ent.

"Well, in the first place," said Mr. Crewe, unabashed, "send word to your
man Braden that you've seen me and it's all right."

"I assure you," answered Mr. Flint, giving evidence for the first time of
a loss of patience, "that neither the Northeastern Railroads nor myself,
have any more to do with this Braden than you have."

Mr. Crewe, being a man of the world, looked incredulous.

"Senator," Mr. Flint continued, turning to Mr. Whitredge, "you know as
much about politics in this State as any man of my acquaintance, have you
ever heard of any connection between this Braden and the Northeastern
Railroads?"

The senator had a laugh that was particularly disarming.

"Bless your soul, no," he replied. "You will pardon me, Mr. Crewe, but
you must have been listening to some farmer's tale. The railroad is the
bugaboo in all these country romances. I've seen old Job Braden at
conventions ever since I was a lad. He's a back number, one of the few
remaining disciples and imitators of Jethro Bass: talks like him and acts
like him. In the old days when there were a lot of little railroads, he
and Bijah Bixby and a few others used to make something out of them, but
since the consolidation, and Mr. Flint's presidency, Job stays at home.
They tell me he runs Leith yet. You'd better go over and fix it up with
him."

A somewhat sarcastic smile of satisfaction was playing over Mr. Flint's
face as he listened to the senator's words. As a matter of fact, they
were very nearly true as regarded Job Braden, but Mr. Crewe may be
pardoned for thinking that Mr. Flint was not showing him quite the
confidence due from one business and corporation man to another. He was
by no means abashed,--Mr. Crewe had too much spirit for that. He merely
became--as a man whose watchword is "thorough" will--a little more
combative.

"Well, read the bills anyway, Mr. Flint, and I'll come and go over them
with you. You can't fail to see my arguments, and all I ask is that you
throw the weight of your organization at the State capital for them when
they come up."

Mr. Flint drummed on the table.

"The men who have held office in this State," he said, "have always been
willing to listen to any suggestion I may have thought proper to make to
them. This is undoubtedly because I am at the head of the property which
pays the largest taxes. Needless to say I am chary of making suggestions.
But I am surprised that you should have jumped at a conclusion w