!" he called over his shoulder.

Arm in arm with his grandson, the Duke traversed the lobby and went up
the broad stairs to the State Committee headquarters--double parlors on
the floor above. The men who were sitting in the main parlor saluted the
old man in the offhand manner of intimates. He drew his grandson into
the privacy of the rear room.

"Now, my boy, get your hat, take a carriage and meet General Waymouth at
the nine o'clock train. I've had him on the telephone. He's coming here
to-night. Between us, he's grown lukewarm on our proposition. I want you
to talk with him after you meet him. Take your time on the way from the
station."

"I'm a pretty poor agent to send on such a job as that," said Harlan,
deprecatingly.

"You're just the one," insisted the old man. "Don't you suppose I knew
what I was doing when I took you with me that night? Talk for the young
men of this State! He's tired of politics and politicians. I am, myself,
sometimes. He's got to dwelling on the political side. Get it out of his
mind. Thank God, you don't know enough politics to talk it to him! You
can talk from your heart, boy. The younger generation in this State does
want a change. I realize it. But that change has got to be tempered with
political wisdom. It must be managed through politics. I'll attend to
that part. It's your task to make Vard Waymouth see that he ought to
stand. You can do it. Begin with him where you left off."

Harlan hesitated.

"Well?" inquired the Duke, a bit petulantly.

"I've been used to talking straight out to you, grandfather. I'm willing
to help as far as it's in my poor power. But I want you to tell me that
I'm not being used as a decoy-duck in this thing."

"I reckon you'd better explain that, son," said the Duke, stiffly.

"It's your own fault that I'm saying a word about it. But you did some
talking after we came away from General Waymouth's house. It wasn't so
much what you said; it was what you intimated. I believe in General
Waymouth. But if I'm any judge of what has been framed up, he isn't
going to be allowed to do what he wants to do."

"Did I say so?"

"No. But you did say that he would play the game with the chips that are
on the table, not with sugar-plums."

"And you construe that to mean that I'm pulling him into this thing so
as to be able to work him in the interests of the machine, eh?" inquired
the Duke, putting into brutal speech even more than his grandson's vague
suspi