AMUlL & BLYTHE
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE FAKERS
 
 The Fakers 
 
 BY 
 
 SAMUEL G. BLYTHE 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE PRICE OF PLACE," 
 
 "THE OLD GAME," ETC. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1913, 1914. 
 BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1914 
 BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
 
 THE FAKERS 

 
 The Fakers 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 SENATOR WILLIAM H. PAXTON, uni 
 versally known as The Old Fox of the 
 Senate, had been to the White House that 
 morning, had wheedled the President into 
 promising an important appointment to a 
 man from the Paxton organization and was well 
 pleased with himself as he walked down Pennsyl 
 vania Avenue toward the Capitol. His hat was 
 cocked a bit to one side, he swung his cane jauntily, 
 and blew little clouds of smoke into the sunshine 
 from the cigar that tilted upward from one corner 
 of his full-lipped mouth. He smiled genially at 
 the passers-by and added a bow to his smile when 
 ever any person he met displayed the slightest sign 
 of recognition, which was frequently, for Paxton was 
 serving his twentieth year in Congress and was a 
 familiar figure on the streets of Washington. 
 
 The Senator was not only pleased with himself, 
 but pleased with the politics he had played, with 
 the President who had helped him play it, with 
 his party, his prospeots, and his power. Several of 
 his colleagues had candidates for the place Paxton 
 had secured for his own man, and the fight had 
 been lively and, at times, acrimonious. By a judi 
 cious scheme of elimination and some cleverly dis 
 posed charges against the others he had brought 
 his own candidate into a front position, and, choos-
 
 4 THE FAKERS 
 
 ing this particular morning as the psychological 
 time, had descended on the President, persuaded 
 him that the matter should be settled, that the only 
 safe way to settle it was to appoint the Paxton 
 applicant, and had won. He contemplated with 
 serene satisfaction the meeting he would have with 
 the Senators who had lost, and had already framed 
 the little speeches of joking condolence he would 
 make to them. 
 
 As he passed the corner of Sixth Street he 
 heard the clatter and clang of an ambulance be 
 hind him. He turned. The wagons and carriages 
 on the broad avenue slowed down, and, in common 
 with all those on the sidewalk, the Senator stepped 
 out to the edge of the asphalt to watch the am 
 bulance go by and to wonder what unfortunate was 
 in it or waiting for it and for the young doctor who 
 sat behind. Apparently, the case was an urgent 
 one, for the driver was leaning forward, and the 
 clamor of the warning gong was incessant. The 
 ambulance was half-way down the block between 
 Seventh and Sixth streets when the Senator reached 
 the curb and joined the people who* fringed it; star 
 ing at the approaching conveyance with that mix 
 ture of curiosity and terror the progress of an am 
 bulance always excites 1 when one passes by in haste. 
 
 Paxton, a masterful man, had taken a sort of a 
 supervisory mental control of the situation. He 
 saw a little boy, whose mother had forgotten him 
 in her interest in the progress of the ambulance, 
 start across the street, dodging between two wagons. 
 The man driving the ambulance did not see him, 
 for he made no attempt to stop his horses, nor to 
 turn them. 
 
 "Look out, kid!" shouted a man on the curb. 
 "Look out or you ll be run over!" 
 
 The mother screamed. The boy ran forward,
 
 THE FAKERS 5 
 
 laughing at his escape from restraint. The am 
 bulance came swiftly, the gong beating a strident 
 tattoo. 
 
 The mother screamed again. Then Paxton, 
 pushing ahead of half a dozen men who started 
 forward, stepped quickly out on the pavement, 
 scooped up the boy, and, holding him in his arms, 
 carried him back to the curb and gave him to his 
 mother. He received her profuse and tearful 
 thanks graciously, bowed, expressed his polite plea 
 sure over what he called a slight service, and re 
 sumed his walk to the Capitol. 
 
 "That s Senator Paxton," said one man in the 
 crowd. "The Old Fox." 
 
 In a moment the word had passed. "Senator 
 Paxton," the onlookers said one to another. "Old 
 Fox Paxton"; and as Paxton passed out of view 
 the bystanders spoke to him in intimate terms, as 
 if they all knew him well, after the manner of 
 Washington people. 
 
 It was half-past ten o clock when Paxton reached 
 his committee-room. T. Marmaduke Hicks, his 
 assistant secretary, was in the outer office opening 
 letters and sorting the communications into piles. 
 
 "Morning, Tommie," greeted the Senator. 
 "Much grief in the mail this morning?" 
 
 "About the usual amount," Hicks answered, "with 
 one particularly pitiful wail from Primston because 
 you don t land that job for him." 
 
 "Fixed it to-day. Wire him to come on. Bring 
 in the letters I need to see in about fifteen minutes. 
 I want to look at the paper." 
 
 Paxton walked into the private office and closed 
 the door. Hicks stabbed another envelope with 
 his opener, slitting it dextrously, took out the letter 
 that was within, glanced at it and tossed it on one 
 of his piles. Then the telephone on his desk rang.
 
 6 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Hello," he said, as he put the receiver to his 
 ear. "Yes, this is Senator Paxton s committee room 
 who s talking, please? Oh, the Evening Dis 
 patch? What s that? somebody telephoned in the 
 Senator rescued a child from death this morning? 
 Hadn t heard of it no, the Senator isn t here yet 
 expect him any minute sure tell him to come 
 down we ll be glad to see him." 
 
 Hicks hung up the receiver and whistled. "What 
 do you know about that?" he asked himself, and 
 knocked on the door of the private office. 
 
 "What is it?" asked Paxton, as Hicks entered. 
 
 l The Evening Dispatch just called up and said 
 they hear you rescued a child from death on the 
 avenue this morning." 
 
 Paxton laughed. 
 
 "Rot," he said. "Where did they get that yarn?" 
 
 "But didn t you?" asked Hicks, his disappoint 
 ment showing in his voice. 
 
 "No, I didn t rescue a child from death, nor any 
 thing like it. I m no hero dashing into the street 
 at the peril of my own life to snatch a babbling, 
 prattling, golden-haired infant from beneath the 
 pounding hoofs of wildly galloping horses. What 
 I did do was to proceed in a decorous and elderly 
 manner across the asphalt at Sixth Street, pick up 
 a little boy who had strayed out there and restore 
 him to his mother. The ambulance was half a block 
 away. It was no heroic nor thrilling rescue. It 
 was simply a precautionary measure, for the ambu 
 lance would have stopped anyhow, and that s all 
 there is to it." 
 
 "But a Dispatch reporter is coming to see about 
 it; what ll I say?" 
 
 "Tell him just what I have told you, and ask him 
 to forget it," and the Senator resumed the reading 
 of his paper.
 
 THE FAKERS 7 
 
 Hicks returned to his desk, much disappointed. 
 He sensed a story. Hicks liked stories. He real 
 ized the advantages of publicity. He had planned 
 to depict the rescue to the reporter with many ex 
 citing details and great declamatory effect. He felt 
 the Senator was overlooking an opportunity. 
 
 The reporter came in. Hicks knew him well, 
 Garson, the man who covered the Senate end of 
 the Capitol for the Dispatch. 
 
 "Senator in?" asked Garson. 
 
 "No," Hicks replied. "He was here, but had to 
 go to a committee meeting." 
 
 "Our people telephoned up to me they have a 
 story that the Senator rescued a kid from death 
 down on the Avenue this morning. Heard anything 
 of it?" 
 
 "Yes," said Hicks. "He told me about it. Good 
 story, too." 
 
 "Well, they ve got the yarn, and they want me 
 to verify it. Can t get a statement from the old 
 man, can I?" 
 
 "He isn t there," repeated Hicks. "But it s true. 
 What have you got on it?" 
 
 "Oh," said Garson casually, "I don t know the 
 details. All they told me was that the old man 
 was coming along the avenue simultaneously with 
 an ambulance that some fool of a driver was push 
 ing past the speed-limit to pick up a souse or some 
 thing that one of the intelligent first-aid corps had 
 diagnosed as a fractured skull, and a kid ran out in 
 front of the horses, and Paxton chased out and 
 grabbed the kid just in time to save it from being 
 run down, and restored it to its distracted mother, 
 as our veracious chronicle of the event will un 
 doubtedly say." 
 
 As Garson talked Hicks fashioned the incident 
 into narrative form, aided by an active and useful
 
 8 THE FAKERS 
 
 imagination. "That s right," he said, "those are 
 about the main points. The ambulance was coming 
 to beat the band, and the driver didn t see the kid. 
 It was only a little bit of a boy, just able to toddle 
 along, and there wasn t a chance. Everybody was 
 paralyzed with fear; that is, everybody except the 
 Senator. He dashed out, plucked the golden- 
 haired child from beneath the pounding hoofs of the 
 wildly galloping horses " Hicks had seized on the 
 Senator s irony "and jumped aside just in time 
 to escape death or severe injury himself and to save 
 the child from being awfully mangled on the pave 
 ment. The Senator carried the child back to the 
 curb and gave him I guess it was a him to the 
 hysterical mother and resumed his walk to the 
 Capitol amid the enthusiastic cheers of the wit 
 nesses of the heroic deed." 
 
 "Say," commented Garson, "you talk like a man 
 in a best seller. Back up. What s the kid s 
 name?" 
 
 "He didn t stop to inquire." 
 
 "But it s straight goods, is it?" 
 
 "Sure, and it s a good story. It isn t every day 
 a Senator as well known as Senator Paxton pulls 
 a thing like that." 
 
 "All right," said Garson. "Let me use your 
 phone, will you? They want it in a hurry for a 
 flash in the noon edition." 
 
 Whereupon Garson called his office and verified 
 the thrilling rescue, unconsciously repeating some 
 of the phrases used by Hicks. 
 
 "Tell them to put some feathers on it," whispered 
 Hicks. 
 
 "Oh," said Garson, as he hung up the receiver, 
 "they ll do that all right. There isn t anything else 
 in sight for a flash." 
 
 Hicks waited impatiently for the noon edition of
 
 THE FAKERS 9 
 
 the Dispatch, which went on the streets at a quarter 
 to twelve. He was highly gratified to find a large 
 headline across the entire top of the front page, 
 reading: "Senator Paxton Rescues Child from 
 Horrible Death," and a much paragraphed story 
 beneath, reciting, in the most vivid language at 
 the command of one of the desk-men in the Dis 
 patch, the circumstantial story of the rescue, wherein 
 the principal figures were the famous Senator, who 
 was "heroic" in every other line, the weeping mother, 
 who was "distracted" as frequently, and the child, 
 who was a "prattling, sunny-haired babe" proceed 
 ing laughingly to his inevitable and frightful doom, 
 had not the heroic Senator been on the spot and 
 quick to act. There was a four-column picture of 
 the Senator, hurriedly taken from the cut rack, and 
 the smaller headlines screamed of heroism and 
 courage and bravery and modest deprecation on 
 the Senator s part. 
 
 "If that ain t a peach I don t want a cent," com 
 mented Hicks. When the second edition came up 
 Hicks was sorry to observe the seven-column head 
 had been dropped, the leads taken out of the article, 
 and the picture of the Senator reduced to two 
 columns in width, but an artist had drawn a decora 
 tion to go with the picture of the Senator, a bold 
 free-hand sketch of that agile statesman reaching 
 beneath the upraised hoofs of two infuriated horses 
 and taking therefrom a child that looked up with 
 joyful trustfulness into his steel-blue eyes. 
 
 He was a little uneasy, however, for Paxton, 
 while not averse to publicity, was particular as to 
 its character, and he awaited the Senator s coming 
 with some apprehension. Soon after three o clock 
 Paxton stormed in, with a copy of the Dispatch in 
 his hand. 
 
 "Hicks," he shouted, "what sort of rot is this?"
 
 io THE FAKERS 
 
 "What do you mean, Senator?" asked Hicks, 
 innocently. 
 
 "This this hysterical balderdash about me be 
 ing a hero." 
 
 "Oh, you mean that story in the Dispatch?" 
 
 "Yes, I mean that story in the Dispatch. I 
 thought I told you to stop it." 
 
 "How could I stop it?" protested Hicks. "They 
 had it. I didn t give it to them. What s the 
 matter with it? Isn t it a good story?" 
 
 Paxton laughed. "Good story," he repeated. 
 "I should say it is a good story. It s so good that 
 forty Senators have already advised me to apply 
 for a hero medal and have offered to testify to 
 my general heroism, and I won t hear the last of it 
 for weeks." 
 
 "But," insisted Hicks, "I don t see how it will 
 do you any harm and it may help you a lot out 
 home." 
 
 Paxton looked curiously at Hicks. He crumpled 
 the paper and threw it on the floor. Then he 
 laughed again. 
 
 "Hicks," he said, "you didn t try to stop it, now, 
 did you?" 
 
 "No, sir; it was true and I couldn t see any harm 
 in it. It s fine publicity." 
 
 "In fact," continued Paxton, "you rather pushed 
 it along." 
 
 "Well," confessed Hicks, "I may have added a 
 thrilling detail here and there." 
 
 "Thinking, no doubt, that you are working for 
 an actor instead of a Senator, or that I do a high 
 dive in a circus and need attention from the press?" 
 
 "Oh, no," protested Hicks, "not at all. It oc 
 curred to me that it would be a shame to waste the 
 incident, especially as there can be no political come-
 
 II 
 
 back, and I let it go. I would be glad to have a 
 story like that printed about me." 
 
 "I am sure you would; I am sure you would," 
 said Paxton, and he sat down, lighted a cigar and 
 looked at Hicks for a long time, watching that 
 young man as he worked busily at his typewriter. 
 
 "Hicks," said Paxton, finally, "you are too good 
 to be wasting yourself here as an assistant secre 
 tary." 
 
 "That s what I think," assented Hicks, turning 
 quickly from his desk and facing Paxton expec 
 tantly. 
 
 Paxton smiled. "I am glad my views on the 
 subject coincide with yours," he said. 
 
 "Well," prompted Hicks, after a moment s 
 silence. 
 
 "Oh, nothing," Paxton replied, as he rose to go 
 into his private office. He stopped at the door. 
 "I ll study it over," he said. "I have an experi 
 ment in mind I think I can work out with you."
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 TOMMIE HICKS changed his name and 
 style of appellation from Tommie to 
 T. Marmaduke in his senior year at 
 High School in Salestown, a county seat 
 in Senator Paxton s state, where Tommie 
 was born and lived until he came to Washington. 
 To be sure, nobody in Salestown took the change 
 seriously, and all his boyhood friends continued to 
 call him Tom and Tommie, but in Washington he 
 used this designation for himself and found it 
 was accepted without question. They are familiar 
 with such things in Washington. 
 
 He was a delight to Senator Paxton, who saw in 
 him undeveloped traits of demagogism that he was 
 sure, with proper cultivation and conservation, would 
 enable Hicks to gain a success in politics. Paxton 
 hated demagogism, but he enjoyed demagogues. 
 He made friends with the fakers who came to 
 Congress and there were many of them and took 
 a huge pleasure in urging them to greater efforts 
 for the relief of the common people and all the 
 quackery that goes with the professional propa 
 ganda of that sort. It was a pastime with him, not 
 dangerous, for at the time the Republican organiza 
 tion was so firmly in power in the Congress and in 
 the Nation that even the astute Paxton could see 
 nothing ahead but years of uninterrupted rule for 
 the conservative organization of which he was one 
 of the leaders. Paxton had great private contempt 
 
 12
 
 THE FAKERS 13 
 
 for the people as a mass, holding that they allowed 
 themselves to be fooled so easily that they deserved 
 nothing more than they allowed themselves to get, 
 and using as examples for his arguments various 
 political charlatans who attained and held political 
 place entirely by their charlatanism. 
 
 Hicks was a type. Even as a small boy he liked 
 to be conspicuous and aspired to lead and was in 
 different as to the methods he used to gain his 
 ends so long as he succeeded. He invariably pro 
 claimed himself the leader in every boyish enter 
 prise, and often had force enough to hold himself 
 at the front. He never went to a party without re 
 sorting to little expedients to make himself stand 
 out from the other children at the gathering. At 
 a picnic he was the boy who did the loudest shout 
 ing. He insisted on being the captain and pitcher 
 at the ball games, and always had an excuse ready 
 for his failure to pitch winning ball. If another 
 boy swam further than he did, Tommie, observing 
 his defeat, immediately organized a cramp within 
 himself and gasped with pain when he reached the 
 shore. If another boy ran faster than he did, 
 Tommie said his foot hurt. When he told his 
 tales, with his companions not present, Tommie 
 always caught the most fish, gathered the greatest 
 number of hickory nuts, knew where most birds 
 nests were, and he never, by any possibility, acknowl 
 edged he was not entirely familiar with any topic 
 of current boyish discussion. 
 
 A great egoist, he was not particularly offensive, 
 even with all his proclaimed smartness, for he was 
 good-natured and affable. Moreover, he was 
 smart. His mind was brighter than the minds of 
 most of the other boys and, while he never did get 
 the highest marks in his classes, he always made 
 the showiest recitals, and never failed to take ad-
 
 i 4 THE FAKERS 
 
 vantage of a situation that would lead to his own 
 elevation in the classrooms of the school. He 
 skimmed through everything he could skim through, 
 claiming all there was in sight, but, if put to it, 
 he often could, and would, make good his boasts. 
 And he had a talent for publicity. Thomas Went- 
 worth Hicks, his father, a judge of a local court, 
 often looked at Tommie speculatively and wondered 
 where he would come out. He hesitated to guess. 
 Tommie s sisters were awed by his showiness, as 
 were most of the other girls of his age, and 
 Tommie s mother shook her head over him and com 
 plained: "He s too smart." 
 
 Tommie continually thrust himself before his 
 elders in the hope he would get a few commendatory 
 words. He listened to the conversations between 
 his parents and the older people who came to his 
 father s house, storing in his retentive memory what 
 they said in order that he might show off later by 
 repeating the wisdom of the comment to his boy 
 companions and claim it for his own. He culti 
 vated the big men of the village as much as he 
 could, and hung about law-offices and his father s 
 court, trying to impress himself on the men who 
 were there, and was supremely happy when some 
 lawyer or merchant patted him on the shoulder and 
 told him he was a "bright kid." 
 
 Tommie edged his way through high school along 
 the lines of least resistance. He studied Latin and 
 Greek because his father wanted him to, for he 
 hated both languages. He was one of the first 
 in his class to find out about the use of translations, 
 and when they reached Cicero and the Anabasis, 
 after he had somehow mastered the intricacies of the 
 readers and prose composition and conjugations and 
 declensions and had a dim realization of verbs and 
 their roots, he procured interlinear translations and
 
 THE FAKERS 15 
 
 often read from these books instead of from the 
 text when called upon to translate in the class. His 
 nerve carried him through. He found a book that 
 contained the English equivalents for his composi 
 tion work in these languages and used that instead 
 of studying; also, at examination times, he resorted 
 to these translations and boldly copied the answers 
 to his questions, regardless of the fact that 
 the students were supposed to be on honor. He 
 was prominent in the literary societies, having taken 
 great pains to be elected to the oldest and strongest 
 one, and he developed himself into a rather fasti 
 dious dresser, wearing better clothes than his 
 companions, and being the first boy of those 
 of his particular set who donned a cutaway 
 coat. 
 
 He was rather fond of feminine society, largely 
 because he could make more of a personal impres 
 sion on the young ladies than he could on the boys, 
 who probed into his superficiality further than the 
 girls did, and never lost an opportunity to associate 
 with men older than he was, nor did he fail to 
 try to impress himself on them as their intellectual 
 equal. There was a lecture course at the high 
 school, and six or seven platform orators came each 
 year to talk to the students. T. Marmaduke in 
 variably sought out these lecturing stars and intro 
 duced himself to them. In his senior year he con 
 trived to have himself elected manager of the course 
 for that year, and he took great pains to meet the 
 orators, and always referred to them as his friends. 
 No man of prominence came to the village who was 
 not besieged by young Mr. Hicks, usually with a 
 request for his autograph, and led into a conversa 
 tion that would enable T. Marmaduke to say, later, 
 in some company where there would be an impres 
 sion: "I was talking to my friend, Mr. White
 
 1 6 THE FAKERS 
 
 he s a member of Congress, you know, and he said 
 to me " 
 
 He showed an ability for florid oratory and, while 
 he did not shine particularly in the debates of the 
 literary society, he was much superior to most of his 
 class-mates in declamation. He could string words 
 together so they sounded well, and his perorations 
 always were flowery, and usually cribbed from his 
 father s edition of Notable Speeches and Debates. 
 His graduation oration was highly commended. It 
 discussed The Trend of the Times eloquently and 
 learnedly, and Tommie stole most of it from a bound 
 copy of the Congressional Record he found in the 
 office of a young man friend of his who was study 
 ing law. 
 
 He wanted to go to college, and had selected 
 Harvard as the institution of learning on which he 
 would confer his talents, but his father died soon 
 after the younger Hicks graduated from high school, 
 and college was out of the question. Some years 
 before he had decided to become a lawyer. He 
 felt he had a talent for the law. Also, he was in 
 terested in politics, and he knew most of the politics 
 of the country the showy part of it, at least is 
 in the hands of the lawyers. So he entered the 
 office of Judge Wilbur Percival Smith, the lawyer of 
 Salestown, to "study law" and, after the proper 
 period of appenticeship, to take his examinations 
 and be admitted to the bar. 
 
 T. Marmaduke Hicks, aged nineteen at the time 
 he began the study of law, was a tall, good-look 
 ing youth, who had taken earnest and frequent 
 stock of his personal attributes. He wore his hair 
 long, brushed it back straight from his forehead, 
 and affected flowing ties and clothes of extreme cut. 
 When trousers were baggy T. Marmaduke s were 
 baggier than any of the baggy ones worn by his
 
 THE FAKERS 17 
 
 associates, and when trousers were tight T. Mar- 
 maduke s the tightest in the village. He went to 
 the city as often as he could, and was the first to 
 appear in a straw hat with a brilliant ribbon on it. 
 He denied himself some necessities to buy a pair 
 of patent-leather shoes with pearl-colored tops, and 
 he was the first young man in those parts to wear 
 spats. 
 
 Hicks found the study of Coke and Littleton 
 and Kent a tedious business. He much preferred 
 the appearance he could make in the minor courts 
 and never failed to be at the court house when the 
 various terms of court were in progress. He took 
 his prerogative of sitting in the enclosure devoted 
 to members of the bar with a grand air, and be 
 came acquainted with all the lawyers of the county, 
 and with those from other sections who came to 
 try their cases there. He had a smattering of legal 
 phrases which he used on every occasion, and spent 
 little time at his desk. His father left some money, 
 and T. Marmaduke lived at home with his mother, 
 who thought him quite the most wonderful person 
 in the world, and supplied his financial needs as 
 well as she was able, fondly looking forward to 
 the day when he should take his father s place at 
 the local bar. 
 
 The Presidential campaign of 1896 gave Hicks 
 a further excuse for neglecting his law studies and 
 an opportunity for mingling in politics. He loudly 
 supported the gold standard, was vociferously for 
 McKinley as against Bryan, organized the young 
 men of his village into a First Voters Club, al 
 though he was not yet a first voter himself, and 
 wrote many letters to state and national head 
 quarters telling of the good work "for the cause" 
 he was doing. He proudly exhibited the replies 
 he received, and by dint of persistent effort, and
 
 i8 THE FAKERS 
 
 many letters, managed to secure a brief communica 
 tion from Mark Hanna himself thanking him for 
 the interest he was showing in the loyal endeavor 
 to redeem the country from the Democracy, and, as 
 Mr. Hanna s note had it: "saving us from the ruin 
 and disaster that will inevitably arise if we adopt 
 the heresy of free silver as preached by the enemies 
 of the Republic." 
 
 When there was a big speaker in the neighboring 
 city he borrowed enough money from his mother 
 to enable him to go to hear him, and he never came 
 away without shaking hands with the orator, and 
 saying a few kind words for himself. He would 
 loaf for hours about a hotel corridor awaiting a 
 chance to edge up to a spell-binder and grasp him 
 by the hand. 
 
 "Aw, come on, Tom," a companion said one day, 
 "what s the use of sticking around here just to 
 shake hands with that hot-air artist. He don t care 
 anything about you." 
 
 "I know that," Hicks replied, "but I care some 
 thing about him." And he waited. 
 
 The speaker, who was Senator Paxton, came down 
 into the lobby. Hicks rushed over and extended 
 his hand. 
 
 "I am Mr. Hicks, Senator," he said, "Mr. T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks of Salestown, and I want to 
 shake you by the hand and tell you how much in 
 spiration I get from your magnificent speeches." 
 
 The tired campaigner looked at this ardent young 
 man curiously. 
 
 "Well, son," he said, "I m glad you like em. 
 What did you say your name is?" 
 
 "T. Marmaduke Hicks, of Salestown." 
 
 "Glad you like em"; repeated the Senator. 
 "Come and see me if you ever happen to be in 
 Washington." And he moved away.
 
 THE FAKERS 19 
 
 "There," exulted Hicks to his companion, "you 
 see what that means. He asked me to come and 
 see him in Washington. Like as not he ll get 
 McKinley to give me a big place after election." 
 
 "Huh," scoffed the other, "I can see him giving 
 you a place ! What a nerve you d have to ask him 
 for one." 
 
 Hicks looked at his friend compassionately. 
 "Charley," he said, "maybe he won t give me a 
 place, but you can bet your life it won t be because 
 he won t have an opportunity." 
 
 "Do you mean you re going to ask Billy Paxton 
 for a job?" 
 
 "Sure," Hicks replied. "I m doing a lot for 
 McKinley, and I know darn well that I won t get 
 anything for it unless I do ask. Besides he told me 
 to come and see him." 
 
 "Told you to come and see him," mimicked his 
 friend. "Why, I heard him tell that to forty other 
 people." 
 
 "That may all be," assented Hicks, genially, "but 
 perhaps the other thirty-nine won t accept the in 
 vitation."
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 AFTER the election Hicks wrote another 
 letter to Mark Hanna, recalling his own 
 efforts in the campaign, but generously 
 giving Mr. Hanna due credit. He re 
 ceived a short reply, thanking him for 
 his congratulations, a short letter signed with a fac 
 simile signature done by a rubber stamp. Hicks 
 carefully traced the rubber-stamp signature with a 
 pen, giving it the appearance of an autograph signa 
 ture, and showed the latter around Salestown as an 
 evidence of his political acquaintance with Hanna. 
 Also, he wrote to Senator Paxton, congratulating 
 him on his "noble efforts which had borne such 
 glorious fruit," and saying therein that he contem 
 plated an early visit to Washington, when he in 
 tended to call on the Senator and congratulate him 
 in person. The Senator wrote that he always was 
 glad to see his constituents, and Hicks carefully 
 preserved that letter. 
 
 He had decided to go into politics, to get an 
 office, to become a statesman. Judge William Per- 
 cival Smith advised him to take up stenography, 
 and seek a secretarial position first, and Hicks 
 thought that might be a good idea. He stopped 
 loafing, abandoned his law books, and applied him 
 self to shorthand. He could work when he wanted 
 to, and he spent hours over his stenography and 
 practicing on a typewriter. By inauguration time 
 
 20
 
 THE FAKERS 21 
 
 he was fairly proficient at taking dictation, and had 
 a good speed on the machine. 
 
 "Mother," he said at the dinner-table, one day 
 late in February, "I think I ll go down to see 
 McKinley inaugurated, and call on Senator Paxton." 
 
 "That will be nice," assented his adoring mother. 
 
 "Probably," continued Hicks, "I shall not come 
 back." 
 
 "Won t come back?" repeated his alarmed 
 mother. "Why, Tommie, what do you mean?" 
 
 "Oh, I guess I ll take some place under this new 
 administration. Mark Hanna and Billy Paxton 
 will get me a good job. I have letters from both 
 of them, you know." 
 
 "Mark Hanna," gasped his mother, "do you 
 mean Mr. Mark Hanna?" 
 
 "Sure; Mark Hanna; old friend of mine; fine 
 old chap, too, and knows I did a lot of work for 
 McKinley." 
 
 "What place will you take?" asked Mrs. Hicks, 
 gazing at her son in frank admiration. 
 
 "Oh, it s too early to say about that. Something 
 good." 
 
 "Don t you let them appoint you ambassador," 
 warned Mrs. Hicks. "I couldn t allow you to go 
 away off to a foreign country." 
 
 "Of course," responded Hicks, holding out his 
 plate for another piece of pie, "if they insist on my 
 taking an ambassadorship I suppose I would have 
 to oblige, but," and he smiled across at his mother, 
 "you needn t worry much about that, I guess. I ll 
 pick out something, and put up such a fight they ll 
 have to take care of me one way or another." 
 
 "Do you mean you won t be a lawyer?" and 
 Mrs. Hicks s voice broke a little, for she had 
 earnestly wished her son might follow in his father s 
 profession.
 
 22 THE FAKERS 
 
 "No," Tommie said, as he rose from the table, 
 "I ll be a lawyer, all right, but this opportunity is 
 too good to be lost." 
 
 That afternoon he went down to the office of the 
 Salestown Beacon. Grandison, the editor and pro 
 prietor of the Beacon, was engaged in setting the 
 type for some auction bills that meant ten dollars 
 cash when delivered, and he was not very cordial 
 when Hicks entered the composing-room. 
 
 "Mr. Grandison," began Hicks, "I am going 
 down to Washington to attend the inauguration 
 and see my old friends Mark Hanna and Senator 
 Paxton." 
 
 Grandison was cutting some leads, and he stopped 
 and looked at his visitor. "You don t say," he 
 commented. 
 
 "Yes, and it is quite probable I shall not return 
 for some time. In fact, I expect to enter the Gov 
 ernment service." 
 
 "Do tell," said Grandison, resuming his lead- 
 cutting. 
 
 "I thought," continued Hicks, "that you might 
 want to make mention of my departure in the 
 Beacon." 
 
 "I m busy, gol-durned busy." 
 
 "I see you are, and I thought I might help you 
 by writing the notice myself." 
 
 "Go ahead," said Grandison, "go as far as you 
 like. There s copy paper in there." 
 
 "Oh," said Hicks, easily, "I brought down a little 
 piece I fixed up on my typewriter. I ll put it on 
 the desk." 
 
 When Grandison had his auction bills on the 
 press he went to his desk and read the Hicks com 
 munication. He laughed a little, and hung it on 
 the copy-hook. Grandison liked Hicks, and so did 
 almost everybody in Salestown. Hicks attended to
 
 THE FAKERS 23 
 
 that. He desired to be everybody s friend, and 
 was, and while he welcomed reciprocity in his friend 
 ships he did not demand it as a requisite of con 
 tinuity. He paid no attention to rebuffs, nor to 
 ridicule, nor to sneers. If a man tried to be sar 
 castic at his expense Hicks blandly took the re 
 marks at their word value, and was grateful. He 
 was ubiquitous and urbane. Some of the village 
 folks said his hide was as thick as the hide of a 
 rhinoceros, and Hicks heard these comments with 
 a smile, and invariably sought a way to say some 
 thing complimentary about the detractor, or do him 
 a favor if the opportunity came. 
 
 Judge William Percival Smith read the notice 
 about Hicks when the Beacon came out on Thurs 
 day to Colonel Seth Howard, an old crony in the 
 Judge s office. 
 
 "Listen to this, Seth," chuckled the Judge, and he 
 began: "Our esteemed fellow-townsman, Mr. T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks, has in contemplation a trip to 
 Washington, the Capital of the Nation, to parti 
 cipate in the inauguration ceremonies incumbent on 
 the installation of William McKinley as President 
 of the United States. Mr. Hicks was active in the 
 campaign that culminated so gloriously in the elec 
 tion of Mr. McKinley, and his powerful efforts have 
 been recognized both by the Chairman, Mark 
 Hanna, of the Republican National Committee, and 
 by Senator William H. Paxton, of this State, as 
 well. Mr. Hicks has letters from both of these 
 distinguished statesmen inviting him to come to 
 Washington and it has been intimated that he will 
 receive from the new Administration an adequate 
 measure of reward for his valiant services in the 
 cause of the gold standard. We congratulate Mr. 
 Hicks on this auspicious and well-merited recognition
 
 24 THE FAKERS 
 
 both of his Republicanism, and of his success as a 
 political leader." 
 
 "There s only one thing lacking so far s I can 
 see," commented Colonel Seth Howard, after the 
 Judge had finished the paragraph. 
 
 "What s that?" asked the Judge. "It seems to 
 me to be a pretty reasonably complete statement of 
 the case." 
 
 "It ought to be signed by T. Marmaduke Hicks." 
 
 "Probably," continued the Judge, "but you must 
 say this for Tommie: He certainly doesn t lack 
 the nerve to push himself in anywhere he wants to 
 go and I wouldn t be surprised if, one of these days, 
 he ll get somewhere." 
 
 "He will," agreed Colonel Howard. "He ll get 
 somewhere. I don t know whether it will be in 
 the Senate or in jail, but he won t stand still, you 
 can bet on that." 
 
 "Oh, pshaw, Colonel," laughed the judge. "Don t 
 be too rough on him. He s a clever boy, and the 
 Congress of the United States, for example, is all 
 cluttered up with men who have developed to a 
 paying political basis just these traits we observe 
 in our young friend Tommie." 
 
 "I tell you he s a demagogue already, and he 
 ain t hardly dry behind the ears yet. I met him 
 the other day and what do you think he said to 
 me what do you think he said?" 
 
 "What did he say?" asked the Judge. "Tommie 
 is likely to say almost anything pleasant. Told 
 you you were getting younger every day, I suppose, 
 and that you are one of the great men of Sales- 
 town whose example and daily walk and conversa 
 tion are an inspiration to him." 
 
 "Well," admitted the Colonel, rather sheepishly, 
 "he did show some sense in those remarks, but 
 he got to talking politics and he said something
 
 THE FAKERS 25 
 
 like this" : and the Colonel rose stiffly and assumed 
 an oratorical position. 
 
 " Colonel, he said, Colonel, I feel that there 
 is a great opportunity for me in public life. I have 
 made a study of conditions and I have warmly re 
 solved to espouse the cause of the people, to help 
 lift the burdens of the toiling masses, to relieve them 
 of the oppressions that now dismay them, to lead 
 them into the sunlight of a happier day. 
 
 "Hooray!" cheered Judge Smith. 
 
 Yes, he said, the people are to be my first 
 concern. I shall address my abilities to the improve 
 ment of their political and social conditions. I shall 
 labor for them and with them. I have decided to 
 enter politics for no other purpose than to protect 
 the toiling masses from the cruel and rapacious 
 oppression of the Classes. 
 
 "Hooray!" shouted Judge Smith again. 
 
 "And what I want to know," continued the Colo 
 nel, "is how he squares that sort of a program 
 with his support of McKinley and the goldbugs?" 
 
 "My dear Colonel," answered the Judge. "He 
 doesn t have to square it. If he gets a job under 
 this Administration he ll forget it. If he doesn t 
 get a job he ll have nothing to square, for that, 
 naturally, will be his platform in the circumstances." 
 
 "A demagogue," insisted the Colonel again, "a 
 demagogue before he s dry behind the ears." 
 
 "Well," answered the Judge, "I guess that s so, 
 but so far as I can see, from this angle there seems 
 to be a better market for demagogism than any 
 other political commodity in these days." 
 
 "Humph," retorted the Colonel, who could think 
 of nothing better to say, and stalked out. He met 
 Hicks at the bottom of the stairs that led to the 
 street from Judge Smith s office.
 
 26 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Going to Washington, I see," the Colonel 
 greeted him. 
 
 "Yes, Colonel; that is my intention." 
 
 "Going to take a job under McKinley?" 
 
 "It may be." 
 
 "Now, look here, young man," and the Colonel 
 was indignant, "how in blazes are you going to 
 join out with this gold-bug administration and be 
 lieve in all that stuff about the common people you 
 handed to me the other day?" 
 
 "Why, Colonel," Flicks replied, suavely, "re 
 forms can be more easily accomplished from within 
 than from without the party organization. If the 
 people " 
 
 "Great God!" shouted the old man, "quit it. 
 Don t insult my intelligence by that sort of rot. 
 I ll tell you where you belong, not here in this com 
 munity, but out in the prairies with the Populists. 
 Good afternoon." 
 
 Hicks looked after him and laughed a little. 
 "There might be something in that, too," he said 
 to himself. 
 
 Hicks made his preparations and went to Wash 
 ington, where he arrived, with many thousands of 
 other people, on the night of March second, 1897. 
 He had written to a friend who had a place in one 
 of the departments, and had the address of a good 
 boarding-house. He secured a room, and spent the 
 next three days in happy enjoyment of the crowds, 
 the clamor, the parades, the fireworks, the glitter 
 and the glamour of an inauguration and its after 
 math. He called on Senator Paxton, found him 
 out, but secured a gallery ticket for the ordinary 
 sessions of the Senate from the secretary, and 
 jammed his way in on the busy March third and 
 saw the hurly burly of the closing hours of a Con 
 gress. He watched the proceedings carefully, tried
 
 THE FAKERS 27 
 
 to pick out the famous Senators on the floor, and 
 was somewhat hurt because Senator Paxton did not 
 send for him and give him a ticket admitting him 
 to the inauguration ceremonies in the Senate cham 
 ber and on the stand outside. However, he was 
 up early on March fourth, secured a good position 
 in the crowded place, and was much impressed with 
 the simple ceremony that made Mr. McKinley 
 President, and retired Grover Cleveland to private 
 life. 
 
 Senator Paxton was busy, exceedingly busy. The 
 change of administration from Cleveland to McKin 
 ley brought many patronage problems to him, and 
 he was early and eagerly trying to find places for 
 some of his leaders in the home State. Hicks 
 called three or four times a day at his office, but 
 each time was shunted off. He stood for hours in 
 the corridor waiting for Paxton to come out, un 
 conscious of the fact that the Senator had a side 
 door to his office through which he escaped from 
 the office-seekers. Hicks carried himself jauntily, 
 although secretly much depressed because of the 
 tardy recognition of his merits and claims, and ex 
 erted himself to make the Paxton corps of clerks 
 and secretaries his friends. He sat a good deal 
 in the outer office of the Paxton suite, reading the 
 papers, and waiting for the Senator, positively re 
 fusing to be turned away by any of the subordinates 
 who constantly assured him there was no chance 
 for him, and that he d better go home. 
 
 One day as Hicks was waiting in the outer office, 
 about two weeks after he arrived in Washington, 
 the door to the inner room opened and Senator 
 Paxton came out with a great bunch of papers in 
 his hands. 
 
 "Look here, Madden!" the Senator shouted to 
 his secretary, "you re a thousand miles behind with
 
 28 THE FAKERS 
 
 this correspondence What s the matter? Can t 
 you handle it? r 
 
 "I m doing the best I can with it," Madden an 
 swered, sulkily. "You don t seem to appreciate 
 that since McKinley came in your correspondence 
 has increased about six hundred per cent, and you 
 are making us handle it with the same old force." 
 
 "That s so," admitted Paxton. "I hadn t thought 
 of that. Get another stenographer, or a typewriter 
 or something, and clean it up." 
 
 Hicks started eagerly from his chair. "Senator," 
 he said, coming forward, "let me take hold of it." 
 
 "Who are you?" asked Paxton, brusquely. "I 
 never saw you before." 
 
 Hicks winced. "Oh, yes, you have," he replied. 
 "I met you out in Salestown, and you wrote to me. 
 I have the letter here." 
 
 He took out the well-worn letter. Paxton 
 glanced at it and smiled. "That won t get you very 
 far," he said. "Who are you?" 
 
 "I am T. Marmaduke Hicks, of Salestown, and 
 I am a competent stenographer and typewriter, and 
 I want a job with you." 
 
 Paxton looked at him. He saw a tall, well- 
 dressed young man, his eyes alight with eagerness, 
 a young man who had a bright face and an agreeable 
 manner. 
 
 "From Salestown, are you?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Who do you know there?" 
 
 "Everybody; I have studied law with Judge 
 William Percival Smith." 
 
 "Studied with Billy Smith, have you? Well, 
 that s a good start. Will he recommend you?" 
 
 "I think so." 
 
 Paxton turned to his secretary. "Madden," he 
 said, "wire Judge Smith at Salestown and ask him
 
 THE FAKERS 29 
 
 about this young man. If he s all right put him on 
 extra in the morning. We ve simply got to get 
 this mess of stuff cleaned up. Meantime, try him 
 out on the typewriter and see if he is any good. 
 Give him some of the form-letter stuff." 
 
 Paxton turned and went back to his room without 
 another look at Hicks. Madden said: "Pull off 
 your coat, young man, and get busy. Take that 
 machine over there and use these addresses for this 
 letter." 
 
 He handed Hicks a printed form. "Copy it 
 exactly," he ordered, "using these addresses, and do 
 them as neatly as you can, so the rubes will think 
 they have received a personal letter from the 
 Senator." 
 
 Hicks took the form letter and the list of ad 
 dresses, and began work at the typewriter assigned 
 to him, but his heart was heavy within him, for he 
 felt that his letter from Senator Paxton was a form 
 letter, also.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 JUDGE SMITH telegraphed to Senator 
 Paxton that Hicks was honest and smart, 
 came of a good family and had no bad 
 habits. He wrote at length detailing some 
 of the Hicksian personal characteristics, 
 and Senator Paxton read the letter, laughed, and 
 asked Madden: "How s he doing?" 
 
 "Pretty fair," the harassed Madden replied. 
 "He s a reasonably good typewriter, seems to be 
 intelligent, is willing to work and to learn, and com 
 panionable enough around the office, although he 
 doesn t underestimate his own abilities any." 
 
 "Judging from what Billy Smith says," com 
 mented the Senator, "he has several kinds of pep 
 in him, and may be worth watching. Put him on 
 temporarily and give him a good work-out." 
 
 Whereupon, T. Marmaduke Hicks became an 
 attache of the office of Senator William H. Paxton 
 at a wage of sixty dollars a month. Madden 
 thought he might remain two or three months, until 
 the great rush was over. Paxton dismissed him from 
 his mind. Hicks, himself, had no other idea than 
 a permanent billet in the office, and he was right. 
 He grew expert on the typewriter, practiced his 
 stenography assiduously, cultivated Madden in every 
 possible way, was willing to labor nights and Sun 
 days, and at the end of the third month was a fix 
 ture, and had his pay raised to a hundred dollars a 
 month, by the simple Paxtonian expedient of placing 
 
 30
 
 THE FAKERS 31 
 
 him on the Government roll as an assistant com 
 mittee clerk, which not only gave Hicks more money, 
 but relieved Paxton of the necessity of paying 
 Hicks s sixty dollars out of his own pocket. 
 
 Hicks had a natural bent for politics, and he 
 studied Paxton s methods carefully. He had a re 
 tentive memory, and applied it to all of the minor 
 matters that came up in the office. He remembered 
 names and dates and kept close track of the files. 
 He studied State patronage questions, briefed ap 
 plications, watched the Senate when he could, read 
 the newspapers assiduously, and kept in touch with 
 all important measures, and, especially, those in 
 which his chief was interested. He started a little 
 clipping bureau of his own, reading the State papers 
 closely for all articles and editorial comment having 
 a bearing on Paxton s activities, saved up small 
 items for the correspondents of the home news 
 papers and, before he had been there six months, 
 knew as much about the inside routine of the office 
 as Madden did, who had been with Paxton for 
 fifteen years. 
 
 One morning he arrived at the office at eight 
 o clock and, to his astonishment, found Senator Pax- 
 ton there, fussing and fuming for a stenographer. 
 
 "Where s Madden?" asked the Senator, crossly. 
 
 "He doesn t get here until nine o clock." 
 
 "Damn!" exploded Paxton. "I want to dictate 
 a few paragraphs of a speech." 
 
 "I can take it," said Hicks, eagerly. 
 
 "Are you a stenographer?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Come on, then, and don t hash it any more 
 than you can help." 
 
 Paxton dictated swiftly for half an hour. Hicks 
 concentrated every atom of intelligence he had on 
 his work and when Paxton had finished and ordered:
 
 32 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Make a carbon of it," Hicks went nervously to 
 his typewriter and began to translate his notes. 
 
 He handed the typewritten sheets to the Sen 
 ator, and stood anxiously by while the great man 
 read them. Every time the Senator made a pencil 
 mark on the paper Hicks felt his heart sink within 
 him, but he was radiant when the Senator said, after 
 he had finished reading: "Not so bad," and that 
 night, at the boarding-house, told his table com 
 panions that he was now the confidential stenog 
 rapher for Senator Paxton. 
 
 Six months later this statement became reason 
 ably true, for Hicks made himself so useful, and 
 worked with such earnestness and zeal and intelli 
 gence, that Senator Paxton appointed him assistant 
 to Madden, and increased his salary to sixteen hun 
 dred dollars a year by and with the aid of a friendly 
 contingent-expenses committee of the Senate, of 
 which the chairman was an old friend of the Sen 
 ator s. This enabled Hicks to move to another 
 boarding-house, and he chose the establishment of 
 Mrs. Lake. 
 
