder, to meet it?" But William's Pa was solving the difficulty while
Tommy was pondering over it. Flo Dearmore--the theatrical season being
over--was in town, living, as she always did between seasons, with her
mother. She was immensely interested in the contest, the faithful
Tommy Watson, whose courting of her was proceeding with some success,
keeping her fully informed, and when William's Pa called on her, she
listened to his request with interest, refused to consider it at all,
but, woman-like, changed her mind, and appeared that night on one of
the People's Party platforms--an express wagon loaned by Turnpike.
Tommy Watson was in the chair, and he almost fell out of it when he saw
Flo approaching the wagon. Almost before he could move, she was seated
beside him, many willing hands having assisted her on her way.

Tommy's eyes were popping and his mo