w you got your money--but
you know how you did get it!"

"We've stood by you on the tax question."

"And I've stood by you against the prohibition ramrodders, who were
foolish enough to think that rumshops ought to be shut up because the
law said so; and I've stood with the corporations and I've stood with
the politicians, and played the game according to the rules. From the
minute you came into my dooryard to-day you've acted as though you
thought I'd stirred this whole uproar in the State."

"Did you ever know a man to get anywhere in politics if he didn't play
the game--honesty or no honesty?"

"Yes, a few--they got there, but they didn't stay there long," replied
the Duke, a flicker of humor in his wistfulness.

"You bet they didn't," agreed the chairman. "Thelismer, I'm just as
honest as the world will let me be and succeed! But when a man gets to
be perfectly honest in politics, and tries to lead his crowd at the same
time, they turn around and swat him. I reckon he makes human nature
ashamed of itself, and folks want to get him out of sight."

"I know," agreed the old man, and he looked out again on Niles and his
audience. "The tough part of it is, Presson, those men out there are
right--at bottom. They're playing traitor to me and acting like infernal
fools, and I wouldn't let them know that I thought them anything else.
But I'd like to step out there, Luke, and say, 'Boys, you're right. I've
been working you. I've done you a lot of favors, I've brought a lot of
benefits home to this district, but I've been looking after myself, and
standing in with the bunch that has got the best things of the State
tied up in a small bundle. I've only done what every successful
politician has done--played the game. But you're right. Now go ahead and
clean the State.'"

"You don't mean to say you'd do that?" demanded Presson, looking his old
friend over pityingly.

"Luke, _I mean_ that--but I don't intend to _do_ it, not by a blame
sight! I don't believe you ever realized that I was really honest deep
down. I have told you something from the bottom of my heart. But"--he
held out his big hands and closed and unclosed them--"if I should ever
let them loose that way they'd be picked up before they'd gone forty
feet by some other fellow that might be hollering reform and not be half
as honest as I am."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and squinted shrewdly, and spoke with
his satiric drawl.

"There was old Lem Fergu