 Washington is freckled with boarding-houses. 
 There are sections of the Capital that resemble 
 Bloomsbury in London, where row after row of 
 what were once fashronable residences are now, 
 and were in Tommie s time, establishments of vary 
 ing merit as places of entertainment, occupied by 
 various grades of boarders, ranging from penurious 
 or precarious statesmen to clerks and other employ 
 ees in the service of the Government. The house 
 conducted by Mrs. Lake and her daughter was on 
 a good street and excellent of its kind. Mrs. Lake 
 was the widow of a man who had had some prop 
 erty, and more debts, and had been compelled to 
 support herself after the lawyers had finished the 
 work of settling the estate. She was well bred, a
 
 THE FAKERS 33 
 
 good housekeeper, and a woman of attractiveness 
 and ability. She was a wise boarding-house mis 
 tress. Her parlors and her dining-room and her 
 hall were well furnished. She knew the charm of 
 shaded lamps and cosy corners, and employed them 
 both numerously. Her rugs were good, her pic 
 tures copies of old masters, her service careful and 
 expert and her food, while not lavishly served, was 
 of the best quality and well cooked. The brass 
 door knobs always shone brightly, the small negro 
 who opened the door was immaculate in a blue uni 
 form and white cotton gloves, and had a welcoming 
 smile that was an essential part of his training. 
 Occasionally, Mrs. Lake entertained a transient, 
 sent by some former boarder, but most of her peo 
 ple stayed with her for long periods. 
 
 Tommie took a small room, on the top floor, 
 which he secured for sixty dollars a month, a sum 
 quite insignificant, as Mrs. Lake assured him, when 
 compared with the social advantages he would enjoy 
 while under her roof. These social advantages and 
 the resultant social requirements dawned on Hicks 
 on the first Friday night he dined at the boarding- 
 house. Everybody dressed for dinner on Friday 
 nights. It was the custom of the establishment. 
 
 To be sure, Mrs. Lake and her daughter dressed 
 for dinner every night and sat in regal state at a 
 small table near the door through which the wait 
 resses came into the room, thus giving a "real, 
 swell tone" to the establishment, as Mrs. Lake put 
 it, but the other guests not boarders guests ate 
 in their usual day costumes. Mrs. Lake rather in 
 sisted that the modish resources of the establish 
 ment should be displayed on one night of the week, 
 and it had come to be accepted that everybody 
 there should tog out in their very best on that night. 
 Usually, in order to give an added air of distinc-
 
 34 THE FAKERS 
 
 tion, Mrs. Lake served a canape of caviar that 
 night, instead of beginning the meal with the cus 
 tomary soup. 
 
 Tommie did not know of this custom, and he was 
 astounded when he came down to dinner on his 
 first Friday night, and found the women, some of 
 them in low-cut bodices, and some in bodices with 
 guimpes removed, but all with sections of more or 
 less fascinating necks and bosoms displayed, and the 
 men rigged out in dinner coats, evening coats, and 
 stiff white shirt fronts. Even the Texan, who had 
 made it a tenet of his politics not to wear a "dress- 
 suit," compromised between his principles and his 
 politeness by wearing a low-cut waistcoat beneath 
 the long and flowing frock coat in which he made 
 his impassioned appeals for the welfare of the peo 
 ple on the floor of the House of Representatives. 
 Tommie stared a little at the unwonted display of 
 elegance, but was neither disconcerted nor dismayed. 
 Instead he nodded cheerfully at the men and women 
 who were sitting stiffly in their chairs and toying 
 with their minute portions of caviar, and proceeded 
 easily to the table where Mrs. Lake and her 
 daughter sat, both regally arrayed. 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Lake," he said, "why didn t you 
 tell me everybody would dress up to-night?" 
 
 "Why, Mr. Hicks," that lady replied, "I sup 
 posed you knew. I am very sorry." 
 
 "Oh," laughed Tommie, "it is a matter of small 
 consequence. I ll know next time." 
 
 Next day Hicks started on his search for suit 
 able attire. After much consideration, he decided 
 to buy a dinner-coat, compromising between the de 
 mand of his position and the supply of his purse. 
 Tommie and his friends called the coat he bought 
 a Tuxedo. It was a good Tuxedo and it fitted him 
 well after a few alterations were made. Tommie
 
 THE FAKERS 35 
 
 knew Senator Paxton had his clothes made in New 
 York, and hoped to be able to patronize the same 
 tailor one day, but, for the present, he concluded a 
 ready-to-wear coat would do. 
 
 He spent an afternoon in the stores on F Street 
 shopping for suitable studs and cuff-links, and, after 
 beginning at the largest jewelry store, and pricing 
 real pearls, finished the expedition with the purchase 
 of some imitation pearls and buttons that matched. 
 The shop-keeper told him the imitations could not 
 be told from the genuine except by an expert, and 
 Tommie was sure there were no experts in his home- 
 circle. 
 
 He had consulted a friend at the Capitol about 
 a high hat, or, at least, a crush hat, to go with it, 
 but the friend had told him he could wear his derby 
 and be in good form and that gratified Tommie, 
 but he almost bought a crush hat. He had seen 
 pictures in the magazines that presented tall and 
 exquisitely dressed men, carrying crush hats in vari 
 ous modish crush-hat positions, and he felt it would 
 give him much added distinction if he could come 
 down to the big assembly-room in the boarding- 
 house with his hat carelessly, but gracefully, dis 
 posed beneath his arm, and, when going out, could 
 open it with a flourish and a pop at the door. 
 
 On the following Friday night he came down to 
 dinner ten minutes late, in order to give the others 
 ample time to be at their places, and made an im 
 pressive entrance, clad in his new clothes. He had 
 placed his handkerchief in his sleeve, for he had 
 observed that an under-secretary at one of the em 
 bassies, whom he had closely scrutinized while that 
 rising young diplomatist was talking to Senator Pax- 
 ton, carried his handkerchief in his sleeve. Tommie 
 looked around the room. So far as he could ob 
 serve no person there had his handkerchief in his
 
 36 THE FAKERS 
 
 sleeve, and Tommie saw to it that all near hi-m 
 were made aware of this crowning touch of ele 
 gance. Indeed, he took out his handkerchief so 
 often that one of his table companions, the motherly 
 wife of a Representative, asked anxiously whether 
 he had a cold and offered to supply him with a 
 remedy.
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 ICKS spent the next year and a half 
 comfortably with Mrs. Lake, labo 
 riously with Senator Paxton, and prof 
 itably to himself, in a way, for he skit 
 tered through a sort of law course in 
 a sort of a law school, devoting two nights or three a 
 week to the accumulation of such legal knowledge 
 as was dispensed at this institution. He made no 
 serious study of the law, because serious study of 
 any subject whatsoever, save his own aggrandize 
 ment, was foreign to the mind of Hicks. He 
 bought notes of lectures from Impecunious digs, 
 flattered and cultivated the professors and lecturers, 
 delivered semi-orations when called upon to tell 
 what he knew, and was on his way toward his 
 degree recommendation. 
 
 He did not care for the law, but he felt he needed 
 the law as a peg on which to hang his political am 
 bitions. He made a close study of politics, watch 
 ing Paxton s every movement Paxton was a master 
 politician and had it vaguely in mind to go some 
 where, after he had saved a little money, open a 
 law-office and depend on his skill as a handshaker 
 and his general alertness of mind and lack of 
 scruples to advance him in politics. He knew most 
 of the usual political tricks, for politics was his pas 
 sion, and he assayed the various artifices employed 
 by the men who seek votes for their values as 
 
 37
 
 38 THE FAKERS 
 
 vote getters rather than for their showing of prin 
 ciple and principles. 
 
 Hicks had learned one thing. He never offended 
 any person who might, possibly, do him any good, 
 and took whatever came from such sources with 
 smiles and thanks; and he never failed to impress on 
 those whom he considered on terms of equality with 
 himself his own advanced ideas of his personal im 
 portance and ability. His affability and urbanity 
 were famous in clerical circles at the Capitol; his 
 polite attention to his betters made him many 
 friends, and his complaisance and readiness to do 
 what was required of him led Paxton to use him, 
 more or less, in semi-important affairs. Madden, 
 of course, was the real operator for Paxton, the 
 man who stood with broad shoulders always ready 
 for any shifted responsibility, who ran such risks 
 as there were, and who was as loyal as he was 
 pliable. 
 
 Paxton s attitude toward politics and public ser 
 vices was that it is a game, with the people as 
 pawns. This, also, was the attitude of the men 
 associated with Paxton in the leadership of the 
 Senate and the direction of the House. That was 
 the atmosphere in which Hicks worked, and the 
 atmosphere he absorbed. Paxton, himself, was a 
 wise and likable person, who never went farther in 
 his philosophy of politics than to assert the theory 
 that the end justifies the means, and that power must 
 be retained by the organization at all hazards. He 
 was willing to do for the people whatever would 
 help the organization in the doing, and every act of 
 his and every act of his controlling associates in 
 the Congress was predicated on the political effect 
 that act would have on the personal and political 
 fortunes of himself and his friends. 
 
 Long years of experience with the selfish motives
 
 THE FAKERS 39 
 
 and desires and practises of the men in politics and 
 long years of observing the ease with which these 
 selfish and self-seeking men deluded the people had 
 given him a sort of humorous contempt for the 
 people as a whole, especially as to their politics and 
 the practise of it. He had accumulated a fortune 
 through politics, and he had assumed a philosophical 
 view of the game, as he called it, and took nothing 
 seriously that did not threaten his own continuance 
 as a leader of those who played the game with him. 
 He was under no delusions as to his colleagues. 
 He knew just how shallow their pretenses were, 
 how much of lip-service there was in their resound 
 ing promises on the stump and on the floor of the 
 Senate, how bogus it all was. So he continued at 
 it for the fun he had, and for the power it gave 
 him, and while he was as bogus as the rest of them, 
 so far as regard for the general good was con 
 cerned, he had the redeeming quality of knowing, 
 himself, exactly how bogus he was, and not assum 
 ing virtue. He had a sense of perspective, a sense 
 of humor, and a full working knowledge of all the 
 weaknesses, follies, ill-considered sentiment and lack 
 of knowledge among the populace. 
 
 "Undoubtedly," he said to Hicks one day, "un 
 doubtedly, Tommie, Mr. Lincoln was right when 
 he said you cannot fool all the people all the time, 
 but the limit hasn t been reached yet. A large 
 number of men in the politics of this country have 
 been at that business of fooling the people for a 
 great many years and haven t been caught yet. In 
 the long, the ultimate run, the contention may be 
 right, but no one of much consequence as a fooler 
 has been stopped thus far, to my knowledge." 
 
 Hicks pondered this and similar sentiments from 
 the cynical and contemptuous Paxton. He watched 
 the operations of the organization leaders in the
 
 40 THE FAKERS 
 
 Senate and saw them doing things, day after day, 
 that were planned carefully, and so executed, for 
 the effect they would have on the political, and 
 other, fortunes of the party and without regard 
 to any popular merit, except such as might in 
 cidentally accrue. He accepted this as the proper 
 theory of politics, and the wise theory, and he shaped 
 his own plans and actions thereby. He intended to 
 be a politician, to enter politics, and he had no other 
 idea of entering politics than the steadfast idea of 
 getting everything possible for Hicks by whatever 
 means might present themselves. He formed the 
 Hicks party, with himself as sole member, solely 
 to profit thereby, and resolved to operate along 
 those lines. 
 
 He was encouraged in his attitude by his occa 
 sional visits to Salestown, where the village people 
 looked on him as some sort of an extraordinary 
 person who was shaping the destinies of the Nation 
 in conjunction with the famous Senator Paxton. 
 Hicks tried out some tentative boasts and asser 
 tions of his importance on his old friends and was 
 amazed to see how unquestioningly they took as 
 true everything he claimed. Once, he made a speech 
 at an Old Home Day dinner. He began rather 
 modestly, for him, his recital of his activities at 
 the Capital, but, on observing the pleased acceptance 
 of his assertions by his auditors, threw off all re 
 straint and proclaimed himself as a most potent 
 power behind the throne. 
 
 "It is my good fortune," he spouted, "to be asso 
 ciated with these great men at Washington who are 
 directing the affairs of this Nation, to act with 
 them, to consult with them and to be consulted by 
 them, and I want to say to you, friends of my boy 
 hood days, that no one knows better than I the 
 unselfishness, the clear-sighted patriotism, the high
 
 THE FAKERS 41 
 
 nobility of purpose and the unfaltering determina 
 tion to conserve the welfare of the people of these 
 statesmen with whom I labor." 
 
 There was loud applause from everybody except 
 Colonel Seth Howard. 
 
 "Tommie," said that unbeliever, after the dinner, 
 "I thought the Constitution provides for no more 
 than two Senators from a State." 
 
 "Why, so it does, Colonel," replied Hicks. 
 
 "That s the way I read it," continued the Colonel, 
 "but I take it from your remarks our State has 
 three." 
 
 "Why, no, Colonel only two." 
 
 "I m glad to be reassured on that point, for I 
 gathered from what you said that you are acting 
 as a Senator for us, also." 
 
 Tommie laughed. "Oh, Colonel," he said, "I 
 am afraid you didn t listen closely to what I said." 
 
 "That s the trouble," snarled the Colonel, "I 
 was about the only one who did listen closely," and 
 he stumped away. 
 
 Tommie saw to it that the Beacon had a report 
 of that speech, and when the paper came in, put a 
 clipping of it among the other clippings he placed 
 on Senator Paxton s desk. 
 
 Paxton s eyes twinkled when he summoned Hicks 
 to his room. 
 
 "Tommie," he said, holding the clipping from the 
 Beacon in his hand, "I see that you have begun to 
 inculcate the true faith in the minds of the people." 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Hicks. 
 
 "Why, I have just been reading this report of 
 the speech you made up at Salestown. I couldn t 
 have done better myself in portraying the high and 
 patriotic aims of such workers in the vineyard of 
 the common people as are the instruments here at
 
 42 THE FAKERS 
 
 this Capital for ameliorating their woes. I con 
 gratulate you." 
 
 Tommie almost blushed. "Thank you, Senator," 
 he replied. "I am always glad to meet with your 
 approval." 
 
 Paxton laughed. "You are an apt student, 
 Hicks," he said, "an apt student. I think I can 
 make something out of you. Bring me in the mail." 
 
 Madden read the clipping, also. "Say," he said 
 to Tommie, after he had finished Hicks s glowing 
 account of his own performance, "you are wasting 
 your time around here." 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Tommie, for 
 Madden was a powerful factor in that office. 
 
 "I mean you re too good to be working as a 
 stenographer to a Senator any Senator or any 
 body else. A young man w T ho can get away with 
 that sort of guff as well as you can ought to be 
 out among the dear people. You are not deluding 
 anybody here, you know, but it is different outside." 
 
 "I don t understand you," Hicks replied, stiffly. 
 
 "Oh, all right," continued Madden, "but I un 
 derstand you. Now don t attitudinize to me. I 
 tell you there is a future for you in politics if you 
 get the right field for yourself." 
 
 Madden stopped, lighted a cigar, and looked out 
 of the window. 
 
 "I have been here for twenty years," he said, as 
 if talking mostly to himself, "and fifteen of those 
 years I have served with the Senator. I ve seen 
 them blow in, blow up and blow out by the hun 
 dreds. If there is any kind of a bunk artist, faker, 
 charlatan, demagogue, or other professional friend 
 of the people I haven t run across in my time it 
 is some new sort just invented. I tell you, Hicks, 
 you ve got the earmarks and all the tendencies and 
 all the traits for a successful career as a noble and
 
 THE FAKERS 43. 
 
 self-sacrificing citizen who is actuated by the sole 
 desire to aid the common people. You could bring 
 yourself to love them. I know it." 
 
 "But " began Hicks. 
 
 "Oh, but nothing!" interrupted Madden. "There 
 are no buts about it. If there ever was a man 
 born to handshake and talk his way to a good place 
 on the payroll that man is yourself, Hicks, and I 
 don t say this to your disparagement, for I admire 
 your abilities. You are a born friend of the people. 
 It is congenital with you. You can t escape it. It 
 is your manifest destiny. Moreover, you are 
 rapidly acquiring all the knowledge and details of 
 that pious profession, and it s a shame for you to 
 stay here pounding the typewriter when you might 
 be out uplifting the dear, common people from the 
 Slough of Despond, to your own subsequent advan 
 tage, both politically and financially." 
 
 "I think you misjudge me, Mr. Madden," Hicks 
 began again, "I certainly do not feel that my prin 
 ciples should be weighed in any such sordid scale 
 as that " 
 
 "Misjudge you!" broke in Madden. "That line 
 of talk you have just begun stamps my judgment as 
 infallible. Let me have that file of letters about 
 the Redding case." 
 
 Hicks brought the Redding file. He thought a 
 good deal that day of what the Senator and Madden 
 had said. In his opinion their ideas on his abilities 
 and tendencies, to say nothing of his ambitions, were 
 couched in terms that might have been more deli 
 cately put, but, on the whole, he had not much com 
 plaint, for if two such experts as Paxton and Mad 
 den were beginning to consider him adroit enough 
 to make his way with the populace he felt he might 
 be progressing. 
 
 And, when the correspondents came in that after-
 
 44 THE FAKERS 
 
 noon to see if there was any news for home con 
 sumption, Tommie handed each of them a type 
 written excerpt from the Beacon s account of his 
 speech. He had early learned that political suc 
 cess depends, to a large extent, on keeping on friendly 
 terms with the sources of publicity. The reporters 
 all made paragraphs about the speech, which went 
 with the day s news grist, and some of these 
 were printed, to the great delight of Hicks and to 
 the great amusement of Senator Paxton and 
 Madden.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 HICKS remained with Mrs. Lake* but he 
 had expanded a bit. He had taken a 
 larger room, on the second floor, and 
 had fitted this up as he thought a room 
 should look. He had a banjo on the 
 wall, and he couldn t play a note on it. He had 
 a guitar standing in a corner, and so far as he was 
 concerned, it might as well have been in Senegambia 
 for all the music he could make on it. He had 
 Indian clubs over the mantel, and couldn t swing 
 them to save his life. A pair of foils hung under 
 a picture of "No Cross; No Crown" that went 
 with the room, and Tommie didn t know which end 
 he would grasp if he had to use one. He had 
 picked up a snow-shoe, and it was displayed con 
 spicuously near the door, and he had no idea whether 
 snow-shoers used one or two shoes in their progress. 
 A pair of "Harvard" pennants had the place of 
 honor opposite the entrance. Hicks always- con 
 sidered himself a sort of a Harvard man, for he 
 would have been one if his father had not died, 
 and he spoke of "dear old Harvard" whenever he 
 was sure no one was present who had been to Cam 
 bridge. Once, while looking in the window of a 
 pawnbroker, he had been sorely tempted to go in 
 and buy a Greek-letter fraternity pin displayed 
 there, but he refrained. He knew he might, one 
 day, run across a real member of the fraternity 
 
 45
 
 46 THE FAKERS 
 
 entitled to wear that pin, and he felt he wasn t quite 
 up to negotiating a grip and password and all that. 
 
 One day, while browsing in a second-hand store, 
 he came across a framed photograph of President 
 McKinley, which was signed "Yours truly, William 
 McKinley, July 16, 1897." It was one of the 
 hundreds of such photographs signed by every Presi 
 dent, and it had fallen into the hands of the junk 
 man. Hicks bought it, had it reframed and hung 
 it in his room. He spoke of the picture frequently 
 and told how President McKinley gave it to him 
 when he visited him at the White House. "An old 
 friend of mine from boyhood up," he would say, 
 as if he were on the closest terms of intimacy with 
 the President. From time to time he added other 
 photographs to his collection, but put up none but 
 pictures of prominent men and, as soon as the pic 
 ture was hung, the pictured one became the long 
 time friend of T. Marmaduke Hicks. 
 
 He was popular in the boarding-house. He was 
 good-looking, and lively. He had an emphatic way 
 of speaking, using many gestures to make his point, 
 which in almost every instance concerned himself, 
 and he never hesitated to exaggerate to make him 
 self heroic. He was skilful at this, and usually 
 managed to have an element of truth in what he 
 said in case any one disputed him too harshly. He 
 was an adroit flatterer and paid particular attention 
 to the ladies, talking to them and fussing over 
 them, and they, to the last one, pronounced him a 
 most charming young man and sang his praises 
 wherever they went. He would let an old lady 
 bore him for an hour with her quavering story 
 of her troubles and pains and aches, if he thought 
 she would say a good word about him some time. 
 And they all did. When he was talking, and saw 
 an expression on the face of one of his listeners
 
 THE FAKERS 47 
 
 that betokened doubt, or even incredulity, he im 
 mediately shaped his conversation to convince that 
 doubter, and directed the force of his argument or 
 narrative to him. 
 
 As in all boarding-houses the boarders gathered 
 around the piano at night and sang all sorts of 
 songs, from hymns to coon songs. Hicks had a 
 voice with two or three good notes in it, but he 
 could not carry a tune, nor sing anything alone. 
 He knew just when these notes would carry, and 
 came out strongest and loudest, and he used them 
 every time he had a chance. He never knew the 
 words of a song, but faked them, bumbling along, 
 until he could throw in one of his good notes. 
 When he was asked to sing a solo he laughed and 
 protested he couldn t think of it. Modesty forbade. 
 
 The custom of dressing for dinner on Friday 
 nights was scrupulously observed, and Tommie, dis 
 carding his ready-to-wear dinner jacket, had secured 
 a full-dress regalia and wore it with much effective 
 ness. He was tall, and of good figure, and at 
 tracted attention at such functions, aside from the 
 regular Friday night affair, as he attended. These 
 were not many, for Flicks did not seek much after 
 society. He was busy learning politics and with 
 his law and his work for Paxton. He had been to 
 a White House reception or two, and went occasion 
 ally to the theater, taking, in regular succession, the 
 various unattached ladies who lived with Mrs. Lake. 
 
 One Tuesday night, after all the regular guests 
 were seated in the dining-room, and Hicks had be 
 gun to explain, learnedly, to his table companions, 
 what was the exact political significance of a meas 
 ure pending in the Senate, Mrs. Mamie, a business 
 woman who was one of the regular boarders, in 
 terrupted him with a long drawn: "Oh h h." 
 Tommie looked at her. She was staring with
 
 48 THE FAKERS 
 
 widened eyes at a man and a woman who stood 
 in the doorway. Tommie turned, and stared, also, 
 as did everybody in the room. The soup was neg 
 lected. 
 
 The woman entered, followed by the man. They 
 walked down the center of the room, looking at 
 nobody, and, apparently, unconscious of the presence 
 of any persons there save themselves. 
 
 "Gee!" said Hicks, half aloud, "a corker." 
 
 The woman was tall and dark. She wore, with 
 much effectiveness, a black, spangled gown, cut with 
 a low "V" both back and front. The train was 
 long, the gown obviously a late Paris creation, and 
 the spangles, which shimmered softly in the shaded 
 light of the dining-room, were so closely set to 
 gether that they gave out a little soothing, rustling 
 sound as she moved. Her arms were bare and 
 white and round. Her gown was molded so closely 
 to her figure that every curve was accentuated and 
 she was sinuous and graceful, undulating her hips 
 slightly, carrying herself with exceeding grace and 
 advancing with a glide rather than a walk. Her 
 neck and shoulders were creamy white, her black 
 eyes flashed brilliantly, and she exhaled a slight 
 perfume that seemed to be the combined odors of 
 many flowers. Her purplish-black hair was done 
 into an elaborate coiffure, which held a rhinestone 
 ornament that glistened and sparkled. She wore 
 no color of any kind, save one red rose at her waist, 
 a little on her cheeks, and plenty on her lips, which 
 were vividly crimson and contrasted sharply with 
 the healthy pallor of her cheeks. 
 
 "Jee-ru-salem!" whispered Hicks to Mrs. Mar- 
 nie, "that s the most stunning woman I ever saw." 
 
 "Sh-h-h!" Mrs. Marnie whispered back. "Don t 
 talk. Look." 
 
 The man was big and blonde. He wore even-
 
 THE FAKERS 49 
 
 ing clothes, correct to the smallest detail. When 
 they reached their table, which, evidently, Mrs. 
 Lake had allotted to them previously, he pulled back 
 the chair for her with elaborate courtesy, bowed to 
 her after she was seated and helped her arrange 
 her draperies. 
 
 "Merci!" she said to him, prettily, looking up 
 and smiling. 
 
 "Lucky dog," said Tommie to himself. 
 
 The man bowed to Mrs. Lake, made another 
 bow that included the rest of the room, sat down 
 and began a conversation with the woman in French. 
 He talked in a low voice, but all those in the room 
 heard him, for no other person said a word, and 
 all were staring. The woman replied vivaciously 
 in the same language, using her hands in pretty 
 gestures and shrugging her bare shoulders expres 
 sively and frequently. Apparently, the man s con 
 versation was interesting, for she punctuated what 
 he said with frequent tinkling laughs, and often 
 turned to him in smiling enjoyment of what he was 
 saying. 
 
 "They re just come back from abroad," Mrs. 
 Marnie whispered to Hicks, for Mrs. Marnie went 
 to Paris frequently in the course of her business 
 and knew French herself. "They are talking about 
 some of the places they have been to and the big 
 people they have visited. He has been recalling a 
 time when they were at a villa at Deauville staying 
 with some French fashionables and they ve said 
 some things about being in Russia, too." 
 
 "Not Americans, then?" asked Tommie. 
 
 "Oh, yes, I guess they are," Mrs. Marnie re 
 plied, "but they have been abroad for a long time." 
 
 The man and the woman paid no attention to 
 the others in the room, although it was apparent 
 that the woman was acting a little to make an
 
 50 THE FAKERS 
 
 impression, and she was successful. Some of Mrs. 
 Lake s dinner was uneaten that night. The wait 
 resses came and went, removing half-consumed food, 
 for the other women in the room were making de 
 tailed analyses of this woman with their eyes, and 
 commenting on her in low tones, and were too busy 
 at that pleasing occupation to eat much. 
 
 "Looks like a regular Frenchwoman to me," said 
 Tommie. 
 
 "You never can tell," the wise Mrs. Marnie re 
 plied, "but that s a French rig she has on. You may 
 be sure of that." 
 
 After they had finished their meal the man rose, 
 helped the woman with her chair, waited deferen 
 tially until she had preceded him and, bowing 
 again to those in the room, followed her as she 
 swept out, her spangles rustling in cadence to her 
 graceful movements. 
 
 As soon as they had passed through the door the 
 room buzzed with comment. "Who are they?" 
 chorused the boarders at Mrs. Lake. 
 
 "Mr. and Mrs. Hugo de Mountfort Lester," 
 Mrs. Lake replied. "They are here for a short 
 stay, and are foreigners, I think, for they talk 
 mostly in French." 
 
 The boarders gathered in the big hall, around the 
 fireplace, and discussed the Lesters. The women 
 took acute stock of her costume, her figure, her 
 hair, her general appearance, her reddened lips, her 
 gestures and her shrugs; and the men contented 
 themselves with expressions of the broad general 
 view that Mrs. Lester "certainly is a peach." They 
 did not come down again and at ten o clock Hicks 
 went up to his room. He repeated the name over 
 many times: "Hugo de Mountfort Lester." 
 
 "By George!" he said, as he turned out his light,
 
 THE FAKERS 51 
 
 "I d like to know that woman. She s a corker a 
 regular stunner. I wonder who they are." 
 
 Hicks dallied over his breakfast, hoping the Les- 
 ters would come down, but they did not. Mrs. 
 Lake explained, after he had made a casual in 
 quiry about the new guests, that they had arranged 
 to take their breakfast in their room, saying they 
 had lived in France so long that they preferred 
 the Continental meal of coffee and rolls. They were 
 discussed again at the tables. The women generally 
 concluded Mrs. Lester was French, although one 
 or two thought she must be a Russian, as she had 
 used a few phrases of that language, or of what 
 they took to be that language, the night before. 
 The man, undeniably, was an Englishman. All 
 were agreed upon that. 
 
 Tommie usually took his luncheon at the Capitol, 
 but he made an excuse to Madden about some papers 
 left in his room, and came to the boarding-house in 
 the hope of having another look at Mrs. Lester. 
 As he turned in at the house Mrs. Lester came out 
 on the porch. She was dressed in a blue, tailored 
 suit, adequately planned to display the numerous 
 perfections of her figure to the best possible ad 
 vantage. She wore a chic little French hat and 
 she made altogether the most entrancing bit of 
 fashionable femininity Hicks had ever seen. She 
 had a big squat, ugly bulldog on a leash, tugging 
 along ahead of her, and she was saying pretty, en 
 dearing things to him in French, calling him her 
 baby and her darling, and otherwise lavishing affec 
 tion on him that was not appreciated, for the dog 
 tried valiantly to get away from his mistress to 
 proceed on adventures of his own up the street. 
 
 Mrs. Lester s eyes sparkled, her cheeks had just 
 a touch of red in or on them, her manner was 
 vivacious, and her one-sided conversation with the
 
 2 THE FAKERS 
 
 bull-dog animated. Tommie racked his brain for 
 something in French to say to her. All he could 
 think of was a la carte, and he knew that wouldn t 
 do. Mrs. Lester, apparently, did not look at him. 
 She leaned gracefully back against the tugging of 
 the dog on the leash, a fascinating picture. 
 
 Just as she started down the short flight of steps 
 leading from the porch to the ground Tommie had 
 a thought. 
 
 "Bong joor," he said, lifting his hat. 
 
 She turned her head and smiled a bright little 
 smile. "Good morning," in musical English, she 
 saluted, cheerily, and ran along with the dog. 
 Tommie was quite pleased with himself. He didn t 
 know exactly what his "bong joor" meant, but he 
 thought it had answered the purpose. That night 
 he sought an opportunity to talk to the Lesters, 
 but they went immediately to their room after din 
 ner, and next day they left. Mrs. Lake said they 
 had been called out of town. The picture of Mrs. 
 Lester and her dog remained long with Tommie. 
 He often thought about her and wondered if he 
 ever would see her again. So far as the boarding- 
 house was concerned, the Lesters vanished com 
 pletely. They did not tell the landlady where they 
 were going, and, presently, everybody forgot them 
 everybody but T. Marmaduke Hicks.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE Spanish war came, with its exciting 
 days, and Hicks was kept at the Capitol 
 with Senator Paxton, almost continu 
 ously. He thought of enlisting in order 
 to gain a war record to aid him in his 
 future political adventures, but was deterred by 
 stories of long waits for ambitious and embryo 
 heroes at camps where the principal fighting seemed 
 to be with typhoid fever and the assurances of Sen 
 ator Paxton that the war wouldn t last long enough 
 to enable anybody to get any glory out of it. Be 
 sides, Tommie was intrinsically no hero. His con 
 ception of the situation was that he could be of 
 greater service to his country and himself by 
 confining his fighting to the bloodless arena of poli 
 tics rather than going to the jungles of Cuba for 
 that futile purpose. 
 
 Peace was concluded. The Cuban and the Philip 
 pine problems obtruded, and then came the morn 
 ing when Senator Paxton made his rescue of the 
 child of the avenue. A few days after Hicks s 
 presentation of the episode through the columns of 
 the Evening Dispatch, Paxton called Madden in. 
 Madden was on the most confidential terms with 
 Paxton. He had been with him for fifteen years, 
 and had come to be the Senator s political executive 
 as well as his intimate adviser. Paxton had given 
 him every test for loyalty, and Madden never had 
 failed to prove true blue. His principal interest 
 
 53
 
 54 THE FAKERS 
 
 in life was to be of service to Paxton, and his chief 
 ambition to do, as Paxton would have it done, each 
 task Paxton put on him. He had much of political 
 shrewdness, and while he lacked initiative, once in 
 structed, he was a marvel at performance. 
 
 "Bert," said the Senator, "have you sounded out 
 young Hicks lately?" 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "Have you had any conversations with him about 
 his future. What has he in mind?" 
 
 "I think he intends to pick out some place in 
 our State, or another, take up the practise of law 
 and go into politics." 
 
 "Has he selected a city?" 
 
 "Not yet, so far as I know. He is saving his 
 money, and plugging at the law, but I suppose he 
 wants to stay here for a while yet." 
 
 "Oh, I don t want to get rid of him. He amuses 
 me, and he interests me, and he s useful, too. It 
 isn t often that an old, track-sore, tired politician 
 like myself finds both amusement and aid in an 
 assistant not thinking of you, Madden not at 
 all. I like him. ; 
 
 "So do I," said Madden. "He s a constant joy 
 to me. He ll glad-hand and talk himself into some 
 thing good one of these days." 
 
 "That s my idea. I see possibilities in him. 
 He s fresh, of course, and bumptious and a bit 
 blatant, but, potentially, he s the ideal friend-of- 
 the-people politician. He s smart, and adaptable 
 I might say ductile and I never knew a young man 
 who so continuously kept his eye on the main chance. 
 Have you ever observed any signs of scruple about 
 him?" 
 
 "Never. What he wants is to get along, and 
 he ll get along, too, if he has half a show. He s 
 the brightest kid we ve had in this place since I ve
 
 THE FAKERS 55 
 
 been here, barring his rind, and his constant ex 
 ploitation of himself, but he does his work well, 
 and, say, the climbing mother of a fashionable 
 debutante is a mere amateur compared to Hicks 
 when it comes to getting publicity. He took part 
 in a moot court the other night and you d think, 
 to see the accounts of it, it was the President him 
 self, instead of Hicks, who was there." 
 
 "I have observed that phase of his activities, and 
 that helps to make him the best possible person to 
 use in an experiment I have in mind." 
 
 "What sort of an experiment?" asked Madden, 
 wondering what whimsical idea his chief was 
 harboring. 
 
 "The experiment of proving that a man of his 
 peculiar abilities can make a great success in politics 
 by following a certain course of action in a certain 
 way. It has been proved often enough, but not 
 scientifically, Bert, not scientifically. Hundreds of 
 men have done what I have in mind for him to 
 do, but their actions and the results therefrom have 
 been sort of haphazard, except in a few instances. 
 They just happened on the scheme that gave them 
 success. What I desire is to aid a deliberate at 
 tempt at proving my theory that the greatest popular 
 success in politics can be attained by entirely super 
 ficial methods. Do you follow me?" 
 
 "Not exactly." 
 
 "Well, take a look around the Senate. Observe 
 Jaxon, who is nothing but a noise, but a noise that 
 is always noisy when the dear people are concerned. 
 Look at Bogardus, as arrant a demagogue as ever 
 came to this Capitol, and he is returned times with 
 out number because he is continually blatting about 
 what he is doing for the general uplift. Watch 
 McPhyle for a little. Totally without ability ex 
 cept for stringing words together, he has talked
 
 -56 THE FAKERS 
 
 himself to the top by the simple expedient of howl 
 ing stridently about virtue and proclaiming himself 
 the only honest man. What do you think of Somer 
 set, who is tied up with a dozen corporations, and 
 who gets away with it by constantly braying his 
 antagonism to all trusts not specifically on his list 
 of retainers, and Anstrutter, who secures his by 
 his reputation of rugged, sterling honesty, and his 
 assumption of the plain-as-an-old-shoe pose, when 
 he is luxurious as a sybarite and crooked as a dog s 
 hind legs? 
 
 "There are dozens, scores, hundreds more of them 
 four-flushers, trimmers, hypocrites, humbugs; 
 playing both ends against the middle; posing as 
 religious and pious, and, in reality, foul and vicious; 
 howling for restriction of the liquor traffic because 
 that is endorsed by the good people at home, and 
 doing their best to restrict it here, and elsewhere, 
 by drinking all they can buy or can get others to 
 buy for them; espousing every measure favored by 
 church people, and obscene in their daily walk and 
 conversation; grafters, who yammer of their purity 
 and pester to death for money some of us who are 
 not so virtuous, and willing to sell their votes or 
 their souls for it; men who roar from every stump 
 of their labors for the people and roar behind the 
 closed doors of every committee-room, and their 
 own offices, for their share of the graft; men who 
 are so cheap they can be bought by special favors, 
 by loaning them a few filthy dollars; men who 
 haven t an honest conviction on any subject and 
 who are willing to resort to any expedient to hold 
 themselves in office men but, pfaugh, why go on? 
 These are the sort of people the people the people 
 send to Washington to represent them." 
 
 "What have these to do with Hicks?" asked 
 Madden, as the Senator paused.
 
 THE FAKERS 57 
 
 "This: There are the processes by which these 
 men retain themselves in politics. Most of them 
 are crude workers. They all had about the same 
 raw materials Hicks has, and have developed them, 
 each along his own lines. Each has his good points 
 as a political faker, and each has his weaknesses. 
 Now, here is what I have in mind: Why not, 
 knowing these men and many others like them as we 
 do why not make a scientific, exact compilation of 
 all their excellencies as fakers, discarding their weak 
 points, and then combine all those good points in 
 the practices and purposes of one man?" 
 
 "Do you mean Hicks?" 
 
 "Hicks is exactly the person I do mean. He is 
 the biggest potential political faker I ever saw. He 
 has it in him. He can get about anything he wants 
 if he will play the game as I shall outline it to 
 him. I m old, and I m tired. I want to be amused 
 and I d just as lief amuse myself at the expense of 
 the people who deserve nothing but what they allow 
 themselves to get as any other way. What do you 
 think?" 
 
 "I am afraid I don t understand, exactly." 
 
 "Well, let me make it specific: Suppose I say 
 to Hicks that I will finance him to a reasonable 
 extent and send him out to some good town, to live 
 there, and practise law. Suppose I get some fun 
 out of it by coaching him, and as the result of my 
 coaching and yours, Madden, for you know this 
 game and his natural abilities, we make a foray 
 into politics, Hicks to get the rewards, and Paxton 
 to have the fun. Don t you think we could put 
 something over?" 
 
 "It might be done," answered the conservative 
 Madden. 
 
 "Might?" exclaimed Paxton. "Where s your 
 imagination, Madden! Might? Why, man, it s
 
 J 58 THE FAKERS 
 
 being done every day of every year by men who are 
 working by impulse instead of being scientifically 
 directed and managed. Men are getting to Wash 
 ington who are mere clumsy amateurs at this friend- 
 of-the-people game. With Hicks properly located 
 and properly instructed there would inevitably re 
 sult a triumph of political fakery that would amaze 
 even us, accustomed as we are to the outcome of 
 such propaganda. I tell you, Madden, we can 
 erect, direct, own and operate a first-class tribune 
 of the pee-pul." 
 
 "By George!" said Madden, "I believe we could, 
 and have a heap of fun out of it, too. But what 
 do you want Hicks to do?" 
 
 "Nothing nothing on God s green earth he 
 wouldn t do himself, with this difference: What 
 he does he will do accurately; those he does he will 
 do scientifically, without lost motion or scattered 
 effort, and in full accord with the latest standards. 
 He will have the expert instruction of William H. 
 Paxton, who knows a few things about this great, 
 bogus game, and how it is played and is pretty 
 thoroughly disgusted with the game, the players and 
 the played, which, as I have remarked, are the 
 people, the dear, common people; commoner, even, 
 Madden, than you imagine." 
 
 "Oh, I don t know about that," said Madden. 
 "I am pretty well aware of that phase of it." 
 
 "Well, then, why hesitate to give your approval 
 to this socio-politico-Hicksico experiment? Come 
 on! We ll organize a corporation and I ll be the 
 board of directors and take my dividends in amuse 
 ment. Hicks can be the promoter and reap his 
 reward in promotion profits, and you can be the 
 advisory committee and get the subsidiary incre 
 ment. What do you say?" 
 
 "All right!" Madden was enthusiastic for
 
 THE FAKERS 59 
 
 him. "It has possibilities, but," and his natural 
 caution obtruded, "do you think Hicks will stay 
 put?" 
 
 "Oh, I guess so, but, even if he doesn t, that 
 is one of the phases of the game. When you 
 gamble, Madden, you must take a chance. I think 
 he will, for he knows where his interests lie better 
 than any young person of my acquaintance." 
 
 "Have you talked to Hicks?" 
 
 "Not yet, but send him in when he has some 
 leisure." 
 
 Madden went to the outer office. Hicks was 
 filing some letters. 
 
 "Tommie," he said, "the Senator would like to 
 see you." 
 
 "Do you want me, Senator?" asked Hicks, soon 
 afterward. 
 
 "Yes. Sit down/ 
 
 Hicks took a chair, wondering what the Senator 
 had in his mind. He hoped he was to get an in 
 crease in salary. He was fearful he was to be 
 disciplined for the rescue incident. 
 
 The Senator looked at his assistant secretary for 
 half a minute. He noted his long hair, brushed 
 back from the forehead; the flowing tie; the gen 
 eral air of a modified political make-up. Then he 
 took an inventory of Hicks s face. He saw a 
 broad, low forehead, a fair nose, a clear complexion. 
 The lips were large and full, and the lower one 
 slightly pendulous. The chin was just a chin, with 
 no strong characteristic. Paxton dwelt longest on 
 the eyes. They were small eyes, set close together, 
 hard eyes with greenish glints in them. Hicks 
 smiled. He had a pleasant smile, that lighted up 
 his face and made him appear affable and good- 
 natured. But there was no smile in the eyes. 
 With a better mouth the face would have been a
 
 60 THE FAKERS 
 
 strong one, but with those eyes and that mouth it 
 was the face of a youth willing to do whatever 
 was necessary, and to consider necessary whatever 
 there was to do. 
 
 "Tommie," he asked, finally, "what are your 
 plans?" 
 
 "Nothing new, Senator; I am studying law nights, 
 and trying to fit myself for practise." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "I haven t decided. I am considering several 
 places." 
 
 "Probably you have an idea of entering politics, 
 also?" 
 
 "Why, yes, I have thought of that." Hicks won 
 dered what the Senator was leading to, for he knew 
 Paxton never asked such questions to gratify a 
 casual curiosity. 
 
 "Have you looked over Rextown?" 
 
 "Rextown? Why, Rextown isn t in our State?" 
 
 "I know, but it may be that opportunities exist 
 elsewhere in this great Republic than in our im 
 perial commonwealth?" 
 
 "Possibly," Hicks replied, at a loss to under 
 stand the drift of the conversation. 
 
 "Probably," continued Paxton. "In fact, abso 
 lutely. Now, I happen to know some things about 
 Rextown, and it seems to me an ideal place for a 
 young and aspiring lawyer, and an embryo states 
 man to make the scene of his operations." 
 
 "Is it?" 
 
 "Yes; it s just the place for you, particularly if 
 you desire to go into politics, as you say you do, 
 and as I think you should do. Let me suggest that 
 you go to Rextown, and join the Democratic party." 
 
 Hicks jumped from his chair. 
 
 "Join the Democratic party!" he exclaimed. 
 "Why, Senator, I am a Republican, my father was
 
 THE FAKERS 61 
 
 a Republican and helped organize the Republican 
 party and you are a Republican. What do you 
 mean?" 
 
 "I mean exactly what I say. Go to Rextown and 
 join the Democratic party." 
 
 "But I am a Republican and so are you," pro 
 tested Hicks. 
 
 "I know; I know. I am too old to reform, but 
 you are not. You are young and facing the future. 
 I am elderly and principally concerned with trying 
 to forget the past. I have been attracted by your 
 brightness of mind and general adaptability to your 
 environment. I have thought a good deal about 
 you. I suggest Rextown entirely in the capacity of 
 an old and, mayhap, astute observer who takes you 
 up on a mountain and shows you things below that 
 you may obtain. You have ambitions. I have 
 nothing better to do at the moment than to make 
 a few suggestions in an entirely friendly manner, 
 that may help you to realize those ambitions. Do 
 you know anything at all about Rextown?" 
 
 "Not much." 
 
 "Well, it is a fine, thriving city of about sixty 
 thousand people, and so strongly Republican that 
 no Democrat has been elected to anything out there 
 since the War." 
 
 "Then what s the use of being a Democrat?" 
 
 "I expected you to ask that. Rextown gives a 
 Republican majority of about four thousand, and 
 the outlying towns in Corliss County are practically 
 unanimous for the Grand Old Party. The result 
 is that every young man who goes there, and all 
 those who have grown up there, are Republicans, 
 either from conviction or for the sake of policy. 
 This is especially true of the young men, and the 
 older ones, who have office in mind. There s no 
 sense in being a Democrat there, looking at it in
 
 62 THE FAKERS 
 
 the light of getting an immediate or a possible some 
 thing out of politics for oneself, for a Democrat 
 hasn t a chance to land on the payroll. I assume 
 you think you would take a nomination in the full 
 ness of time." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "No doubt of it; not a doubt. However, there 
 is a phase of that situation that may not have oc 
 curred to you. In addition to yourself there will 
 always be scores of other Republicans who think the 
 same; who are, in their own minds at least, en 
 titled to office. Now, you can see what that means. 
 There will be vast competition for the nominations, 
 much work and worry and, taking previous services 
 and claims of natives and older men than you into 
 consideration, it is likely to be a long time before 
 you can make enough of an impression to get a 
 chance. It will be years before it is your turn." 
 
