rlie's voice
floated out to her. "You've had a day to think over my proposition.
Now what have you got to say to it?"

There was a brief silence. When Blake did speak, Katherine could
discern in his repressed tone a keen aversion for his companion.

"My position is the same as last night. What you say is all guesswork.
There is nothing in it."

Blind Charlie's voice was soft--purringly soft.

"Then why didn't you ask me to go to hell, and stay at home instead of
coming out here?"

There was again a short silence.

"Come now," the soft voice persuaded, "let's don't go over what we did
last night. I know I'm right."

"I tell you you're only guessing," Blake doggedly returned. "You
haven't a scrap of proof."

"I don't need proof, when I'm certain about a thing," gently returned
the voice of Blind Charlie. "I've been in politics for forty-eight
years--ever since I was nineteen, when I cast my first vote. I've got
sharpened up considerable in that time, and while I haven't been in
on much in the last ten years, I can still smell a fat deal clean
across the state. For the last three months I've been smelling, and
smelling it keener every day, that you've got a rich game going."

"And so"--rather sarcastically--"you set Bruce on, to try to run the
game down!"

"Well, I would use a little different figure of speech," returned
Blind Charlie smoothly. "When I've got a coon up a hollow tree I build
a fire in the hollow to bring him down. Bruce is my fire."

"And you think your coon is coming down?"

"I rather think he is. Don't you?"

"Well, I tell you he's not! For there's no coon up the tree!"

"I see I've got to state the thing to you again," said Blind Charlie
patiently, and so softly that Katherine had to strain her utmost to
get his words. "When I grew sure you had a big deal on about the
water-works, I saw that the only way to force you to let me in was to
put you in a fix where you would either have to split up or be in
danger of losing the whole thing. So I nominated Bruce. He's one of
the easiest I ever took in; but, I tell you, he is certainly one hell
of a fighter! That's what I nominated him for. You know as well as I
do the way he's swinging the voters round. It beats anything I've ever
seen. If he keeps this up till election, and if I pull off a couple
of good tricks I've got all ready, he'll be a winner, sure! And
now"--Blind Charlie's purring voice thrust out its claws--"either I
put Bruce in an