maverick if I didn't stand
with his crowd.

"Why," said N.V., "I feel sure that it won't take you long to make up
your mind. This little group of men we have here," pointing to Henderson
L. and Governor Wade, "are the County Ring that's trying to get this new
county in their clutches--the County Ring!"

This made a little grain of an impression on me; and it was the first
time I had ever heard the expression so common in local history "the
County Ring." I looked at Governor Wade to see what he would say to it.
His face grew redder, and he laughed as if Creede were not worth
noticing; but he noticed him for all that.

"Young man," said he, "or young men, I should say, both of you want to
be somebody in this new community. Monterey Centre represents already,
the brains--"

"Like a dollar sign," said Dick McGill, "it represents it, but it hasn't
any."

"--the brains," went on Governor Wade, glaring at him, "the culture, the
progress and the wealth--"

"That they hope to steal," put in Dick McGill.

"--the wealth," went on the Governor, who hated to be interrupted, "of
this Gem of the Prairies, Monterey County. Don't make the mistake, which
you can never correct, of taking sides with this little gang of
town-site sharks led by my good friend Judge Stone."

Here was another word which I was to hear pretty often in county
politics--Gang. One crowd was called a Ring; the other a Gang, I looked
at N.V. to see how wrathy he must be, but he only smiled sarcastically,
as I have often seen him do in court; and shaking his head at me waved
his hand as if putting Governor Wade quite off the map. Just then my
team began acting up--they had not been unhitched and were thirsty and
hungry; and I went over to straighten them out, leaving the Ring and the
Gang laboring with Magnus, who was sweating freely--and then I went over
to speak with the elder.

"How do you do, Teunis?" said Virginia very sweetly. "You'll sign our
petition, won't you?"

"We don't want to influence your judgment," said the elder, "but I
wanted to say to you that if the county-seat remains at Monterey Centre,
it will be a great thing for the religious work which under God I hope
to do. It will give me a parish. I should like to urge that upon you."

"Do you want me to sign it?" I asked him, looking at Virginia.

"Yes," said he, "if you have no objection."

"Please do!" said Virginia. "I know you can't have any objection."

I turned on my heel, went b