 Hicks looked incredulous. "Why," he said, "I 
 think I can 
 
 "I know you think you can, but you can t. Party 
 service and party obligation go a long way in 
 determining selection for the prizes of politics. 
 Also consider the fierce competition from these 
 hordes of other Republicans, all of them as eager 
 for political increment as you will be. My way is 
 surer than that." 
 
 "But you are a Republican," protested Hicks 
 again. 
 
 "I know I am, and I suppose I have no right to 
 be advising a young man to desert my party. How 
 ever, I d like to see the experiment made." 
 
 "I m afraid I don t understand you exactly," said 
 the amazed Hicks. 
 
 "It s simple enough. Here is a city largely Re 
 publican and a county almost overwhelmingly so. 
 There are hardly any Democrats. Still there are
 
 THE FAKERS 63 
 
 enough to keep up a semblance of an organization, 
 and to nominate men for the principal offices. These 
 men are named time after time and time after time 
 go down to defeat." 
 
 "And you think I should join that party? What 
 for? There s nothing in it." 
 
 "That s where you make a mistake. There s 
 everything in it. Inasmuch as you already hold all 
 our practical ideas about politics, I am showing you 
 the way to get results. Be a Democrat, I tell you. 
 There are only a few of them. They will welcome 
 a recruit, especially an alert young chap like you. 
 It will be the easiest thing in the world, after you 
 get some acquaintance, to secure any of those worth 
 less nominations you may choose, to become a local 
 Democratic leader, to be prominent in the party here 
 and in the county." 
 
 "But what good will it do me?" 
 
 "None for a time, probably, but, my son, sooner 
 or later, in every community like this, there comes 
 a turnover. Always there is a shift. The people 
 become disgusted with the party in power. They get 
 sore on the leaders. They rise, blindly, perhaps, 
 and unreasoningly, but effectively, and turn out 
 those leaders and that party. That is where you 
 would come in." 
 
 Hicks was leaning eagerly forward in his chair. 
 
 "Do you mean," he asked, "that if I join the 
 Democrats and stick it out I can win quicker that 
 way than if I stand by the Republican party." 
 
 "Exactly. The law of political averages proves 
 it. It is as certain as sunrise. All you have to do 
 is to hang on, take such nominations as you can 
 get, and then, when the auspicious moment arrives, 
 you can point to yourself as the patriotic person 
 who has made all these sacrifices in the past. You
 
 64 THE FAKERS 
 
 can demand your reward when there is a reward in 
 sight, and you can land top-side up." 
 
 "Do you think so, Senator, do you really think 
 so?" Hicks was excitedly interested. 
 
 "I know it. It is politics. It is history. You 
 can do it, providing " 
 
 "Providing what?" 
 
 "Providing you can bring yourself to abandon the 
 principles of the Republican party, which you revere, 
 the party your father helped organize, and become 
 a Democrat." 
 
 "I think that could be arranged." 
 
 "Certainly," Paxton continued. "Haven t you 
 often, as a result of your observations here, con 
 sidered the step of joining the opposition in order 
 to relieve the country of this saturnalia of profligate 
 extravagance and criminal disregard of the funda 
 mental rights of the people displayed by the pluto 
 cratic Republicans? Haven t you about made up 
 your mind that, in basic principles of Government, 
 the Democrats have the most patriotic and the most 
 logical foundation for their political beliefs and prac 
 tices? Haven t you always considered Thomas 
 Jefferson as one of the greatest of Americans?" 
 
 "Now that you refresh my memory I recall that 
 I have," Hicks answered, without a flicker of a 
 smile.
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 ICKS thought much over what the Sen 
 ator had said, and every hour of 
 thought he gave to the proposition 
 added to his eagerness to make a trial 
 of the Senator s theory. Backed by 
 Paxton, as he assumed he would he, he felt he could 
 not lose. That astute statesman had no idea he had 
 sown his seed in barren ground. He thought it 
 would be good fun to play this game with Hicks, and 
 when he came into his office next day he stopped 
 by the side of Hicks and said: 
 
 "Disciple of T. Jefferson, I salute you. I am 
 quite sure you have arrived at the very wise con 
 clusion that a man is entitled to change his political 
 principles when he is convinced of the greater pa 
 triotism, the greater statesmanship, the greater re 
 gard for the plain people shown by the other party. 
 It would be mere, blind partisanship, which is the 
 curse of this country, if he did not shift his alle 
 giance when convinced the greatest good for the 
 greatest number will ensue from such a change. 
 Am I right?" 
 
 "You are right, Senator," Hicks answered. "I 
 am for the people, and I am a Democrat." 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Paxton, slapping Hicks on 
 the shoulder. "Now come in and take a little 
 dictation." 
 
 Hicks went in, with his note-book and pencils, 
 
 65
 
 66 THE FAKERS 
 
 pulled out the shelf on one side of the Senator s 
 desk and waited. 
 
 Paxton lighted a cigar, fussed over some papers, 
 and leaned back and looked at the ceiling. 
 
 "Politics," he began, presently, "may be sepa 
 rated into two grand divisions : Practical politics 
 and impractical politics. Practical politics is the 
 kind that wins. Impractical politics is all other 
 kinds. Paragraph. 
 
 "Politics has many alibis. It is rarely practiced 
 under its own name except by those who are desig 
 nated as the unscrupulous bosses and their hench 
 men and heelers. All others who engage in politics 
 so engage because an unendurable condition of 
 national or local affairs demands their prompt 
 placing on the payroll in order that these abuses 
 may be corrected. Paragraph. 
 
 "Next to getting on the payroll, the important 
 object of politics is power. Power is important be 
 cause if you have power you can get the money. 
 At any rate, you can put others in the way of get 
 ting the money, and no politics is a success unless 
 somebody gets it. Paragraph. 
 
 "Politics makes strange bedfellows. All com 
 binations and associations you, personally, make 
 are excusable because you invariably make them 
 for the good of the people. Paragraph. 
 
 "Always be unselfish in politics. For example, if 
 called to choose between two offices, always take 
 the office to which you can be elected, even if it 
 be the lesser one, for any salary you can get is better 
 than any salary, however great, that you cannot get. 
 Paragraph." 
 
 Paxton stopped, puffed a little at his cigar, and 
 then began again: 
 
 "The greatest asset of the politician is the people. 
 Paragraph.
 
 THE FAKERS 67 
 
 "It is well to remember that while the people 
 may not always be right they are exceedingly nu 
 merous. Paragraph. 
 
 "Every politician should observe carefully what 
 the people think they demand and demand that 
 thing instantly, stridently and continuously. As the 
 people pay attention to politics for a few weeks only 
 each year, and the politician pays attention to poli 
 tics all the time, it will soon fall out that the people 
 will come to think the reforms they demanded and 
 you took up you demanded and they took up. 
 Paragraph. 
 
 "Never refer to the people as the people. Al 
 ways call them the plain people. The great bulk 
 of the people are so plain they like to be told 
 of that characteristic constantly. Likewise, they 
 dote on being held up as the bone and sinew of 
 the Nation. Paragraph. 
 
 "Always be in sympathy with the wrongs of the 
 people. Never make a speech without referring 
 to the sweat-toiling masses. The great toiling 
 masses like publicity for their greatness and sym 
 pathy for their toil. Paragraph. 
 
 "The great toiling masses would be mighty un 
 comfortable and unhappy if they had nothing to 
 kick about. So, if there are no outrages on the 
 body politic, think up a few. Paragraph. 
 
 "The secret of successful political oratory is to 
 tell the people what they already know. If you 
 thunder at them for two hours that honesty is the 
 best policy and virtue is its own reward they will 
 consider you a patriot and vote accordingly; but 
 if you elucidate a new political theory they will say 
 you are trying to sell them out and probably will 
 think you are a crook. Paragraph. 
 
 "Money has no place in politics except to defray 
 legitimate expenses. Money is expended illegiti-
 
 68 THE FAKERS 
 
 mately in politics when you are caught expending 
 it. Wise politicians never expend money in politics 
 themselves. They get some one to do it for them. 
 Then, if detection comes, their hands are unsullied 
 and their motives cannot be impugned." 
 
 The Senator stopped again, and relighted his 
 cigar. "That s all for now," he said. 
 
 "What is it?" asked Hicks, "a speech or an 
 article, or what?" 
 
 "Neither," replied Paxton. "It is merely an 
 epistle for the aid and guidance of any aspiring 
 young man who desires to become a successful poli 
 tician, containing some observations on the funda 
 mental principles of such a person s vocation." 
 
 "What shall I do with it?" 
 
 "Oh, make a few copies, and keep one for your 
 self. It might be of use to you some day, for it 
 contains the condensed wisdom of thirty years of 
 dealing with the people in public life." 
 
 Hicks looked in the Congressional Directory and 
 found the Representative from the Rextown dis 
 trict lived in Rextown. He went over to that 
 statesman s committee-room and introduced himself 
 to the secretary of the Representative. 
 
 "I m T. Marmaduke Hicks," he said, "assistant 
 secretary to Senator Paxton." 
 
 "Glad to meet you, Mr. Hicks," the secretary 
 responded. "My name is Duffield, James R. Duf- 
 field. What can I do for you?" 
 
 "Oh, nothing much," Hicks replied, "but a friend 
 of mine out home is thinking of locating in some 
 middle-western city and he wrote me and asked me 
 if I knew anything about Rextown. So I thought 
 I d drop over and see you and get some points." 
 
 "It s a good town," Duffield replied, assuming 
 the tone of a booster. "It s the best town in the 
 Middle West, growing by leaps and bounds and
 
 THE FAKERS 69 
 
 has the best water, the best climate, the biggest 
 buildings, the most complete street-car system, the 
 finest park system, the greatest hustlers among the 
 business men, the most expensive homes, the great 
 est bank clearings of any town of its size in that 
 section, the biggest jobbing-houses and it s one of 
 the largest mill and factory towns anywhere in the 
 Middle West." 
 
 "What s that?" asked Hicks, "a big mill and 
 factory town?" 
 
 "One of the biggest," boasted Duffield. "Why, 
 our factories 
 
 "How do the men in the factories vote?" asked 
 Hicks, interrupting. 
 
 "Oh, they vote the Republican ticket. Paddy 
 Ross, the boss out there, sees to that. Talk about 
 Republican towns and counties ! Why, Mr. Hicks, 
 there hasn t been a Democrat elected out there since 
 Hector was a pup, and Corliss County is unanimous 
 for the G. O. P., every crack out of the box." 
 
 "What is the factory vote how much of the 
 total vote, I mean?" Hicks asked. 
 
 "About half, I guess," Duffield replied, "maybe a 
 little more." 
 
 "How many Democrats are there in Rextown?" 
 
 "A thousand, in round numbers, perhaps. Old 
 Perk Rollins sort of hangs on to them and herds 
 them up at election times, but, pshaw! they haven t 
 got a chance." 
 
 "Still," continued Hicks, who saw possibilities, 
 "if that labor vote should get away from you and 
 go with the Democrats once they d clean you up, 
 wouldn t they?" 
 
 "Sure!" assented Duffield, "but there isn t a 
 chance; not a chance. Paddy Ross holds that vote 
 for us, and Paddy will hang onto it, too, you can 
 bet on that."
 
 yo THE FAKERS 
 
 Hicks asked a few more questions, listened im 
 patiently to another panegyric about Rextown, 
 thanked him, and hurried back to Senator Paxton s 
 office. 
 
 "Senator," he said, "that town of Rextown looks 
 pretty good to me. I was talking to a young fel 
 low from there, Malcom s secretary, and he tells 
 me it is a big mill and factory town, and that the 
 labor vote is about half of the total." 
 
 "Well?" interjected Paxton. 
 
 "He says there are about a thousand dyed-in- 
 the-wool Democrats, too, and there might come a 
 chance, on some local or national issue, to shift 
 that labor vote. Then I d win." 
 
 "Such things have been known," commented Pax- 
 ton, to whom this situation was no news. "How 
 are you getting on with your law?" 
 
 "I ll have my degree in February. The ex 
 aminers will allow me credit for the time I studied 
 back home with Judge Smith, and then I can take 
 the examination." 
 
 "Can you pass it?" 
 
 "Pass it? / and Hicks laughed. "Why, Senator, 
 all my studies have been directed to that end. I 
 have inquired into only such principles of the law 
 as will come up in that examination. This course of 
 mine has been nothing but a coaching to pass that 
 test." 
 
 "I see, and such real knowledge of the law as 
 you will eventually have you will obtain after you 
 are out of law school and a member of the bar?" 
 
 "That s the idea," Hicks replied. 
 
 Hicks applied himself for several weeks, secured 
 his degree, and took the examination. He passed 
 by a narrow margin. Senator Paxton told him he 
 would fix it so he would be admitted on motion to 
 the Rextown bar, on the strength of his District
 
 THE FAKERS 71 
 
 of Columbia certificate, and Hicks swaggered about 
 the boarding-house because of his new distinction. 
 Also, he let it be known, generally, that, notwith 
 standing his association with Senator Paxton, he 
 had concluded the Democratic party more closely 
 approached his ideals as the party that had the in 
 terests of the plain people close at heart, and that 
 he had decided to cast his political fortunes with 
 the Democracy for that reason. Paxton and Mad 
 den chuckled, and everybody else predicted Hicks 
 would soon lose his job. 
 
 Hicks sent for the Rextown papers and read 
 them carefully, familiarizing himself with the names 
 of the people most mentioned in their columns, 
 gained a smattering of the local politics of the place 
 and informed himself, so well as he was able, of 
 the characteristics of the surrounding country and 
 the intricacies of the city government. The papers 
 gave a great deal of space to local politics, and 
 Hicks read what was said with a rather clear under 
 standing. 
 
 Paxton talked with Hicks frequently about the 
 plan, never going so far with him as he had with 
 Madden, but by skillful reference to the manners 
 and methods of men in Congress impressing on 
 Hicks the basic political fact that the general po 
 litical gullibility of the people, as a mass, is a 
 natural and legitimate political asset. Hicks, on 
 the other hand, while fully convinced of the truth 
 of this, both from what the Senator told him and 
 his own observations, sought to maintain, and did 
 maintain to his own satisfaction, at least, the 
 pose of a belief that the people really needed his 
 services, and that he could best attain beneficial re 
 sults by taking Paxton s advice and being a Demo 
 crat. He sometimes combated Paxton when Pax- 
 ton was especially bitter and cynical, protesting that
 
 72 THE FAKERS 
 
 the people were not so easily fooled as Paxton 
 imagined. 
 
 Paxton enjoyed this hugely, for it was evidence 
 to him that he had not misread Hicks, and Hicks 
 thought he was making the impression that what he 
 had in mind was merely a means to gain a most 
 desirable end, which, as he stoutly asserted to Pax- 
 ton, was the general good of the people; but which 
 was, of course, the immediate and continued good 
 of Hicks. As time went on, Hicks became en 
 thusiastic over the idea, and Paxton had much 
 amusement in planning the details. 
 
 "How s the Paxton-Hicks coalition coming 
 along?" asked Madden one day. 
 
 "Fine!" Paxton replied. "Tommie has swal 
 lowed the bait, and is trying to make me think he s 
 only nibbling at it." 
 
 "He talks to me about it by the hour," said 
 Madden. "I think he s beginning to believe he 
 has a mission to go out and reform things. He s 
 getting a lot of genuine reformer earmarks." 
 
 "Don t make the mistake of classing all reformers 
 as bogus, Madden," and Paxton was very serious. 
 "There are plenty of men who are earnest and 
 sincere and honest and helpful in their efforts to 
 eliminate a lot of abuses that have grown into our 
 political and economic system. Not all of them are 
 fakers, by a long shot. I, personally, have the 
 greatest respect for a man who believes what he 
 says, and who acts on his own, honest convictions. 
 The chaps I detest are these canting, hypocritical, 
 faking humbugs we see around us in such great 
 numbers. The great fault of our politics isn t graft 
 or dishonesty or anything of that sort, Madden. 
 It s hypocrisy." 
 
 He walked back and forth across his room. 
 
 "Great God I" he exclaimed, "look around you.
 
 THE FAKERS 73 
 
 Put any one of nine-tenths of these hand-shakers 
 and four-flushers under the acid test, and that one, 
 and all the rest, will turn green in a second. Don t 
 spare me. I am as bogus as the rest of them, only 
 I admit it, privately, of course, and they don t. I 
 have been thirty years in public life and I ve made 
 a fortune out of politics and secured a reputation, 
 and am counted as one of the leaders of the Senate, 
 and I d be back home running a grocery store if 
 the people hadn t made it so easy for me. They 
 allowed me to bunko them, and I utilized my oppor 
 tunities. Some day these people will wake up, but, 
 until they do, they themselves will be the instru 
 ments of their own undoing." 
 
 "Suppose some one tried to wake them up," sug 
 gested Madden. 
 
 "Some one will, some day," Paxton replied, "but 
 not yet, and not Hicks. When that time comes 
 we ll all scuttle for the high grass. Until it does 
 come the game will go on in the same old way, for 
 there s no use trying to get the yolk out of a 
 china egg, nor any profit, either. So far as Tommie 
 is concerned, he won t try to awaken them. His 
 idea is to keep them fast asleep."
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 IT was arranged that Hicks should start for 
 Rextown in April. Paxton told him he was 
 wasting time in the office, inasmuch as he 
 had his future plans so carefully considered, 
 and urged an early beginning. The Senator 
 was much pleased with the eager manner in which 
 Hicks had undertaken this cynical enterprise of his, 
 and anxious for the actual test of it. He felt sure 
 he had an able and amenable subject for his mini 
 strations, and told Hicks not to let lack of money 
 bother him, as he was quite willing to assist him 
 financially. 
 
 While Paxton had not been frank with Hicks, 
 neither had Hicks been frank with Paxton. Hicks 
 was without a scruple, and was willing to take any 
 step that would advance him along the line of his 
 ambitions, but he felt he should not disclose these 
 inner attitudes of mind and conscience to the Sen 
 ator. He considered the Senator s interest in him 
 as a friendly attempt to aid a young man who had 
 attracted the notice of that statesman by his eminent 
 abilities. Paxton read Hicks like a book, but Hicks 
 did not get further than the preface to Paxton. 
 Paxton had made just the sort of an arrangement 
 with Hicks he had in mind to make, and his pre 
 liminary negotiations with Hicks and their working 
 out had given him so much amusement that he was 
 sure the processes of development would be even 
 more entertaining. Hicks felt he had concealed his 
 
 74
 
 THE FAKERS 75 
 
 real character from Paxton, and had listened to Pax- 
 ton s satirical lectures on the abuses of the body 
 politic, which abuses Paxton was daily engaged in 
 making greater, with an air of belief in their literal- 
 ness, that Hicks felt was most skillful dissimulation. 
 Paxton discussed the attitude of Hicks with Madden, 
 and laughed over it. 
 
 "He s a convert and a crusader, Madden," said 
 Paxton. "I am constrained to think that T. Mar- 
 maduke Hicks will add to the gaiety of the nation 
 as time goes on." 
 
 Hicks finished his work in the office, bade his 
 Washington friends good-by, and left for Sales- 
 town to see his mother. Senator Paxton drove him 
 to the train. 
 
 "Good-by, Tommie," the Senator said, just be 
 fore the train pulled out, "good-by and good luck. 
 Remember that, from this time forward, you are a 
 tribune of the people, a life-long Democrat since 
 day before yesterday, and a foe to the corrupt 
 forces of wealth and plutocracy. Keep me in 
 formed of your progress, and play the game as I 
 have outlined it to you. Be serious about it. The 
 people must think you are in earnest, no matter 
 whether you are or not, else you are lost. Here 
 are a few further thoughts I have jotted down for 
 you. Good-by and good luck." 
 
 He handed Hicks an envelope, waved his hand 
 and walked away. Hicks found his berth, arranged 
 his baggage, and opened the envelope. It con 
 tained a check for a thousand dollars, and this 
 letter : 
 
 "WASHINGTON, D. C., April 17, 1899. 
 "DEAR HICKS: 
 
 "As principal promoter of this enterprise, let me call your 
 attention to the fact that certain traditions and precedents 
 in politics have been in vogue so long that they have the
 
 76 THE FAKERS 
 
 force of rules. Occasionally, a politician arises who does not 
 play the game according to the rules, but he can be con 
 demned, unsparingly, as an upstart and a demagogue and the 
 traditions and precedents thereby preserved. 
 
 "Dress is an important thing, and depends, somewhat, on 
 the section from which you come. Do not, in any circum 
 stances allow yourself to overdress, especially as you are to 
 make your appeal to the plain people to whom plain living 
 and plain dressing are marks of virtue. Wear clothes similar 
 in kind to those your constituents wear, or the bulk of them, 
 but do not underestimate the value of a plug hat and a 
 frock coat on occasions. Be dignified, but not too dignified. 
 Be familiar, but not too familiar. Gauge your public care 
 fully, and be all things to all men, but be careful to be the 
 kind of thing to each man that appeals to that particular 
 man. 
 
 "For example, never take a drink with a clergyman, and 
 never fail to buy one for a ward boss. You are as good as 
 the greatest citizen of your community, and no better than 
 the humblest one. Always remember that when canvassing 
 the district. 
 
 "There is ample precedent for the statement that no frivo 
 lous person ever got anywhere permanently in American 
 politics. It is well to be borne down by the seriousness of 
 the situation, and to assume an impressive manner of speak 
 ing. Do not allow yourself to be led into any public display 
 of wit, and never, by any chance, make a public demonstra 
 tion of a sense of humor. When stating your conclusions 
 state them with an air of finality that is observed when a 
 justice of the United States Supreme Court hands down a 
 decision. 
 
 "Never fail to take active cognizance of any movement, 
 or issue, or policy that is favored by the religious bodies. 
 Allign yourself publicly with the better elements, and go 
 to church regularly. This will enable you to carry on, with 
 much less danger of detection, the necessary negotiation with 
 the other, baser, but politically important, elements of your 
 community. 
 
 "Always keep your promises. That is to say, always claim 
 to keep your promises and always assert, vigorously, that you 
 do keep them to the letter. An expert politician can find
 
 THE FAKERS 77 
 
 many ways for breaking promises after he is elected and 
 after you are elected you have secured your reward, and do 
 not need votes for the time being. 
 
 "If you have an obvious thing to do, do it in a highly 
 complicated manner. Befog every action. Never make a 
 direct statement on a matter of policy and never do a direct 
 thing until you have carefully calculated the consequences. 
 Many a political career has been ruined by haste in such 
 matters. The trimmer usually lands. 
 
 "Do not be led, at any time, into telling the truth about 
 any political proposition. Truth-telling in politics is the 
 mark of the inexperienced politician, but be careful to lie 
 skillfully, and always remember just how you lied. 
 
 "If you want a political place, induce several people to 
 run for the same place. Do not select men strong enough to 
 get the place that would mess things up frightfully but 
 get aspirants who can control a few votes in the convention. 
 This multiplication of candidates will help you amazingly. 
 Conversely, it will aid you to beat some man whom you 
 desire to beat. 
 
 "Never talk. Always confer. That impresses the people 
 and looks fine in the newspapers. 
 
 "I leave these few final political principles in your hands, 
 confident you will discover their worth. These and the 
 others I have given you have stood the test of time. They 
 can be relied upon to be most useful in the game of fooling 
 the people and achieving real political success. Keep me 
 posted. Draw reasonably if you need money. Good luck, 
 and don t forget you are a lifelong Democrat. Also, most 
 important of all, be serious take yourself seriously, and the 
 people likewise. 
 
 "Hopefully, 
 
 "WILLIAM H. PAXTON." 
 
 Hicks had saved fifteen hundred dollars and the 
 Paxton thousand gave him a working capital of 
 twenty-five hundred dollars. Paxton had secured 
 for him a letter of introduction from a Democratic 
 friend who knew Perkins G. Rollins, the Rextown 
 Democratic leader, and he had a letter to the First
 
 78 THE FAKERS 
 
 National Bank. He had written to his mother to 
 have his father s law-books shipped to him, and he 
 had in his trunk his certificate of admission to the 
 District of Columbia bar, neatly framed, also his 
 law school diploma, and his picture of President 
 McKinley. 
 
 He arrived in Rextown on the morning of the 
 second day, went to the Hotel Metropolis, which 
 he knew to be the biggest hotel in the place, and 
 registered: "T. Marmaduke Hicks, Washington, 
 D. C." 
 
 Hicks knew enough about the ways of small 
 town newspapers to understand that a man who 
 registers in a small town from Washington, D. C., 
 is always considered as a potential news-giver, and 
 always is approached by the local reporters. Fif 
 teen minutes after he was in his room a bellboy 
 brought up the card of Charles Bignall, reporter 
 for the Rextown Globe. 
 
 "Ask him to come up," Hicks said to the bell 
 boy, and Bignall came. 
 
 "Mr. Hicks?" he inquired, as he entered. 
 
 "Yes! Mr. T. Marmaduke Hicks." 
 
 "I noticed on the register you are from Wash 
 ington. Is there any news in your visit; anything 
 official, I mean? I thought possibly you might be 
 a Government official." 
 
 "No," Hicks replied, "I am not a Government 
 official, although I have been more or less in touch 
 with the workings of the Senate for some time. 
 However, I shall be glad to answer any questions 
 you may care to put to me on Washington topics." 
 
 Bignall asked him about a pending measure and 
 Hicks expertly analyzed it. Furthermore, he dis 
 cussed several other live topics understandingly and 
 with a Democratic angle and gave Bignall a good 
 story.
 
 THE FAKERS 79 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Hicks," Bignall said, after 
 Hicks had finished. "That ll make a corking inter 
 view. Give me a scoop on it, will you?" 
 
 "What do you mean?" Hicks asked. 
 
 "Why, don t talk to the other afternoon paper." 
 
 "I could hardly do that," Hicks replied," unless 
 unless " 
 
 "Unless what?" asked Bignall. 
 
 "Unless you will promise to say in your opening 
 paragraph that I have decided to enter on the prac 
 tice of the law here and hope to take an active part 
 in Democratic politics." 
 
 Bignall laughed. "You ve got a nerve," he said, 
 "coming here to be a Democrat. Why, this town 
 is so Republican the Democrats can t get trusted at 
 the stores. Old Perk Rollins is about all there is 
 to the Democratic party here." 
 
 "Well, you might mention then that the Demo 
 cratic party in Rexiown has been increased fifty per 
 cent, and is now composed of Mr. Rollins and T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks." 
 
 "All right," assented Bignall. "I ve got to jump 
 back and get this in the home edition. I ll take 
 care of you." 
 
 Hicks kept his promise by going out on the street 
 and taking his first view of Rextown. He found 
 it a clean, lively city of about sixty thousand people, 
 with good stores, good buildings, good pavements 
 and a prosperous-looking people. He walked about 
 until the Globe came out. His interview was promi 
 nently displayed on the first page. The opening 
 paragraph read: "Mr. T. Marmaduke Hicks, who 
 has been identified with Washington affairs in an 
 official capacity in the United States Senate, arrived 
 in Rextown this morning to take up his residence 
 here and enter on the practice of the law. Mr. 
 Hicks is a well-known Democrat and, in discussing
 
 8o THE FAKERS 
 
 affairs at the Capital, made the following com 
 ment to a reporter for the Globe:" 
 
 Bignall had written a very good report of his 
 interview, and Hicks was much gratified. As he 
 entered the Metropolis Hotel the clerk, somewhat 
 impressed, said: "Say, Mr. Hicks, there s been a 
 reporter for the Leader around here all the after 
 noon looking for you." 
 
 "Is that so?" asked Hicks, easily. "I am sorry 
 I missed him. If he returns I shall be in my room." 
 
 Then he went upstairs, after buying several copies 
 of the Globe, cut out his interview and mailed one 
 of the clippings to Senator Paxton, with no com 
 ment. Two days later he received a telegram from 
 the Senator which said: "Congratulations. Appar 
 ently, your face is correctly and ardently turned 
 toward the morning."
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE Chronicle reporter came around that 
 night, and Hicks gave him an interview 
 also, and secured a line in it stating that 
 he was to open law offices there. This 
 reporter was Peter Farley, and told 
 Hicks his paper had Democratic leanings inasmuch 
 as it was largely financed by Rollins. 
 
 "Who is Rollins?" Hicks asked Farley. 
 "Why," said Farley, "he is a nice old chap who 
 made a world of money in the lumber business. He 
 has retired, and now he is crazy for free lumber. 
 He s a low-tariff man, almost a free trader, a state s 
 rights man, and he believes in some Swiss monkey 
 business they call the initiative and the referendum 
 and in universal primaries and all that sort of guff. 
 He takes politics like he takes his religion, thinks 
 the Democratic party is called upon to restore the 
 nation to the principles of the fathers, hates Grover 
 Cleveland, adores Bryan, and puts up his money to 
 keep up a sort of a Democratic organization. He 
 meets the deficit on my paper, too, and gets his 
 money s worth by printing long screeds abusing the 
 Republicans and saying kind words for William 
 Jennings and Thomas Jefferson. He s the greatest 
 letter writer out of a correspondence school, and 
 is always drafting platforms and circulating stuff 
 about his new political fads." 
 
 "A sort of a crank?" asked Hicks. 
 "No, sir, not a crank. He s a decent old chap, 
 81
 
 82 THE FAKERS 
 
 whose passion is Democratic politics. He has shares 
 in a bank here, and is one of the biggest stockholders 
 in the Metropolitan Hotel. He s always fighting 
 the street-car company and our gang of grafting 
 aldermen, and is a fine, upstanding public-spirited 
 citizen. Better look him up if you re a Democrat." 
 
 "I shall," said Hicks. "I ll call on him to-mor 
 row." 
 
 Next morning Flicks made some inquiries about 
 Rollins, and had discovered that Rollins had the 
 local credit for a fortune of half a million dollars, 
 that he had no political ambitions himself, but was 
 resolved there should be a Democratic party in Rex- 
 town if he was the only member. He was state 
 committeeman for that party, and generally headed 
 the hopeless local tickets. 
 
 Hicks found Rollins in his office in one of the 
 local skyscrapers. He was hunched up in a chair 
 writing a long letter to the editor of the New York 
 World, in which he was pointing out the utter lack 
 of patriotism and the criminal disregard of the 
 rights of the people in a certain Republican tariff 
 proposal. He was a small man, bald, with a smooth- 
 shaven, leathery face, and deep set eyes that burned 
 with the fervor of his partisanship. His desk was 
 covered with little piles of pamphlets which he had 
 written and had had printed at his own expense, and 
 on his office walls there were pictures of Thomas 
 Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and William Jennings 
 Bryan, and a facsimile of the Declaration of Inde 
 pendence. 
 
 "Howdy," saluted Rollins, as Hicks entered. 
 
 "How do you do, Mr. Rollins. I assume you 
 are Mr. Rollins." 
 
 "Your assumption is correct. Have a chair. 
 What can I do for you?" 
 
 Hicks handed him his letter of introduction. "I
 
 THE FAKERS 83 
 
 am Mr. Hicks," he said, "and I take great pleasure 
 in presenting this letter from an old friend of yours, 
 Representative McAllister." 
 
 Rollins read the letter, drumming with the fingers 
 of one hand on his desk as he did so. 
 
 "You re the young man who had the interviews 
 in the paper, I suppose?" 
 
 "Yes, sir. I was interviewed when I arrived yes 
 terday." 
 
 "Glad to meet you. Hope McAllister was well 
 when you left him. Democrat I understood you to 
 say, or did I read it in the paper?" 
 
 "I am a Democrat, and as I understand it you 
 are the leader of the party in this city." 
 
 "More than that, son, more than that. I m al 
 most all there is to the Democratic party in Rex- 
 town." 
 
 "Well, I desire to join hands with you, to enlist 
 under your banner, to aid you in your fight against 
 the entrenched and corrupt forces of Republican 
 ism." 
 
 Rollins looked at Hicks shrewdly. "You do, do 
 you?" he asked. 
 
 "I do." 
 
 "For what reason?" 
 
 "For the reasons I just gave you. I hope I may 
 be welcome." 
 
 Rollins whistled. He got up, walked to the win 
 dow, glanced out on the street, came back and drew 
 his chair over to Hicks. 
 
 "Young man," he said, kindly, putting his hand 
 on Hicks s knee, "excuse me if I appear to be sur 
 prised. This rather takes the breath out of me. 
 The idea of a lawyer you are a lawyer, ain t you?" 
 
 Hicks nodded. 
 
 "Well, the idea of a lawyer coming to a Republi 
 can hotbed like this and joining the Democratic
 
 84 THE FAKERS 
 
 party a lawyer, you know a lawyer one of 
 those persons who always look before they leap 
 into politics the idea of that rather flabbergasts 
 me. You know," and he smiled a curious little smile 
 at Hicks, "you know, my boy, there hasn t been a 
 real, live recruit to the Democratic party in Rex- 
 town or Corliss County for five years, and we lost 
 a lot of our fellows on the free silver issue." 
 
 "All the more reason you should want me, then," 
 suggested Hicks. 
 
 "Sure, but it sort of paralyzes me, just the same. 
 How long have you been a Democrat?" 
 
 Hicks knew this question would be put to him, 
 and he had prepared his answer. 
 
 "Long enough," he said, rather oratorically, "to 
 feel certain that this country is going to ruin under 
 the maladministration of the Republican party, in 
 fluenced as it is by special interests and controlled 
 by corporate greed. Long enough to have faith 
 that, through the medium of the enlightenment of 
 the people, a return may be made to the principles 
 and practice of the fathers, and our country saved 
 from the rape of the plutocrats and the sack of the 
 unscrupulous stock-jobbers of Wall Street." 
 
 Rollins s look of curiosity changed to one of ad 
 miration. "Good boy!" he said, "Good boy. Go 
 on." 
 
 "I am a newcomer, as you know," continued 
 Hicks, most encouraged, "and I have a deep, pa 
 triotic interest in politics. I believe in Democratic 
 principles. I am for the plain people, unalterably 
 for the masses as against the corrupt classes. I 
 know of your unselfish devotion to this high and 
 holy cause. I desire to join with you, to aid you, 
 to fight with you, and, eventually, to assist you in 
 redeeming this city and this state from these Re 
 publican abuses. Am I welcome?"
 
 THE FAKERS 85 
 
 "Hooray!" shouted Rollins, jumping to his feet 
 and clapping his hands. "That s the real McCoy! 
 In a month I ll have you out making speeches. Are 
 you welcome? Are you welcome? Why, my boy, 
 you are as welcome as an August rain after a dry 
 spell in the corn-belt. Welcome! Why you are 
 positively providential. Come on, let s talk things 
 over." 
 
 They had a long conversation. Hicks soon dis 
 covered that Rollins was fanatical in his belief in 
 Democratic principles, that he considered himself 
 a sort of a crusader against what he called "the 
 Mammon-controlled party of special interests," 
 meaning the Republicans, and that he was willing 
 to spend his money freely, asking nothing but the 
 fun of the fight. He went over the situation in 
 detail with Hicks, told of his work and of the or 
 ganization he endeavored to maintain, how he was 
 handicapped by the general apathy, and read Hicks 
 extracts from several of his pamphlets, which proved 
 to Hicks that, even though a fanatic, Rollins had 
 a clear mind, good reasoning powers and an excel 
 lent command of simple and forceful language. He 
 told Hicks of the local situation, dominated by the 
 Republicans for years, working through a local 
 boss named Paddy Ross, and how the public utili 
 ties the street cars and the electric light plant, 
 and the waterworks and the gas works could get 
 anything they wanted from the aldermen and city 
 government because they kept Ross on their pay 
 roll, and Ross was the Republican organization 
 leader. Hicks s knowledge of general politics stood 
 him in good stead. He was most polite and defer 
 ential to Rollins, and soon was on terms of friend 
 ship and implied association with him. His letter 
 of introduction had established him primarily, and 
 he completed the good impression himself.
 
 86 THE FAKERS 
 
 As he rose to go Rollins said: "Got any cases 
 yet?" 
 
 "Why, no," Hicks replied, "I arrived only yester 
 day, you know." 
 
 "Well, how d you like to take a case for me. 
 An old rapscallion named Jim Barkiss is trying to 
 beat me out of a claim I ve got on his property. 
 Know anything about contracts?" 
 
 "I think so," evaded Hicks. 
 
 "All right; here s the case," and Rollins went off 
 into a long recital of his difficulties with Jim Bar- 
 kiss, telling an involved story of deals and mort 
 gages and liens, and payments and rebuttals, to 
 which Hicks listened in a daze. 
 
 "Got it?" asked Rollins. "Got it clear in your 
 mind?" 
 
 "Perfectly," fibbed Hicks, who had no idea of 
 what it was all about. 
 
 "Good," said Rollins, "here s the papers," and he 
 thrust a mass of legal documents into the hands of 
 Hicks. "See what you can do." 
 
 Hicks took the papers, and rose to go. "Good- 
 by, Mr. Rollins," he said, "I shall see you soon 
 and often, and we ll reorganize and rejuvenate this 
 Democratic party out here. Good-day." 
 
 He put out his hand and Rollins took it. "Son," 
 he said, "I don t know whether I m playing fair 
 with you or not in giving you that case. It s been 
 in litigation here for a long time, and I got so mad 
 about it that I just took it from the hands of my 
 regular lawyer who was jockeying along on it. The 
 lawyer on the other side is Jim Chittlings, a hard 
 customer in a case like this, and you are young in 
 the law, very young in the law." 
 
 "Oh, that s all right, Mr. Rollins. I ll do the 
 best I can with it and maybe my youth will help 
 me."
 
 THE FAKERS 87 
 
 "Yes," repeated Rollins, "you are young in the 
 law. Haven t you forgotten something?" 
 
 "No," Hicks replied, looking about, "I think 
 not." 
 
 "Yes, you have," insisted Rollins, "or you are 
 the oddest lawyer I ever came in contact with. You 
 haven t asked me for a retainer." 
 
 Hicks gasped. He had forgotten the most im 
 portant detail of the practice of his profession. 
 
 "Never mind," soothed Rollins, "I ll write you a 
 check. It may come in handy," and he gave Hicks 
 a check for a hundred dollars. That young man 
 bowed himself out with his heart thumping, his brain 
 reproaching him for his lack of business acumen, 
 and the check clasped tightly in his hand.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 TMARMADUKE HICKS was walking 
 on air when he went down the street. 
 He arrived at the Metropolis Hotel, 
 went to his room and looked lovingly at 
 his check. It was his first legal fee. He 
 examined the papers Rollins had given him, but 
 could make nothing out of them. So he put them 
 in his trunk and went down in the lobby. He met 
 Bignall again, and talked to him for an hour dis 
 cussing the buildings of the town, where he had 
 best get an office and various matters of that kind. 
 He inquired about boarding houses and secured sev 
 eral addresses. Next morning he took his money 
 and his letter to the First National Bank, opened 
 an account, and called on Mrs. Hungerford, who 
 kept a boarding house not far from the business por 
 tion of the city. Her food and rooms had been 
 praised by the banker to whom he had the letter of 
 introduction. 
 
 Mrs. Hungerford s boarding house was clean 
 and comfortable. She told Tommie that most of 
 her boarders were of the better class of clerks and 
 business women, with a professional man or two, 
 and she offered him a room, in the rear on the third 
 floor, for fifty dollars a month, with meals. He 
 engaged the room, and moved in that afternoon, 
 and on the following day set about renting an office. 
 He hesitated between two rooms. One was in a
 
 THE FAKERS 89 
 
 three-story brick building near the post-office, a 
 former residence that had been built over into of 
 fices, and the other was in the Blanding Block, the 
 biggest structure in Rextown. The rent of the first 
 room was twenty-five dollars a month and the rent 
 of the Blanding Block office was twice that. Tom- 
 mie walked through the halls of both buildings. 
 There were a dentist or two, an architect, a couple 
 of insurance agents and five lawyers in the old build 
 ing. In the Blanding Block there were rows of 
 glass doors, carrying, in gilt letters, the names of 
 lawyers and business agencies of various kinds. He 
 did not hesitate. He rented the office in the Bland 
 ing Block and bought some furniture on the instal 
 ment plan. That night he stood in the hall and 
 looked admiringly at the gilt letters on the door of 
 his office. The sign fascinated him. It read: 
 
 T. MARMADUKE HICKS 
 ATTORN E Y- AT-LA w 
 
 In a day or two his furniture was installed, and 
 his father s law books had arrived, accompanied 
 by a letter from his mother expressing the hope that 
 they might be used for the promotion of justice 
 and truth and the welfare of the people. Tom- 
 mie put them on his shelves, where they made a 
 good showing, although most of them were reports 
 of New York state and not of much consequence 
 for local use. There were a few books of univer 
 sal character. Tommie gazed at them speculatively, 
 wondered what was in them, and what he might 
 be able to do with them. He hung his certificate 
 and diploma on the walls, took steps to have him 
 self admitted on motion to the local bar, and, after 
 that had been accomplished, with the aid of Sena 
 tor Paxton s letter and of an old friend of his at the
 
 90 THE FAKERS 
 
 Rextown bar, he began the consideration of the 
 Rollins-Barkiss case. 
 
 It was a complicated case. There were claims 
 and counter-claims and records of previous actions 
 begun and dropped. Tommie studied the papers 
 long, but could make little of them. All he could 
 find out was that Rollins claimed one thing and 
 Barkiss another, and the legal phase of it was en 
 tirely beyond him. 
 
 He spent some days puzzling over the papers, 
 evolving schemes that had no legal foundation. It 
 was all he had to do, except make three or four ap 
 pearances each day in the lobby of the Metropolis 
 Hotel, and drop in at the city hall and court-house, 
 with occasional visits to the probate court and the 
 county clerk s office, where he simulated intense oc 
 cupation and consulted records assiduously. 
 
 He knew so little law he could get no grasp of 
 the questions involved. He ardently desired to 
 make a showing, and felt he could get business from 
 Rollins if he could win this case. On the same floor 
 of the Blanding Block the offices of Johnson, Ja 
 cobs and Jones, the leading lawyers of Rextown, 
 occupied half a dozen rooms. Hicks had called on 
 these lawyers and they had received him with grave 
 politeness and welcomed him to the city. He had 
 noticed, at a desk in the corner, a man who had 
 a big, bulging forehead, wore glasses, and was 
 shabbily dressed and had a general air of being glad 
 he was permitted to sit down in an out-of-the-way 
 place and read calf-bound books. 
 
 Hicks inquired about this man and learned he was 
 Gudger, a great student and a fine lawyer, but a 
 periodical drunkard. He remained sober for two 
 or three months and then drank heavily until they 
 took him to the hospital. He has no control over 
 his appetite for liquor, and for that reason had no
 
 THE FAKERS 91 
 
 practice nor standing at the bar. But he knew the 
 law, knew more of it than Johnson, Jacobs and 
 Jones combined, and they used him when he was 
 sober to help in the preparation of their cases and 
 took him back after a spree, paying him a small 
 salary and giving him the impression they were his 
 benefactors for allowing him to draw a few dollars 
 a week and do most of the real work around the 
 place. 
 
 Hicks went into this office and spoke to Gud- 
 ger. "By the way, Mr. Gudger," he said, "could 
 you make it convenient to come into my office this 
 afternoon some time. I have a little matter I want 
 to discuss with you." 
 
 "I ll go now," Gudger replied. 
 
 They walked to Tommie s single room. "Sit 
 down, Mr. Gudger," said Hicks. "Here is what 
 I want to lay before you. I have been here but a 
 short time, as you know, but many pressing matters 
 engage my attention. Mr. Perkins G. Rollins has 
 given me a small case, that, really, I have not the 
 time to handle. I was wondering if you would look 
 over the papers, prepare a plan of action for me, 
 and elaborate the points of law involved. Of course, 
 I shall compensate you, and it really will be a great 
 service to me for I am so busy I cannot attend to 
 the preparation of the case myself." 
 
 Gudger looked around the room, with its array 
 of useless law books, and at Tommie, who was 
 endeavoring to give the impression of a man rushed 
 with his work. He smiled, a little wan smile. He 
 had just returned from a prolonged debauch, was 
 weak and trembly, and had been severely repri 
 manded by his employers. He needed money. 
 
 "Let me see the papers," he said, "I guess I can 
 do it." 
 
 Hicks gave him the papers, which Gudger no-
 
 92 THE FAKERS 
 
 ticed were the only papers in sight in the office. 
 Tommie realized that, too, and instantly resolved to 
 fix up bundles of legal looking documents for place 
 on his desk. Also, he resolved to buy a file case, 
 and put it in the room. 
 
 "I ll look them over," said Gudger, "and let you 
 know later." 
 
