he "local color" has, perhaps, not been
squeezed from too many tubes. Types stand out; never individuals.

As types, therefore, the characters of this book weave their story as
the shuttle of time, filled with the woof of hidden purpose and open
deed, runs through the warp of their friendships and enmities.

And with the less attractive strands the shifting harness of place and
circumstance enmeshes a thread of Love's gold.

BOOK I. THE RIVER

BOOK II. THE PRAIRIE

BOOK III. THE STATE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BOOK I

I. Twisting the Lion's Tail 15

II. The Girl on the Fontenelle 30

BOOK II

I. Under the Union Jack 47

II. Hate 58

III. The Hot Blood of Youth 72

IV. The Return to Fort Benton 88

BOOK III

I. Visitors from Helena 107

II. Charlie Blair's Sister 125

III. A Man of Two Countries 141

IV. The State Republican Convention 155

V. Despair 165

VI. Il Trovatore 180

VII. Debauching a Legislature 196

VIII. Danvers' Discouragement 211

IX. A Frontier Knock 219

X. Wheels Within Wheels 226

XI. The Chinese Legend 241

XII. Recognition 251

XIII. The Lobbyist 257

XIV. The Keystone 268

XV. An Unpremeditated Speech 281

XVI. The Election 291

[Illustration]

BOOK I

_THE RIVER_

_"I beheld the westward marches
Of the ... nations,
Restless, struggling, toiling, striving."_
--_Longfellow_

[Illustration]

Chapter I

Twisting the Lion's Tail

Philip Danvers, heading a small party of horsemen, galloped around the
corner of a warehouse and pulled up on the levee at Bismarck as the mate
of the _Far West_ bellowed, "Let 'er go!"

"Hold on!" he shouted, leaping from his mount.

"Why in blazes!" The mate's impatience flared luridly as he ordered the
gang-plank replaced. His heat ignited the smouldering resentment of the
passengers, and they, too, exploded.

"We're loaded to the guards now!" yell