a mayor."

"And by electing our mayor, have cleaned up the city pretty thoroughly
from corruption," added Mrs. Turner. "For if Burke had been elected,
things would have gone from bad to worse; if Allingham--well, I'm a
little afraid of our men's doctrine of _laissez-faire_."

"Oh, I think Mr. Allingham would have done just as good work as has been
done," said Gertrude, speaking for the first time. "He is both fearless
and conscientious, and the moment he saw any sign of graft, he would
have attacked it with courage and skill--and with less spectacular
consequences than we did, perhaps," she added, smiling.

"I do not believe it," answered Mrs. Bateman. "He has developed
wonderfully and is a man to be depended upon now; but it took you,
Gertrude, to educate him."

The Mayor looked up quickly. The little episode on the bridge had never
been told or repeated. Did anybody mistrust? But Mrs. Bateman kept on:

"There are thousands of good men who need awakening as to what women may
do in the way of cleaning up a city, both literally and metaphorically.
It takes both the man and the woman to make the model home; why not the
model city?"

"We are going to have the honor of electing you again this winter,
Gertrude?" asked Mrs. Mason. "May we announce it?"

"I scarcely think so," answered Gertrude. "I have done my full duty. I
have given two years of the hardest work of which I am capable to my
city. I stepped in as an emergency candidate; but now we shall find no
difficulty in finding a candidate. Indeed, I may say that one is already
being considered, although his name I must not tell."

"O, it's a shame that our men would think of setting up an opposition
candidate," cried the fluffy lady, "after the splendid way you've
filled the breach. My husband shall never countenance it in the world."

"Don't get excited, Bella," soothed Gertrude. "I may as well tell you,
for it is a matter of considerable pride to me, that the regular
committee from the Republican party has already waited upon me and asked
me to accept the nomination again--"

She was interrupted by a vigorous clapping of hands.

"But the more I think it over, the more I feel that I did right in
saying no," she went on. "I realize that I was an experiment--happily
successful. But I believe it will be better all round now, to return to
our normal condition, with a man in the mayor's chair."

"Only he must be a good one," said Mrs. Stillman, "one who will ca