 Hicks visited Rollins several times, talked poli 
 tics with him and reported progress, wrote several 
 letters to Senator Paxton and spent a good deal of 
 his time in the Metropolis Hotel, getting acquainted 
 with the business and professional men of the city 
 who used the lobby and barroom and cafe of the 
 Metropolis as a sort of a downtown club. He found 
 that the men who frequented the hotel, and they 
 were most of the important men of the city, drank 
 a good deal of whiskey, especially between five and 
 six o clock in the afternoon. Tommie was not an 
 abstainer, nor was he a steady drinker. He kept 
 a little whiskey in his room for such use as was 
 needful, and while he smoked cigarettes he never 
 smoked on the streets nor in public places. He re 
 fused invitations to drink rather impressively, but 
 was enough of a mixer to keep in the good graces of 
 the crowd, nevertheless, and made many acquaint 
 ances who liked to hear him discuss affairs at Wash 
 ington, and wondered at his easy familiarity with 
 the great men of whom they read every day. Hicks 
 knew them all and gossiped about them intimately, 
 never failing to bring himself into the foreground of 
 whatever picture he was painting. Between times 
 he considered the question of a church connection. 
 
 After a week s study Gudger came in with a 
 package of papers in his hand. "I have examined 
 that Rollins-Barkiss matter, Mr. Hicks," he said. 
 
 Tommie was writing a letter. He looked up and 
 said pompously: "Excuse me a moment, if you
 
 THE FAKERS 93 
 
 please, Mr. Gudger. I have a matter here I must 
 close up." 
 
 Gudger, who had himself in hand again, smiled 
 a flickering sort of a smile and sat down. Tom- 
 mie wrote vigorously for a minute or two. Then 
 he signed his name with a flourish, held the letter 
 up before him and read it with evident admiration, 
 and turned to Gudger: "My stenographer," he 
 said, "is ill this morning and I am compelled to 
 write a few of my most pressing letters by hand. 
 I am sorry I detained you, but this is a most im 
 portant matter." 
 
 Gudger observed Tommie laid the letter aside 
 without putting it in an envelope. "Take your 
 time, Mr. Hicks," he said, "I am in no hurry." 
 
 "Ah," continued Tommie, turning in his chair, 
 "did I understand you to say you have examined 
 into that Rollins claim, Mr. Gudger." 
 
 "I have." 
 
 "Sorry to have imposed so trifling a matter on 
 you, but I am exceedingly busy. What do you find?" 
 
 "I find Rollins has a fair case. Barkiss owes him 
 some money but it isn t clear just how much. I 
 have set forth the law on the point, have briefed 
 the cases that apply and made a statement of the 
 facts for you. I trust it will be satisfactory." 
 
 Gudger was pathetically eager. He needed the 
 money Hicks promised him. 
 
 "Excellent, my good Gudger," patronized Hicks, 
 "excellent. I shall look over the papers and re 
 imburse you for your time and trouble." 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Hicks, thank you." And Gud 
 ger went out. 
 
 Tommie shut and locked his door and read the 
 papers carefully. Gudger, good lawyer that he 
 was and skilled in the preparation of cases, had 
 handled this in a most competent manner. He had
 
 94 THE FAKERS 
 
 made his statement of facts, his statement of the 
 contentions of the other side, and he cited the laws 
 to uphold his own conclusions, cited it voluminously. 
 It was an orderly, complete and precise presenta 
 tion of the Rollins side of the controversy. Tom- 
 mie spent all that day in studying Gudger s work. 
 He had a retentive memory and he learned what 
 Gudger had written so he could recite it. Thus for 
 tified, he sat back to consider what he should do. 
 He didn t dare to go into court, nor did he want 
 to have Gudger appear for him. Beyond the words 
 Gudger had written Hicks had no knowledge of 
 the law or the procedure necessary. 
 
 After thinking a time, he went down the street 
 to see his friend Charley Bignall, the reporter on 
 the Globe. 
 
 "Bignall," he asked, "do you know James K. 
 Chittlings, the lawyer?" 
 
 "Sure." 
 
 "What kind of a man is he?" 
 
 "He s a big, beefy bluffer and gets away with it. 
 He shysters along pretty successfully. He pretends 
 to be a lawyer, and he doesn t know any too much 
 law. When he tries a case he depends on noise to 
 pull him through. He doesn t go into court much, 
 though. That would show him up. He s the grand 
 est compromiser we have. W T hy?" 
 
 "Oh, nothing in particular. He s the attorney 
 on the other side of a case I am interested in and 
 I would like to know about him, that s all.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 AS Hicks walked back to his office that 
 word "compromiser" constantly recurred 
 to him. Why not compromise this? 
 Evidently, from what Bignall told him, 
 Chittlings was much the same sort of a 
 lawyer he was, with more experience, perhaps, but 
 with as little law. lie knew Chittlings spent a good 
 deal of time in the lobby of the Metropolis Hotel, 
 and he went there and looked around. Chittlings 
 was leaning against the cigar-case and loudly telling 
 the bored cigar clerk of a recent exploit of his when 
 he got the better of a lawyer from the adjoining 
 county on a will case. 
 
 Hicks approached the cigar cases by easy stages, 
 stopping at the desk to look at the register, at the 
 news stand to glance at the display of periodicals, 
 and at the telephone desk to say a word or two 
 to the operator. He stood and listened to the last 
 part of the recital of Chittlings, laughed when 
 laughing time came, and exclaimed: "That s a good 
 one," with evident appreciation as Chittlings fin 
 ished. Chittlings was pleased. He said a word or 
 two about the weather and asked: "Stranger 
 here?" 
 
 "Oh, no," answered Hicks, "oh, no, I am T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks, lawyer, with offices in the Bland- 
 ing Block." 
 
 "Glad to know you, Mr. Hicks. I m James K. 
 Chittlings, and I m a lawyer too." 
 
 95
 
 96 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Chittlings?" repeated Hicks, in pleased astonish 
 ment. "James K. Chittlings? Why, I certainly am 
 glad to meet you. I have a case, I think, in which 
 you are my opponent, and I am charmed to know 
 I shall meet so cultured a gentleman and so learned 
 a lawyer in the arena of the courts." 
 
 "What case is that?" asked Chittlings. "I don t 
 recall your connection with any of my cases." 
 
 "Rollins vs. Barkiss." 
 
 "Oh, that! Is Rollins at that again?" exclaimed 
 Chittlings, contemptuously. "That isn t a case. It s 
 merely a cat-hop." 
 
 "There are some eleven thousand dollars in 
 volved," Hicks protested with some warmth. 
 
 Chittlings looked at Hicks narrowly. Evidently, 
 an eleven thousand dollar case was important in 
 the mind of this young man. 
 
 "Look here," he warned. "You are on a dead 
 card in that claim, my friend. You can t collect it, 
 and you know you can t." 
 
 "I think it would be well to leave that phase of 
 the matter to the adjudication of the Courts." 
 
 "Do you mean to say you have the nerve to take 
 that claim into court?" 
 
 "You will be served with due and formal notice 
 of my intention at the proper time." 
 
 "You don t say! Well, so long. By the way," 
 he added as he turned to go, "where s your office?" 
 
 "In the Blanding Block." 
 
 "I may drop in to see you some day. Good-by. 
 Glad to have met you." 
 
 Two days later Chittlings came in, glanced 
 around the little room, with its sparse furnishings 
 and its array of the revised statutes of New York, 
 smiled, and said: "Howdy, Hicks. How s busi 
 ness?" 
 
 "My docket is reasonably well filled."
 
 THE FAKERS 97 
 
 "Glad to know it. There are so many lawyers 
 in this burg it s hard for a new one to get a toe 
 hold. They re wolves for business, and they ve got 
 most of it cinched." 
 
 "I haven t found it so," Tommie replied, wish 
 ing he had a greater number of legal-looking docu 
 ments on his desk and resolving to get some more 
 as soon as Chittlings went out. 
 
 "Say, Hicks," said Chittlings, seating himself 
 and lighting a cigar, "how strong are you with Perk 
 Rollins? Have a smoke?" 
 
 "I never smoke." 
 
 "Well, forgetting that, how strong are you with 
 Perk Rollins?" 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "How much influence have you with him?" 
 
 "He is one of my best clients." 
 
 "Well, if that s the case, and you can work him, 
 what s the use of dragging this thing through the 
 courts? Why not compromise?" 
 
 Tommie straightened in his chair. "This is a case 
 that does not admit of compromise," he said with 
 much dignity. 
 
 "The hell it don t! Let me tell you, my young 
 and callow friend, there never was a case that didn t 
 admit of compromise, when the lawyers who had it 
 wanted to fix it that way, and there was anything 
 in it." 
 
 "I do not so understand the theory of the law." 
 Hicks was most important as he said this. 
 
 "Well, you will so understand it if you want to 
 make a living at it. I tell you it s nonsense to drag 
 this thing through the courts, when there are bigger 
 things we might be doing. Let s fix it up." 
 
 "My client has instructed me to sue it." 
 
 "Then get him to uninstruct you. Rollins is a 
 good old chap, but visionary, and Barkiss ain t
 
 98 THE FAKERS 
 
 worth a hoot, beyond a certain point, for any law 
 yer to fuss with. Let s fix it." 
 
 "What do you propose?" 
 
 "Why both of these litigants have some right on 
 their sides. Barkiss owes Rollins some money, but 
 not as much as Rollins says he does. I ll admit the 
 first part of it. If we take it into court you can t 
 get the eleven thousand to save your soul, but you 
 can get a judgment for a certain amount, if you are 
 any good at the law at all." 
 
 "How much?" asked Tommie eagerly. 
 
 Chittlings laughed. "That s for you to find out 
 if you go to law about it," he said. 
 
 "Well, what s your proposition?" Tommie gave 
 what he thought was a good imitation of a business 
 like question. 
 
 "You go down and see Rollins and find out the 
 lowest sum he will take to call things square. I ll 
 see my man and find out how much I can get him to 
 give. Then we ll meet and fix it up." 
 
 "Fix it up?" asked Hicks. "I don t understand. 
 I am a lawyer, Mr. Chittlings, and bound by the 
 ethics of my profession." 
 
 "Also I take it," said Chittlings, sharply, "you 
 are bound by the necessities of making a living. 
 Run along, now, and see Rollins and come down 
 to my office on the third floor." Chittlings. went 
 out, leaving Hicks panting with indignation. 
 
 He grew calm as he thought the matter over. 
 He knew, in his heart, he would be at a serious dis 
 advantage in court, having had no practice save a 
 little in justices courts back home, when he was a 
 student. His egotism urged him to go ahead with 
 the case, and told him he could win it brilliantly, 
 but there were inward misgivings. Occasionally, he 
 admitted his limitations to himself; not often, but 
 once in a while. He was frightened at the prospect
 
 THE FAKERS 99 
 
 of trying a case against this big noisy, bluffing law 
 yer, and although he had Gudger s word for it that 
 he had some law and some facts on his side, he 
 didn t relish the encounter. He wanted to be surer 
 of himself when he made his first public appear 
 ance. Besides, there might be merit in the conten 
 tion of Barkiss that he didn t owe Rollins all of 
 eleven thousand dollars. There was that side of 
 it to consider. Also, there would be a quicker fee, 
 in addition to the retainer of one hundred dollars 
 he already had, if a compromise was effected. And 
 lawyers did compromise cases. He knew that. 
 
 So he went to see Rollins, who greeted him cor 
 dially and asked him what he thought of Senator Al- 
 drich s iniquitous tariff policy. 
 
 "Inexcusable," Hicks replied, not knowing what 
 the policy was. "I dropped in to see you about 
 that Barkiss matter." 
 
 "What about it?" asked Rollins, who was deep 
 in a platform for the state Democracy he intended 
 to propose at the forthcoming convention. 
 
 "Why, I was thinking I might compose that dif 
 ficulty by a shorter route than recourse to the tedious 
 processes of the courts." 
 
 "All right," Rollins answered absently. "Do 
 whatever is best. Say, do you think the platform 
 should begin with a ringing denunciation of the 
 Republican party or with a statement of the atti 
 tude of the Democracy toward the oppression of 
 the people, and then the arraignment of the Repub 
 licans?" 
 
 "Take up the cause of the people first, by all 
 means," advised Hicks. "Suppose I could get you 
 eighty-five hundred dollars from Barkiss." 
 
 "Pshaw, they d never stand for eighty-five hun 
 dred words. That s entirely too long. My idea is 
 about five thousand words."
 
 ioo THE FAKERS 
 
 "Dollars, I meant: not words, Mr. Rollins. I 
 am speaking about the Barkiss matter." 
 
 "The Barkiss matter? Oh, yes; what about it?" 
 
 "I think we can compromise for a substantial 
 sum." 
 
 "All right; go ahead. Don t bother me about 
 that now. I want to get this pronouncement of 
 political principles written. Listen to this anti-cor 
 poration plank." 
 
 Hicks listened politely while Rollins read what 
 he had written as establishing the attitude of his 
 party toward the monopolies fostered and owned by 
 the criminal rich. 
 
 "That ll make them cringe, I ll bet," said Rollins. 
 
 "Undoubtedly," assented Hicks warmly. "It is 
 a great summing-up of the tenets of our party in 
 that regard simply great. If I can get eight thou 
 sand dollars shall I take it?" 
 
 "Oh, yes yes. Don t bother me," protested Rol 
 lins, "let s go over this tariff plank. The curse of 
 this country and the workingmen is high protection. 
 Let me read you what I have written." 
 
 And he read his tariff plank, which demanded an 
 instant and scientific revision of the tariff, along the 
 lines of tariff for revenue only. 
 
 As he finished Tommie applauded. "That s fine," 
 he cheered. "That s the most statesmanlike argu 
 ment I have ever heard. You certainly are a mas 
 ter of words, Mr. Rollins. I am quite sure I can 
 get seventy-five hundred dollars for you. Shall I 
 take it?" 
 
 "Eh," said Rollins, blinking his eyes. "I thought 
 you said eight thousand." 
 
 "Oh," Tommie suavely replied, "I said eight 
 thousand tentatively. Seventy-five hundred is a sure 
 thing." 
 
 "Well, get what you can. I ve got to finish this
 
 THE FAKERS 101 
 
 platform, and have it printed. Get what you can. 
 Good-day. Come in to-morrow and I ll read it to 
 you again." 
 
 "That will give me great pleasure. Seventy-five 
 hundred it is, then." 
 
 "Yes yes," Rollins replied, impatiently. "I m 
 going to give them a great blast on the currency 
 question a great blast."
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 ICKS called at the office of Chittlings 
 next day. That exponent of the law 
 had a suite of three rooms a recep 
 tion room with an office boy at a desk, 
 a second room where there were a 
 clerk and a typewriter and an array of law books, 
 more than Hicks had ever seen outside of a law 
 library, and an inner room where Chittlings sat, at 
 a big roll-top desk. This room was well furnished. 
 There were some leather chairs, a polished table 
 piled high with papers bound with tape, a picture or 
 two on the wall, and a leather lounge. 
 
 "Morning, Hicks," greeted Chittlings, after 
 Hicks had gone through the formality of sending 
 in his name by the office boy Tommie resolved to 
 have two rooms and an office boy it gave an air 
 of business and prosperity to a place "morning. 
 Have a cigar. Oh, I forgot. You don t smoke. 
 How are things?" 
 
 "I am very well, thank you," Hicks replied. 
 "Seen Rollins?" 
 
 "Yes; have you seen Barkiss?" 
 "Saw him yesterday. What will you accept?" 
 "What will you give?" 
 
 "Oh, let s not haggle about this. It isn t big 
 enough. I ll give eighty-five hundred dollars." 
 "I ll take nine thousand." 
 
 "Come off; I ve got to get something for my- 
 102
 
 THE FAKERS 103 
 
 self. Take it or leave it at eighty-five, and I ll get 
 my bit from Barkiss and a split from you." 
 
 U A split?" 
 
 "Yes, a split. You know what a split is, I sup 
 pose. If you don t let me tell you that a split is 
 the greatest discourager of long-fought litigation in 
 court this world has ever known." 
 
 "Do you mean that you want me to divide some 
 thing with you?" 
 
 "Certainly; why not? You didn t tell Rollins you 
 could get eighty-five hundred dollars, did you; didn t 
 name a special sum?" 
 
 Chittlings looked narrowly at Hicks, who felt a 
 sudden feeling that this big, boisterous man had 
 caught him in a crime. He was chagrined and hu 
 miliated, for although he had underestimated to Rol 
 lins the sum of money he thought he could get in 
 compromise, he hadn t gone so far with the matter, 
 in his own mind, as actually to plan to give Rollins 
 less in settlement than he received. 
 
 Hicks was horrified. It seemed to him that Chit 
 tlings had read his mind, had interpreted his action, 
 had literally detected him stealing something. He 
 was familiar, in a way, with illegal money transac 
 tions and had heard stories of sums paid in Wash 
 ington to expedite or retard legislation. The mor 
 als of the situation did not bother him so much as 
 his apparent detection by Chittlings. 
 
 He looked at Chittlings, who was preparing to 
 write a check. Hicks caught hold of the arms of 
 his chair, steadied himself, licked his dry lips with 
 his tongue, and replied huskily: "Of course, I men 
 tioned no specific sum, but what difference does that 
 make to you?" 
 
 "Just this difference," said Chittlings, "if I com 
 promise this thing with you for eighty-five hundred 
 dollars, which is a fair compromise, I ll give you a
 
 104 THE FAKERS 
 
 check for that amount and you ll give me a check 
 for five hundred. Then you can deposit my check 
 and pay Rollins seventy-five hundred dollars or what 
 you please, and we ll both have made some money, 
 for you can bet Barkiss will pay me eighty-five hun 
 dred back, and another legal difficulty will have been 
 compromised without recourse to the tedious proc 
 esses of the courts." 
 
 Hicks rose. "Look here, Chittlings," he ex 
 claimed, "I may not know much about the law, but 
 I know something about the Eighth Command 
 ment. That s plain larceny, and you know it, and 
 I ll not be a party to it." 
 
 Chittlings grinned. "All right," he said, closing 
 the check book, "have it your own way. Only let 
 me tell you something: You ll never make five hun 
 dred any easier. Go ahead and sue, and I ll be 
 right on deck." 
 
 "That may be so," Hicks retorted emphatically, 
 for he had regained his self-possession, "but I won t 
 begin my career as a lawyer in this city by stealing 
 five hundred dollars from Rollins, or any other man. 
 My price is higher than that, Mr. Chittlings, and 
 when you get ready to talk business to me on a strict 
 business basis, without any larcenous trimmings, 
 I ll see you in my office. Here is my card." 
 
 Chittlings laughed. "I admire your principles," 
 he said, "but damn your judgment. Good day." 
 
 Hicks went unsteadily down to his office. He sat 
 for an hour wondering why he had juggled the 
 amounts with Rollins as he did, and could give him 
 self no reasonable nor rational explanation. It 
 seemed to him that Chittlings had gone into the 
 very inner recesses of his mind and dragged out 
 the knowledge of some subconscious impulse he 
 had. He couldn t understand it, and he was abashed 
 and ashamed.
 
 THE FAKERS 105 
 
 He saw Rollins several times during the next 
 fortnight and talked politics. That fervid Demo 
 crat, immersed in his writings and his organization 
 work, did not refer to the Barkiss claim, nor did 
 Hicks. He devoted himself to discussion of the 
 principles of Democracy, and to inquiry into the 
 chances of a new member of the party for getting 
 a nomination. He didn t put it exactly that way, for 
 he did not want Rollins to think he had an ulterior 
 motive for his inquiries. He approached the sub 
 ject from various angles, asking about former cam 
 paigns and the men who had been named for the 
 offices. Nominations, he found, went begging. It 
 was hard work to fill the ticket. 
 
 "I ll put you on for something next election, if 
 you like," promised Rollins. 
 
 "Oh," protested Hicks, "that would be too pre 
 sumptuous on my part. I couldn t think of it." 
 
 "It ll be all right," assured Rollins. "I can guar 
 antee that. I had a run for every office in this part 
 of the state, from dog catcher to State Senator and 
 Member of Congress, just to make the ticket whole. 
 I ll fix it, all right. It won t be any trouble. We ll 
 be glad to have new blood. Of course," he added, 
 "you won t be elected to anything, so it won t inter 
 fere with your work." 
 
 Tommie didn t like that, but he remembered what 
 Senator Paxton told him, and decided to play the 
 waiting game. It had become known he was a 
 Democrat. The banker, Pendleton, spoke to him 
 about it one day. 
 
 "I hear you re a Democrat," he said. 
 
 "I am; a Jeffersonian-Jacksonian Democrat," 
 Hicks replied, with much fervor. 
 
 "What s the object?" asked Pendleton. 
 
 "The object? I don t understand you." 
 
 "I mean what s the joker in it? How comes it
 
 io6 THE FAKERS 
 
 that a young man lights in this Republican commu 
 nity and begins the practice of law and affiliates with 
 the Democratic party, than which there is no slim 
 mer, more hopeless political outfit in this Union? 
 Why not be a Republican?" 
 
 "Mr. Pendleton," Hicks replied, with a pained 
 note in his voice, "I have faith in Democratic prin 
 ciples. How could I bring myself to abandon those 
 principles for a mere temporary advantage to my 
 self? Principles are higher than men, Mr. Pen 
 dleton, higher than aught else, to my thinking. I 
 am a Democrat because I believe in the tenets of 
 Democracy, and for no other purpose and with no 
 other motive." 
 
 "Excuse me," begged Pendleton gravely. "I 
 didn t know but you might have political ambitions. 
 Most young lawyers have, you know." 
 
 "My only ambition," spouted Hicks, "is to serve 
 my country and my party humbly fighting in the 
 ranks to correct the great abuses the present mal 
 administration of Government affairs has fastened 
 upon us." 
 
 "I think," said Tommie to himself, as Pendle 
 ton left him, "that will hold him for a while." 
 
 Hicks sensed difficulties, nevertheless. He knew 
 the big business interests of the city and county, the 
 interests that provided the bulk of the law work, 
 were solidly Republican. So, too, were the banks, 
 with the exception of one, a state bank, in which 
 Rollins was interested. He had thought he de 
 tected antagonism to his Democracy once or twice, 
 when talking to business men, and he soon discov 
 ered that in communities like Rextown men take 
 their politics seriously, and are partisan even to the 
 distribution of their business favors, although ex 
 ceedingly non-partisan when there is anything in it 
 for themselves. He considered this end of it care-
 
 THE FAKERS 107 
 
 fully and wrote about it to Senator Paxton, who 
 told him to hang on and not be discouraged. 
 
 Hicks secured some minor cases, of one kind 
 and another, and established a considerable collec 
 tion business. He had an insistent way of approach 
 ing delinquents, and a still more insistent manner 
 of letter writing, and he had some success with the 
 dead-beats of Rextown and the surrounding coun 
 try. He bought a second-hand typewriter, and 
 wrote his letters on that, and, invariably, put at the 
 bottom "H HML" which conveyed the impres 
 sion he had dictated the letter to a stenographer 
 whose initials were "H. M. L." Sometimes, when 
 he wanted to simulate a great press of business, he 
 wrote at the bottom of his letters: "Dictated but 
 not read by T. Marmaduke Hicks," and signed the 
 useful initials "H. M. L." to these announcements. 
 He saw that on a letter he received, and it made 
 a great impression on him. So he used it whenever 
 he thought it would have effect, coming from him. 
 
 He went to church regularly, was impeccable in 
 his conduct and unremitting in his efforts to make 
 the acquaintance of men he thought might be of 
 use to him. He was insensible to rebuff. If any 
 man of standing ever deigned to notice him that 
 man never thereafter could escape an effusive greet 
 ing from Hicks whenever they met, coupled with so 
 licitous inquiries after himself and family, and as 
 much conversation as he would listen to, on any 
 topic Tommie could introduce. If a man of affairs 
 went so far as to greet Hicks first, even if only to 
 say "Good morning, Mr. Hicks," that made that 
 man the friend of Hicks, from the Hicks side, for 
 ever after. He always referred to men who had 
 encouraged him thus as "my dear friend so-and-so" 
 and quoted him, in his own words, when they were 
 not present.
 
 io8 THE FAKERS 
 
 He joined the Good Government Association, the 
 Municipal League, the Civic Purity Society, and one 
 or two general literary and culture clubs. Twice he 
 read papers at general meetings of the Associated 
 Charities, papers he had carefully paraphrased 
 from chapters in a book he had found containing 
 a report of a national convention of these organi 
 zations, and these papers had been quoted, briefly, 
 in the local papers. He had cribbed from his ma 
 terial skilfully, and was hailed as a young man who 
 had high ideals. He debated joining various fra 
 ternal organizations, and decided to hold that in 
 abeyance until he saw what effect such affiliations 
 might have on his political ambitions. He wasn t 
 sure about this, and gave the matter considerable 
 study. 
 
 Meantime, he had toned down his attire to some 
 extent, except the flowing tie. He clung to that, and 
 never, by any chance, allowed the barber to cut off 
 much of his hair. He thought, seriously, of raising 
 whiskers, but finally decided he wouldn t as he was 
 rather proud of his facial lines, and considered him 
 self to have a serious and studious look that whis 
 kers, possibly, might destroy, although he realized 
 fully the decorative effects that might be attained 
 with a carefully nurtured beard. 
 
 He saw Rollins frequently. That amiable pa 
 triot was deep in a controversy with Colonel Cicero 
 Collins, a former Representative in Congress, who 
 had nothing to do but try to make people remember 
 he had once been a statesman in Washington. Ma 
 terial matters did not bother Rollins much, although 
 there were periods when he regularly visited the 
 bank in which he was interested and dipped into its 
 affairs. Rollins and Hicks talked of the fundamen 
 tal principles of Democracy. Tommie had acquired 
 a vocabulary of Democratic expressions that helped
 
 THE FAKERS 109 
 
 him amazingly, and he kept Rollins in a perpetual 
 state of exaltation by skillful flattery. He had be 
 come acquainted with, and had cultivated, half a 
 dozen other Democrats who were of consequence in 
 the city, and he was soon taken into the inner coun 
 cils of that flimsy organization, and consulted about 
 contemplated action, and proper policies. Most of 
 the men with whom he talked, aside from these 
 Democrats, couldn t understand why a young law 
 yer, interested in politics, should ally himself with 
 the Democracy in a city like Rextown, but Tommie 
 held his pose steadily, and asserted his adherence to 
 that faith, putting forward on every suitable occa 
 sion his utter lack of personal political ambition 
 and his intense desire to do something for the com 
 mon people. 
 
 He read the reports of the debates in Congress 
 after that body went into session, having asked the 
 local Representative to send him a copy of the Con 
 gressional Record. He had a quick and retentive 
 mind and it wasn t long until he could make a fair 
 Democratic speech. It was his custom to harangue 
 his Democratic friends at their gatherings in the 
 office of Rollins, as long as they w r ould listen. Rol 
 lins, who dearly loved that sort of thing, encouraged 
 him, while the others heard him because Rollins 
 urged them to. Tommie gained practice in political 
 speaking in this manner. He took the Democratic 
 contention in a debate at one of his literary societies 
 one night and, by using the patter of the party, and 
 a variety of high-sounding phrases about the "rule 
 of the people" and other desirable reforms, talked 
 his opponent down, and befogged the judges to 
 such an extent he was given the verdict. Bignall 
 printed something about this for him, and gave 
 him credit for "a masterly summing up of the prin 
 ciples of the Democracy."
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THINGS went quietly for a year. He ma 
 neuvered with the Rollins-Barkiss case, 
 using Gudger to help him postpone a 
 court trial, wrote voluminously to Sena 
 tor Paxton, and received much good ad 
 vice from him and some congratulations as to his 
 progress, which, apparently, satisfied the Senator. 
 
 There was to be a special municipal election late 
 in April to fill a vacancy or two on the Board of 
 Aldermen and to elect a city recorder in the place 
 of a Republican who had died. 
 
 "How long have you been here, Hicks?" Rollins 
 asked him one day. 
 
 U A little over a year." 
 
 "Well, you ve gained your residence, then. 
 Which one of these places do you want? You can 
 run for alderman or for city recorder." 
 
 Tommie hesitated. 
 
 "Go on," urged Rollins. "You haven t got a 
 chance to be elected, but you ought to do something 
 for the party, something to show your loyalty." 
 
 "All right," assented Tommie, "I ll run for re 
 corder." 
 
 Rollins smiled. "Picked the biggest sounding 
 one, didn t you?" he asked. 
 
 "Oh, my dear Mr. Rollins," protested Hicks, 
 "you must not view it in that light. I merely said 
 recorder because that seemed to be the most appro 
 priate. An alderman, you know, is a sort of a per- 
 
 IIO
 
 THE FAKERS in 
 
 sonal representative of his constituents, and I have 
 been here such a short time. Of course, while I 
 feel I am fully capable of discharging the duties of 
 member of the board of aldermen, it seemed to 
 me 
 
 "Forgive me, Hicks," said Rollins. "I was only 
 joking. Of course, you can have the nomination for 
 recorder. It s six of one and half a dozen of the 
 other." 
 
 Tommie was disappointed he was to be nominated 
 by committee and not by convention, but he sent no 
 tices to the papers of the committee meeting and 
 made a speech of acceptance that got him respectful 
 notice in two papers and some good-natured chaffing 
 in two others. The contest was perfunctory. No 
 body took interest in it, and Hicks tried to vitalize 
 it by active campaigning, but was not successful in 
 stirring up much interest either for himself or for 
 the issues involved. He had his name in the papers 
 two or three times during the short campaign, and 
 swore privately, but laughed publicly, over a fling 
 the editor of the Leader took at him as "our newly 
 acquired Demosthenes whose vocabulary is as 
 abundant as his hair and whose ideas are as scarce 
 as his whiskers." A small vote was cast at the 
 election. Hicks was snowed under. 
 
 "Just a necessary party sacrifice," soothed Rol 
 lins. "But you wait. We ll get them yet. The 
 truth is mighty and must prevail." 
 
 Then came the Presidential campaign of 1900. 
 President McKinley was renominated at Philadel 
 phia, and William Jennings Bryan named again at 
 Kansas City. Rollins had been a delegate to the 
 Democratic convention, and returned to Rextown 
 fired with enthusiasm for the Peerless Leader, as 
 he invariably termed Mr. Bryan, and anxious to or 
 ganize a fight in the district and get out every Dem-
 
 ii2 THE FAKERS 
 
 ocratic vote. He had abandoned the free silver 
 idea, as an issue, but not as a principle, and he was 
 ardently an anti-imperialist and talked for hours 
 to Hicks about the crimes of the American occu 
 pation of the Philippines and all the other phases 
 of anti-imperialism. 
 
 He urged Hicks to prepare himself to go on the 
 stump. Hicks was entirely willing, and mentioned 
 his prospective campaigning when he wrote to Sen 
 ator Paxton. 
 
 Soon afterward he received this letter in reply: 
 
 "WASHINGTON, D. C, August i, 1900. 
 "My DEAR HICKS: 
 
 "I am glad to learn of your progress, as indicated by your 
 numerous letters, and I trust that you will continue unfalter 
 ing in your championing of both the welfare of the people 
 and the cause of the Democracy, in which, as you must now 
 think, the hope of the people lies. 
 
 "It seems to me eminently fitting that you should go on 
 the stump for the Democratic candidate, Mr. Bryan. While 
 it is my deep-rooted conviction that Mr. Bryan will be no 
 more successful this time than he was before, you are a 
 Democrat, and, as such, must be regular and enthusiastic in 
 your support of the candidates. 
 
 "You have had some small experience in campaign speak 
 ing, and are about to enter again on that phase of politics. 
 Will you pardon me if I presume to set down a few axioms 
 that may be of value to you ? 
 
 "Let me repeat to you that the great secret of successful 
 political speaking is to tell the people what they already 
 know. Never venture on any uncharted oratorical seas. 
 Give them the old, familiar stuff, and they will approve and 
 applaud, but if you try to tell them what they do not know 
 they will view your efforts with cold suspicion. 
 
 "Be conventional. Avoid new expressions. It is the acme 
 of folly to refer to a workingman otherwise than as a horny- 
 handed son of toil, and you live in a factory town. If you 
 speak of the flag otherwise than as the star-spangled banner
 
 THE FAKERS 113 
 
 you will be introducing an innovation that will be unwelcome 
 and probably will react against your party on election day. 
 
 "It is imperative that you should never view except with 
 alarm, nor point except with pride. Furthermore, you must 
 always assert without fear of successful contradiction, con 
 demn in unmeasured terms, challenge the statement, shy your 
 castor in the ring, issue a defi, lock horns with, stamp as un 
 worthy, measure swords with, hew to the line, declare it is 
 a deliberate and malicious falsehood, show neither fear nor 
 favor, remark in passing, nail the lie, have your attention 
 called, demand to see the books, turn on the light, insist 
 the rascals shall be turned out, give an accounting of your 
 stewardship, make clear the issues, express sublime faith in 
 the wisdom, patriotism and justness of the people, and say 
 this is the greatest Republic on which the sun ever shone. 
 
 "As you are a Democrat you may go as far as you like with 
 Thomas Jefferson. Also, uphold the Constitution, assail the 
 Standard Oil Company savagely, lambast the octopi for hours 
 and hours, and assault the Money Devil, and Wall Street, 
 arid Lombard Street. It is always safe to jump on the 
 criminal rich and never necessary to name names. The 
 broad, generic term, criminal rich, will answer, and you can 
 get an hour out of that topic any time. 
 
 "Soak all trusts. Again it is unnecessary to name names, 
 and you need not refer to the trusts that employ men in 
 your district, and, perchance, may be contributing to your 
 party funds. As you have factories in Rextown you must 
 be strong for union labor and the right of workingmen. 
 When you get out in the country never fail to call the 
 farmers the hardy yeomanry who are the bulwark and safe 
 guard of the nation. 
 
 "Always refer to the ladies God bless em and throw 
 in a few flowery sentences about the children who are the 
 future guardians of the safeties of the Republic. 
 
 "Chose your anecdotes carefully. Do not use any new 
 ones. Tell the good, old, time-tried ones, and you will get 
 your laughs at the proper places. Do not be sarcastic, for 
 the people will think you mean what you say, being of a 
 literal turn of mind. 
 
 "Again, the people, the dear, common people, are the most
 
 H4 THE FAKERS 
 
 fruitful topic in the world for political eloquence. They 
 need constant attention and tribute. Any politician who ne 
 glects the people will be neglected by the people. They know 
 how good they are the people do and desire to be told 
 about it constantly. 
 
 "Careful attention to these details, unceasing assaults on 
 the citadels of privilege and plutocracy as maintained by the 
 Republican party, and long interpretation of the Democratic 
 platform, with some kind words about the Fathers and the 
 dear old Constitution, will give you ample material. You 
 won t make any votes, but you will get practice that may be 
 useful. Advance, Hicks, and make the welkin ring. 
 
 Rollins insisted on paying the expenses of Hicks, 
 and Hicks spoke once or twice a week at the smaller 
 meetings in various villages and hamlets in Corliss 
 County. He was put on at several meetings in Rex- 
 town, as a filler-in, and when Mr. Bryan came 
 through, in October, met the candidate, and was 
 greatly taken with him as an earnest and sincere 
 man, and accompanied him on his special car for a 
 few miles after he left Rextown. Hicks secretly 
 felt he should have been allowed to speak at the 
 Bryan meeting, but Rollins told him he must creep 
 before he could walk. Hicks sulked a little, but 
 Rollins smoothed him out, and Mr. Bryan helped 
 him by asking Hicks to introduce him at a five-min 
 ute stop he made at Grandsburg, fifteen miles from 
 Rextown, where he was scheduled to address the 
 crowd from the end of his car. Hicks thought out 
 a fine speech. 
 
 He stepped proudly forward: "Fellow citizens 
 of Grandsburg," he began, "in these days of Re 
 publican misrule, in the midst of this Republican 
 debauch of corruption " 
 
 Somebody pulled at his coat tails. 
 
 "Introduce him," said a hoarse voice. "You ain t 
 making this speech."
 
 THE FAKERS 115 
 
 Hicks cleared his throat. "Fellow citizens," he 
 began again, "in these days " 
 
 "Bryan! Bryan! Bryan!" yelled the crowd. 
 "Who the hell are you? Bryan! Where s Bryan?" 
 
 Hicks raised his hand impressively. "Fellow citi 
 zens 
 
 "Bryan! Bryan! Bryan!" shouted the impatient 
 crowd. 
 
 Mr. Bryan came forward. Hicks saw all would 
 be lost unless he hurried. "Fellow citizens," he 
 shouted, "I have the honor to present to you the 
 Great Commoner, the Peerless Leader, William Jen 
 nings Bryan." 
 
 Bryan s secretary shouldered Hicks aside and 
 Bryan plunged into his speech. Hicks was much 
 depressed. He had hoped to make a neat little talk 
 of about a minute and a half. As he went into the 
 car he saw Joe Felker, a Washington correspondent 
 he knew, who was traveling with the party. 
 
 "Hello, Hicks," saluted Felker. "What are you 
 doing out here?" 
 
 "I am engaged in the practice of the law in Rex- 
 town," Hicks replied. Felker introduced him to 
 the other correspondents and Hicks took Felker 
 aside and said; "Say, Felker, do me a favor, will 
 you?" 
 
 "Sure; if I can." 
 
 "Fix it with the other boys so my name will go 
 in the despatches." 
 
 Felker laughed. "All right, old top," he said, 
 and he was as good as his word. Even the press 
 associations carried the important information that 
 T. Marmaduke Hicks introduced Mr. Bryan at 
 Grandsburg, and Hicks was highly elated, for he 
 knew his name would be printed in about all the 
 newspapers in the country that afternoon and the 
 next morning.
 
 n6 THE FAKERS 
 
 Election came, and Bryan s defeat. The Demo 
 crats in Rextown and Corliss County held their scat 
 tering own, but that was all. Rollins was much cast 
 down. He had hypnotized himself into thinking the 
 Democrats must win, but Hicks had been under no 
 such delusion. He thought they had done very well 
 in their district. 
 
 "Well," said Rollins, dolefully, "we ve got to 
 take up the fight again. Right will triumph in the 
 end, but I certainly did think we had them beaten. 
 We had all the arguments on our side." 
 
 "Yes," Hicks replied, "we seemed to have every 
 thing on our side but the votes. However, our 
 time will come. I am sure of that. The people 
 cannot remain forever blind to their own interests." 
 
 "I don t know," mourned Rollins, "I don t know. 
 Seems to me as if the people of this country would 
 rather see through a glass darkly than stand out 
 in the sunlight. I thought we had them beaten." 
 
 "Oh, well," consoled Hicks, "we ll get them yet. 
 The people must and shall be aroused." 
 
 "I reckon so," said Rollins sadly, as he started 
 away, "but we ve got to get a bigger alarm clock 
 than we ve had yet." 
 
 Business had been fairly good with Hicks, and 
 he had not been obliged to draw on Senator Pax- 
 ton. He lived frugally, and was careful of his 
 money. He decided to run down to Washington for 
 a couple of weeks, and wrote to Mrs. Lake to save 
 a room for him. He arrived in the Capital late in 
 November, planning to be there for a few days after 
 Congress began its regular sessions in December. 
 After he had been to the boarding house, where 
 Mrs. Lake welcomed him effusively, he went up to 
 see the Senator. 
 
 "Why, Hicks!" shouted Madden as he entered
 
 THE FAKERS 117 
 
 the familiar offices, "glad to see you. How are you? 
 How are you getting along?" 
 
 "Fine," Hicks replied, "I m the greatest little up 
 holder of the undying, but somewhat unappreciated, 
 principles of the Democratic party you ever saw. 
 Where s the chief?" 
 
 "Inside: I ll tell him you are here." Madden 
 went in and came out almost immediately. "Go 
 right in," he said. "He s anxious to have a talk 
 with you." 
 
 "Hello, Tommie," said the Senator, "how s the 
 junior member of the firm of Paxton and Hicks, 
 purveyors of the uplift to the toiling masses?" 
 
 "Couldn t be better, Senator. You are looking 
 well, too." 
 
 "Yes, Hicks, I feel well, although the cares of 
 the body politic and the woes of the people oppress 
 me fearfully at times. However, I am cheered up 
 by an occasional opportunity to put over something 
 on them. Rather walloped you this time, didn t 
 we?" 
 
 "We lost," said Hicks, "if that is what you mean, 
 but we are right, and right will prevail." 
 
 "Correct," exclaimed the Senator. "Right will 
 prevail, but not, I hope, until we have secured all 
 we need. Still, it isn t necessary for you to main 
 tain the pose in here, you know. As you might say, 
 I am onto your curves." 
 
 "In that case," Hicks replied, taking a chair, "I 
 am pleased to inform you that, so far as I can see, 
 I am doing well out in Rextown. I have become a 
 leading young Democrat. I am getting some law 
 business. I am establishing myself in politics, and 
 I am never faltering, for an instant, in my devotion 
 to the people." 
 
 "That s right, Hicks; that s right. The people
 
 n8 THE FAKERS 
 
 can use a heap of devotion, and, conversely, you can 
 use the people. Tell me about yourself." 
 
 Hicks sat for an hour and detailed his experi 
 ences. Paxton listened intently, interrupting now 
 and then with a wise comment or to make some in 
 structive observation. As Hicks finished and rose 
 to go Paxton said: 
 
 "That seems like a pretty good start to me. You 
 have identified yourself with the Democracy in good 
 shape. You have acquired a standing. All you ve 
 got to do is to hang on, to continue your present 
 tactics, to remain steadfast to your numerously an 
 nounced principles, and you ll land all right. But it 
 will take time it will take time." 
 
 "I know that," laughed Hicks. "These great re 
 forms cannot be accomplished in a day. Besides, 
 what s time to me, when the stake is so big? I have 
 all the time there is, you know." 
 
 "I guess you have, when it comes to that, and 
 all the essential qualities for the part you are play 
 ing. By the way," he urged, "come up to dinner 
 with me to-night and we ll have another talk." 
 
 Hicks raised a deprecatory hand. "Oh, my dear 
 Senator," he protested, "I couldn t think of that. 
 News of the fact that T. Marmaduke Hicks, the 
 leading young Democrat of Rextown, was dining 
 with William H. Paxton, the unregenerate boss of 
 the rapacious organization of the plutocratic United 
 States Senate, might get back home. I am supposed 
 to loathe you, you know, and all your fellows with 
 an exceeding great loathing, and it surely would con 
 taminate me to be seen in your company. The peo 
 ple wouldn t understand it, and would say I have 
 been captured by the forces of Mammon." 
 
 Paxton looked at Hicks admiringly. "By 
 George," he said, "you are even better than I 
 thought. But come along. No one will be there but
 
 THE FAKERS 119 
 
 Mrs. Paxton and she never tells anything. If she 
 should tell all she knows about me I m afraid there 
 would be a forced vacancy in the Senate, at my par 
 ticular desk. Come on. You ll be perfectly safe." 
 "In that case," Hicks replied, shaking hands with 
 the Senator, "I ll be there at seven o clock.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 HICKS made a few visits the next morn 
 ing and decided to take his luncheon 
 with Mrs. Lake. As he neared the 
 house he stopped suddenly and stared 
 at a woman who was coming down the 
 walk toward him. She was a tall, slender woman, 
 who walked with exceeding grace. Her face was 
 white, markedly so, but her lips were even more 
 markedly red. Hicks, knowing little of women s 
 dress, still knew enough to have it borne in on his 
 startled vision that she was exquisitely gowned. Her 
 dress was of a silky black material, and clung to her 
 figure in soft and shimmering folds. Her hat fitted 
 perfectly into her charming costume. It was black, 
 too, but there was a quilling of white about it that 
 added to its chicness. A filmy veil, long and black, 
 floated behind her as she walked, and Hicks caught a 
 glimpse of her throat, where her corsage was cut 
 away, a jet necklace and long jet earrings. She ap 
 proached Hicks with a slightly swaying motion of 
 the hips that fascinated him. 
 
 He stood stock still, staring at her. She came up 
 to him, and still he stared. She passed him, appar 
 ently without knowledge of his existence, and he 
 turned and followed her with his eyes until she went 
 around a corner. Then, as if he were coming out 
 of a trance, he said, "Jimminy! what a stunner!" 
 He walked slowly toward the house. There was 
 something familiar about the woman, something that 
 
 120
 
 THE FAKERS 121 
 
 reminded him of a woman he had seen before. He 
 had not been able to get more than a glimpse of 
 her face, but her figure, her carriage, her general 
 air of distinction, of grace, of modishness, stirred 
 memories in him. 
 
 He stopped at the steps, stopped and searched 
 his mind. "By George!" he shouted, "it s Mrs. 
 Lester!" 
 
 Hicks ran up the steps and burst into the house. 
 He sought the landlady. "Mrs. Lake," he asked 
 excitedly, "is there a Mrs. Lester stopping here?" 
 
 "Why, yes," Mrs. Lake replied, amused at 
 Hicks s eagerness, "Mrs. Lester has been here for 
 more than a year. Do you know her?" 
 
 "No," Hicks replied, "but I remember when she 
 was here before I went to Rextown, and I d like 
 to know her mighty well." 
 
 "I shall be glad to present you. She is a charm 
 ing woman; so cultivated. Poor girl," she continued 
 sympathetically, "she has been bereaved since you 
 saw her." 
 
 "Somebody die?" asked Hicks. 
 
