"After it has been done, it will be hard to undo it, no matter what the judges may decide as to members."
"But we can"t throw the law out of the window, my son! On the outside of the thing, the Big Boys on Capitol Hill are playing the game strictly according to the legal rules. The legal rules, understand! On the outside!" Dow"s emphasis on certain words was significant. He put up his hand and drew Morrison"s head down close to his mouth. He began to whisper.
"Talk out loud, Calvin!" commanded Stewart, jerking away. "Keep in the habit of talking out loud with me! I won"t even talk politics in a whisper."
"It really shouldn"t be talked out, not at this time," expostulated Dow, wedded to the old ways. "I have had to burrow deep for it. It ought to be saved carefully--to do business with later! To win a stroke in politics it"s necessary to jump the people with a sensation!"
"Try it on me! I"m one of the people. See if it will work," insisted Morrison, after the manner of his methods with Despeaux.
"They propose to go according to the strict letter of the law."
"Important but not sensational."
Dow was plainly having hard work to keep his voice above a whisper.
"Returns not properly sworn to or not attested in due form by city clerks, returns not signed in open town meeting or otherwise defective on account of strictly technical errors, no matter how plainly the intent of the voters was registered, have been finally and definitely thrown out by North and his executive council, acting as a canva.s.sing board."
"d.a.m.n"d picayune hair-splitting! Why can"t they use business horse-sense?"
"I"ll tell you what they"ve used! They"ve used Tim Snell and Waddy Sturges and a few other safe hounds with m.u.f.fled paws to run around and lug back to cities and towns deficient returns and have "em quietly and secretly corrected where it was a case of adding a safe man to the legislature. I know that, Stewart. I know how to make some of my close friends brag to me. I know it, but I can"t prove it. Clean-scrubbed are the faces of those returns. They"ll show up to-morrow like the faces of the good boys on the first day at school."
"That"s North"s idea of that game he was talking about, is it?" Morrison exploded. "I don"t believe that Senator Corson knows about those dirty details, or is a party to "em."
"Well," a.s.serted the Hon. Calvin Dow, stroking his nose contemplatively, "Jodrey and I used to cut sharp corners on two wheels of the four of the old wagon, in past times when he was a politician. But now that he"s a statesman he doesn"t like to be bothered by details."
"Do you see any joke to this, Calvin?" demanded Morrison, not relishing the veteran"s chuckle.
"I can"t help seeing the humor," confessed Dow, blandly. "The other, boys would be grinding the same grist if they had control of the machinery.
It"s only what I myself used to do." Then his face became grave. "But, confound it! in these days there seems to be an element that can"t take a joke in politics. There"s trouble in the air!"
"Probably!" agreed Morrison, dryly.
Dow walked to the window and looked out with the air of a man who wanted proof to confirm a statement. "I reckon I"ll let you be informed direct from Trouble Headquarters, Stewart. Headquarters was at the Soldiers"
Memorial in the park when I came past. I gathered that they were picking out a delegation to call on you. Post-Commander Lanigan of the American Legion was doing the picking. He"s heading the bunch that I see coming across the street."
"Resign!" barked Mac Tavish through his wicket. But the mayor of Marion did not appear to hear, nor Calvin Dow to understand.
Morrison faced the door of his office.
Lanigan led in his companions with the marching stride of an overseas veteran and halted them with a top-sergeant"s yelp. Click o" heels and snap o" the arm! The salute made Captain Sweetsir"s previous effort seem torpid by comparison. That a further comparison with Home Guard methods and morale was in Commander Lanigan"s mind became promptly evident.
"Your Honor the Mayor, we represent John P. Dunn Post, American Legion, and the independent young men of this city in general. May we have a word with you?"
"Certainly, Mr. Commander!"
In the stress of his emotions Lanigan immediately sloughed off his official air. "It"s a h.e.l.l of a note when a bunch of sissy slackers can keep real soldiers ten feet from the door of the city armory at the end of a bayonet."
The mayor strolled over and placed a placatory palm on the shoulder of the spokesman. "What"s, all the row, Joe? Let"s not get excited!"
"I have been away fighting for liberty and justice and I don"t know what"s been going on in politics at home. I don"t know anything about politics."
"Nor I, Joe, so let"s not try to discuss "em. What else?"
"They"ve got three machine-guns up in our State House. What for? They are going to put in them sissy slackers--"
"Let"s not call names, Joe. Those boys would have followed you across if you boys hadn"t been so all-fired smart that you cleaned it all up in a hurry! What else?"
"Why have a gang of politicians got to barricade our State House against the people?"
"Let"s keep cool, Joe, my boy, and find out."
"They won"t let us in to find out. How are we going to find out?"
"Why, I was thinking of doing something in that line--thinking about it just before you came in."
Lanigan looked relieved, also a bit ashamed. "Excuse me for being pretty hot, Mr. Morrison. But the boys have been saying we couldn"t depend on anybody to stand up for the people. By gad! I told "em we"d come to you.
Says I, "All-Wool Morrison is our kind!""
"I hope the name fits the goods, Joe! Suppose you boys keep all quiet and calm for the good name of the city and let me find out how the thing stands?"
He was a.s.sured of support and compliance by a chorus of voices.
Lanigan trailed the chorus in solo. "Does that settle it? I"ll say it does. It"s up to you--the whole thing. You"ve given us the word of a square man! We can depend on you. And we thank you for taking the full responsibility for seeing to it that the people get theirs--and not in the neck, either!"
But the mayor looked like a man who had stretched forth his hand to take a kitten and had had an elephant tossed at him. "It"s a pretty big contract, that! See here, Joe--"
"You"re good for any contract you take on, sir! We should worry after what you promise!" He whirled on his heels. ""Bout face! Forward, march!" He followed them and turned at the door. "All the rest of the Big Ones seem to be too almighty busy to bother with the common folks to-day, sir! The Governor with his politics, the adjutant-general with his tin soldiers, and the high and mighty Senator Corson with that party he"s giving to-night so as to spout socially the news that his daughter is engaged to marry a millionaire dude. Thank G.o.d, we"ve got a man who "ain"t taken up with anything of that sort and can put all his mind on to a square deal!"
Morrison did not turn immediately to face the three persons, his familiars in the office of St. Ronan"s. He clasped his hands behind him and went to the window, as if to survey the departure of the delegation.
"What with one thing and another, they"re loading the boy up--they"re piling it on," observed Dow to Mac Tavish in sympathetic undertone.
"He"ll resign out o" the meeser-r-rable pother," growled Mac Tavish. "The word he just gied the gillies! It was as much as to say, "I"ll be coomin"
along wi" ye from noo on."" The old man"s hankerings were helping his persistent hope, in spite of his respect for the Morrison trait of devotion to duty.
"Resign, Andy! Confound it, he"s only nailing his grit to the mast and planning on what end of the row to tackle first. You"ll see!"
Stewart walked slowly, meditating deeply, went through the opening in the rail, sat down at his desk and fumbled in a drawer and sought deeply under many papers. He brought out a book, a worn volume.
Calvin Dow, daring to peer more closely than Miss Bunker or Mac Tavish had the courage to venture, noted that the place to which Morrison opened was marked by a slip of paper, a snapshot photograph.
"Miss Bunker!" called the master. "A memo.!"
She came with her note-book and sat at the lid of the desk, facing him.
"His resignation, I tell ye," whispered Mac Tavish. "I ken the look o"
detar-rmination!"
"I want it typed on a narrow strip that I can slip into my pocketbook,"