 "Her husband. She is a widow." 
 
 "A widow," exclaimed Hicks. "Oh, fine I 
 mean I am sorry to hear it." 
 
 "He died soon after they were here, suddenly. It 
 was a terrible shock to her, and she hasn t recovered 
 yet. They were very devoted. She returned to 
 Washington, where she has some friends, and has 
 been with us ever since. Of course, as she is in mourn 
 ing, she is quite secluded, but we enjoy her charm 
 ing conversation and her recitals of her experiences 
 abroad. Why, Mr. Hicks, she positively knows 
 everybody worth knowing, and for travel well, she 
 has been just everywhere, and she speaks several 
 languages. Really, you would take her for a 
 Frenchwoman."
 
 122 THE FAKERS 
 
 "I noticed she wore black," said Hicks, as if that 
 were an achievement on his part. 
 
 "Yes," continued Mrs. Lake, "and I must say 
 she is the most perfectly appointed and most hand 
 somely gowned widow I ever saw. She looks just 
 too fetching for anything in her weeds." 
 
 It was Friday, and that night, as was the cus 
 tom, everybody dressed for dinner. Hicks had his 
 .evening clothes with him, which he had not used 
 much in Rextown. Fie shaved with exceeding care, 
 brushed his hair until it shone, and spent half an 
 hour polishing his nails and pumicing his hands. 
 At half after six he gave his hair a few more pats, 
 sprinkled a little perfume on himself, put some on 
 the palms of his hands, gave a final admiring glance 
 at himself in his mirror, and went downstairs. 
 
 Most of the boarders were there, but not Mrs. 
 Lester. Disappointed, Hicks wandered uneasily 
 about, examining the pictures he had seen a hun 
 dred times before, trying to be affable with those 
 who remembered him and looking constantly and 
 eagerly toward the stairway. Just before the gong 
 sounded she appeared. Hicks gave a cry of ad 
 miration that attracted the attention of everybody 
 in the hall. 
 
 Mrs. Lester stood for a moment, posed on the 
 bottom step. She wore a black, satiny dress, draped 
 and interdraped about her perfect figure. Her cor 
 sage was cut low, and her sleeves were short, dis 
 playing a milky throat and bosom and white and 
 shapely arms. There was a twisted rope of seed 
 pearls about her neck, her fingers glittered with rings 
 and long, oddly shaped ornaments of seed pearls 
 depended from her ears. Her face had a fashion 
 able pallor, but her lips were red, and there was 
 just the suspicion of a shadow under her eyes. Her 
 intensely black hair was drawn flatly and tightly
 
 THE FAKERS 123 
 
 down across her ears but had an undulated appear 
 ance for all that, and extended out on her pale 
 cheeks, where its black gave vivid contrast to their 
 pallor. It was wound into an elaborate knot low 
 on her neck. Her little feet were shod in black 
 satin pumps, with jet buckles. Her expression was 
 that of discreet melancholy, of decorous but ex 
 tremely fashionable woe. 
 
 Hicks was standing in the center of the hall, his 
 lips apart, his eyes wide with admiration, his hands 
 opening and shutting nervously. 
 
 After a pause she approached slowly, gracefully, 
 looking steadily ahead of her. As she reached the 
 center of the room she hesitated for a moment and 
 glanced at Hicks, then suddenly turned her eyes 
 aw T ay. 
 
 Hicks started forward. "Mrs. Lester!" he be 
 gan, and then blushed and shrank back. 
 
 She gave no sign of recognition. 
 
 "Pardon me," stammered Hicks, "but you see 
 I felt I saw I have known " 
 
 Mrs. Lake arrived. She relieved the situation by 
 saying: "Mrs. Lester, allow me to present Mr. 
 Hicks." 
 
 Mrs. Lester smiled a sort of a slow, impersonal 
 smile at Hicks and said in a low, well-modulated 
 voice: "I am charmed." 
 
 "Pleased to meet you," chattered Hicks, who had 
 regained a measure of his self-possession. "Pleased 
 to meet you, I m sure. I feel as though I know 
 you, you know. I saw you once a long time ago 
 and the memory of that sight has remained with me 
 ever." 
 
 "Indeed," she replied, "I regret that I cannot 
 remember having seen you." 
 
 "Oh, it was about two years ago. I didn t meet 
 you. You were with your husband I "
 
 124 THE FAKERS 
 
 She shuddered slightly, and an expression of pain 
 passed over her pallid face. 
 
 "Oh, I beg your pardon," Hicks said hastily, "I 
 forgot. You re a widow now, aren t you?" 
 
 She shivered this time, instead of shuddering and 
 sank gracefully into a chair. 
 
 "Pleased to see you again," hurried Hicks. "I 
 felt it must be that we would meet again." 
 
 "Did you?" she asked, "how romantic!" 
 
 "Oh," Hicks protested, shifting from one foot to 
 the other in his excitement, "not romantic, you 
 know; nothing like that, of course, but I was so 
 much attracted by your beauty and grace and all 
 that that I just couldn t help being being 
 
 She smiled up at him. "Being gallant," she said, 
 and Hicks grew four inches in his own estimation, 
 which made him a very tall man indeed. 
 
 The gong sounded. Hicks feverishly sought Mrs. 
 Lake. "Please, Mrs. Lake," he pleaded, "please 
 put me at her table, won t you?" 
 
 "Why, yes," said that agreeable lady, "I ll have 
 another chair placed there." 
 
 Hicks rushed back to Mrs. Lester. "May I have 
 the honor of escorting you to dinner?" he asked. 
 "By great good fortune I find I am to be at your 
 table." 
 
 She bowed and said softly: "Avec plaisir, Mon 
 sieur." 
 
 Hicks said he didn t know what she meant, but, 
 as she rose, concluded she was willing and strode 
 proudly by her side to the table, and, as well as he 
 could remember the polite details, handled her chair 
 and her draperies as he had seen her husband per 
 form those offices long ago. 
 
 Hicks broke immediately into a panegyric of him 
 self, telling of his lucrative law practice in Rextown, 
 his political activities, his fame as an orator; dilated
 
 THE FAKERS 125 
 
 glowingly on his prospects and wondered whether 
 Mrs. Lester was joking or complimenting him 
 when she said little things in French, from time to 
 time. However, he decided she was complimenting 
 him, as she seemed serious in her interest. 
 
 "And where is Rextown?" she asked him. 
 
 "Rextown," declaimed Hicks, "why, Rextown is 
 one of the most beautiful and most prosperous cities 
 
 in the Middle West. It has " and made a long 
 
 speech about the manifest beauties and the more 
 manifest destiny of his place of residence. 
 
 "And you are in politics there?" she said admir 
 ingly. 
 
 "I should say I am. I am one of the leaders of 
 the Democratic party and I shall be prominent, too. 
 One of these days I shall be elected to a big office." 
 
 "Ma foi," she said, "and you so young." 
 
 "That s just it," urged Hicks eagerly; "I am 
 young and I shall be there when the shift comes." 
 
 "What shift?" she asked. "The Republicans 
 have everything in the country, haven t they?" 
 
 "So they have, but my time will come. The peo 
 ple will not bear this burden of oppression forever. 
 They will arise and sweep this corrupt gang of ser 
 vitors of the special interests out of power." 
 
 "Then, I suppose," she said, "your party will 
 come in and do the same thing over again. II y a 
 encore de quoi glaner." 
 
 "Oh, no," protested Hicks, wondering what the 
 French meant, "not at all, I assure you; not at all. 
 We are the friends of the people." And so it went 
 through the dinner. 
 
 Hicks had an engagement to meet Madden that 
 night, but he broke it without compunction. In 
 stead of seeing Madden he followed Mrs. Lester 
 into the parlor after dinner, and tried to monopolize 
 her, but did not succeed, for some of the others in
 
 126 THE FAKERS 
 
 the boarding house gathered around, while Hicks 
 raged inwardly at their presumption. She talked 
 with vivacity and animation, shrugged her shoulders 
 in a most fascinating manner, made pretty little 
 moues, was infinitely graceful with her hands and 
 spoke of travel in Europe, of the personages she 
 had met, of her familiarity with the nobility, of her 
 knowledge and intimacy with the great families of 
 America. She discussed art with a knowledge that 
 seemed to Hicks to be complete so far as the old and 
 new schools were concerned, had a comprehensive 
 understanding of music, knew about books, and 
 especially the authors of the day and most of the 
 time was so far above the head of Hicks as to force 
 him to sit in silent wonder at her vast range of in 
 formation and her exceeding culture. 
 
 She gave the impression that she had spent much 
 of her life in travel, and her familiarity with the 
 great houses of England, France, Germany and Rus 
 sia was astonishing. She talked knowingly and 
 shrewdly of bonds and stocks and "the market" and 
 this portion of her conversation made Hicks even 
 more interested than he was before. She rippled 
 along from one topic to another, interlarding her 
 sentences with foreign expressions and exclamations, 
 and having an effective way of stopping, after she 
 had used one of those expressions, and translating it, 
 with a little grimace of impatience with herself for 
 using it. 
 
 "Really," she said, "I have passed so much of my 
 life abroad it is second nature to me to lapse into 
 French or Russian or German those languages 
 especially the French are so much more expressive 
 than ours don t you think?" 
 
 She turned her eyes on Hicks as she asked this 
 and Hicks assented readily and said he had often 
 been discouraged at the poverty of English. He
 
 THE FAKERS 127 
 
 regretted he had no French or German or Italian, 
 and resolved to buy a phrase book and become a 
 linguist. 
 
 There was not an international marriage for fif 
 teen years with which she was unfamiliar. She 
 talked of Newport and Fifth Avenue as if she had 
 been reared in the one and lived every summer in 
 the other. 
 
 "When I was visiting in Newport," she would 
 say, and give a lively account of some great func 
 tion she attended. She was perfectly familiar with 
 the English nobility, and it seemed from her talk, 
 had been an honored guest in every castle in that 
 island, as well as at all the French chateaux. 
 
 At ten o clock she rose to go, with many apologies 
 for having run on so. "I hope," she added smil 
 ing radiantly at Hicks, "I have not bored you." 
 
 "On the contrary, Mrs. Lester," asserted the 
 gallant Hicks, who had not taken his eyes from 
 her pale, but animated, face once during the eve 
 ning, and who had hung rapturously on her every 
 word, and listened with envy to her recital of her 
 acquaintance with the great ones of society, "on 
 the contrary I have been charmed, more than 
 charmed. It is a great honor to have met you." 
 
 She bowed and, after a moment s pause in the light 
 of the chandelier, glided out of the room. She 
 turned for an instant at the door, smiled brilliantly 
 again, said "bon soir" and was gone. 
 
 Hicks went up to his room in a whirl of de 
 light. He felt sure he had made an impression on 
 Mrs. Lester, recounted to himself every look she 
 gave him, every smile, told over to himself her 
 various perfections the cataloging took a long 
 time and went to sleep filled with the hope of a 
 better acquaintance with this charming, cultured 
 woman.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ALYS DE MOUNTFORT LESTER was 
 born in a small town in Pennsylvania. 
 Her father was a doctor with a good 
 practice, and her name was Alice Jen 
 nings. Her mother was a refined, edu 
 cated, quiet woman, and the family one of the best 
 in the village. Alice was sent to a fashionable 
 school when she was seventeen, and ran away and 
 was married to Hugo Lester before she had com 
 pleted her second term. Lester was of English de 
 scent, and his father had been rich, but at the time 
 of Hugo s marriage was in financial straits. Hugo 
 had been educated beyond his intellect. He was a 
 gentleman, of polished manners, and had always 
 expected to be rich and to live in luxury and at 
 ease. He took his wife to his father s house and 
 they lived with him for a few years. Then the 
 father died, leaving the son and his wife a big house 
 and a correspondingly big mortgage and nothing 
 else. 
 
 Lester was forced to go to work, and he had np 
 ability for work, nor any adaptability. He at 
 tached himself to an old friend of his father s in 
 a secretarial capacity and, after a year or so of 
 this, was appointed to a clerkship in the State De 
 partment at Washington. Through influential 
 friends he was given a position in Paris, and he 
 and his wife spent two years in France. While 
 there, he, being of good birth, and aided by his 
 
 128
 
 THE FAKERS 129 
 
 wife, secured some commissions in Russia, Germany 
 and Italy, and they traveled in each of these coun 
 tries. 
 
 Alice Jennings was a clever girl. From the time 
 she began to evolve from the flapper stage she held 
 herself to be better than her associates in the home 
 village, and better than her family. She was an 
 only daughter, spoiled by an indulgent father, and 
 had no difficulty in overriding her mother. She had 
 a passion for clothes, which she indulged as well as 
 she was able, and a talent for making her resources 
 go further than any other girl in the village or at 
 the school when she went away from home. She 
 loathed the small town in which she lived, read the 
 social news in the papers, even when she was just 
 coming into her teens, early displayed a fondness 
 for exalting herself by claiming acquaintance with 
 those above her in social standing. That later be 
 came a positive genius for that sort of self-appre 
 ciation. She married Lester because she thought 
 he was rich and had position. 
 
 She was smart at school, with a fondness for lan 
 guages, but was entirely superficial in her studies. 
 From her earliest childhood she was a chatterbox. 
 She talked unceasingly, but brightly, and was clever 
 enough to deal with subjects in her conversation 
 concerning which she had a slight knowledge. She 
 never, either as a child, or as a woman, touched any 
 but the high places in her talk. She was intensely 
 egotistical and longed for admiration. She had a 
 great skill in dress, and a full knowledge of her own 
 fine physical points and how to accentuate them. 
 
 Her husband had little money, but she made the 
 most of that. She was a genius for finding out the 
 best places to live within their means, and always 
 insisted on rigid adherence to the conventionalities. 
 She never failed to dress for dinner, nor would
 
 i 3 o THE FAKERS 
 
 she allow her husband to appear after six o clock 
 in any but evening clothes. Their public attitude 
 toward one another was one of exceeding and formal 
 politeness, and she always strove to create the im 
 pression they had much more money than they did 
 have. In reality the Lesters got along well to 
 gether, for Lester was a dull, listless, complaisant 
 man, awed by the brilliancy of his wife, and not 
 daring to oppose her. His only talent was a talent 
 for cards. He was an expert bridge-whist player, 
 and his wife was almost his equal. 
 
 She could sing a little, play the piano acceptably, 
 and had a most agreeable talent for visiting. In 
 deed, she was a professional visitor and she was a 
 useful guest. She and her husband were ever ready 
 for bridge, and both could dance. She was always 
 faultlessly dressed in the latest mode; had an in 
 exhaustible fund of small talk, and was continuously 
 in good spirits. The climbing hostesses who invited 
 the Lesters to visit them, thinking the Lesters were 
 of the set they aspired, to enter, were always sure 
 they would have one pair of guests who would carry 
 themselves with the utmost rigidity of polite de 
 portment, who would stay as long as they possibly 
 could and who would add much to the gaiety and 
 attractiveness of their imitations of the house 
 parties of the social boarders. And if she chanced 
 to meet a fashionable woman that gave her added 
 capital for her future, for she was extraordinarily 
 skilful in weaving into her conversation, in a most 
 impressive manner, accounts of her previous enter 
 taining. 
 
 Always harassed by a small income, she was a 
 marvel at getting the worth of her money. She 
 knew where the best could be obtained for the 
 least price. Her clothes were always in the latest 
 mode, but the few close women friends she had
 
 THE FAKERS 131 
 
 were at a loss to understand how she did it. Her 
 secret was her own skill at dressmaking, and her 
 vast adaptability to the mode of the moment. She 
 never threw anything away. Every gown she had 
 was in her possession for years. She had one trunk 
 that was filled with old waists, old skirts, pieces of 
 lace, and all the ephemera of woman s attire. From 
 these, with a little new added material, she could 
 supervise her sewing woman s efforts until she was 
 gowned to the minute and for every occasion. Her 
 economies in dress, in lingerie, in all her adornments 
 were the marvel of those few who knew of her 
 private affairs; and only a few knew, for she main 
 tained her pose of wealth and social standing and 
 adequate resources even to her most intimate 
 friends. 
 
 Her hats were the envy of her acquaintances. She 
 was a milliner as well as a dressmaker, and she 
 could browbeat the haughty proprietor of a fash 
 ionable hat shop into taking her materials and using 
 them with a latest Paris model hat body until she 
 appeared in a creation that cost her little and looked 
 as if it were direct from France. Both in Europe 
 and in this country she had made a study of the 
 shops. She knew the best place, and the lowest 
 priced, to get gloves, shoes, stockings, even down 
 to hatpins and hairpins. She had cheap, but effec 
 tive, seamstresses and hatwomen in every capital 
 in Europe, and in New York. So, too, with every 
 article of attire. Always she was perfectly ap 
 pointed even to the latest mode in jewelry, and she 
 never by any chance wore real jewelry, except a 
 diamond ring or two, but her imitation pearls and 
 her imitation ornaments of every kind were of the 
 very best and were bargained for and secured at the 
 lowest outlay. 
 
 She wore plumes on her hats, in plume times,
 
 i 3 2 THE FAKERS 
 
 that looked as if they were just imported, and had 
 been in her millinery reserve stock for years. She 
 could make over a fancy waist half a dozen times 
 and each time it seemed to have come fresh from 
 a Fifth Avenue modiste. She bought one or two 
 new gowns each year, and perhaps one new hat, 
 and each investment was the subject of worry and 
 trouble for the tailor or dressmaker or the milliner 
 for days and days, for she knew what she wanted, 
 made every penny of her money count, and had a 
 manner, that was irresistible, of bluffing the trades 
 people into her way of thinking and into carrying 
 out her desires. She had had gowns and hats from 
 famous Paris houses, and she had carefully pre 
 served the name labels from these and sewed them 
 time and again into her American-made clothes. 
 She never had a gown or hat, by any chance, that 
 did not have a Paris label on it. 
 
 She was tall, slender, with an excellent figure, 
 and masses of black hair. Her teeth were even and 
 good and her hair of sufficient quantity to obviate 
 the necessity for artificial amplification even in the 
 time of the greatest puffiness. Her complexion 
 was pale, but clear, and her skill with rouges 
 amounted to wizardry. Her only object in life, 
 aside from being entertained so she would not be 
 obliged to spend money for board, was to enhance 
 her attractiveness in order that she might gain 
 greater admiration. She was entirely self-centered, 
 and cared nothing for men except as she might use 
 them. 
 
 She had the air of one born to the purple and 
 disdained any but the most select society. She was 
 affected in her conversation, her gestures, her poses 
 and her walk. She had a smattering of many ac 
 complishments, but was accomplished in none, and 
 was clever enough to make everybody believe she
 
 THE FAKERS 133 
 
 was accomplished in all. She faked her familiarity 
 with the foreign languages, her knowledge of art, 
 music, books and fashionable sport and society. 
 She read book-reviews so she might talk intelligently 
 of books to bookish people, but she never read a 
 book or a poem through. No subject of ordinary 
 conversation but was familiar to her, to hear her 
 tell it, and she even went so far as to dip into 
 politics a bit in order to make herself agreeable to 
 men. She knew the patter of baseball and golf 
 and polo and hunting, and, when away from the 
 ball park, or the links, or the hunting-field, was 
 expert in each. She could dance wonderfully well, 
 and took up each of the latest dancing crazes as 
 it came along. 
 
 She had made herself a family crest, skillfully 
 confining the good parts of half a dozen crests she 
 had copied from books on heraldry in a public 
 library, had insisted on putting "de Mountfort" into 
 her name after she was married, and, after her 
 first visit to Paris, had changed the commonplace 
 "Alice" to "Alys," which, as she told everybody, 
 was pronounced "Al-leece." When she played 
 cards she talked constantly of her European 
 triumphs and commented on each hand with snatches 
 of French or Italian or German. She had visited 
 in Russia, having been invited to St. Petersburg by 
 a woman she met in Paris, and, on especial occa 
 sions, she used a little Russian all she knew, but 
 more than anybody else knew. 
 
 She regarded her husband as a harmless adjunct 
 to her enterprises, and was decorously sorry when he 
 died, taking consolation in the thought that she would 
 look extremely well in mourning. She draped her 
 self in black, but it was black fashioned into the 
 most modish creations, and her affectation of public 
 woe was so well done as to stamp her as an actress
 
 134 THE FAKERS 
 
 of extraordinary ability. At first she put on the 
 deepest black, unrelieved in any particular, and used 
 a pencil to accentuate the circles about her eyes and 
 a powder to increase the pallor of her cheeks, and 
 give the impression of deep, pathetic and hopeless 
 grief. Presently, however, her mourning began to 
 take on various little worldly quirks, and was light 
 ened, here and there, with white and other modest 
 colors to relieve it. However, she was of the com 
 plexion and hair and eyes to look particularly well 
 in black, and being economical perforce, concluded 
 to make black the basis of her robing, inasmuch 
 as when a woman gets her clothes organized for 
 black or any other predominating color, it is much 
 cheaper to continue reasonably along these color 
 lines. 
 
 Alys knew, too, that there is something alluring in 
 fashionable weeds worn by a widow, when the widow 
 is past the absolute grief stage and is observing 
 things and men out of the corners of her eyes 
 and she frequently, and pathetically, said in explana 
 tion of her continued use of this color: "Black is 
 such a protection to a woman alone in the world." 
 She was a calm, collected and exceedingly attractive 
 widow. 
 
 Her husband left her twenty thousand dollars life 
 insurance. She thrust herself on his friends and de 
 manded they invest the money for her or tell her how 
 to get enough income, and they came to her rescue 
 and doubled this sum for her in one way or an 
 other. This was carefully put into good dividend- 
 paying stocks and gilt-edged bonds, and in the proc 
 ess she learned superficially enough financial phrases 
 to enable her to talk understandingly of finance to 
 amateurs, which the people she met usually were. 
 She had an income of about twenty-five hundred 
 dollars a year.
 
 THE FAKERS 135 
 
 After the death of her husband she had re 
 turned to Washington, because she considered Wash 
 ington an admirable base for her operations, which 
 were to consist of living as comfortably and fash 
 ionably as possible, by the aid of her friends and 
 her talent for visiting, with as little expenditure of 
 her own money as she could manage. She went to 
 Mrs. Lake s boarding-house because that was a high- 
 class place of its kind, much better for her purposes 
 than one of the smaller hotels, which were the only 
 hotels within reach of her purse. She had it in 
 mind to make another marriage, sometime, a mar 
 riage that would provide her with money, to a rea 
 sonable degree, and with position she might take 
 the place she coveted in official society. To this 
 end she assayed every eligible man she met, coldly 
 and shrewdly, considering all men who were un 
 attached as prospects and investigating them with 
 her two standards in mind: money and position.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 HICKS was much disappointed because 
 Mrs. Lester did not come down to 
 breakfast next morning, and hurried 
 back that evening to meet her. Soon 
 after six o clock she made another ef 
 fective descent of the staircase, in another effective 
 gown. 
 
 "I should think," sniffed a straight-up-and-down 
 wife of a Representative, "that she would get tired 
 of those theatrical entrances and exits of hers, but, 
 apparently, she never does, even if we do." 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Perkins," protested the aston 
 ished Hicks, "how can you talk like that? She is 
 the most natural and unaffected woman I ever met." 
 "Then," commented Mrs. Perkins, bitingly, "you 
 haven t met many women. I suppose it impresses 
 you because you are young and fresh from the 
 West, but I, for one, am tired of her continual 
 pose. Perhaps, though," and she concentrated a 
 baleful gaze on Hicks, "she is putting on some extra 
 frills for your benefit. She has been a widow long 
 enough now, I fancy, and maybe she has picked you 
 out to be her next satchel-carrier. She looks at 
 every man with that in view." 
 
 Hicks affected great indignation, although the 
 thought made him glow within. "Preposterous !" 
 he exclaimed. "Her grief is sincere, I am sure, 
 and she has no idea of anything of the kind." 
 
 136
 
 THE FAKERS 137 
 
 "Have you?" asked Mrs. Perkins, looking 
 squarely at Hicks. 
 
 "Not in the least; not in the least. I am simply 
 attracted by her culture and charm." 
 
 "Well, then, take the advice of another woman, 
 who knows something about her sex, and do not 
 be deluded too much by that culture or those 
 charms." 
 
 "Why, the idea !" protested Hicks, lamely, but 
 that was the only retort he could think of at the 
 moment. His mind and his eyes were on Mrs. 
 Lester. 
 
 He discoursed at length to Mrs. Lester that night, 
 and asked her if she wouldn t like to go to the 
 theater with him. 
 
 "I m sorry," she said, sweetly, "but I am still in 
 mourning, you know, and never go out publicly. 
 Indeed, I remain in my room most of the time, 
 only occasionally visiting my most intimate friends 
 here," and she told Hicks, in what seemed a most 
 casual manner, that those friends were the real 
 leaders of Washington society, and persons of in 
 fluence and distinction. 
 
 "It wouldn t hurt any to go to the theater, would 
 it?" urged Hicks, thinking he might have her to 
 himself for a few hours, away from the others in 
 the boarding-house. 
 
 "Oh, la la, I suppose not, but don t you think it 
 would be much cosier to stay here and chat than 
 to go to a stuffy theater and see a mediocre play? 
 Our American stage is so much inferior to the Eng 
 lish stage, don t you think, and as for the stage in 
 Paris ah the stage in Paris!" and she made an 
 other gesture and lifted her eyes ecstatically, "there 
 is no comparison. Such subtle interpretation of the 
 emotions! I adore the stage of Paris!" 
 
 "I wouldn t want a lady I know to see most of
 
 138 THE FAKERS 
 
 the French plays I ve heard about," said Hicks, 
 virtuously. 
 
 She laughed a tinkling laugh. "Oh," she ex 
 claimed, "you Puritans, you American Puritans. 
 Why, you must not impute sordid motives to the 
 French stage. It is the exemplification of art of 
 life the wit and life of the dear, dear French 
 people." 
 
 She asked Hicks if he had ever been to the 
 Comedie Franchise, or to the Odeon, and told of 
 the gruesome plays of the Grand Guignol. Hicks, 
 much abashed, confessed he had never been abroad, 
 but hastened to say he intended to make a tour 
 soon, and seized the first opening he had to change 
 the subject to himself. Hicks was thoroughly at 
 home when talking about himself, and was lavish 
 with his commendation of his talents, his future, 
 discoursing eloquently on the political honors that 
 were inevitably in store for him. 
 
 "I shall win," he declaimed, "for the people are 
 mighty and must prevail." 
 
 Mrs. Lester listened with a rather distraught air. 
 Once or twice she yawned politely. Hicks did not 
 notice the yawns, and kept along with his self- 
 praise. 
 
 Once, when he stopped for breath, Mrs. Lester, 
 assuming a most interested air, which was belied 
 by a twinkle in her eyes, said, with a pretty seri 
 ousness : "Oh, Mr. Hicks, I love to hear you 
 talk. You are so earnest, so sincere, and earnest 
 ness and sincerity are so rare in these days." 
 
 She sighed, as if this lack of earnestness and sin 
 cerity was an added personal woe. 
 
 Whereupon the fatuous Hicks plunged into an 
 other oration which had his own earnestness and 
 sincerity for a theme. "I think I may say," he be 
 gan, pompously, "that "
 
 THE FAKERS 139 
 
 Mrs. Lester had been looking for a chance to 
 escape. This flamboyant young man was begin 
 ning to bore her. She saw Mrs. Lake and rising, 
 said: "Excuse me, Mr. Hicks, won t you? I am 
 so interested, but there is a matter I must mention 
 to Mrs. Lake. Good night." 
 
 She held out her hand impulsively, as it seemed 
 to Hicks, and he grasped it and pressed it ever so 
 little. She looked at him archly, withdrew her 
 hand, and glided over to Mrs. Lake, who followed 
 her upstairs, at Mrs. Lester s earnest request. 
 
 Hicks went out and took a walk, recalling her 
 every word and look. Certainly, she was the most 
 attractive woman he had ever met, and a future 
 spent in her company rose before his mind. He 
 went to bed in a happy haze. 
 
 Mrs. Lester was not at dinner next day, and 
 Hicks tried to learn why, with no success. Mrs. 
 Lake said she had gone out to dine. He ate his 
 meal in moody silence and wandered about the 
 parlors and hall wondering where she was and be 
 moaning the sad fate that kept him from seeing 
 her. Mrs. Perkins was sitting by the fire and 
 Hicks, in desperation, pulled up a chair and sat 
 down beside her. 
 
 Mrs. Perkins was a catty person, who had been 
 snubbed by Mrs. Lester when she had endeavored 
 to make some discoveries about Mrs. Lester s per 
 sonal affairs. Hicks ventured a few commonplaces. 
 Mrs. Perkins, knowing what was on his mind, waited 
 for her opening. It came when Hicks, in what he 
 deemed was a most unconcerned manner, said: "I 
 didn t see Mrs. Lester at dinner to-night." 
 
 Mrs. Perkins s eyes gleamed malevolently. "No," 
 she replied, "I suppose she was out dining with some 
 of her high society friends leaders of the exclusive 
 set."
 
 140 THE FAKERS 
 
 "She has many friends among the most influential 
 people, she tells me," observed Hicks. 
 
 "That s what she tells everybody," snapped Mrs. 
 Perkins, "but you mustn t believe all you near, espe 
 cially when a widow who is trying to keep up ap 
 pearance is doing the telling." 
 
 Hicks paid little attention to what Mrs. Perkins 
 said. He was thinking of Mrs. Lester. After a 
 moment s silence, he asked: "How old do you 
 suppose she is?" 
 
 "That is a matter of conjecture," Mrs. Perkins 
 answered. "Judging from the amount of European 
 traveling she has done and the length of time she 
 has lived in the castles of the nobility she must be 
 seventy; looking at her under the shaded lights of 
 this room she seems about thirty; if you could get 
 a glimpse of her in the morning before she is rigged 
 up she might seem older than that. She says she 
 is twenty-six and was married when she was seven 
 teen. Make your own guess." 
 
 "I should say," ventured Hicks, "that twenty-six 
 or twenty-seven is about right." 
 
 Mrs. Perkins changed her attitude. "Sonny," 
 she said, not unkindly, "you d better run right back 
 home. You may do something foolish if you stay 
 here." 
 
 She rose and left him and Hicks sat and stared 
 into the fire. He acknowledged to himself that he 
 was strongly swayed by Mrs. Lester, and hoped 
 she liked him, but to that time it had not been 
 brought home to him that he might, under the in 
 fluence of his stirred emotions, go farther than he 
 expected to. He had no intention of getting mar 
 ried, even if so remote a contingency arose as Mrs. 
 Lester s consent to marry him, which had not oc 
 curred to him concretely, albeit there had been vague 
 notions on the subject in his mind. He was entirely
 
 THE FAKERS 141 
 
 interested in the career he intended to make for 
 himself, and he pondered the things Mrs. Perkins 
 had said. 
 
 Hicks was not a woman s man. He was en 
 grossed with himself and his ambitions, and, up to 
 this time, had not been impressed particularly with 
 any woman, although some women had appealed 
 to him because of their beauty and attractiveness. 
 
 "Pshaw!" he said, as he rose to go to his room, 
 "what s the use of my getting excited about this 
 woman! It ll be ten years before I want to get 
 married, and probably I ll never see her again after 
 I go home." 
 
 But he couldn t dismiss her from his mind, and 
 the fetching pictures she had presented were en 
 graved on his memory. 
 
 On the advice of Senator Paxton, Hicks devoted 
 much of his time to making himself known to the 
 Democratic leaders in the Senate and House. He 
 called on all the big men, and was twice invited to 
 luncheon in the Senate restaurant by Democratic 
 senators to whom Senator Paxton had introduced 
 him. He had met most of the big Democrats by 
 the time he was ready to go home. Paxton con 
 gratulated him on his ability for making friends. 
 
 "You are getting on, Tommie," said the Senator 
 to him, when Hicks came in to say good-by. 
 "Hostetter was talking to me about you the other 
 day. He said you seem to be a most intelligent 
 young Democrat, and well versed in the principles 
 of the party. Grantley mentioned you, too." 
 
 Hicks winced. He had been in the company of 
 Senator Hostetter for an hour and that garrulous 
 statesman had talked continuously, and ramblingly, 
 about his own scheme for currency reform, which, 
 he assured Hicks, was a panacea, and the only one 
 proposed, for the relief of the financial situation.
 
 142 THE FAKERS 
 
 Senator Grantley s conversation had consisted of 
 three staccato inquiries of Hicks. 
 
 "What did you say your name is? Hicks? Ah, 
 yes, and where do you live? Rextown. Very good. 
 How are Democratic prospects out there?" 
 
 Hicks tried to answer, but the Senator was busy 
 with a bowl of crackers and milk and did not listen, 
 and, after a few spoonsful had been hoisted into 
 his capacious maw, looked up and asked exactly 
 the same things over again and, without waiting for 
 further reply, dived into the crackers and milk once 
 more. He did not hear a word Hicks said. Still, 
 Hicks reflected, unless Senator Paxton was joking, 
 it was something to have these distinguished Demo 
 crats remember him at all. 
 
 "I gained much inspiration from my conversation 
 with those statesmen," he observed. 
 
 Senator Paxton looked at him keenly. 
 
 "Oh, did you?" he asked. "Well, there is where 
 you have something on the rest of us, who achieve 
 nothing but a sense of utter weariness when they 
 talk. However, that is a good sign. You take 
 it all seriously, or say you do, which amounts to 
 the same thing, for if you keep on saying you do 
 you will, eventually, remain in that serious frame 
 of mind toward your politics. You cannot be a 
 successful protagonist for the new freedom of the 
 people unless you are continuously as intense and 
 consecrated as a hen that has been bereaved of her 
 eggs and is sitting on a couple of door-knobs. 
 Good-by, and good luck to you. Keep me in 
 formed. I m always at your service." 
 
 Mrs. Lester spent the week end with some friends 
 and Hicks delayed his departure for a day to see 
 her again before he left. He had talked to her 
 as frequently as she allowed him to, and, while he 
 held his feelings in check, he was still under the spell
 
 THE FAKERS 143 
 
 of her many fascinations. He had inquired of 
 Mrs. Lake about her age, being uneasy because of 
 the insinuations of Mrs. Perkins that she was not 
 so young as she appeared, and Mrs. Lake had as 
 sured him Mrs. Lester was not a day over twenty- 
 seven. 
 
 On the night of her return from her week-end 
 visit, Hicks said, after they were seated in the 
 parlor: "I am leaving to-morrow, Mrs. Lester." 
 
 "Are you?" she asked, with an assumption of 
 great interest. "Oh, I m so sorry, Mr. Hicks. I 
 have enjoyed your company very much." 
 
 Hicks blushed. "I am glad to have been an 
 instrument for giving you even the slightest happi 
 ness," he declaimed. 
 
 "Oh, I have enjoyed you very much. It s so 
 hard to be a woman, cooped up and bound round 
 by all the ties and shackles of conventionality, while 
 you men can go out in the world and fight your 
 fights and live your big, broad lives. It s so hard," 
 and she sighed." 
 
 Hicks couldn t think of anything to say at the 
 moment, and she sighed again and lifted her eyes 
 to him, for she had no idea of allowing this young 
 man, who had potentialities within himself as she 
 thought, to go away from her without a vivid and 
 enduring impression of her charms. 
 
 She devoted herself to him for an hour, urging 
 him to recount his ambitions and his prospects, said 
 a few skilful things about herself, including the 
 dropping of a hint or two of her financial standing, 
 and, as she gave him her hand at ten o clock, be 
 sought him in a most ingenuous manner not to dis 
 miss her entirely from his mind when he was out in 
 Rextown fighting the fight of the people. 
 
 "Forget you!" repeated Hicks, with as much 
 sentiment in his voice as he deemed advisable, "for-
 
 144 THE FAKERS 
 
 get you? Why, Mrs. Lester, your memory shall 
 remain with me always and shall be my inspiration 
 for my future life." 
 
 She smiled radiantly at him and ran up the stairs, 
 turning, when half-way to the top, to wave a pretty 
 hand at him and say, softly: "Auf Wiedersehen!" 
 
 "I suppose she is worth a lot of money," Hicks 
 observed to Mrs. Lake at breakfast next morning. 
 
 "I suppose so," Mrs. Lake replied, in an ex 
 tremely non-committal manner. 
 
 Hicks took a train at noon. That afternoon 
 Mrs. Lester, stopping in the hallway to say a few 
 words with Mrs. Lake, brought up the subject of 
 Hicks. 
 
 "Has Mr. Hicks gone?" she asked. 
 
 "Yes; he left at noon." 
 
 "A nice young man," she thought, as she went 
 down the steps leading to the street. "Perhaps he 
 will do some of the things he says he will. I ll 
 keep track of him."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 HICKS stopped at Salestown to see his 
 mother, spent two boastful days among 
 his boyhood friends, telling them of his 
 success in Rextown. He wrote an 
 article about himself for the Beacon 
 which Editor Grandison promised to publish, and 
 which caused Colonel Seth Howard to grow purple 
 in the face when he read it, because of the appre 
 ciative way in which Hicks referred to himself as 
 one of the leaders of the Rextown bar and prom 
 inent in politics there. 
 
 He took stock of himself on the train for Rex 
 town, after his mother had bade him a fond and 
 tearful farewell. It would be two years in April 
 since he first reached Rextown. He had made, in 
 fees, for collections and in various young-lawyer 
 ways, about two thousand dollars, and still had some 
 of his original capital in the First National Bank. 
 He had acquired many acquaintances and some 
 friends. He had established himself as a young 
 man of good character, was regular in his attendance 
 at church, and felt sure Rollins liked him. He had 
 appeared in the newspapers from time to time, had 
 secured his recognition as a Democrat, was gain 
 ing a facility for public speaking, and had attached 
 Gudger to himself for legal purposes. That poor 
 dipsomaniac was glad to get anything at all to do 
 in order to make some extra money, and Hicks used 
 
 i45
 
 i 4 6 THE FAKERS 
 
 him constantly in his little law business, and sym 
 pathized with him, and forgave him when he lapsed. 
 Gudger looked on Hicks as a benefactor. 
 
 With Gudger he had fought the Rollins-Barkiss 
 case through a seemingly endless series of negotia 
 tions and had finally forced a compromise with 
 Chittlings, because of Gudger s superior legal abil 
 ities, for nine thousand dollars, which Hicks had 
 paid to Rollins, and for which service Rollins gave 
 him four hundred dollars, in addition to his re 
 tainer for a hundred dollars. Otherwise, Hicks 
 had not advanced much in the law, but he never 
 expected to do much at his law profession. That 
 was his stepping-stone, only. While he had no 
 doubt he could be a great legal light if he so de 
 sired, he felt the rewards of politics, once the ex 
 pected overturning came, might be quicker and 
 easier, and with more applause attached. He hated 
 study and the digging into law-books, and he loved 
 applause. Still, he knew the law was his ostensible 
 occupation, and he resolved to continue assiduously 
 in his search for business. 
 
 Chittlings was friendly. Hicks found him to be 
 a man of considerable rough ability. He was noisy, 
 even blatant, and he had none too many scruples, 
 but he made friends and kept them. He was a good 
 mixer, dabbled somewhat in politics, was always 
 ready to buy a drink or a cigar, entertained a good 
 deal at the Metropolis Hotel, belonged to the clubs, 
 and was the Rextown type of a good fellow. He 
 was a Republican. Hicks heard Chittlings had un 
 derground connections with Ross, the local boss and 
 the corporations, and that he helped "put over" 
 things in the board of aldermen that were wanted 
 by the corporations. Chittlings, apparently, had no 
 ambition for office. He was looking for money, 
 and he had an income of five or six thousand dollars
 
 THE FAKERS 147 
 
 a year, which was excellent for a man in his position 
 in Rextown at that time. 
 
 "Hello, Hicks," said Chittlings one day when 
 they met at the Metropolis Hotel, "how s every 
 little thing?" 
 
 "If you mean my health, I am well," Hicks an 
 swered. "If you mean my business, it is satis 
 factory." 
 
 "Haven t seen you in court much." 
 
 Tommie squirmed at this. "No," he replied, "I 
 have been much taken with outside matters. How 
 ever, I have some important cases in preparation." 
 
 "Glad to hear it," said Chittlings, heartily. 
 "Come and have a drink. Oh, I forgot, you don t 
 drink. Drop in and see me some day soon. I 
 want to have a talk with you. So long." 
 
 Two days later Hicks had nothing to do. He had 
 been his hand-shaking rounds, had written every 
 letter there was an excuse for writing, and he went 
 down to Chittlings s office. 
 
 Chittlings was there. "Howdy, Hicks," he 
 shouted, after Tommie had sent in his card, "sit 
 down and make yourself at home. Still busy with 
 those important cases, I reckon." 
 
 "Yes," Tommie replied, "they are occupying the 
 most of my attention." 
 
 Chittlings lighted a cigar with unnecessary care, 
 Hicks thought, as he watched the operation. When 
 the cigar was burning to his satisfaction, Chittlings 
 turned in his chair, looked hard at Hicks and said: 
 "Of course, Hicks, I know you haven t a case of 
 any consequence in your office." 
 
 Hicks flushed. He clenched his fists and jumped 
 to his feet. 
 
 "Do you mean to say I am a liar?" he asked, 
 excitedly. 
 
 "No, no," soothed Chittlings, "sit down and be
 
 148 THE FAKERS 
 
 calm. I don t mean to say you are a liar, but I 
 do mean to say you are a bluffer, and a pretty darn 
 good one, too, if anybody should ask you." 
 
 "I don t understand," protested Hicks. 
 
 "Oh, yes, you do; sit down and cut out the 
 heroics. You know you haven t a case worth while 
 in your office, I know you haven t and you know 
 I know it." 
 
 "But " 
 
 "But nothing! That s the fact. Now, then, I ve 
 been watching you. Sit down, I tell you; there s 
 nothing for you to get sore about. I ve been watch 
 ing you, and I have a proposition to make to you." 
 
 "What sort of a proposition?" 
 
 "A proposition to come into my office." 
 
 "On what basis?" 
 
 "As a partner with a small interest." 
 
 "How much of an interest?" 
 
 "That s a matter for future consideration. How 
 does the main plot strike you?" 
 
 "I fail to see any advantage to myself in such 
 an arrangement." 
 
 "You do, do you? Well, listen to me and I ll 
 put you wise as to several advantages. In the 
 first place, you ve got more nerve than an insurance 
 agent, and you ve got more self-confidence than a 
 stock-company actor. You are moving around this 
 town and getting a good line of acquaintances, and 
 are playing an end of the game that isn t in my 
 organization." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "I mean you have tied up with the church people, 
 and I have taken the other end of it; you have 
 joined the Democrats and I am a Republican; you 
 are a good government boy, and I am in favor of 
 bad government if there is anything in it for me; 
 you are on the reform lay, and I am with the gang;
 
 THE FAKERS 149 
 
 you are well calculated to complement and supple 
 ment the activities of J. K. Chittlings, which is 
 myself, and I can use you both to my own and your 
 advantage." 
 
 "It seems to me a one-sided affair," commented 
 Hicks who was listening intently. 
 
 "Not at all; not at all. You ll get your share. 
 You are smart enough for that, even if I tried to do 
 you. You are not much of a lawyer, and you never 
 will be. You haven t a legal mind. You 
 
 "Then why do you talk to me about making a 
 law partnership with you?" exclaimed Hicks, hotly. 
 
 UT 1> 
 
 "Be calm, son, and let me explain. As I was 
 saying, you are not much of a lawyer and never 
 will be. Now, I ain t such a hell of a lawyer 
 myself. But that doesn t matter any more with 
 me than it does with you. What I see in you is 
 business-getting ability. I think, with development, 
 you can be a good business-getter. You know how 
 to make friends with people and keep friendly with 
 them, barring your conceit, for which I give you the 
 palm over any youngster I ever met, and business 
 is what this institution needs." 
 
 "But/ said Hicks, "if neither of us is a lawyer, 
 as you say," and he sneered in his best style, "what 
 good will business be to us, even if I can get it?" 
 
 Chittlings laughed uproariously. 
 
 "My boy," he said, "there are many things you 
 must learn, notwithstanding your firm idea that you 
 know it all. The success of a law firm, from a finan 
 cial standpoint, doesn t depend on the amount of law 
 it knows. It depends on the amount of law busi 
 ness it can get. I can hire lawyers by the platoon. 
 I can get a dozen right in this town who know 
 more law than you and I ever will know, and get 
 them for small sums, too. They know the law, but
 
 150 THE FAKERS 
 
 they haven t the faculty for getting the business. 
 They can t cash in on their knowledge. I can de 
 velop you into a business-getter, and I can show you 
 how to hire lawyers, hire them by the week, for 
 wages. There was that time, for example, when 
 you hired Gudger. Do you get me?" 
 
 "I merely engaged Mr. Gudger because I was 
 busy with other affairs," Hicks protested. 
 
 Chittlings laughed again. "Sure," he said, "but 
 you hired him, didn t you, and you didn t fool 
 Gudger and you didn t fool me. Still, in that trans 
 action you showed a certain nerve and a certain 
 horse sense that made me look you over. Now, 
 then, do you want to come in?" 
 
 Tommie had been revolving the proposition in 
 his mind while Chittlings talked. He could see 
 advantages, but he didn t purpose to be eager. 
 
 "I ll have to think about it," he replied. 
 
 "Oh, all right; there s no hurry. Let me present 
 this angle to you, though: You are a Democrat 
 and I am a Republican. You go to church and I 
 don t. You are taking the people s end of it, or 
 will, when you know how, and I am for the money 
 side. Now, then, if we join hands, under my tute 
 lage, you will develop to an asset in this business, 
 and we can play both ends against the middle and 
 get the money. Had that occurred to you?" 
 
 "I must consider what you say." 
 
 "No hurry. There s a good opening here. Chit 
 tlings and Hicks. Sounds pretty fair; eh, what?" 
 
 Hicks thought seriously of the proposition made 
 by Chittlings. His first and most forcible objection 
 was that Chittlings intended to call the firm Chit 
 tlings and Hicks. He could not justify that. In 
 his opinion, any coalition must be known as Hicks 
 and Chittlings, not only for the sake of euphony, as 
 it sounded to him, but because he was the Hicks
 
 THE FAKERS 151 
 
 concerned. If he could get around that he decided 
 the arrangement might have advantage. Although 
 it pained him to admit it to himself, he knew his 
 knowledge of the law was so slight as to be of no 
 consequence in the straight-out practise of that pro 
 fession, and he realized the truth of Chittlings s 
 claim that lawyers can be hired by the week. He 
 felt confident he could get business, by aid of his 
 various civic and church connections, as well as by 
 his assiduous cultivation of men with business to 
 bestow, and he decided it would be easier for this 
 business to be carried through in a lawyer-like man 
 ner if Chittlings was there to look after that end 
 of it. 
 
 Most of all he was interested in the hint by Chit 
 tlings that, one being a Democrat and the other a 
 Republican, they could realize two ways. There 
 was something about that that appealed to him 
 strongly. He didn t bother to analyze his own view 
 of such a proceeding, and it is doubtful if he could 
 have analyzed it had he tried. Intrinsically, con- 
 genitally, from his Washington education, such a 
 proposition appealed to Hicks. It suited his tem 
 perament. It fitted his quality of mind and con 
 science. It was on all-fours with his habitual prac 
 tice. He could see quick and easy returns. He 
 knew Chittlings as a forceful fellow, who stood rea 
 sonably w r ell in the community. More potent than 
 all else, he figured that with Chittlings to guide him 
 he could attain quicker and better results. So, after 
 mature deliberation, he decided he would join Chit 
 tlings, provided, of course, the firm s name was 
 Hicks and Chittlings. He must exact that tribute 
 to his own importance. 
 
 He talked with Rollins about Chittlings. "What 
 sort of a chap is he?" he asked. 
 
 "All right, professionally and personally, for all
 
 152 THE FAKERS 
 
 I know," Rollins told him, "but still he s a Repub 
 lican." 
 
 "What difference does that make so far as his 
 professional standing goes?" inquired Hicks. 
 
 "None, I suppose," Rollins said, "not a bit, I 
 reckon, with the general public, but I tell you, Hicks, 
 there never was a Republican I would trust as far 
 as I can throw a bull by the tail. There s some 
 thing in that treasonable politics of theirs that makes 
 me suspicious of the whole kit and caboodle of 
 them." 
 
 Hicks laughed. "Oh, Mr. Rollins," he said, "I 
 fear you are putting it too strongly." 
 
 "Not a bit," protested Rollins, "not a bit. I m 
 not holding up all Democrats as paragons of purity, 
 you understand, but I d take my chances with one 
 in a business deal sooner than I would with one of 
 those traitorous Republicans. Not one of them is 
 sound on economic questions. Did I tell you how 
 I flattened out that old wind-bag, Collins, who s 
 been arguing the money question with me?" and he 
 trailed off into a long recital of the points in his 
 latest letter controverting the statements of Colonel 
 Cicero Collins, the former Representative in Con 
 gress. 
 
 When he had finished, Hicks said: "I am con 
 sidering a proposition to go into partnership with 
 Mr. Chittlings." 
 
 "You re what?" shouted Rollins. 
 
 "I say he has offered me a very favorable busi 
 ness arrangement to join with him in the associated 
 practice of the law." 
 
 "But he s a Republican." 
 
 "Certainly he is, but I fail to see how a business 
 association with him will affect my Democracy." 
 
 Rollins shook his head sadly. "You can t touch 
 pitch without being defiled," he said.
 
 THE FAKERS 153 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Rollins, it isn t so bad as that," and 
 Hicks talked for twenty minutes, showing how it 
 would be a good thing for the Democrats to be 
 in close touch with a Republican who was, in turn, 
 in touch with Republican affairs. 
 
 "Well," said Rollins, finally, "maybe it s all right, 
 but I have my doubts." 
 
 He saw Chittlings several times and they talked 
 a little of the plan. "No hurry," said Chittlings. 
 "Think it over carefully. It will be a good thing 
 for you."
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 CHITTLINGS went to South America soon 
 afterward, for a client, and was gone 
 six months. He told Hicks they would 
 take up the matter of a partnership when 
 he returned. Hicks kept on at his ac 
 quaintance-making, secured some business, which 
 Gudger handled for him, and was constantly in the 
 company of Rollins, who expressed great affection 
 and respect for Hicks, and helped him in every pos 
 sible way. Hicks participated in every movement 
 for the betterment of Rextown, was active enough 
 in church affairs to keep himself in good standing, 
 and essayed the part of prominent citizen. He 
 wrote regularly to Senator Paxton, sending him 
 gossipy letters, and making free comments on the 
 town, the people, his plans and his prospects. 
 Every time Hicks s name appeared in the papers he 
 sent a clipping to Paxton. In one letter he spoke 
 of the Chittlings proposition. 
 
 "On the broad, general theory, that two heads 
 are better than one, if each is reasonably non- 
 osseous," Senator Paxton wrote in reply, "I should 
 say it is a good thing. As a political move it has its 
 merits, also, for it stands to reason when a law 
 firm is composed of two partners, and has a political 
 slant to it, if one partner is a Democrat and the 
 other is a Republican the harvest will be much 
 more complete and satisfactory than it would be 
 
 i54
 
 THE FAKERS 155 
 
 if both were reaping in the same field. I think 
 you might well make the experiment, only never 
 trust any person, Tommie, in a business deal, except 
 me, and do not be too confiding with me. Get it 
 all down in black and white and don t let the other 
 man use you half as much as you use the other man. 
 Everything, they say, is fair in love and war, and 
 that may be so. It also is true that everything is 
 unfair in politics, so keep your eye on your num 
 ber constantly, and remember that the only way to 
 be prosperous in the future is to have been discreet 
 in the past." 
 
 Chittlings was detained and did not get back 
 to Rextown until September. "Let it wait until 
 the first of the year," he said to Hicks, and Hicks 
 was glad to do so, for he was extremely busy with 
 politics. County conventions were to be held, and 
 Rollins insisted that the Democrats must put up a full 
 ticket, from county judge to road superintendent. 
 There were many conferences at the office of Rol 
 lins, and Hicks took part in them all. As usual, 
 it was difficult to get Democrats to take nominations, 
 for the fight was hopeless. 
 
 "I ve got you slated for prosecuting-attorney," 
 Rollins said to Hicks. 
 
 "Prosecuting-attorney!" Hicks exclaimed. "Isn t 
 there a Judge to be named?" 
 
 "Yes," said Rollins, "but another man has been 
 named for that. You take the prosecuting-attorney 
 nomination. That will give you an opportunity to 
 go out in the towns and get acquainted with the 
 farmers. It s a county office, you know." 
 
 Hicks reluctantly consented. He was firmly of 
 the opinion his services to the Democracy of Rex- 
 town and the surrounding country entitled him to 
 nomination for the highest office within gift of the 
 people at that time, but Rollins had picked an older
 
 156 THE FAKERS 
 
 lawyer, with a war record, for the place, and Hicks 
 subsided, not without much inward protest. 
 
 Enough delegates were rounded up to make a 
 convention possible, and Rollins called the gathering 
 to order at the appointed time. It was a listless 
 convocation of the Democrats of the county, who 
 faced certain and overwhelming defeat, and knew 
 it. Rollins, had asked Hicks to get ready for a 
 speech and after the formalities attending the nomi 
 nation of the ticket were hurried through, Rollins 
 said: "Fellow-Democrats and gentlemen of the 
 convention! I now take great pleasure in intro 
 ducing to you a sterling young Democrat who has 
 recently come to our city, a man who believes in 
 the ultimate triumph of Democratic principles, who 
 holds Thomas Jefferson to be our greatest American 
 and whom you have just nominated for the important 
 office of prosecuting-attorney. Mr. T. Marmaduke 
 Hicks, of Rextown, will now address you." 
 
 Tommie had felt he should dress himself in his 
 frock-coat and wear his high hat, but Rollins told 
 him not to. So he came in a sack-coat, wearing a 
 soft hat. As Rollins pronounced his name he 
 stepped forward on the stage and bowed. There 
 were a few scattering handclaps. Some of the 
 men in the rear of the hall started to go out. 
 
 "Fellow-Democrats," Tommie began, "I trust 
 you will bear with me while I give to you my brief 
 message. While these are times of dull despair 
 for our party, I am one who has his face turned 
 toward the morning and I can confidently assert to 
 you that every cloud has a silver lining, that the 
 night is darkest just before the dawn, and that there 
 is no lane without a turning. Fellow-Democrats, 
 truth is mighty and must prevail. As the poet has 
 it: Truth forever on the scaffold, and wrong for 
 ever on the throne ; and, as you all know, the
 
 THE FAKERS 157 
 
 minority is always right. These are times of stress. 
 The very foundations of our country are threatened 
 by the insidious underminings of the corrupt in 
 fluences that have control of the Republican party." 
 
 "That s the stuff," shouted Rollins, 
 
 Hicks spoke for twenty minutes. He had 
 schooled himself in his piece, had practiced it be 
 fore his looking-glass in his room, and knew it 
 by heart. He was full of confidence, threw in every 
 gesture he had ever seen a platform orator use, 
 and ran his voice up and down its register with 
 amazing results that were whoops at one time and 
 whispers at the other. He stamped his foot, waved 
 his clenched fists in the air, and walked from one 
 side of the stage to the other. When he had fin 
 ished sweat was dripping from his forehead, but 
 his voice continued strong and his peroration could 
 have been heard as far as the city hall. 
 
 Two bored reporters watched him with much 
 amusement. As Hicks finished he looked anxiously 
 at the reporters. He had noticed, as he was talk 
 ing, that they were making no notes of his speech. 
 
 "Did you take it down?" he asked anxiously, 
 leaning over to the table where the reporters sat. 
 "I can give you copies of it." 
 
 "We ve got some of it," fibbed one of them 
 graciously. 
 
 The convention adjourned and some of the county 
 delegates congratulated Tommie. The old man 
 said he was glad to find there were still young 
 men in this degenerate age who had the courage to 
 fight the forces of corruption in politics and faith 
 to speak what was within them. The papers made 
 brief mention of the convention, gave the list of 
 nominations and said T. Marmaduke Hicks ad 
 dressed the delegates. Tommie almost cried when 
 he saw no reports were made of his speech. "But,"
 
 158 THE FAKERS 
 
 he consoled himself, "the time will come when they 
 will print what I have to say on the front page." 
 
 Financed by Rollins, who gave him money for 
 livery rigs and for his meals at the country hotels, 
 Tommie traveled all through the county, speaking 
 at school-houses and wherever he could get a few 
 people together. It was discouraging work. Most 
 of those who came to hear him were Republicans, 
 and they jeered at him, but he stuck to his job, and 
 by the time the campaign was over could make a 
 resounding speech, full of allusions to the corrup 
 tions of the Republicans and filled with promise 
 for better days if the Democrats were put in power. 
 He took up affairs under the Republican prosecuting- 
 attorney, charged that official with dereliction of 
 duty, with gross favoritism, with grafting and with 
 about everything else, and promised a clean, capable, 
 honest administration of the office and the relentless 
 prosecution of all criminals, whether of high or 
 low degree, if he were elected. 
 
 Also he did his first house-to-house, or rather, 
 farm-to-farm, canvassing. He wore his oldest suit 
 of clothes, let his shoes remain unpolished, was hail- 
 fellow-well-met with the farmers, ate with them 
 when he could, was elaborately polite and flattering 
 to the women, took part in prayer meetings in the 
 churches, and descanted continuously on the neces 
 sity for getting back to the soil and the rugged 
 honesty of the agriculturalist as opposed to the 
 scheming, contriving dishonesty of the city dweller. 
 
 He put in the last week of his campaign in the 
 city, where he dressed with scrupulous care, making 
 up as he thought a clean-cut, alert, young prose- 
 cuting-attorney should look. He spoke every night, 
 sometimes on the street corners and once or twice 
 at pitifully small rallies. His opponents took no 
 notice of him, and the papers joshed him a little,
 
 THE FAKERS 159 
 
 and reported none of his speeches. The campaign 
 was neither exciting nor interesting. Its result was 
 foregone. Tommie ran a little ahead of the rest 
 of the ticket, but was overwhelmingly beaten. 
 
 Rollins told him he had done well. Tommie 
 thought so, too. He had learned how to cam 
 paign, in a way. Also, he had spread the knowl 
 edge among the countrymen that he w r as a young 
 man of correct deportment, a church member, and 
 that he neither drank nor smoked. He never for 
 a moment let down on his pose of being the friend 
 of the people, and he considered he had sown good 
 seed. Besides, it hadn t cost him anything. Rol 
 lins had furnished the money, and Tommie made 
 Mrs. Hungerford deduct for the meals he didn t 
 have when he was campaigning in the country. 
 
 His campaign had attracted some attention among 
 the lawyers. They talked about him. Chittlings 
 was especially kind in his comment. "It s all right," 
 he said, "if that is the game you are going to play 
 you have got to start it that way. Keep at it, and 
 you may win out some day if a pestilence blows 
 along and kills a few thousand Republicans and 
 passes by the Democrats." 
 
 A little law business came to him as the result 
 of his campaign. He was one of the leading figures 
 at a Union Thanksgiving celebration where the 
 Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians joined in a 
 service on the night before that festival at Tommie s 
 church. He made an address on "The Necessity of 
 Brotherly Cooperation" which was pronounced very 
 fine by those who heard it and which was mentioned 
 for a quarter of a column or so in the papers. 
 
 He was active in the Christmas celebration at his 
 church, and a day or two before the end of the 
 year was asked by Chittlings to come up and see 
 him.
 
 160 THE FAKERS 
 
 "You ve had plenty of time to think that prop 
 osition over," said Chittlings. "How do you feel 
 about it?" 
 
 "But, Mr. Chittlings," Hicks replied, "you never 
 have made a definite proposition as yet." 
 
 "Well, I ll make one now. I ll take you into 
 partnership, give you twenty-five per cent, of the 
 gross receipts and charge no expense to you except 
 rent for one office-room; you to bring in all the 
 business you can and so will I. I will look after 
 the legal end of it, although you can make the 
 necessary bluff, and you ll continue to play your 
 Democratic game while I take the other end of the 
 politics of the combination. How does that strike 
 you for the first year?" 
 
 "I don t relish your continual reference to my 
 playing a game. I am sincere in these matters, Mr. 
 Chittlings." 
 
 "So much the better. I always respect sincerity, 
 especially when I find it in such large quantities. 
 How does it hit you?" 
 
 "What is to be the name and style of the firm?" 
 
 Chittlings glanced at him in astonishment. "Chit 
 tlings and Hicks, of course," he replied. 
 
 Tommie looked Chittlings squarely in the eye. 
 "I thinks Hicks and Chittlings would be more ap 
 propriate, provided I enter into this compact with 
 you," he said steadily. 
 
 "Wow !" exclaimed Chittlings. "Great aro-mat-ic 
 spirits of ammonia !" Then he roared with laughter. 
 
 "Son," he gasped, "you ll do, you will ab-so- 
 lute-ly do ! I ll make that thirty per cent. Come 
 up to-morrow and sign the papers." 
 
 Hicks salved his wounded feelings with the extra 
 five per cent, offered by Chittlings, and signed a 
 partnership arrangement for a term of one year, 
 with a privilege of renewal or dissolution on notice
 
 THE FAKERS 161 
 
 by either partner at the end of the minth month. 
 He gave up his office and moved down to the suite 
 occupied by Chittlings. The firm s name was put 
 on the door as "Chittlings and Hicks, Attorneys at 
 Law," and it was many a day before Hicks could 
 look at it without the feeling that, by all the merits in 
 the case, it should read Flicks and Chittlings. Hicks 
 was much elated over his new office surroundings. 
 He had a good-sized room cut off from the very 
 large room formerly occupied by Chittlings by a 
 ground glass partition. "Mr. Hicks" was chastely 
 painted on his door. He thought the door should 
 be labeled "Mr. T. Marmaduke Hicks," but Chit- 
 lings told him it was much niftier to have it just 
 "Mr. Hicks"; gave class, he said. There was a 
 stenographer, the first one Hicks ever had at his 
 disposal, and he dictated reams of letters to that 
 outraged person, many of them letters he never sent 
 and never intended to send. But he wanted to im 
 press the stenographer. No person was too 
 humble, in the opinion of Hicks, to be inculcated, 
 by word or deed, with the transcendent abilities of 
 T. Marmaduke Hicks.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE municipal election to be held in Rex- 
 town that spring was unusually impor 
 tant. The street-car company, which op 
 erated all the cars in the city, was about 
 to make an application for an extension 
 of its franchise and a renewal on most favorable 
 terms for the company. The Chronicle, inspired 
 by Rollins, had opposed any extension unless there 
 should be certain concessions. The Chronicle de 
 manded universal transfers, better cars, improved 
 service and a three per cent, tax on gross earnings 
 for the benefit of the city. Naturally, the street 
 car company was opposed to all this, vigorously and 
 bitterly opposed. 
 
 The street-car company was close to the Repub 
 lican organization. It controlled the board of 
 aldermen, through Boss Ross s organization, for 
 the aldermen were almost all Republicans. There 
 had been an attempt to shove the franchise matter 
 through the board that was to go out of office in 
 April, but the Chronicle made such a row about it 
 that the street-car magnates and the Republican boss 
 decided it would be just as well to wait until a 
 new board was selected and do it then. They were 
 sure they could elect a majority no matter what the 
 issue was, and would then put the franchise through 
 in an orderly manner and claim the people had 
 spoken on the matter and they were simply bowing 
 to the will of the voters and taxpayers. 
 
 162
 
 THE FAKERS 163 
 
 Rollins, who, despite his fondness for political 
 letter-writing and his dreaming, was a shrewd poli 
 tician, saw an opportunity here. He had no interest 
 in the street-car company, and hated all the directors 
 and managers thereof, for they were all Republicans. 
 He knew the people as the people always are 
 were of the opinion that the street-car company was 
 robbing them, depriving them of accommodations 
 they were entitled to, and he further knew the three 
 per cent, tax to be paid into the city treasury was a 
 strong inducement for votes against aldermen who 
 would be inclined to grant the franchise extensions 
 without that feature included in them. When it 
 was intimated that the street-car company intended 
 to jam the extended franchise through the old board 
 of aldermen instead of waiting for the new he 
 promptly let loose a broadside in the Chronicle say 
 ing he would go to the courts if they did, enjoin 
 them, and fight them to the last, inasmuch as the 
 franchise matter properly came within the jurisdic 
 tion of the new board, or Rollins held it did, which 
 amounted to the same thing in the circumstances. 
 He had strong popular support for this. 
 
 William P. Roscoe, president of the street-car 
 company, sought Boss Paddy Ross, of the Repub 
 lican organization. 
 
 "Paddy," he said, "that old grand-stander, Rol 
 lins, is making a good deal of a row over the fran 
 chise matter." 
 
 "It won t amount to nothin , assured Ross. 
 
 "I don t know about that. The people are all 
 in line to oppose us at any time or place. I m 
 afraid we waited too long. We should have 
 jammed it through the present board." 
 
 "Now, Roscoe," counseled Ross, "don t you get 
 cold feet. I told you I will elect a board of alder 
 men and a mayor that will give you the right to
 
 1 64 THE FAKERS 
 
 make a power-house out of the city hall if you 
 want to, and I m going to do it. Just leave this 
 to me." 
 
 "But there is a great deal of agitation." 
 
 "I know it, and there ll be a lot more before 
 there is any less, but it s the votes on election day 
 that count and I ll have them. Don t you worry. 
 I ll pull you through this just as I always have. 
 Let Rollins howl. I ll produce on election day 
 and I ll produce a set of highbinders for aldermen 
 that will give you Main Street for a pleasure park 
 if I say the word." 
 
 Roscoe left. He was nervous. This nervous 
 ness increased as Rollins renewed his attacks, and 
 the Chronicle kept pounding. He went to Ross 
 again, but was told to sit steadily, attend to his 
 street-car business, and all would be well. 
 
 Rollins had talked with Hicks about the cam 
 paign he was making, and Hicks was enlisted in the 
 fight. Chittlings advised Hicks to keep off, for 
 business reasons, but Hicks couldn t and wouldn t. 
 He saw unlimited opportunities for speech-making 
 in which he could attack the street-car octopus 
 he had resolved to call it an octopus and declaim 
 passionately for the rights of the poor, down 
 trodden workingmen, who were defrauded by be 
 ing deprived of universal transfers and who had 
 poor service for their hard-earned nickels. He 
 urged Rollins to demand a three-cent fare, but Rol 
 lins thought that too radical, and refused. 
 
 "Hicks," said Rollins, "this is our chance. We 
 have an opening now. If we put up good, clean 
 men, as many of them Democrats as possible, but 
 with a few independents to give the ticket a non- 
 partisan flavor, we can win the whole shooting- 
 match, mayor and all."
 
 THE FAKERS 165 
 
 "So I think," assented Hicks. "The people will 
 rally to me as their candidate for mayor." 
 
 "As their candidate for what?" exclaimed Rol 
 lins. 
 
 "Their candidate for mayor." 
 
 "But you re not going to be their candidate for 
 mayor." 
 
 "Why not?" demanded Hicks. "In view of all 
 my sacrifices for the party I surely am entitled to 
 this small recognition at this time." 
 
 "You are not," said Rollins, firmly. "You are 
 to be the candidate for alderman in the Seventh 
 Ward." 
 
 "But " began Hicks. 
 
 "Oh," Rollins interrupted, "you can speak all 
 over the city. It will be a good chance for you." 
 
 Hicks tried several times to convince Rollins he 
 was the logical candidate for mayor. Rollins would 
 not allow it, and when he saw he must take the 
 nomination for alderman of the Seventh Ward or 
 nothing, Hicks sulkily consented; but he announced 
 his candidacy for alderman in an interview in the 
 Chronicle, hastening to the office to get it in print 
 for fear Rollins might change his mind. 
 
 "Going into it, I see," said Chittlings after he 
 had read the Chronicle interview, in which Hicks 
 had made vigorous denunciation of the street-car 
 octopus he thought octopus looked fine, and had 
 used it several times. He wasn t quite clear what 
 an octopus w r as, but said the street car company 
 was one, sucking the life-blood from the poor, down 
 trodden workingman. Later he learned about oc- 
 topi, and cut out the blood-sucking feature, using 
 that only when, for a change, he referred to the 
 company as a vampire, which, he had been in 
 formed, are artists at blood-sucking. 
 
 "I am," Hicks replied.
 
 1 66 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Well, good luck; only keep it clear from the 
 law business, and watch out you don t get your 
 fingers burned. Paddy Ross is a very capable citi 
 zen, you know." 
 
 "I am not afraid of Paddy Ross and his hench 
 men when I have the people on my side," declaimed 
 Hicks. 
 
 "You may have the people on your side," laughed 
 Chittlings, "but you will have Paddy Ross on your 
 neck, and that will be uncomfortable for you." 
 
 The city conventions were held and Hicks was 
 nominated as the Democratic reform candidate for 
 alderman from the Seventh Ward. The campaign, 
 which had three weeks to run, began immediately. 
 The two afternoon papers and the Leader, in the 
 morning, upheld the regular Republican ticket, 
 which was favorable to the street-car company, and 
 pointed out the great benefits that had come to Rex- 
 town through the liberal, public-spirited policy of 
 the company, how it had millions invested and how 
 it had developed the suburbs by the extensions of 
 its lines. Statistics, prepared by the company, were 
 printed showing a small per cent, of earnings com 
 pared to the expenses of operation. Promises were 
 made of a liberal future policy if the franchise ex 
 tensions were granted. 
 
 Rollins was in his element. For the first time 
 he had a fight with a chance to win. The Chronicle 
 stood sturdily behind the Democratic reform ticket, 
 which was made up of excellent men, and the people 
 (as the people always are) were in favor of giving 
 the street-car company nothing and of getting free 
 rides if possible. 
 
 Hicks and Rollins organized a series of noonday 
 meetings in a vacant store on Main Street, and 
 Hicks, and other orators, spoke every night in vari 
 ous parts of the city. Hicks turned himself loose.
 
 THE FAKERS 167 
 
 He attacked the street car company from every an 
 gle. He wept copiously over the woes of the work- 
 ingman. He pledged himself a hundred times each 
 twenty-four hours to fight for the common people 
 should he be elected, and he plainly told the street 
 car company it need expect no favors at his hands. 
 He was in favor of municipal ownership for public 
 utilities, and he dragged in his three-cent fare idea 
 and was always applauded. 
 
 He had an apparent earnestness and sincerity that 
 caught the crowd. He had a flow of language that 
 had not an argument in it, but that was denuncia 
 tory to the extreme limit. Fie called the street car 
 magnates wolves and plutocrats with no other plan 
 than to bloat their fortunes with riches extorted 
 from the poor, downtrodden workingman. He 
 flayed Roscoe on every corner, and he tore into 
 Paddy Ross as the most notorious example extant 
 of the corrupt political boss. He warned the peo 
 ple they need expect nothing but confiscation of their 
 streets, and an ultimate ten or fifteen-cent fare if 
 the Republicans won, and he never failed to allude 
 to himself as the gallant young crusader who would 
 bring peace and plenty, three-cent fares and univer 
 sal transfers; a seat for every passenger, more cars 
 for the rush hours, and special reduced rates for 
 school children if he were elected. 
 
 Toward the last his speeches fell into three parts. 
 The first was a denunciation of the street car com 
 pany; the second was a particularized assault on Ros 
 coe; the third, and by far the longest section, was 
 promises of what he, T. Marmaduke Hicks, would 
 do, with explanations, at great length, showing how 
 eminently he was fitted to carry out his promise, in 
 tellectually, morally and by reason of his vast in 
 tegrity and his enormous desire to help the work 
 ingman.
 
 i68 THE FAKERS 
 
 Paddy Ross had many orators out, and he kept 
 busily at his inside work. At first he was confident 
 he would win. Then he discovered the people were 
 much aroused, and the talk of Hicks and his fellows 
 on the Democratic reform ticket was having its ef 
 fect, especially in the Fourth, the Ninth, the Tenth 
 and the Sixteenth Wards, where most of the work- 
 ingmen lived who were employed in the big factories 
 and mills on the lower side of the town. As Rex- 
 town lay, the factories were on one side, along a 
 small stream that their local pride called a river, 
 and the workingmen lived across town from them, 
 in the wards enumerated, went to their work in the 
 street cars in the morning and returned to their 
 homes at night, going across town again. The city 
 was loosely built, and it took almost half an hour 
 for the workingmen in these outside wards to get 
 from their homes to the factories and mills, and half 
 an hour to get home at night, for the car service 
 was none too good. The consequence was that the 
 early morning cars were crowded and the cars re 
 turning at six o clock jammed. 
 
 "How does it look, Paddy?" Roscoe asked at the 
 beginning of the third and last week of the city cam 
 paign. 
 
 "Not so good as it might. That young wind 
 jammer, Hicks, is making a lot of headway with 
 these workingmen, and there are a good many votes 
 against us in the middle of the town." 
 
 "But you can hold them, can t you?" 
 
 "I can hold the middle wards, all right. I m 
 afraid of those wards where the workingmen live in 
 numbers the Fourth, Ninth, Tenth and Sixteenth." 
 
 "We ve got a week before election. Can t we 
 shove the franchise extension through the board at 
 the meeting to-morrow night?" 
 
 "If we did," said Ross, "they d tear us up by the
 
 THE FAKERS 169 
 
 roots. We ve got to win this by votes. Don t 
 worry. I ll have em, all right. The only trouble 
 is with those wards out on the edge of town, and 
 they ve got a grouch for fair." 
 
 Roscoe went away much perturbed. He stopped 
 in at one of the noon-day meetings and heard Hicks 
 say things to an applauding crowd about Roscoe fat 
 tening on the nickels wrung from the grimy hands 
 of toil that made him feel like shooting that per- 
 fervid young man. Hicks saw him and shouted: 
 
 "There he is! There he is, this arrogant pluto 
 crat who seeks to debauch the electorate of this 
 city by electing to the board of aldermen servile and 
 corrupt tools of Paddy Ross to do his bidding and 
 rob the poor workingman of the hard-earned fruits 
 of his honest toil by extorting from him money 
 grudgingly paid to him by others of his ilk these 
 plutocrats who ride in their automobiles while the 
 poor workingman must crowd into their dirty, ill- 
 smelling street cars or walk, with weary limbs, from 
 his humble home to the factories where they chain 
 him to his bench in order that they may bloat and 
 fatten on the results of his honest industry." 
 
 Roscoe fled, followed by jeers. He was much up 
 set when he reached his office. "Jenkins," he said 
 to the general manager, "have you heard the things 
 that young demagogue, Hicks, is saying about me." 
 
 "Yes," Jenkins replied. 
 
 "Well, what are we going to do about it?" 
 
 "There s nothing we can do, but trust to Paddy 
 Ross, so far as I can see." 
 
 "It s terrible," moaned Roscoe, "simply terrible! 
 Why, I heard him to-day and he called me a vam 
 pire and a blood-sucker and an octopus and I don t 
 know what else." 
 
 "Is that all he said?" asked Jenkins. "Evidently 
 you didn t hear him when he was in good form."
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE excitement increased as the week 
 progressed. By Wednesday Paddy Ross 
 was shaky in his own mind over the out 
 come and his shakiness increased when 
 the results of his final poll began to come 
 in on Wednesday. It looked like a close election, 
 with a ward or two to decide it. Paddy was sure 
 of carrying seven wards, and gave the opposition 
 four sure, and that left five to fight for. He must 
 have nine men to control the board. He had held 
 a certain proportion of the voters in the outside 
 wards, and was working desperately in the wards 
 in the center of the town, where the big business 
 interests were arrayed for the street car company, 
 and where the better classes of Republicans lived. 
 He felt he must do something to pull back the 
 Fourth, Ninth, Tenth and Sixteenth. If the oppo 
 sition lost those they couldn t win. He sent money 
 there, and put his strongest workers in the factories 
 and mills to persuade the workingmen who lived in 
 those wards to be reasonable. The street car com 
 pany put on many extra cars, on the cross-town lines, 
 and saw to it that every man had a seat. The work 
 ingmen were excited. Hicks and his allies had 
 stirred them exceedingly. Rollins kept steadily 
 pounding through the columns of the Chronicle, and 
 had boys at the corners in these wards every morn 
 ing, who gave each workingman a free copy of the 
 Chronicle, containing the Rollins broadsides. 
 
 170
 
 THE FAKERS 171 
 
 Ross was worried. Roscoe was frantic. Rollins 
 and Hicks were jubilant. On Wednesday, after his 
 noon-day meeting, when he had been especially in 
 flammatory in his speech, and had been loudly 
 cheered, Hicks ate a sandwich and drank a glass of 
 milk and went to his office to rest. The office was 
 empty. The stenographer was out at lunch and so 
 was the clerk. He was tired. The strain was be 
 ginning to tell on him, although the tonic of the ap 
 plause, which he loved, chirked him up each time 
 after he began talking. He removed his coat, locked 
 the door of his room and leaned back in his chair. 
 He was dozing when he heard Chittlings come in, 
 accompanied by another man. 
 
 "Nobody here," said Chittlings. "I suppose that 
 young partner of mine is out stirring them up." 
 
 "He s a fine partner for you to have," said the 
 other man. "How d you come to pick him out." 
 
 Hicks could hear the talk; he listened for Chit- 
 tlings s reply. 
 
 "Oh, he s all right. I can use him in my busi 
 ness. He ll get over this, but he s raising merry 
 hob at this juncture, isn t he?" 
 
 "I should say he is," said the other man bitterly. 
 
 Chittlings spoke again. "Well, Jenkins " 
 
 Jenkins ! The general manager of the street car 
 company. Hicks moved noiselessly over to the 
 ground-glass partition between his room and that of 
 Chittlings. He strained his ears to hear. 
 
 "Well, Jenkins, you re in a mess. I ll say that 
 for you. Unless you can pull something off in those 
 outside wards you may get whipped." 
 
 "Pull something off?" replied Jenkins querulously. 
 "What the hell can we pull off? We ve done every 
 thing anybody has suggested and we ve simply up 
 holstered Paddy Ross with money, and he s scared
 
 1 72 THE FAKERS 
 
 stiff right now over the outlook. What do you 
 want to talk to me about?" 
 
 "My dear Jenkins," said Chittlings suavely, "I 
 asked you to come in and confer with me because 
 it appeals to me that for the general manager of 
 a great public service corporation you display a lack 
 of resources that is amazing." 
 
 "What would you do, Mr. Wiseheimer?" asked 
 Jenkins with a sneer. 
 
 "Far be it from me to assume to instruct you in 
 your business, Mr. Jenkins," continued Chittlings 
 pleasantly. "Not for the world would I think I 
 could do that, not for the world. Only if I was 
 general manager of the street car company I know 
 what I would do." 
 
 "What would you do?" asked Jenkins excitedly. 
 "What would you do?" 
 
 "Softly, my dear Jenkins, softly," said Chittlings 
 soothingly. "Be calm. First and foremost, of 
 course, I am under the rather pressing necessity of 
 inquiring what would a plan such as I have in mind 
 be worth to your aggregation of octopuses, as my 
 partner dubs you?" 
 
 "Any amount of money if it works," Jenkins ex 
 claimed. 
 
 "That is rather indefinite, don t you think, Jen 
 kins, in these days of hard, precise commercial trans 
 actions? Any amount now might dwindle to a very 
 insignificant amount after election. Besides," and 
 Chittlings s voice grew almost caressing, "I didn t 
 ask you for money. You jumped at a wrong con 
 clusion, but, I suppose," and he laughed, "you are 
 so used to buying protection you think that is the 
 only way you can get it." 
 
 "What do you want, then?" asked Jenkins sus 
 piciously. 
 
 "Would it surprise you if I told you I have noth-
 
 THE FAKERS 173 
 
 ing but the best interests of the company at heart?" 
 asked Chittlings. 
 
 "It would; it would surprise me very much," Jen 
 kins answered harshly. "But get down to business. 
 What do you want?" 
 
 "A very small return, Jenkins, a very small re 
 turn. I own some of your stock, not much, but 
 enough to qualify, and I want to be put on your 
 board of directors for the business and financial 
 standing that it will give me. Also, I want your 
 promise to make me one of your attorneys, to make 
 me, you understand, not my firm." 
 
 Hicks, listening on the other side of the glass par 
 tition, clenched his fists. His partner intended to 
 leave him out of this arrangement. 
 
 "That s a good deal," said Jenkins. 
 
 "A good deal." and Chittlings s voice hardened. 
 "A good deal when, if this thing goes against you 
 you will have to spend, at the very least calcula 
 tion, a hundred thousand dollars right off the bat 
 for new equipment, for extensions of your lines, and 
 lose a lot of fares because of the universal trans 
 fers, besides the increased tax you must pay. It 
 seems to me a very modest requirement very mod 
 erate indeed." 
 
 "I can t put you on the board," parleyed Jen 
 kins. 
 
 "Oh, yes you can, or, you can have Roscoe put 
 me on, with the aid of his proxies, at the next an 
 nual meeting, and you know it." 
 
 "Maybe he won t do it." 
 
 "He will if you ask him." 
 
 "And our attorneys 
 
 "Oh, quit four-flushing around like this," ex 
 claimed Chittlings. "I ll take a chance if you will 
 give me your word, and call Roscoe in to make it 
 good."
 
 174 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Come on over and see Roscoe, then, and ex 
 plain it to him." 
 
 "Bring him here," insisted Chittlings. "It s only 
 a step from your offices, and it s safer here." 
 
 "That damned partner of yours may be coming 
 in." 
 
 "No danger; he s off somewhere taking great 
 pleasure in hearing himself rip the hides off you and 
 Roscoe." 
 
 Hicks heard Jenkins say a very uncomplimentary 
 and profane thing about himself, and smiled. Jen 
 kins called Roscoe on the telephone and urged him 
 to come over. Hicks stood back in the corner of 
 his room, and in a few minutes Roscoe arrived. 
 Chittlings was waiting outside for him, and ushered 
 him into his office. 
 
 "What is it?" asked Roscoe brusquely. 
 
 "Mr. Chittlings has a plan whereby, he says, we 
 can make sure to win the elections next Tuesday." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "But," continued Jenkins, "there are a few con 
 ditions. He wants to go on our board, and he also 
 desires a good share of our legal business for him 
 self." 
 
 "Let s hear the plan and we ll decide that later." 
 
 "Oh, no," said Chittlings. "Decide first and make 
 a memorandum to that effect, and then listen. 
 You re in a bad way, Mr. Roscoe, and I can pull 
 you out. Of course, if I do not, nothing comes of 
 the deal. ; 
 
 "All right," assented Roscoe, "it can be ar 
 ranged." 
 
 "Write a line asking me to call at your offices 
 and saying you desire me to enter your employ as 
 one of your legal representatives; say the question 
 of a retainer can be arranged at our meeting. I 
 shan t call until after election, and if you get beaten
 
 THE FAKERS 175 
 
 I ll never call. The board business can be arranged 
 later." 
 
 Hicks heard the scratching of a pen. "There," 
 said Roscoe, "is that satisfactory?" 
 
 "It is," Chittlings answered, after a pause. 
 
 "Well, what s the plan?" 
 
 "A simple thing," said Chittlings. "All you ve 
 got to do is to have some sort of a fake accident 
 at your power house on the afternoon of election 
 day and tie up your entire system. The men who 
 do the bulk of the voting in the Fourth, Ninth, 
 Tenth and Sixteenth wards are figuring on voting 
 between six and seven at night. The polls close at 
 seven. Paddy Ross has the machinery and he can 
 see they are closed sharp on the dot. Wreck a 
 dynamo, or bust a gazzisis or do something and 
 shut down every car. They won t get onto it for 
 ten or fifteen minutes after they come out to take 
 the cars, and by the time they have walked across 
 not enough of them can vote to carry those wards, 
 for P. Ross will have his votes in early and his elec 
 tion officials in the booths will take good care that 
 the votes of those who do get there are slowly taken. 
 The polls will close at seven, and you can carry 
 those wards and win. Almost childish, isn t it, Jen 
 kins? Wonder you hadn t thought of it yourself, 
 but like all business men you do your political think 
 ing by proxy and I happen to be the proxy in the 
 present instance." 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Roscoe, "we can do that. It 
 will work, too, if nobody knows of it. Why didn t 
 you think of it, Jenkins?" 
 
 "Hold on," broke in Jenkins, trying to justify 
 himself, "hold on a minute. Election day is a holi 
 day. The men won t be in the factories." 
 
 "For Heaven s sake, Jenkins!" and Chittlings 
 was brutal in his tone, "do you know any politics at
 
 176 THE FAKERS 
 
 all? This isn t a general election and a holiday by 
 law. This is a municipal election, and no holiday at 
 all unless individual employees want to make it so, 
 and you can see to it that they do not." 
 
 The three went out. Hicks, standing against the 
 ground glass partition, thought hard. The plan 
 would work. The main strength of the fusionists 
 was in those four wards, and the men couldn t vote 
 until after six o clock. He knew the employers 
 wouldn t shut down a minute before six o clock and 
 the polls closed at seven. Without a street car ser 
 vice they couldn t get across town in time to vote in 
 numbers enough to carry the wards. 
 
 His first impulse was to tell Rollins about it. He 
 started, stopped with his hand on the door-knob, 
 walked slowly back to his chair and sat down. Chit- 
 tlings had exacted a price for the plan, a good price, 
 and Hicks had been amazed at the eagerness with 
 which Roscoe and Jenkins had snatched at this 
 straw. Evidently, they were badly frightened over 
 the outcome of the election. 
 
 He sat for an hour and considered the situation. 
 He knew he could make a sensation by exposing the 
 plot, but that would mean nothing to him but a pos 
 sible election to a place he didn t want, except for 
 advertising purposes, and he had about all the ad 
 vertising he could get, anyhow. He weighed it all 
 carefully in his mind. He saw the headlines in the 
 Chronicle, lauding him for exposing this last desper 
 ate expedient of the plutocrats, and he saw the head 
 lines in the other papers calling it a roorbach and 
 him a fool. Of course, if he exposed the plot the 
 street car company wouldn t dare to put it through, 
 and that might result in the election of his ticket. 
 But he had no fancy for serving as an alderman. 
 He wasn t concerned about the franchises for the 
 company. He had been talking to exploit Hicks,
 
 THE FAKERS 177 
 
 and here was a possible chance to get something con 
 crete out of it some money, perhaps. 
 
 There were two sides to it, as he viewed the prob 
 lem, for the idea of making no use at all of the 
 information he had secured by eavesdropping, never 
 occurred to him. He could withhold the news of 
 the plot, confiding in nobody but Rollins, until 
 Monday, the day before election, when he could 
 disclose it at his last noon-day meeting, dramati 
 cally and sensationally, and block the plan; or he 
 could do as Chittlings had done, realize on it from 
 Roscoe for his own profit, and say nothing. There 
 was glory, and a possible election to a minor and 
 laborious place, in the first procedure, and there 
 might be money in the second. He liked glory and 
 he liked money. He had no scruples about trying 
 to realize on his information, in a financial way, in 
 case that seemed to be the best thing to do, for, ac 
 cording to his lights and political upbringings, cor 
 porations were legitimate prey for men in politics, 
 and money extorted from them was honest graft. 
 Corporations, he had absorbed in Washington, were 
 to be milked whenever possible, as a slight recom 
 pense, to the politicians, for the conferring on the 
 corporations, through favorable legislation, the priv 
 ilege of milking the people. It seemed to him 
 a smart, a thoroughly political and not a reprehen 
 sible thing to do to "shake down" a corporation 
 whenever possible, especially such a corporation as 
 this street car company that was robbing the people 
 every day and desired legalized opportunities for 
 greater robberies. 
 
 He debated with himself whether, in the long 
 run, it would be more profitable to him to extort 
 money from Roscoe, or some other perquisite of 
 value, for his information, or to make an exposure, 
 run the danger of losing his law connection with
 
 178 THE FAKERS 
 
 Chittlings, with the great gain to come in adver 
 tising and public acclaim. He knew Rollins would 
 be delighted, and could see, in his mind s eye, the 
 way that earnest antagonist of the street car com 
 pany would display the news of this plot in the 
 Chronicle. 
 
 Several times he decided to get what he could 
 out of it from Roscoe, and each time his decision 
 was reversed by the thought of the sensation he 
 could make and the headlines in the paper, with him 
 self as the central figure in the exposure and 
 destruction of this startling conspiracy. His fingers 
 itched for money and his vanity clamored for pub 
 licity. He worked himself into a fever between his 
 doubt and his desire, remained locked in his office 
 until five o clock wrestling with the problem with 
 out reaching a satisfactory conclusion, and then had 
 an inspiration. 
 
 "By George!" he exclaimed, "I know what I ll 
 do. I ll ask the Senator." 
 
 It was Wednesday afternoon. A letter, sent on 
 the night train, would get to Washington late on 
 Friday. He could address it to the Senator s house, 
 put on a special delivery stamp, and be reasonably 
 sure of a telegraphic reply, which he would ask 
 for, by Saturday morning. That would give him all 
 Saturday for operation on Roscoe should the Sen 
 ator advise that, and if he advised otherwise, he 
 could tell Rollins and get ready for the sensation 
 on Monday. He went to his typewriter and wrote: 
 
 "REXTOWN, April 15, 1902. 
 "Mv DEAR SENATOR: 
 
 "You have always been willing to advise with me hereto 
 fore, and I want your counsel again. I am in a dilemma. 
 Briefly, the facts are these: 
 
 "It has become known to me, absolutely, that the street 
 car company, against which we are fighting in the municipal
 
 THE FAKERS 179 
 
 campaign now going on, has a plot in mind which will dis 
 franchise the bulk of the voters in four wards where the 
 most of our strength is. This plan was of sufficient value 
 to the corporation to induce it to pay handsomely for it. 
 
 "Aside from three principals, I am the only person in 
 Rextown who knows of this plot. Now, my dilemma is this: 
 Shall 1 use this information to destroy the plot and thereby 
 help our side win and get a lot of publicity for myself out 
 of it; or shall I use it for the purpose of getting money for 
 myself ? The street-car company is in desperate straits. We 
 have them whipped. They probably can win if they put 
 this thing through, and that makes it certain they will pay 
 me to withhold my knowledge of their plan, for if they lose 
 they must immediately spend large amounts of money for 
 improvements, extensions, etc., and must pay an increased 
 municipal franchise tax. 
 
 "I know enough of what goes on in Washington to know 
 that corporations are considered legitimate subjects of attack 
 in this manner, and that they usually pay for protection and 
 political aid. I can aid this corporation by withholding my 
 information, or I can hurt it in a most vulnerable spot its 
 treasury by telling what I know. Which would be best 
 for me ? I am sure I can get a good sized sum for my in 
 formation. 
 
 "Please consider this sacredly confidential, and advise me 
 by telegraph. In order that there may be no leak here I 
 suggest you send me a telegram reading like this: Your 
 brother has arrived and sign it Charles Smith if you ad 
 vise me to expose the plot ; or a telegram reading Your 
 money will be held subject to your directions and sign it 
 William Jones if you think I should negotiate with the 
 corporation. I merely suggest these ciphers. Any telegram 
 with the word brother in it will mean, to me, that I am 
 to proceed with the exposure, and any telegram with the 
 word money in it will mean that I shall negotiate with 
 the street-car company. Please telegraph on receipt of this, 
 for my time is short. 
 
 "With kind regards, and best wishes, 
 
 "Faithfully, 
 "T. MARMADUKE HICKS."
 
 i8o THE FAKERS 
 
 Hicks mailed his letter, taking it to the station 
 himself to make sure it went on the east bound 
 train. He continued his assaults, to enthusiastic au 
 diences, .on Thursday and Friday, and held frequent 
 conferences with Rollins, who assured him victory 
 was in the air. 
 
 A telegram was waiting for Hicks when he 
 reached his office on Saturday morning. He tore it 
 open and read: 
 
 "WASHINGTON, April 17, 1902. 
 "T. MARMADUKE HICKS, 
 
 "Care Chittlings and Hicks, 
 
 "Rextown. 
 "Your brother s money. 
 
 "CHARLES WILLIAM SMITH-JONES."
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 HICKS stared at the telegram in dismay. 
 He read it again: "Your brother s 
 money." 
 His cipher had been amalgamated 
 by the wily Senator. What did it 
 mean? Was it a joke? If it was it was a cruel one, 
 for it left him in a most uncomfortable position, with 
 no plan formed. Hicks had been so sure the Senator 
 would help him decide and so willing to rely on the 
 Senator s advice, that he had practically dismissed 
 the matter from his mind, and had worked out no 
 details of any kind. 
 
 "Your brother s money!" 
 
 The yellow telegraph slip lay on his desk and 
 seemed to be grinning impishly at him. 
 
 "Your brother s money!" 
 
 Hicks sat at his desk and racked his brain. Sud 
 denly he jumped to his feet and shouted: "I know 
 I know he means to do both get the money and 
 make the exposure. That must be it." 
 
 Hicks reproached himself for not thinking of this 
 himself and for going to the Senator with a prob 
 lem which, now that it was solved for him, seemed 
 so simple of solution. He instantly determined to 
 get in touch with Roscoe, see what could be done 
 with him, and, later, to seek Rollins, and plan the 
 explosion. 
 
 He didn t know how to go about getting to Ros 
 coe. He had been assailing Roscoe bitterly, and 
 
 181
 
 1 82 THE FAKERS 
 
 knew Roscoe wouldn t see him unless he used 
 strategy. What strategy should he use? 
 
 There was an envelope on his desk addressed to 
 him in the heavy handwriting of Chittlings. He 
 tore it open and read, scrawled on a slip of paper: 
 "Dear Hicks : I m going out to Grandsburg to spend 
 Sunday. I ll be back on Monday afternoon in suf 
 ficient time to vote against you on Tuesday. Yrs, 
 J. K. C." 
 
 As Hicks sat with the note in his hand he had an 
 idea. "Why, certainly," he said, "that s the way 
 to do it. Use Chittlings." 
 
 He told the stenographer to go down to the court 
 house and make a copy of a long record. He sent 
 the clerk out on some collections. When the of 
 fice was clear he locked the outside door, and went 
 to the telephone. He called the offices of the street 
 car company. 
 
 "Hello," he said, talking as much like Chittlings 
 as he could. "This is Mr. Chittlings, the attorney, 
 to talk to Mr. Roscoe." 
 
 There was a pause. 
 
 "Hello, Mr. Roscoe, this is Chittlings. J. K. Chit 
 tlings I m very well, thank you oh, yes, I am 
 sure it will work excellent plan, don t you think 
 can be executed easily too my business with you 
 I think it would be well if you came to see my 
 partner, Mr. Hicks don t say I mentioned the 
 matter to you he ll be at the office about nine-thirty 
 oh, no I am not concerned from some things 
 I heard I fancy it would be to your advantage to 
 talk to him you ll find him a decent sort of a chap 
 he doesn t mean all this stuff he s handing out 
 nine-thirty yes that s right." 
 
 Hicks thought over what he would say. At half- 
 past nine the outside door opened and Jenkins came 
 in.
 
 THE FAKERS 183 
 
 "Whom do you wish to see? asked Hicks. 
 
 "Mr. Hicks." 
 
 "I am Mr. Hicks, and you?" 
 
 "I am Mr. Jenkins, general manager of the street 
 car company." 
 
 "And what is your business with me?" 
 
 "I understood you desired to see me." 
 
 "For what purpose?" 
 
 "I don t know. Mr. Roscoe said you wanted to 
 see me. He said he was in touch with a person this 
 morning who intimated you would talk with Mr. 
 Roscoe." 
 
 "If that is so why didn t Mr. Roscoe come him 
 self, provided he wants to see me, although I can 
 not imagine what business he can have with me." 
 
 "He thought I- 
 
 "But, Mr. Jenkins, I have no possible business 
 with you, nor am I in the habit of talking to in 
 termediaries. If Mr. Roscoe wants to see me al 
 though I cannot conjecture why he should I would 
 suggest that Mr. Roscoe appear in person. Good 
 morning." 
 
 Jenkins stared at the perfectly possessed Hicks, 
 whistled and went out. Half an hour later the door 
 opened again and Roscoe came in. 
 
 "Mr. Hicks," he asked, in a much strained voice. 
 
 "I am Mr. Hicks, sir." 
 
 "And I am Mr. Roscoe." 
 
 "I recognized you instantly. And what can I 
 do for you, Mr. Roscoe?" 
 
 Hicks waved Roscoe to a chair with a polite ges 
 ture. Roscoe sat down, clutching his derby hat in 
 both hands. He was red in the face and breathing 
 hard. 
 
 "It was intimated to me, Mr. Hicks, that you 
 desired to see me." 
 
 "For what purpose, Mr. Roscoe?"
 
 1 84 THE FAKERS 
 
 "I haven t the slightest idea." 
 
 "Nor have I. There is very little we have in 
 common at the present time." 
 
 "But " Roscoe was much perplexed, "I was 
 told to call on you and I am here." 
 
 "I am sure I am very glad to see you, Mr. Ros 
 coe," said Hicks suavely, "but unless this is a so 
 cial call I know of no other reason why you should 
 be here." 
 
 "A social call!" snorted Roscoe. "Good God, 
 young man, 1 like your nerve ! The idea of me call 
 ing on you socially. Good-day." 
 
 He rose and jammed his hat on his head. As 
 he was passing out of the room Hicks called: "Oh, 
 by the way, Mr. Roscoe, now that your visit has re 
 freshed my memory, there is a matter I might dis 
 cuss with you." 
 
 Roscoe turned and asked sharply: "What is it?" 
 
 "It relates to that plan you have for a fake acci 
 dent in your power house on the afternoon of elec 
 tion day, and the consequent crippling of your sys 
 tem just before the polls close." 
 
 Roscoe s jaw dropped. He stared at Hicks. His 
 face went from red to purple and then faded slowly 
 back to red again. He stammered, stuttered, 
 gasped. 
 
 "You damned scoundrel!" he shouted. "Do you 
 mean that you and your blackmailing partner are 
 trying to collect twice on that? By God, you can t! 
 I ll have you arrested." 
 
 "I do not know to whom you refer as my black 
 mailing partner, Mr. Roscoe," said Hicks steadily, 
 his eyes narrowing as he concentrated them on the 
 apoplectic street car magnate. "If you mean Mr. 
 Chittlings, I can deny the allegation for him and 
 leave him to pursue it further at his leisure. I have 
 no knowledge of what else you mean. I merely said
 
 THE FAKERS 185 
 
 there are certain plans of yours that have come to 
 my knowledge and it might interest you to discuss 
 them with me?" 
 
 Roscoe flopped down in a chair. 
 
 "What do you want?" he asked hoarsely. 
 
 "Nothing, my dear sir, nothing. I merely sug 
 gested we might discuss this matter. Of course, 
 you know now that I am in full possession of the 
 facts in the case and it is my duty to expose them, 
 which I shall do at my noon-day meeting to-day, and 
 you will not be able to carry out your nefarious 
 scheme." 
 
 "Do you intend to do that?" asked Roscoe, who 
 was palpably frightened and nervous. 
 
 "It is my duty," declaimed Hicks. "Doesn t it 
 appeal to you in that light?" 
 
 "What will you take to keep quiet?" Roscoe s 
 voice was husky. His tongue was dry. He gulped 
 and choked over the words. He knew he was 
 trapped. 
 
 "What will I take?" exclaimed Hicks. "Why, 
 my dear sir, I have no such idea in mind! What 
 will I take? Do you mean you are trying to bribe 
 me to keep this nefarious plot secret and allow 
 you to defeat the will of the people. I am sur 
 prised at you, Mr. Roscoe!" 
 
 "What will you take to keep quiet?" demanded 
 Roscoe again. 
 
 "Why, really, Mr. Roscoe," continued Hicks, 
 "the matter hadn t appealed to me in that light. I 
 am at a loss to understand you. Do you mean what 
 compensation would I exact to remain silent about 
 this horrid business?" 
 
 "Exactly that?" Roscoe replied. 
 
 Hicks paced back and forth across the room. 
 
 "I hadn t considered that," he said, half to him 
 self. "Of course, I could not think of doing such
 
 1 86 THE FAKERS 
 
 a thing, but if I were so inclined what would it be 
 worth to you, Mr. Roscoe." 
 
 "I will give you a thousand dollars to say noth- 
 ing." 
 
 "A thousand dollars." laughed Hicks. "Why, 
 really, Mr. Roscoe, for a man of large affairs you 
 have very primitive ideas about money. A thou 
 sand dollars ! That s an absurd valuation to put 
 on a piece of information that means so much to 
 you. A thousand dollars! ridiculous!" and Hicks 
 laughed again. 
 
 "How much, then?" asked Roscoe, glaring at the 
 laughing Hicks. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Roscoe, if I were to put a valuation 
 on this matter, which, of course, I shall not do, in 
 asmuch as I have no idea of not exposing you, but 
 merely for the purpose of prolonging a most agree 
 able conversation, I should say that five thousand 
 dollars would be barely adequate in the circum 
 stances." 
 
 "Five thousand dollars!" screamed Roscoe. 
 "Why, that is preposterous." 
 
 "Oh, fie, fie, Mr. Roscoe, you are excited. Re 
 member I am offering you nothing. I have nothing 
 to sell. You led the conversation into these chan 
 nels yourself." 
 
 Roscoe sat and stared into his hat. Hicks whistled 
 a snatch of a tune. 
 
 "Well," said Roscoe, "I ll give you five thousand 
 dollars. I ll mail you a check." 
 
 "My dear Mr. Roscoe, you will do nothing of 
 the kind. I could not use a check. Besides, there 
 is no reason why you should give me a check for 
 that amount or any other sum." 
 
 "How do you want it, then?" persisted Roscoe. 
 
 "I have often noted the peculiar shade of yel 
 low on the backs of one hundred dollar bills," said
 
 THE FAKERS 187 
 
 Hicks as if no one was present and he was talking 
 aloud for his own amusement. "It certainly symbo 
 lizes the gold for which they are legal tender. I 
 don t suppose a package of fifty of those bills would 
 be bulky, would it, Mr. Roscoe?" 
 
 He turned to Roscoe, who sat and glared indig 
 nantly at him. 
 
 "I haven t got fifty hundred-dollar bills on me, 
 and you know it," growled Roscoe. 
 
 "Why should you have? I see no reason why a 
 man, even of such great affairs as yours, should 
 carry so much money with him. However, I un 
 derstand the banks have them in large supply. Not 
 going, are you? Well, I shall be glad to see you 
 at any time. I shall be here until a quarter to 
 twelve, when I have an address to make. It would 
 be quite sensational, wouldn t it, Mr. Roscoe, if I 
 happened to mention this matter of the proposed 
 fake accident at the power house in that address? 
 I am assured of a large audience, and the reporters 
 generally drop around." 
 
 Roscoe s face grew purple again. He rushed 
 out. Hicks sat down and looked across at the Me 
 tropolis Hotel. He was well pleased with him 
 self. 
 
 Half an hour later Roscoe came back. He took 
 a bundle of bills from his inside coat pocket. 
 
 "Here s your money," he said, holding out the 
 bills. 
 
 Hicks gazed steadily out of the window. "What 
 money?" he asked. 
 
 "Your five thousand dollars." 
 
 "Nor mine yours," insisted Hicks. "How very 
 kind of you to bring me these samples for my ad 
 miration. Fifty, did you say? Would you mind 
 counting them, one by one? It doesn t seem possi 
 ble there are fifty there."
 
 i88 THE FAKERS 
 
 Roscoe, trembling with rage, counted the bills, 
 one by one. 
 
 "Ah," said Hicks, after he had finished. "There 
 are fifty, are there not? Ours is a most compact 
 currency." 
 
 "Gr-r-r!" choked Roscoe, standing with the lit 
 tle package of bills in his hand. "I know I m a 
 damned fool to do this, but what else can I do when 
 you and your socialistic associates have got the peo 
 ple all worked up over your lying charges against 
 us and may not beat us. Any man in this city will 
 say I m a lunatic to hand you this money, you black 
 mailing scoundrel, but I m in a corner. It s like 
 throwing five thousand dollars in a sewer. I sup- 
 pose you will give me what passed for your word 
 that you will not mention this matter." 
 
 "I have promised nothing, Mr. Roscoe. Every 
 proposition that has been made here you have made 
 yourself." 
 
 "But, damn it, young man, do you mean you sent 
 me out to get this money and that you are going 
 to give no return for it. What is this, just a plain 
 hold-up?" 
 
 "It seems to me to be a conversation between 
 a very excited street car magnate, with a lot of 
 hundred dollar bills in his hand, and a totally per 
 plexed lawyer named T. Marmaduke Hicks," said 
 Hicks. 
 
 "Oh, for God s sake!" shouted the exasperated 
 Roscoe, "here is your rotten money. You and 
 your gang have got me crazy. If you break faith 
 with me I ll punish you if it takes a lifetime." 
 
 He threw the money on the desk, and hurried out. 
 
 "Mr. Roscoe! Mr. Roscoe!" shouted Hicks 
 after him. "You left something here." 
 
 The only answer was the slamming of the door. 
 
 Hicks gathered up the money, counted it, caressed
 
 THE FAKERS 189 
 
 it, felt the texture of the bills, admired the engrav 
 ing, and the color. It was more money than he had 
 ever seen, at one time, in his life, and it was his, if 
 he wanted to keep it. He thought he would keep 
 it, and was preparing to hide it somewhere, until 
 a favorable time came to deposit it in a bank, when 
 his eye caught the telegram from the Senator. 
 
 "Your brother s money." 
 
 Hicks recalled men who had taken money to 
 entrap bribers, and the notoriety they had attained 
 by exposing the bribe-givers. He felt sure the Sen 
 ator meant to do that. 
 
 "This game is only half over," he said to him 
 self, and he telephoned to Rollins to come to his 
 office after the noonday meeting that day, which 
 Rollins promised to do. Hicks went across to the 
 store where the noonday meetings were held, and 
 excoriated Roscoe and the other street car mag 
 nates, but he said nothing about the plot. 
 
 "What is it?" asked Rollins, as he came into 
 Hicks s office about one o clock. 
 
 "Roscoe was here this morning." 
 
 "Roscoe!" repeated Rollins in amazement, "what 
 did that pirate want of you?" 
 
 "He tried to bribe me." 
 
 "What for?" asked the incredulous Rollins. 
 "W T hy should he try to bribe you?" 
 
 "Because I know something he wants no one else 
 to know. He left these," and Hicks took the hun 
 dred-dollar bills out of his pocket and spread them 
 on the desk. 
 
 "How much?" asked Rollins, looking at Hicks 
 and then at the money. 
 
 "How much? What for? Did you take it? 
 Have you been corrupted?" 
 
 "Hold on," interrupted Hicks. "Don t get ex 
 cited. Of course I took it, for here it is, but I
 
 i 9 o THE FAKERS 
 
 didn t take it to keep. I took it to show at the meet 
 ing on Monday, when I will expose the whole affair, 
 the plot and the rotten methods of Roscoe and the 
 whole thing." 
 
 "I don t understand," said Rollins. "What is 
 it? What does he want? Why have you all this 
 money if you don t intend to keep it? What is it 
 all about?" 
 
 "Now keep quiet and listen," urged Hicks, "and 
 I ll explain it all. I found out a plot they have to 
 stop the cars " 
 
 "Stop the cars!" broke in the excited Rollins. 
 "When? Why? What for?" 
 
 "Wait a minute, please. I found out about a 
 plot they have to stop the cars about closing time 
 in the factories on Tuesday afternoon and thus 
 make it impossible for the majority of the mill men 
 to get home in time to vote. Roscoe learned I 
 knew of this and came here and offered me this 
 money to say nothing about it." 
 
 "How are they going to stop the cars?" 
 
 "By a fake accident at the power house that will 
 put them out of commission just before six o clock. 
 The polls will close at seven, sharp. The men won t 
 know about this and will hang around waiting for 
 cars for ten or fifteen minutes. Then they will 
 walk across town, but most of them won t get to 
 their polling places in the four outlying wards until 
 after it is too late to vote, for Paddy Ross controls 
 the election machinery and he s in on it and will see 
 that the voting is done slowly." 
 
 Rollins whistled. 
 
 "Well," he said, "what shall we do about it?" 
 
 "Expose them," said Hicks. "Post a big adver 
 tisement in the Chronicle for Monday morning urg 
 ing all the people in Rextown to come and hear my 
 noonday address. Get up an extra edition of the
 
 THE FAKERS 191 
 
 Chronicle for circulation on Monday afternoon. 
 Play it up all over the paper on Tuesday morning 
 and they won t dare pull off any accident. Besides, 
 we can frighten the factory owners into shutting 
 down for half a day if we go at it right." 
 
 "Fine!" shouted Rollins, "fine! It ll beat them. 
 But what shall we do with this money?" 
 
 "I ll take care of that," replied Hicks. "I ll use 
 it as proof in my speech, and then we can decide 
 what use to make of it afterward."
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THEY spent the afternoon in consultation 
 with the editor of the Chronicle. It was 
 decided to continue the regular line of 
 attack in the Chronicle on Sunday and 
 Monday mornings, and to prepare a spe 
 cial edition of that paper for circulation on the 
 streets immediately after Hicks had made his speech. 
 Hicks insisted on this, although the Chronicle edi 
 tor pleaded for permission to spread the story all 
 over his paper on Sunday morning. Hicks pointed 
 out that this would give Roscoe time to make a de 
 nial and a defense. Also, although he said nothing 
 about that phase of it, it would deprive him of the 
 privilege of making the .exposure and getting the 
 credit. 
 
 He went to his office on Sunday morning and 
 wrote, on his typewriter, a long speech, in which he 
 exposed the plot, branded Roscoe as a briber, up 
 held his own great honesty and sincerity of purpose 
 in taking the money in order to convict Roscoe, and 
 urged all citizens to repudiate at the polls this villain 
 and traitor to the free suffrages of Rextown. This 
 speech he gave to the editor of the Chronicle. 
 
 The Chronicle on Monday morning carried a page 
 display advertisement of the Hicks s Monday meet 
 ing, urging all citizens of Rextown to attend, 
 as it was the most important meeting of the cam 
 paign. Hicks secluded himself until half-past eleven 
 o clock, for fear Roscoe might try to find him, and 
 
 192
 
 THE FAKERS 193 
 
 arrived at the vacant store used for a hall at a quar 
 ter of twelve. The place was jammed and hundreds 
 of people were on the street, trying to get in. 
 
 "This will never do," said Rollins. "Get them 
 out on the street." 
 
 A loud-voiced young man shoved his way to the 
 platform and announced that Mr. Hicks would talk 
 from the balcony of the Metropolis Hotel, so that 
 all might hear. The people surged out and stood 
 in the street in front of the hotel. Rollins and Hicks 
 and a few others went up on the balcony. As Tom- 
 mie stepped forward he felt that he had arrived. 
 This was by far the greatest crowd he had ever 
 spoken to. They cheered him when he appeared, 
 and he bowed many times. 
 
 He began his speech with his usual references to 
 the campaign for the rights of the people, and 
 scored the octopus, dilating for ten minutes on the 
 iniquities of that corporation, and its management. 
 He made his plea to the people to go to the polls 
 and elect the fusion ticket on the day following. 
 He referred to the various candidates eulogisti- 
 cally. 
 
 Then he raised both hands and said: "And now, 
 my friends, I come to the most important portion 
 of what I have to say. Not content with its con 
 trol of the corrupt Paddy Ross organization that 
 controls the corrupted Republican party in this city 
 of Rextown, this venal organization that seeks to 
 steal our streets and to impose its greedy monopolis 
 tic clutches on our people this gang of financial 
 pirates who have no thought other than to line their 
 own bloated purses with money wrung from the hon 
 est workingman, knowing that it is beaten, knowing 
 that the day of reckoning will come as surely as the 
 sun rises to-morrow, knowing that it is, at last, to be 
 brought to account, and its special privileges taken
 
 i 9 4 THE FAKERS 
 
 from it and a proper levy laid on it, has plotted ne 
 fariously to defeat the will of the people. 
 
 "My friends, I stand before you as the humble 
 instrument of an all-wise Providence for the defeat 
 of this plot, this heinous conspiracy against the good 
 people of Rextown. I discovered and I now. an 
 nounce to you that this plutocratic corporation has 
 squeezed the people of Rextown in its horrid toils, 
 that it has stolen our streets, prostituted our elec 
 tions, defied our authority and ravished our treas 
 ury and that now conscious that it is to be called 
 to account by the votes of the free men of Rextown 
 it has plotted to disfranchise a great portion of our 
 citizens, and especially those who earn their bread 
 by the sweat of their brows in our factories and 
 mills. They have conspired to deprive those honest 
 workingmen of their honest, God-fearing, anti-street 
 car-company votes." 
 
 Tommie stopped for an instant. The people were 
 vastly interested. 
 
 "Go on, Hicks !" they shouted. "Go on. What s 
 up?" 
 
 "What s up?" repeated Hicks. "This, fellow 
 citizens, this. These arrogant, purse-proud rob 
 bers who own the street-car company have planned 
 to have a fake accident in their power house to 
 morrow afternoon just before closing time in the 
 factories and mills, thus throwing all the cross- 
 town cars out of commission, and making it im 
 possible for the hundreds of voters in the factories 
 to get to their polling places in time to vote against 
 them. It is the only way they can win. They are 
 beaten. They know they are beaten, but, thank 
 God, I stand here and announce this plot to you, and 
 steps can, and will, be taken to prevent its consum 
 mation. It cannot be carried out. You are all 
 warned."
 
 THE FAKERS 195 
 
 There was a roar of rage from the people. 
 
 "Let them try it," they shouted. "By God, let 
 them try it and we ll tear down their power house 
 and burn their cars." 
 
 "And," shouted Hicks, "more than that, more 
 than that, my fellow citizens of Rextown, when 
 they learned I had become cognizant of their 
 heinous undertaking to defeat the will of the peo 
 ple, they tried to bribe me tried to bribe me, fel 
 low citizens !" and his voice climbed and climbed to 
 a shrill scream. 
 
 He reached into his pocket and pulled out the 
 money. He leaned over the balcony and shook the 
 yellow bills in the faces of the indignant crowd. 
 
 "Here is the dirty, the rotten money they of 
 fered me to remain silent about this plot, this at 
 tempt to disfranchise our people, here it is five 
 thousand dollars! five thousand dollars! that the 
 corrupt Roscoe tried to force on me as a price of 
 my honor and as a bribe for my betrayal of the peo 
 ple of this city. Here is the proof! Here are the 
 identical bills Roscoe handed to me, but, my fellow 
 citizens, he knows his mistake. He now knows that, 
 however dishonorable he may be, he cannot buy my 
 honor for the paltry sum of five thousand dollars, 
 nor for any other sum, and I shall hurl this money 
 in his bloated face, now that I have shown it to you 
 as further evidence of his corruption, his manner of 
 retaining control of our streets, his rottenness and 
 his lack of civic decency. 
 
 "Go to the polls to-morrow, my fellow citizens, 
 and vote to support the men who have made this 
 fight for your rights and your streets and your com 
 fort and your welfare and your treasury. Rebuke 
 this corrupt corporation and its gang of corrupt poli 
 ticians, and, more than all, rebuke this monster, Ros 
 coe, who tried to bribe me to betray you you, the
 
 196 THE FAKERS 
 
 people, for whom I am fighting and the people I 
 love." 
 
 The Chronicle circulation manager released his 
 newsboys just as Hicks finished. They swarmed up 
 the street with copies of the special edition of that 
 paper containing a full account of the plot, the at 
 tempted bribery, the display of the money by Hicks, 
 and his speech, and there were great indignation and 
 much threatening by the crowd. 
 
 Hicks took his congratulations with the air of a 
 man who had done a great thing and knows it. 
 There was a hurried conference of the street car 
 people, and the Globe and Leader carried denials 
 in big type of every charge Hicks made, signed by 
 Roscoe, Jenkins, Paddy Ross and others. They 
 said Hicks had faked up the whole story, and was 
 merely trying to get a little cheap notoriety at the 
 expense of a highly moral and public-spirited cor 
 poration. 
 
 "Why should the people of Rextown believe this 
 man Hicks?" the Republican papers screamed, "who 
 doesn t own a dollar s worth of property in Rex- 
 town, who has been here only a year or two, who 
 is a self-confessed bribe taker, if this money was 
 a bribe, which it was not, for Mr. Roscoe never 
 spoke a word with him in his life, nor did any of 
 the managers of the street car company. 
 
 "Undoubtedly, this money was supplied to Hicks 
 by Perk Rollins for this scandalous exhibition. We 
 trust, and have full confidence, that the sober sec 
 ond thought of the people of Rextown will rebuke 
 at the polls to-morrow this upstart and braggart 
 who seeks thus to defame the character of one of 
 our greatest and most public-spirited institutions, the 
 Rextown Traction and Power Company." 
 
 Hicks discovered, during his triumphal progress 
 down the street, and not a little to his chagrin, that
 
 THE FAKERS 197 
 
 the fact he had, and displayed, five thousand dol 
 lars in bills was held to be the clinching proof that 
 an attempt at bribery had been made. The money 
 overweighed all of his statements. It was held that 
 Rollins would not stoop to such a subterfuge, hav 
 ing a deserved reputation for honesty, and that 
 Hicks could have secured so much money in no other 
 way than from Roscoe, against whom the people had 
 been much incensed by the steady fight of the fusion- 
 ists and the good work of the Chronicle. 
 
 Next morning the Chronicle had pages of spe 
 cific statements about the incident, statements by 
 Hicks and his speech, statements by Rollins that he 
 did not supply the money, and all the details of the 
 affair from the beginning, supplied by Hicks with 
 such omissions as he felt to be desirable. The Re 
 publican papers scoffed at it all, called Hicks a faker 
 and a liar, and upheld the street car company as 
 an organization of God-fearing, man-loving patriots 
 who would not stoop to such a trick. Roscoe was 
 almost hysterical in his denials, and what Paddy 
 Ross said to him, at their meeting after the speech, 
 was a classic in profane denunciation for political 
 idiocy based on arrant fear of defeat. 
 
 The factory owners, fearing trouble with their 
 men, closed down until noon to allow all their em 
 ployees to vote, and the fusion ticket carried the 
 election by a close margin, winning in the Fourth, 
 Ninth, Tenth and Sixteenth wards and in enough of 
 the downtown wards to give them a majority of one 
 on the board of aldermen, besides getting the city 
 ticket in by small pluralities. Hicks won by about a 
 hundred in his ward. 
 
 He telegraphed the news to Senator Paxton, and 
 received a congratulatory reply. Later he sent the 
 Senator all the newspapers, but heard nothing about 
 those. Rollins was ecstatic in his delight. For the
 
 198 THE FAKERS 
 
 first time in many years he was on the winning side 
 in a political fight. It grieved him to think he was 
 winner with a fusion ticket, but Hicks, and a few 
 others, were Democrats, and he interpreted it all 
 to mean that the dawn of a better day was approach 
 ing.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 MR. ROLLINS," said Hicks, two days 
 after election, "what shall I do with 
 that money?" 
 "Where is it?" asked Rollins. 
 "Locked in my desk at the office." 
 
 "You must give it back to Roscoe, of course. It s 
 his, not yours." 
 
 "But Roscoe won t take it." 
 
 "If he doesn t it is the first time he ever refused 
 money of any kind." 
 
 "But," persisted Hicks, "if he does take it that 
 will be a confession that he tried to bribe me, and a 
 repudiation of all his denials and statements." 
 
 "Try him," urged Rollins. "Go over and offer 
 it to him, and, if he refuses it, leave it on his desk 
 and go out. It isn t yours, and if you hold it much 
 longer the people will think you took it with a view 
 to keeping it. Get rid of it, I tell you, and get rid 
 of it right away." 
 
 Hicks thought over what Rollins had said. He 
 hated to give up the money, but he knew he must. 
 More than he disliked handing back the five thou 
 sand dollars to Roscoe he disapproved of the idea of 
 handing it back without any publicity for himself be 
 cause of the virtuous act. The plan Rollins pro 
 posed hadn t an advertising feature that appealed 
 to Hicks. To be sure, he might notify the reporters 
 of his intended visit, and get some space in the pa 
 pers that way, but, if he did, in all probability Ros- 
 
 199
 
 200 THE FAKERS 
 
 coe would refuse to see him, and there was not much 
 of the spectacular in going to the office of the presi 
 dent of the traction company and being told by a 
 clerk that the president was not in. 
 
 Obviously, if Hicks was to secure further no 
 toriety through his connection with the money, he 
 must operate in full view of the public, not in the 
 inner office of Roscoe. He went to Rollins late that 
 afternoon. 
 
 "Mr. Rollins," he said, "your plan of offering 
 that money to Roscoe isn t feasible." 
 
 "I don t see why. You don t intend to keep the 
 money, do you?" 
 
 "No, but what s the use of trying to give it to 
 Roscoe in private?" 
 
 "In private?" repeated Rollins. "You don t want 
 to give it to him in public, do you?" 
 
 "Why not? We d get some good advertising out 
 of it, and make it stick in the minds of the people 
 that Roscoe really did try to corrupt me." 
 
 "Well, didn t he?" 
 
 "Of course he did, but what s to be gained by 
 going and throwing the money in his face? Let s 
 make a sensation of it." 
 
 "A sensation!" exclaimed the surprised Rollins. 
 "Wnat do you mean?" 
 
 "Oh, let s do it out in the open. It s too good 
 a chance to be lost." 
 
 "It seems to me," persisted Rollins, "that the 
 quicker this thing is over and forgotten the better 
 it will be for all concerned. What s the need of 
 rubbing it in?" 
 
 "Look here, Rollins," said Hicks. / You will 
 admit that that bribery episode was a big factor in 
 helping us win the election, won t you?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Well, that was due to me, to my seizing of a
 
 THE FAKERS 201 
 
 situation and knowing how to act in it to our best 
 advantage. Now, here is another chance to do 
 something, not only for the cause, but for myself, 
 and I m going to do it." 
 
 "Going to do what?" 
 
 "Going to realize on Mr. Roscoe and his fifty 
 one-hundred dollar bills once more." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "Oh, I ll find a way." 
 
 "All right," consented Rollins, "only be sure to 
 get rid of the money." 
 
 Hicks called on La Fetra, the managing editor 
 of the Chronicle, and outlined a plan he had in 
 mind. 
 
 "You see," he explained to La Fetra, "there s no 
 use of our taking Roscoe into the corner of a private 
 office and saying to him: Please, Mr. Roscoe, here s 
 your five thousand dollars. Kindly take it back and 
 we ll say nothing more about the affair. 
 
 "That s so," assented La Fetra, "that wouldn t 
 get us anywhere." 
 
 "Well, then, suppose I write a statement, to be 
 printed in the Chronicle to-morrow morning, saying 
 that this money, which has served its useful pur 
 pose of ridding the politics of Rextown of the con 
 trol of this corrupt corporation, is, and always has 
 been, the property of the company, and that we have 
 no desire to contaminate ourselves by retaining it. 
 Suppose we say the money will be at the office of the 
 Chronicle to-morrow at noon, and that Mr. Hicks 
 will be glad to hand it to Mr. Roscoe if Mr. Ros 
 coe will call at that hour and receipt for it." 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed La Fetra, who saw the ad 
 vertising possibilities of the plan. "We ll play it 
 up all over the first page, and there ll be a crowd on 
 hand, but," he added, "of course Roscoe won t 
 come."
 
 202 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Of course not, but that makes no difference. We 
 can hold the offer open for a few days, and get a 
 lot of publicity out of it and then we can give the 
 money to a hospital or some charity and pull off 
 more deserved applause." 
 
 "Great!" said La Fetra, "positively great! If 
 Roscoe doesn t come in for the money we ll put it 
 in the front window of the office with a placard say 
 ing this is the identical money with which he tried 
 to bribe you, and it will make a big show. The peo 
 ple don t see fifty one-hundred dollar bills very often. 
 We can get four or five days of sensation out of 
 that, and by that time we will decide how to divide 
 it among the charities." 
 
 They arranged many details. Hicks wrote a 
 statement, and La Fetra, much to the disgust of 
 Hicks, toned that statement down considerably. As 
 it was printed, on the first page of the Chronicle 
 next morning, it had a good deal of Hicks in it, but 
 not half so much as Hicks had hoped. However, it 
 was reasonably personal to Hicks, and he wisely re 
 flected that he had done the best he could. 
 
 Hicks and the Chronicle, in the statement, invited 
 Roscoe to come to the counting room of that paper 
 that day at noon, and receive his money. All Roscoe 
 was required to do was to sign a receipt. 
 
 The crowd began gathering at ten o clock, and by 
 noon there were several thousand people in front 
 of the Chronicle building. Some policemen kept a 
 lane open on the sidewalks. Hicks appeared at a 
 quarter to twelve, and was mildly applauded. He 
 went into the counting room, accompanied by Rol 
 lins, and took a position in the center of the room. 
 
 "Pshaw!" he said, "not a tenth of those people 
 can see me." 
 
 "Oh, well," comforted Rollins, "they all know 
 you are here."
 
 THE FAKERS 203 
 
 This didn t suit Hicks, but there was no place 
 outside suitable for the handing over of five thou 
 sand tainted dollars to a representative of the octo 
 pus, so he made the best of it. At twelve o clock he 
 took out the money, held it up in his right hand, 
 posing the while for a newspaper picture, and at 
 twelve one announced: "It is now one minute after 
 twelve o clock, and Mr. Roscoe has not appeared. 
 I shall give him fifteen minutes grace." 
 
 The people pushed forward, trying to see what 
 was going on, shouting derisively: "Where s Ros 
 coe?" hooting, cat-calling and otherwise conducting 
 themselves like a good-natured American crowd out 
 to see something beyond the ordinary. 
 
 Roscoe had not appeared at a quarter past twelve, 
 and Hicks, feeling he had a ready-made audience, 
 ran to the editorial rooms on the second floor, 
 pushed up a window, and made a speech, waving 
 the money about, and denouncing Roscoe and the 
 street car company. 
 
 That afternoon the money was placed in a glass 
 case and displayed in the big window of the Chroni 
 cle counting room. The offer was repeated next 
 day, and Hicks returned at noon. The crowd was 
 smaller, and, of course, Roscoe did not come for 
 the money. Instead, he printed in the other morn 
 ing paper a most violent denunciation of Hicks as 
 a faker and a liar and again asserted on his honor 
 as a business man who had spent his life in Rex- 
 town, and who had his fortune invested in property 
 there, that he never, at any time, had spoken to 
 Hicks, and that he had not given him this money, 
 nor had any person connected with the street car 
 company. 
 
 On the third morning the Chronicle announced 
 that as it was apparent Mr. Roscoe preferred to lose 
 this sum rather than acknowledge his crime, the
 
 204 THE FAKERS 
 
 money would be divided among the various charities 
 of Rextown by a committee consisting of Mr. Per 
 kins G. Rollins, Mr. T. Marmaduke Hicks, Mr. 
 George J. La Fetra and some others. 
 
 "Although this money is tainted money," the an 
 nouncement said, "it can be applied to the sacred 
 purposes of charity and do good which it never 
 would have done had it remained in the hands of 
 the arch-corruptionist to whom it originally be 
 longed. Indeed, the committee considers this as an 
 almost providential aid for the noble men and 
 women who are managing our various charities." 
 
 Hicks took great interest in the distribution of 
 the money, and had his name in the papers every 
 day for a fortnight. He sent a big bunch of clip 
 pings to Senator Paxton and, a week or so later, 
 received a note which said: 
 
 "DEAR HICKS: 
 
 "I have read the clippings with much interest. Long ago 
 I knew you as an apt pupil in the study of practical politics, 
 but I hardly expected you to jump from the freshman class 
 to the last semester of your senior year. However, do not 
 overlook the fact that the pastime of playing both ends 
 against the middle depends for its continued success on the 
 talent the player has for keeping the middle uninformed of 
 his activities at the ends. 
 
 "Yours, 
 
 "PAXTON/ 
 
 Chittlings said nothing to Hicks about the bribery 
 incident, or his share in it, but Hicks found his part 
 ner looking speculatively at him many times. Hicks 
 went about his duties as alderman energetically and 
 soon discovered that the workingmen considered 
 him their especial representative on the board. After 
 that he played constantly to the workingmen s gal-
 
 THE FAKERS 205 
 
 lery. He addressed meetings, from time to time, 
 and developed a profitable end to his popularity. 
 He encouraged the factory and mill men to bring 
 him their personal damage cases and their other 
 employers liability claims and, before the end of 
 the summer, the firm of Chittlings and Hicks rented 
 another room, hired Gudger away from Johnson, 
 Jacobs and Jones, and put him in charge of these 
 cases. Occasionally, he went out into the county 
 and talked to the farmers, and he helped organize 
 a Monday Evening Club that met once a week and 
 discussed the causes whereby the rich were con 
 stantly getting richer and the poor poorer, and 
 sought for means to ameliorate the condition, not 
 only of the workingmen, but of the submerged 
 tenth, there being a rather hard-to-find, but sub 
 merged, fraction of Rextown society; not exactly a 
 tenth, perhaps, for the one was prosperous and busy, 
 but a faction of the won t-work sort. 
 
 Hicks had grow r n into a florid, wordy orator. He 
 had all the catch phrases of the real lover of the 
 people at his tongue s end, and he never missed an 
 opportunity to talk. 
 
 Every time he had an address to make he dic 
 tated his speech, or what he considered the most 
 striking portions of it, to the stenographer, had the 
 notes neatly typewritten and sent copies to the city 
 editors of the Rextown papers with pleasant letters 
 asking that some use be made of the enclosed. 
 Often, especially on dull days, he was gratified to 
 see a few paragraphs of his productions in the 
 papers. He always wrote his own introductions 
 to the speeches speaking of himself as a brilliant 
 young orator, and of the address as a "masterly 
 effort." He didn t expect much of this would get 
 by the editors, but he always supplied the introduc 
 tion in the hope that his self-praise might; and
 
 206 THE FAKERS 
 
 sometimes, to the intense gratification of Hicks, 
 portions of it did. 
 
 He made it a point to write congratulatory letters 
 to everybody he, by any possibility, could claim even 
 as a speaking acquaintance, and was particularly 
 strong on felicitations over domestic events whereby 
 he might have an excuse for sending a flowery note 
 to a lady. If a man was promoted, or did a good 
 stroke of business, or announced some new under 
 taking, Hicks was first to wish him well. He in 
 vested in a few shares in some new enterprises and 
 was placed on a directorate or two. When the 
 pastor of another church preached an especially 
 strong sermon Hicks wrote him a note, praising 
 him for the splendid work he was doing in spread 
 ing the light, and he kept his own pastor in a sort 
 of an ecstatic haze by his unceasing and skillful 
 flattery. 
 
 If one of the local authors wrote a book or one 
 of the local poets produced a poem Hicks looked 
 over a copy of the book at a bookstore and then 
 wrote a letter, praising the work extravagantly and 
 telling the author how delighted he was to make 
 this valuable work of genius a permanent addition 
 to his library. He always asked the poet when 
 he, or she, intended to confer a great boon on 
 literature by putting his, or her, poems in book 
 form. When Charley Corbett, a reporter on the 
 Leader, sold a New York magazine a short story, 
 Hicks made Corbett his friend for life by writing 
 him about the story and telling him it had touches 
 that reminded him of Bret Harte, of whose work 
 he never had read a line. Also he congratulated the 
 reporters on their good work from time to time, 
 constantly wrote letters to the editors of the papers 
 commending them in extravagant terms for their 
 stands on local and national questions, and the
 
 THE FAKERS 207 
 
 editors, being human, promptly printed these let 
 ters, which was why Hicks wrote them. 
 
 The personal damage and liability suits were a 
 great asset. Chittlings said nothing about termi 
 nating the contract at the nine-month period, and at 
 the end of the year Hicks broached the subject 
 himself. 
 
 "Chittlings," he said, "our partnership agreement 
 expires pretty soon." 
 
 "So it does," answered Chittlings, who had been 
 fighting shy of this interview. "I ll have a new one 
 drawn up." 
 
 "On what basis?" 
 
 "Why, same as the present one, of course," Chit 
 tlings answered, as if surprised Hicks should think 
 of any other form of agreement. 
 
 "Oh. no," said Hicks, calmly. "That won t do." 
 
 "What won t do?" blustered Chittlings. 
 
 "That thirty per cent, stipulation." 
 
 Chittlings gave a fine imitation of an amazed and 
 indignant man. "Do you mean to say you want 
 more than that?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "Well, I like your nerve. Here I grab you and 
 make something out of you, and now you swell up 
 and ask for an increase in the division. What do you 
 think your services are worth?" 
 
 "Fifty per cent," said Hicks. "Flalf and half, 
 and I won t make that arrangement for more than 
 two years, either, for by that time I shall probably 
 not need you on that basis." 
 
 "Great jumping Jehosophat!" exploded Chit 
 tlings. "Do you mean to sit there and spin stuff 
 like that to me with the idea you can get away with 
 it? Let s quit now. I fancy I can worry along 
 without you."
 
 208 THE FAKERS 
 
 "As you please," Hicks answered, rising to leave 
 the room. 
 
 "Hold on," said Chittlings. "Listen to reason, 
 can t you? How d forty per cent, strike you?" 
 
 "Fifty per cent, or nothing: share and share 
 alike. ; J 
 
 Chittlings protested he never would give that 
 much, but ended by having a new agreement, run 
 ning for two years, drawn up, and both signed it. 
 Chittlings didn t want to lose Hicks. He saw pos 
 sibilities in that young man that, he had an idea, 
 Hicks, even with his inordinate egotism, did not 
 suspect. But he was wrong. Hicks knew as much 
 about himself as Chittlings did, and more, for 
 Chittlings, keen as he was, merely surmised his 
 greediness for applause and for power.
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 OCCASIONALLY, Hicks found himself 
 thinking of Mrs. Lester. He wondered 
 where she \vas, if he ever would see her 
 again, and what was her condition in 
 life. When he married, he said to him 
 self, he would marry a woman of Mrs. Lester s 
 kind, for she appealed to him as the right sort of 
 a Mrs. T. Marmaduke Hicks striking in appear 
 ance fashionable in attire, bright, vivacious, cul 
 tured a woman who would win admiration for 
 him because she was his, because she was Mrs. 
 Hicks, his wife. Once, he wrote to Mrs. Lake 
 asking about some books he thought he had left 
 at her house, and saying, at the end of this letter, 
 which was written for that purpose, as he had left 
 no books at the boarding-house: "By the way, I 
 was reminded of Mrs. Lester by a very beautiful 
 woman I saw on the street the other day. Is she 
 still with you?" 
 
 Mrs. Lake, being an astute woman, knew the 
 object of Hicks s letter and dismissed the books 
 with a line. She devoted a page to Mrs. Lester, 
 telling Hicks that she was in Europe, but would be 
 home in a few months. She was the guest of some 
 very fashionable people in Trouville, Mrs. Lake 
 said. 
 
 Moreover, Mrs. Lake did more than that, for, in 
 her next letter to Mrs. Lester, she said: "Do you 
 remember Mr. Hicks? I had a letter from him 
 
 209
 
 210 THE FAKERS 
 
 the other day, and he inquired about you. Evi 
 dently, you made an impression on him." 
 
 Mrs. Lester had to go somewhere each summer, 
 and she was well aware it was cheaper to go to 
 Europe, as she went, than to visit American resorts 
 of the class she would visit. She lived at a pen 
 sion in Paris, but each afternoon she took tea at 
 the most fashionable places. She wrote her letters 
 on her own embossed stationery, and told of the 
 people she was meeting at the big hotels and in 
 the great restaurants, and that helped her to keep 
 up appearances at home. 
 
 She smiled when she read Mrs. Lake s letter. 
 "Hicks," she said, "egotistical Tommie! Why, I 
 must send him a card," and she did, a picture of 
 Napoleon s tomb, with a few words of casual greet 
 ing on it. Hicks was pleased with the card, and 
 thought of writing to her, but there was no address 
 and he decided he would await events. 
 
 Mrs. Lester s dearest ambition was to marry 
 some one with a title, but her opportunities for meet 
 ing titled persons except in her conversation were 
 limited. She was, of necessity, put to it to make 
 an elaborate personal showing on a small income, 
 and, although she constantly watched for oppor 
 tunities, she knew in her heart that her trips abroad 
 were of most value in a matrimonial way, because 
 of the opportunities they gave her for impressive 
 talk at home, and because she could live cheaply 
 in Paris, and elsewhere, and could refurnish her 
 wardrobe to a greater advantage than in the United 
 States. 
 
 She met a Russian woman who was much taken 
 by her vivacity and her stylish appearance, and who 
 invited her to come to St. Petersburg to be her 
 guest. Mrs. Lester went to stay a month, and 
 stayed six months, thereby deriving much informa-
 
 THE FAKERS 211 
 
 tion and local color for her future references to her 
 close association with the high personages of Rus 
 sia. She maintained her figure fairly well, and 
 was assiduous in the conversation and cultivation of 
 her other physical excellencies. She made a con 
 stant appraisement of all the eligible men she met, 
 and never found exactly the right one. However, 
 she enjoyed herself immensely, although she often 
 considered herself carefully in her mirror, and 
 thought that she must be making haste if she was 
 to realize her ambitions through the medium of her 
 charms. 
 
 She was as devoid of sentiment as an unsexed 
 woman. Her whole attitude toward men was to 
 use them for her personal entertainment and for 
 what she could get out of them in the way of at 
 tention, gifts, social advantages and company for 
 her idle hours. Within she was cold and calculat 
 ing, but she could assume an ingenuous air that was 
 of a certain value with the male sex, and she was 
 always bright and vivacious, with an endless supply 
 of small talk, and a knowledge of international so 
 cial affairs that she kept fresh by assiduous reading 
 of all society publications. When the time came she 
 was confident she could play at being in love with 
 sufficient fervor to answer whatever the require 
 ments w r ere, but the idea of falling in love, really, 
 never crossed her mind. That was outside of her 
 plans and purposes. 
 
 She gravitated between Washington and Europe 
 for the next five years. She was not without ardent 
 admirers, but none of these. men, with whom she 
 flirted as much or little as the circumstances seemed 
 to her to warrant, had enough position or 
 enough money to suit her demands. When she 
 was in Washington she went to every big social 
 function she could. Her acquaintance with the
 
 212 THE FAKERS 
 
 statesmen living with Mrs. Lake generally secured 
 her cards for the White House receptions and for 
 other affairs of a general kind. Two or three im 
 pressionable young men had offered her their hands 
 and hearts, but they had nothing in their hands and 
 she ignored what they said they had in their hearts. 
 She kept her pose as the years went on, but each 
 year found the keeping of it a little more laborious, 
 and this increased her desire for a marriage that 
 would give her position, and money, or, if not so 
 much money, at least position, and she was relentless 
 on the trail, but found the quarry elusive. 
 
 She heard of Hicks occasionally, through Mrs. 
 Lake, for Hicks always went to Mrs. Lake s when 
 he visited in Washington. Two or three times he 
 had sent her papers containing reports of his 
 speeches, and she had acknowledged these in short, 
 almost impersonal notes, that gave Hicks no chance 
 for replies, even if he had wanted to open a corre 
 spondence. He thought little about her, and she 
 thought less of him, but she was much interested 
 when Mrs. Lake told her Hicks was getting on 
 in Rextown, and was almost sure to make a name 
 for himself in politics. 
 
 Hicks was busy during those five years, and busier 
 during the two or three that followed. He grew 
 to be an accomplished protagonist of the rights of 
 the people, and had taken part in State campaigns. 
 He never lost his hold on the workingmen, and he 
 never ceased trying to establish himself with the 
 farmers. He did not try to mix in the fashion 
 able society of the city, although he had a fixed 
 idea that if he should determine to become a social 
 light he would storm every citadel and soon be hailed 
 as a leader and received at the best houses among 
 the socially elect. He felt that one day he would 
 be secure enough in his position to take his rightful
 
 THE FAKERS 213 
 
 place in the select society of Rextown, and had 
 firm faith that he possessed all the attributes that 
 would make him the courted and feted favorite 
 should he devote himself to that branch of human in 
 tercourse. He read the society news in the papers 
 daily and watched the comings and going of the 
 personages. He was obsequious to any social leader 
 he chanced to meet and, at heart, would have been 
 extremely gratified to be mentioned in the social 
 news as "among those present" at the great 
 functions. 
 
 For business and political reasons he scorned the 
 frivolities of the day and frequently deplored in 
 public addresses the tendencies of the times, which, 
 he said, were leading the young people far away 
 from the ideals of their fathers. He preached pro 
 hibition, but refused to identify himself with the 
 political aspect of that movement, holding it was a 
 social reform, and, in order to keep himself right 
 with his workingrnen constituents, that men should 
 have a reasonable measure of personal liberty. He 
 came out emphatically for woman s suffrage, was for 
 the full extension of the popular government, and 
 endorsed all anti-vice crusades. 
 
 Rollins continued to believe in Hicks, scoffed at 
 stories that came to him about the self-seeking and 
 lack of conviction of his friend, and considered 
 him a brilliant young man who was willing to 
 sacrifice self for the sake of his principles. He 
 made a combination whereby Hicks was nominated 
 for the State senate, which gave Hicks another 
 opportunity to go out and pose as the people s 
 friend among the people, and when Hicks was 
 thirty-three and again when he was thirty-five Rol 
 lins procured for him the empty honors of nomina 
 tions for Congress in the Rextown district. The 
 Rextown district had been represented by a Repub-
 
 214 THE FAKERS 
 
 lican since the Civil War, and there appeared to 
 be no chance of any but a Republican ever repre 
 senting it, but Hicks had long before learned the 
 value of claiming kinship in politics, and he traced 
 out for himself several advantageous lineages which 
 he used discreetly. 
 
 Senator Paxton, who was speaking in the State 
 one fall, heard Hicks and noted his claim of a 
 grandfather from Kerry and a grandmother from 
 the Rhine. 
 
 "Tommie," he said, "you seem to have an un 
 usually variegated set of ancestors." 
 
 "Isn t it so?" Hicks replied. "I have tied up 
 with Ireland, Germany, England, Wales and Hol 
 land, but when I first got down in the mining dis 
 trict I thought I was lost. I hadn t provided my 
 self with any Polish blood." 
 
 "What did you do?" 
 
 "Oh, I said a few kind words for Kosciusko; 
 and that helped a lot." 
 
 "It s lucky for you you re not running up in the 
 Northwest," laughed Paxton. "You d be put to it 
 to organize a Scandinavian ancestry." 
 
 "I don t know as I would, when it comes to 
 that," Hicks replied. "The Hicks are a great peo 
 ple and have lived in many lands." 
 
 "You ll lose this time of course." 
 
 "Yes, but not many times more. There s a 
 change coming, Senator, sure as you are standing 
 there." 
 
 Paxton became serious. "I wouldn t be sur 
 prised if you are right," he said. "It s sort of in the 
 air." 
 
 Hicks was right. Although he was beaten he 
 had more votes the second time he ran for Con 
 gress than were cast for him the first time. He 
 claimed the nomination for the third time, and Rol-
 
 THE FAKERS 215 
 
 lins gave it to him. Hicks made an earnest cam 
 paign, and cut down his Republican competitor s 
 plurality by more than a thousand votes. 
 
 Political sentiment was changing throughout the 
 country. Several States had passed laws for direct 
 primaries and one or two had adopted the initiative 
 and the referendum. The oligarchy that controlled 
 the Government in Washington, where Congress 
 was Republican in both branches, and the President 
 was a Republican, had paid no heed to the growing 
 discontent in the country, but had gone along, de 
 fiantly and arrogantly, repudiating pledges made 
 and party platforms for the purpose of catching 
 votes, legislating for the special interests, utterly 
 indifferent to the claims of the people. The spirit 
 of revolt was fostered by skillful agitators, and by 
 men who were in no sense agitators, but were op 
 posed, on principle, to the continued domination of 
 a great party by a few selfish individuals. Rollins, 
 and others of the Democratic leaders throughout 
 the State, felt certain a Democratic governor and 
 State ticket could be elected at the next general 
 election, which was to be held in the following 
 November, and began the work of organization 
 and preparation. Rollins contributed liberally to 
 the funds. He took Hicks to a State committee 
 meeting with him, and to various conferences be 
 tween leading Democrats in cities here and there. 
 
 Candidates for governor began to appear. Rol 
 lins and a strong combination in the State committee 
 favored the nomination of Enos G. Mulford, a 
 Democrat from the western tier of counties, who 
 was a man of high standing, absolute integrity, 
 some wealth, and held in sincere regard by the 
 people. Another combination was made for Peter 
 R. Dawson, who lived in Yorkville, one of the larger 
 cities, and who had been active in maintaining the
 
 216 THE FAKERS 
 
 Democratic organization through the lean years. 
 Dawson was a lawyer, was the leader in his terri 
 tory, a shrewd politician, and able, although some 
 what unscrupulous. In addition several favorite 
 sons of various localities were in the running, but 
 Mulford and Dawson were easily in the lead. 
 
 As they were returning to Rextown one day, after 
 a conference of the Mulford men, Hicks said to 
 Rollins: "Not enough delegates in sight yet to 
 make Mulford s nomination certain." 
 
 "Oh, I guess we can get them," replied Rollins 
 easily. 
 
 "I m not so sure of that. Dawson has a lot of 
 strength. It looks to me as if there would be a 
 long-drawn deadlock, for there are half a dozen 
 others who will have votes in the convention." 
 
 "Well, we ll win," Rollins asserted, confidently. 
 
 "But," continued Hicks, "we don t want to win 
 after a big fight, with a deadlock and all the sore 
 ness that will ensue. It will hurt us to win in that 
 manner. What we want is a harmonious conven 
 tion that shall name a man who can compose the 
 differences between all factions. It seems a shame 
 to throw away this opportunity by squabbling over 
 a candidate for governor." 
 
 Rollins made no comment. 
 
 "And," Hicks went on, "it is a shame, especially 
 when there is a solution, especially when there is a 
 man who can harmonize all difficulties and who 
 would sweep the State." 
 
 "Who?" asked Rollins, regarding Hicks with 
 mild interest. 
 
 "Myself." 
 
 "You!" Rollins was incredulous. "Do you mean 
 yourself Hicks ?" 
 
 "I mean myself T. Marmaduke Hicks. I have 
 more strength than any candidate yet proposed. I
 
 THE FAKERS 217 
 
 am known from one end of the State to the other, 
 and I have greater qualifications than either Mul- 
 ford or Dawson. I am closer to the people, the 
 plain people whose rights we must conserve." 
 
 "I m sorry," said Rollins, "but it can t be done. 
 We are for Mulford, first, last and all the time." 
 
 "Why can t it be done?" asked Hicks, passion 
 ately. "Here I have sacrificed myself for years 
 and years on the altar of Democracy. I have taken 
 the thankless tasks. I have borne the heat and 
 burden of the fight. I have given the best that is 
 in me. I have held the standard aloft. I have 
 kept the faith. Why can t it be done? It can 
 be done if you will step in behind me, step in be 
 hind the man who has supported you loyally all 
 these years. Why can t it be done?" 
 
 "Because," answered Rollins, slowly and gently, 
 "because we have passed our word to Mulford, 
 because you are young and can afford to wait, be 
 cause we have pledged ourselves, and our delegates 
 to another man, because political honesty and po 
 litical decency and political obligations all forbid 
 it. That s why it can t be done, Hicks, and there s 
 no need to talk about it further." 
 
 "I fail to see it in that light," urged Hicks. 
 "You want to win. I am the strongest man. I 
 deserve the nomination, or your help to get it. 
 How would it be a violation of pledges if I an 
 nounced myself? We could explain we went to 
 Mulford before I decided to become a candidate 
 and that my coming in changes the entire situation. 
 I could have the delegates from our district by 
 right, as that is where I live. You can make the 
 combination for me and," he said, eagerly, "you 
 can promise anything you like in my behalf and I ll 
 carry out every promise you make." 
 
 "No," Rollins replied firmly. "It s no use talk-
 
 218 THE FAKERS 
 
 ing, Hicks. You must wait. We ve got to go 
 through for Mulford. Possibly I can get you on 
 for attorney-general if you like." 
 
 "Not for me!" protested Hicks. "I deserve the 
 nomination for governor, and you know it. That 
 or nothing." 
 
 "Then it will be nothing," asserted Rollins, with 
 more force than Hicks ever had seen him display. 
 "You can t have that nomination for governor. It s 
 absurd. You are going as delegate for Mulford 
 and that s settled. Don t be foolish, now. Get 
 in line." 
 
 Hicks sulked all the way home. Rollins s char 
 acterization of his ambition as "absurd" rankled. 
 He felt injured, abused, slighted. He thought his 
 preeminent abilities were strangely underestimated 
 by Rollins. He wanted to bolt, but prudence re 
 strained him. He said no more about the matter, 
 but he thought of it for several days, and with that 
 thinking came a stronger sense of injury. 
 
 "What will Mulford do for me if he is elected?" 
 he asked Rollins one day. 
 
 "I don t know, he ll do anything," Rollins an 
 swered. "We haven t asked him for any pledges, 
 and he isn t the kind of a man who would give 
 pledges if we did ask him for them. That must 
 abide the event." 
 
 This reply increased the sense of personal in 
 jury felt by Hicks because of the refusal of Rol 
 lins to espouse his cause. He brooded over it for 
 several days. His pride was hurt. He was posi 
 tive he was the strongest man who could be named 
 for governor; that he could sweep the State. Rol 
 lins continued firm for Mulford, and Hicks knew 
 without Rollins he could get nowhere in a revolt. 
 He could not understand why Rollins had taken 
 no pledges from Mulford, or why Rollins said Mul-
 
 THE FAKERS 219 
 
 ford wasn t the kind of man to give pledges. Hicks 
 thought, in the circumstances, he would promise any 
 thing to anybody for votes, and do as he pleased 
 about keeping the promises afterwards. 
 
 Hicks felt his own importance. He had grown 
 to be the dominating factor in the law-firm of Chit- 
 tlings and Hicks, and Chittlings knew it and did not 
 protest much when Hicks insisted the name and 
 style of the firm must be changed to Hicks, Chit- 
 lings and Wilson, to provide for a lawyer Hicks 
 desired to take in, a good lawyer, but not a suc 
 cess of himself. Gudger was retained, because, be 
 tween sprees, he was of tremendous value. Hicks 
 was kind to Gudger, and helped him through the 
 sickness that came after each debauch. Gudger 
 thought Hicks the most wonderful man in the State. 
 
 Hicks s friends in the outside wards stood by 
 him. He was vigilant in pursuing actions against 
 all sorts of corporations. He had established a 
 reputation for this sort of thing, aided by the bril 
 liance of the law-work of Gudger, and had secured 
 several big cases outside of Rextown. He had 
 grown to be a plausible, showy attorney, and while 
 his fellow-practitioners despised his lack of legal 
 learning they envied his skill at securing business 
 and the successes he had. 
 
 He was strong in criminal work, too, and was 
 locally famous for being powerful before a jury 
 where his consider-the-helpless-mother-and-her-babes 
 oratory was most effective. He usually was re 
 tained for the defense in big criminal cases, and 
 he extorted fees to the last dollar for his work in 
 saving thieves, murderers and other malefactors 
 from justice. In his early days he took criminal 
 cases on contingent fees, but, of late, he demanded 
 and received large sums in advance. With Chit 
 tlings to do the outside work and get the evidence
 
 220 THE FAKERS 
 
 and prepare the alibis and fix such juries as could be 
 fixed, Gudger to find flaws in indictments and evolve 
 technicalities and helpful quibbles, and Hicks to do 
 the posturing and posing and weeping before the 
 juries, the combination w&s a strong one, and 
 prosperous.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 TWO weeks before the primaries to select 
 delegates to the State convention Hicks, 
 his grievance against Rollins still rank 
 ling, went over to Yorkville, Dawson s 
 home city. He announced his arrival 
 by telephone to the local newspapers and they sent 
 their political reporters to see him. He gave the 
 reporters an interview which dwelt at length on 
 the day of reckoning that surely was coming for 
 the corrupt Republican party, prophesied sweeping 
 Democratic success "it s in the air," he said 
 praised Mulford and asserted he would be nomi 
 nated, although, he said, he allowed no person to 
 claim greater admiration than his for Peter R. 
 Dawson, the honored son of Yorkville, at whose De 
 mocracy no man could cavil and whose standard he 
 would gladly follow should he be nominated. 
 
 Dawson saw the interview. "What s that fellow 
 Hicks doing here, I wonder?" he asked his man 
 ager. 
 
 "Dunno," that person replied. "Why don t you 
 drop down to the hotel and sound him out?" 
 
 Dawson walked to the Mansion House where 
 Hicks was stopping. Hicks knew he would come. 
 And he was waiting to receive him in his room. 
 
 "Mr. Dawson to see Mr. Hicks," the girl at 
 the telephone notified Hicks. 
 "Ask him to come up, please." 
 Dawson went up and Hicks received him with 
 221
 
 222 THE FAKERS 
 
 great cordiality. They talked about general po 
 litical prospects for a time and then Dawson said: 
 "Any particular importance to your visit at this 
 time, Mr. Hicks?" 
 
 "Oh, no; I had a little business here. I am very 
 glad you came. I would have called on you to 
 pay my respects only I was afraid those political 
 reporters might misconstrue my intentions. They 
 are very quick to print stories of deals and plans 
 and schemes, and all that, you know, when, of 
 course," and he smiled broadly at Dawson, "no 
 deals possibly could be in contemplation, unless, of 
 course, you should come out for Mulford." 
 
 "I could hardly do that," laughed Dawson, "for 
 I m going to beat you Mulford fellows, you know, 
 beat you hands down." 
 
 "Don t be too sure," cautioned Hicks. "You 
 haven t enough delegates yet, and you know it, 
 and so do I. You have deals to make before you 
 can win." 
 
 Dawson regarded Hicks closely. "What s he 
 driving at?" he thought. 
 
 Then, as if to put it to the touch, he said: 
 "Maybe you could put me in the way of getting 
 what I need, Mr. Hicks, if I made it an object to 
 you. ; 
 
 Hicks got up, walked over to the door, turned 
 the key, looked into the closet and pulled down 
 the window-shade. 
 
 His whole manner changed. His eyes were cold 
 and narrowed to slits. His face hardened. 
 
 "How much of an object?" he asked. 
 
 "Depends on what you can do," said Dawson. 
 
 "Suppose at the proper time, I can throw our 
 delegation to you?" 
 
 "That is a proposition worth considering." 
 
 "Well, consider it, then."
 
 THE FAKERS 223 
 
 "What would you want?" 
 
 "Dawson," said Hicks, "let me give you a few 
 thoughts. Mind now, I am making no promises 
 or propositions, but let me state a hypothetical 
 situation : Suppose there is a deadlock in that con 
 vention, as there will be; suppose you pick off some 
 of the favorite-son votes, as you can, for you have 
 shrewd managers, and plenty of money; suppose you 
 need about twenty or thirty votes to win; suppose 
 it should be arranged that at the psychological mo 
 ment those votes should come to you and insure 
 your nomination; suppose you should be elected; 
 suppose, along in your term, Henry M. Filkins, 
 the present United States Senator from this State, 
 or one of them, and now in most feeble health, 
 should die, and die at such a time that you would 
 have an appointment of a Senator ad interim sup 
 pose all this. Now, then, in case all these things 
 happened for you, would you appoint the man who 
 brought them about to the vacancy in the Senate 
 caused by the death of Senator Filkins, or if that 
 vacancy shouldn t come opportunely, would you give 
 him something equally as good?" 
 
 Dawson chewed on his cigar. "I take, Mr. 
 Hicks," he said, finally, "that your interest in this 
 hypothetical situation is based largely on the identity 
 of the man who can do these things." 
 
 "It is based on that entirely." 
 
 "And it is fair for me to assume that man might, 
 in certain circumstances, be T. Marmaduke Hicks, 
 of Rextown." 
 
 "That is a fair assumption." 
 
 "Well," said Dawson slowly, "if that situation 
 should exist, and should be met in the manner you 
 describe, and that contingency based on the vacancy 
 should arise, I would name T. Marmaduke Hicks 
 for the place."
 
 224 THE FAKERS 
 
 "And what assurance has Mr. Hicks that this 
 will be done?" 
 
 "He has the word of Peter Dawson, which is as 
 good as his bond." 
 
 Hicks looked fixedly at Dawson. 
 
 "Mr. Hicks will accept that as security," he said, 
 "and, of course, Dawson," he continued, as if it 
 all were a joke, "nothing we have said is to be 
 repeated outside of this room, for the situation may 
 not arise, and old Filkins may get well." 
 
 "However," Dawson replied, "if it does arise 
 Mr. Dawson will do his part if Mr. Hicks does 
 his." 
 
 They talked for half an hour about delegations, 
 the strength of various candidates and such matters 
 and Hicks returned to Rextown on the evening train. 
 
 Hicks had a considerable personal following in 
 Rextown and the county. He had fostered that 
 adroitly, while pretending to subordinate himself 
 to Rollins. In making up the slate for delegates to 
 the convention he so manipulated things, flattered 
 and cajoled Rollins, that out of the thirty delegates 
 for Corliss County, eighteen were men Hicks knew 
 would follow him instead of Rollins. Hicks relied 
 mostly for aid on Mike McGinnis, a labor leader 
 who was his friend and under many obligations to 
 him, but he saw all these delegates personally, made 
 them promise to rely on him, and he asked, as a 
 special favor, that Rollins allow him to make the 
 nominating speech for Mulford. He, apparently, 
 had recovered entirely from his disappointment be 
 cause Rollins would not try to nominate him, and 
 Rollins said he would fix it for Hicks. Hicks pre 
 pared a spread-eagle speech, two-thirds about the 
 sterling principles of the party and the Republican 
 criminal, or worse, maladministration of State and 
 national affairs, few lines about the fight he had
 
 THE FAKERS 225 
 
 been waging himself, and a high-sounding eulogy of 
 JVIulford. Although he was accustomed to public 
 speaking he had never spoken before at a State 
 convention, and he practiced every gesture many 
 times before his mirror, and sought for proper em 
 phasis for hours and hours. 
 
 The convention had a confident we re-going-to- 
 win air, vastly different from former Democratic 
 state gatherings, and there seemed to be no doubt 
 of it. As Hicks told the reporter in Yorkville, 
 victory was in the air. The delegates were en 
 thusiastic, and the strife for nomination exceed 
 ingly keen because of this universal expectancy of 
 triumph. 
 
 The preliminaries were soon over. Temporary 
 organization was effected, and after a recess, the 
 various committees reported, including the com 
 mittee on resolutions which presented a long and 
 as the partisan papers said ringing declaration of 
 principles. 
 
 The permanent chairman made his speech and 
 nominations were in order. The counties were 
 called. When Corliss was reached T. Marmaduke 
 Hicks rose and hurried to the platform. He wore 
 a frock-coat, his tie was ever more flowing over his 
 bosom, his long hair was glossy with continued 
 brushing, his face was pale, but the light in his little 
 greenish eyes showed he thought his opportunity 
 was at hand. Hicks was entirely self-possessed. 
 He stood waiting while the chairman secured order, 
 gazing out at the delegates, who regarded him with 
 mild interest and asked one another who he was. 
 After the chairman had ceased pounding with his 
 gavel Hicks held up a right hand as if to still the 
 noisy ones, and began: "Fellow-Democrats and 
 delegates here assembled." 
 
 He made an excellent impression. His oratory
 
 226 THE FAKERS 
 
 was fervid, his voice carried well, and his gestures 
 were graceful and timely. He was appallingly in 
 earnest. He made it clear to those delegates that 
 unless they named Enos G. Mulford they hadn t a 
 chance to win. 
 
 Hicks, skilfully waiting until the end to name 
 his man, shouted: "Than whom there is no greater 
 patriot, no purer and more upright citizen, no more 
 powerful lawyer than whom there is no higher 
 exemplar of all that is best in American citizen 
 ship than whom no Democrat stands higher in 
 the party fellow-Democrats, now on the eve of 
 victory, I pray you to make that victory doubly 
 sure by nominating as your candidate for governor 
 that able, upright, magnificent American and Demo 
 crat, Enos Gilman Mulford, of Spencer County." 
 
 The Mulford delegates rose and cheered wildly. 
 Those on the platform shook hands with the per 
 spiring Hicks, and congratulated him on a "mas 
 terly effort." When he returned to his seat, which 
 he did not do so long as there was a hand clap 
 or a hand clasp, Rollins hugged him. 
 
 "Fine!" he exclaimed; "fine; my boy I am proud 
 of you." 
 
 The other candidates were placed in nomination 
 by equally strenuous and eloquent orators and the 
 first ballot was taken. Dawson led, Mulford was 
 second and each of half a dozen favorite sons had 
 votes. There was no choice. Another ballot was 
 ordered with the same result, and another. Then 
 the favorites began to drop out, except two per 
 sistent ones, whose backers foresaw a deadlock and 
 figured on getting them in the running after a few 
 more ballots. 
 
 There was an adjournment after the tenth ballot. 
 Dawson still led. He lacked forty-two votes of 
 enough. Mulford was steady. He had gained a
 
 THE FAKERS 227 
 
 few from the shifts from favorite sons. All that 
 night earnest and excited partisans of Mulford and 
 Dawson sought to get additional delegates, to coax 
 them, to buy them, to secure them by any means in 
 their power. Hicks met Dawson at two o clock in 
 the morning. 
 
 "I see by the papers," said Hicks, "that Filkins 
 is failing." 
 
 "So I see," said Dawson, and passed on. 
 
 The convention met at ten o clock in the morn 
 ing. There was another ballot with no result. 
 The twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth ballots 
 showed few changes. On the fourteenth Dawson 
 gained ten. These shifted to Mulford on the fif 
 teenth ballot. Then they adjourned until eight 
 o clock that night. Hicks had insisted on the unit 
 rule for the Corliss delegation so that delegation 
 would be firm for Mulford, he said. Rollins didn t 
 think it necessary, inasmuch as he had faith all the 
 Corliss delegates would stand for Mulford until the 
 last, but Hicks persisted and Rollins consented. 
 The unit rule made it imperative for the Corliss 
 delegation to vote their thirty votes without division 
 and as a majority of the delegation should dictate. 
 
 There was another ballot at eight o clock. A 
 break to Dawson was expected, but it did not come. 
 But there were rumors of deals and more excite 
 ment. The delegates were tired, hot, dirty, and 
 anxious to get away. 
 
 Dawson, sitting with the Monroe delegation, re 
 ceived a note, handed to him by an assistant ser- 
 geant-at-arms. He read: "Move for a recess for 
 an hour after the next ballot, for caucusing. Then 
 I ll perform." 
 
 There was no signature, but Dawson looked 
 across at Hicks, who was watching him intently. 
 Hicks nodded his head. Dawson nodded back, and
 
 228 THE FAKERS 
 
 told his managers to move for a recess for an hour 
 after the seventeenth ballot. 
 
 This ballot showed no change. The deadlock 
 was stubborn. The convention took the recess, and 
 Hicks, calling McGinnis aside, told him to go to 
 the Corliss County caucus, and move that Corliss 
 drop Mulford and go to Dawson in the next ballot. 
 
 "I ve seen all the boys," said Hicks, "and they 
 will stand." He handed McGinnis a poll list of 
 the Corliss delegation, with the names of his seven 
 teen followers checked. 
 
 "Of course, McGinnis," he continued, "I can t 
 take part in this. It wouldn t do after I nominated 
 Mulford, but there s no sense in staying here and 
 endangering our success by this deadlock. You 
 round up the boys, go into caucus and put it over. 
 Say I m sick." 
 
 McGinnis had never favored Mulford, and had 
 been, at heart, for Dawson. He was quite will 
 ing to throw the delegates from Corliss County to 
 Dawson, and was eager for the caucus. He was a 
 big, brawny, forceful fellow, and had full control 
 of the Hicks delegates. 
 
 "All right," he said, "I ll put it over, but don t 
 let Dawson think we re doing it for fun. Get some 
 promises out of him." 
 
 "I ll attend to that," Hicks replied. "You go 
 in there and shove it across." 
 
 "Mr. Rollins," McGinnis said to the tired leader, 
 "the boys want a caucus." 
 
 "What for?" asked Rollins, sharply. "What 
 have we to caucus about?" 
 
 "Come in and see," McGinnis replied. "They 
 want a caucus." 
 
 "You can t have a caucus," protested Rollins. 
 "There is no need of one. We re going to stand 
 by Mulford until the cows come home."
 
 THE FAKERS 229 
 
 "They re coming home now," McGinnis an 
 swered. "I tell you the boys want a caucus, and 
 you d better come in, or we ll caucus without you." 
 
 Rollins was much disturbed. He went into the 
 caucus room, looked around at the dusty, disheveled, 
 weary delegates and asked: "Where s Hicks?" 
 
 "Where s Hicks?" he shouted. "I need him 
 here. Where is he?" 
 
 "I saw him a short time ago," McGinnis an 
 swered. "He wasn t feeling very well." 
 
 Rollins, standing defiantly before the delegates, 
 glared at McGinnis. "What do you want a caucus 
 for?" he demanded again. 
 
 "Because," McGinnis answered, "there s a lot 
 of us feel we ve done all that can be expected of 
 us in standing for Mulford this far, and we want 
 to get out and get home. I move that on the next 
 ballot Corliss County casts her thirty votes for 
 Peter Dawson." 
 
 "Hold on!" protested Rollins. "You can t do 
 that. We re pledged to Mulford." 
 
 "Second the motion," shouted two or three of 
 the Hicks delegates. 
 
 Rollins, greatly agitated, made a speech urging 
 the delegates to be loyal to Mulford, a passionate, 
 imploring speech, telling them a break was sure to 
 come and that their man would be nominated. 
 McGinnis followed. He pointed out the dangers 
 to party success that would ensue from this long- 
 continued, acrimonious deadlock, said they had sup 
 ported Mulford as long as was necessary, and re 
 newed his motion that the vote for Corliss County 
 be cast for Dawson on the next ballot. 
 
 Rollins begged, pleaded, implored. He cursed 
 and threatened, but McGinnis and his followers 
 stolidly shouted, "Vote! Vote!" 
 
 The vote was taken. Seventeen delegates voted
 
 2 3 o THE FAKERS 
 
 to go for Dawson on the next ballot. Twelve 
 voted to stand by Mulford. Rollins wept. 
 
 "Why isn t Hicks here?" he asked continuously. 
 
 The convention reassembled. The roll-call for 
 the next ballot began. 
 
 "Corliss County!" shouted the secretary. 
 
 Rollins arose, pale and trembling. 
 
 "Corliss County casts thirty votes for Peter R. 
 Dawson," he said, in a voice that was barely audible. 
 
 The secretary heard. "Corliss County casts 
 thirty votes for Peter R. Dawson," he shouted. 
 
 Instantly, the Dawson delegates were upon their 
 feet. Their cheers rolled and rocked against the 
 walls. They formed into a long, disorganized 
 procession and marched up and down the aisles 
 screaming with joy. The Mulford delegates sat 
 silent. It was all over. Rollins crouched in his 
 chair. He was beaten. 
 
 The break became a stampede. Mulford coun 
 ties came tumbling to Dawson, one after the other. 
 Dawson had a majority before the roll was two- 
 thirds finished. They made it unanimous. Then 
 the other State officers were named, the slate of 
 the bosses being hurried through. 
 
 At one o clock next morning Rollins sat in one 
 of the two rooms he and Hicks occupied. The 
 door opened and Hicks came in, pale, weak, 
 disheveled. 
 
 "Where were you?" asked Rollins. "Where 
 were you?" 
 
 Hicks staggered across the room and fell, gasp 
 ing on the bed. 
 
 "Sick!" he moaned. "Deathly sick. Acute in 
 digestion. I almost died. What happened?" 
 
 "Dawson was nominated," said Rollins bitterly, 
 looking at the moaning man on the bed, "and Cor 
 liss County started the break for him."
 
 THE FAKERS 231 
 
 Hicks struggled to his feet. "Oh," he said weakly, 
 wringing his hands. "Oh oh I am appalled! 
 The irony of fate! That this should have hap 
 pened when I was away. I might have helped you 
 prevent it. Oh oh." 
 
 "Go to bed," said Rollins. "It s all over and 
 it can t be helped." 
 
 And he left the room. 
 
 "Queer guy, that chap who came out here at 
 hr.lf-past eight," said Billings, an interne at the 
 Mercy Hospital to the head nurse. "Landed yell 
 ing in pain, all doubled up. I couldn t find anything 
 the matter with him, but he insisted on having the 
 stomach pump used, and I used it good and plenty." 
 
 "Well," commented the head nurse, "if he wasn t 
 sick before he received your tender ministrations 
 he certainly was afterwards."
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 ICKS looked in the mirror next morning 
 and found himself normal in appear 
 ance. He endeavored to seem weak 
 and ill when he had breakfast with 
 Rollins. There was little conversation 
 at table. Hicks tried several times to interest Rol 
 lins in the story of his sickness, but Rollins, appar 
 ently, had a line of thought of his own, and refused 
 to be concerned in Hicks s remarks. After break 
 fast Rollins said he had some men to see before the 
 noon train left for Rextown, and went away. Hicks 
 hurried to Dawson s room. 
 
 "Good morning, Governor," he greeted the nomi 
 nee, in his most effusive manner. 
 "Good morning," said Dawson. 
 "Can I see you privately for a moment?" 
 Dawson led Hicks into a rear room and shut the 
 door. He turned to Hicks and asked sharply, 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "Oh," said Hicks, "nothing of importance. I 
 merely called to pay my respects to the next gov 
 ernor of the State." 
 
 "Is that all?" asked Dawson rather contempt 
 uously. 
 
 "No, since you speak of it, it isn t all," said 
 Hicks, dropping his pretense of cordiality, and 
 speaking with slow distinctness in a voice that was 
 cold and hard. "It isn t all. I assume you are 
 
 232
 
 THE FAKERS 233 
 
 under no misapprehension as to how you were 
 nominated." 
 
 "None whatever," Dawson replied. 
 
 "And you realize your obligation to me?" 
 
 "Perfectly." 
 
 "Which is, in terms," Hicks continued, "that if 
 you are elected and a vacancy shall occur in the 
 Senatorship owing to the death or disability of 
 Senator Filkins I am to have the appointment for 
 the ad interim period, and if such a vacancy does 
 not occur I am to have some place selected by my 
 self of equal, or fairly equal, importance by appoint 
 ment at your hands?" 
 
 "I recognize the obligation and the responsibility," 
 Dawson replied, "although I am not particularly 
 proud of either, and I have passed my word to you. 
 That is all there is to it." 
 
 "Very well," continued Hicks, "I consider that 
 settled. Now, then, as you can readily appreciate, 
 I am not anxious to have my part in this publicly 
 known, for while it was dictated by the necessities 
 of politics and the good of the party, there are 
 people who might not understand my motives." 
 
 "That is quite possible," replied Dawson with a 
 sneer that made no visible impression on Hicks. 
 "But you need not worry, I shall say nothing, nor 
 will the one or two men whom I took into my con 
 fidence on the matter." 
 
 "In that case," said Hicks assuming his unctuous 
 air, and extending his hand to Dawson, "I wish to 
 add my hearty and sincere congratulations to you 
 on your well-deserved victory and to say that I 
 shall take an active part in the campaign and do 
 all within my power to accelerate the glorious vic 
 tory that is sure to be ours." 
 
 Dawson shook hands limply, and Hicks left the 
 room.
 
 234 THE FAKERS 
 
 The political reporters wrote long dispatches 
 about the shift of Corliss County to Dawson, en 
 deavoring to explain it, and furnishing many rea 
 sons, none of which was correct. They saw Daw- 
 son and he said the only reason he knew was because 
 Corliss County saw Mulford was beaten, and 
 naturally wanted to get on the band-wagon. He 
 spoke highly of Mulford and of the sterling Democ 
 racy of Corliss, and said some kind things about 
 Rollins. The reporters saw Rollins. He had 
 nothing to say beyond the statement that Corliss 
 worked under the unit rule and that a majority of 
 the delegation decided Mulford could not be nomi 
 nated and went to Dawson, who had the greater 
 strength. Hicks disclaimed all knowledge of the 
 causes for shift and regretted it. He said illness 
 prevented his attendance at the caucus and he was 
 not informed as to the details, but, of course, recog 
 nized the binding force of the unit rule. 
 
 The Corliss delegation went home that afternoon. 
 Hicks again cautioned McGinnis to say nothing of 
 Hicks s instructions to him, and McGinnis said 
 nothing. The other delegates who had voted to 
 go to Dawson didn t know the reason. They had 
 done as McGinnis had advised. 
 
 "McGinnis," asked Rollins, as the train was near- 
 ing Rextown, "why didn t you wait before you ad 
 vocated that flop to Dawson? What was the 
 hurry?" 
 
 "What was the use of waiting?" McGinnis re 
 torted. "We were tied up to a dead one, and you 
 know it. We got in first to Dawson, get the credit 
 for nominating him, and we ll cash in on it after he 
 is elected. It wasn t sentiment with me, Mr. Rol 
 lins. It was cold, hard, practical politics." 
 
 Rollins sighed. "I suppose so," he said. "But, 
 McGinnis, how did Hicks stand on the flop?"
 
 THE FAKERS 235 
 
 "I don t know," McGinnis lied loyally. "He 
 wasn t there. I guess he would have consented, 
 though, just as you did, after he saw the majority 
 of the delegation was for Dawson." 
 
 "Didn t he talk to you about it?" 
 
 "He wasn t there," evaded McGinnis. "He was 
 sick and at the hospital." 
 
 Rollins was disconsolate. He had high hopes of 
 winning with Mulford. He was suspicious, and re 
 solved to keep a sharp watch on Hicks, but he was 
 shrewd enough not to change his attitude, and en 
 tered heartily into the elaborate plans Hicks was 
 making for carrying on the campaign for Dawson 
 in the Rextown district. 
 
 Dawson established headquarters in Yorkville, 
 the State committee had reorganized and the Demo 
 crats claimed a confidence which the Republicans ad 
 mitted, privately, was justified. Hicks was extremely 
 active. He wrote long articles for the Chronicle, 
 made speeches whenever he could get a chance, and 
 arranged with Haley, the head of the speakers bu 
 reau at headquarters, to go out over the State during 
 October. He thought his services would be worth 
 a hundred dollars a night to the cause, but the 
 headquarters people laughed at that, and he con 
 sented to go for his expenses. He saw Dawson 
 frequently; never failed to give him copious advice 
 as to the conduct of the campaign; prepared a series 
 of interviews with himself on the general situation, 
 one of which he handed to every reporter he met, 
 and, if he met none, which he sent in to the editors 
 as most worthy of publication inasmuch as they gave 
 the view of T. Marmaduke Hicks, "whose political 
 prescience is hailed fr om one end of the State to 
 the other." Some of these were printed, and some 
 were not, but Hicks always had a supply, and he 
 kept his stenographer busy writing more.
 
 236 THE FAKERS 
 
 The most important political event in the history 
 of the State, up to that time, so Hicks thought, was 
 his contemplated trip to make campaign speeches 
 for Dawson. He went to Yorkville frequently and 
 sought every opportunity to impress that fact on 
 the candidate, the State committee, the newspapers 
 and the general public. When he learned Dawson 
 was to have a private car for his campaigning he 
 demanded a private car, also, for himself, and made 
 such a fuss the committee compromised with him 
 by promising him a car for his last week s work. 
 He spent hours in the room of Haley, the chief of 
 the speakers bureau, haggling with him over dates/ 
 and trying to be assigned to every big meeting. He 
 demanded the choice position at every meeting where 
 there was to be another speaker, but held out, so 
 long as he could, for exclusive meetings, when he 
 would be the only speaker and the sole star of the 
 occasion. He flatly rejected minor assignments, 
 changed his route to suit himself, until, in despera 
 tion, Haley went to Dawson and said, "Dawson, if 
 you don t call off that damned nuisance Hicks, I ll 
 quit the job right now." 
 
 "Call him off?" asked Dawson. "How can I 
 call him off? He s so swelled on himself there is no 
 talking to him, and he has Rollins behind him, too. 
 We can t afford to vex him, not on his account, but on 
 account of Rollins, although Rollins isn t so strong 
 for him, apparently, as he used to be, and there s 
 no denying he s got a lot of strength with the labor 
 ing people and the farmers and can talk like a 
 house afire when he gets warmed up. Give him what 
 he wants." 
 
 "Give him what he wants!" shouted Haley. 
 "Great God, if I give him what he wants you ll be 
 standing outside his meetings handing out bills for 
 them, he ll have a special train, let alone a special
 
 THE FAKERS 237 
 
 car, will be billed like Barnum s circus, and news- 
 papered like a prima donna." 
 
 "Oh, well," said Dawson, "fix it up as well as 
 you can. Don t bother me, I ve got troubles of 
 my own." 
 
 "You wished him on to us," protested Haley. "I 
 wouldn t let him make a speech to a gang of dagoes 
 working on the street if I had my way about it." 
 
 "I wished him on to you!" said Dawson. "Nay, 
 nay, Haley, he wished himself on to me. Run 
 along now, and get him out of town or we ll all go 
 crazy." 
 
 Hicks fought Haley for days, claiming every 
 thing and getting much more than any other speaker 
 except Dawson. Finally, he started out on his 
 tour. Suspicious of Haley and his clerks he had 
 supplemented the announcements of the speakers 
 bureau by long and eulogistic notices about himself 
 and his abilities as a campaigner and orator, which 
 he had his stenographer prepare and which he sent 
 to the newspapers in every town on his route. Also, 
 he wrote personal letters to the chairman of the 
 local committees apprising them of the date of his 
 arrival in their cities and villages, outlined the sort 
 of a reception he desired in each case, demanded 
 the best room in the best hotel, and urged them to 
 see to it that his appearance was properly billed, and 
 that the newspapers were kept full of his coming. 
 
 His procedure at his first stop was typical of his 
 procedure at all his other stops, except, as he went 
 along, and found himself well received, he grew 
 more exacting. He telegraphed to the local com 
 mittee, charging the telegrams to the account of 
 the State committee, apprising that organization of 
 the exact train on which he would arrive, and urg 
 ing them to have a gathering or representative 
 Democrats at the station to meet him. When he
 
 2 3 8 THE FAKERS 
 
 got off he found the local committee there, and 
 such representative Democrats as they could muster. 
 He advanced in a dignified manner, greeted the 
 chairman of the committee, and then stood beside 
 him while the others filed past him and were pre 
 sented, and shaken by the hand. He was too good 
 a mixer to carry his dignity pose to the extreme, for 
 after the presentation he became genial. He shook 
 hands again all around, joked with the Democrats, 
 told them they were sure to win this time, clapped 
 them on the backs, and then asked to be shown to 
 his hack and driven to his hotel. 
 
 He held a little reception in the lobby of the 
 hotel, announced he would see the reporters at a 
 certain time, and after he reached his room, asked 
 for an hour by himself for rest. During the hour 
 he telephoned to the newspaper offices for fear the 
 reporters and editors might not come to see him, 
 and granted private audiences to those journalists 
 who called, explaining to the committee he only 
 broke in on his rest because of the insistence of 
 the newspaper people. Later in the day he asked 
 to be taken for a ride around "your fair city" and 
 astonished the natives by his correct understanding 
 of the importance of their particular metropolis. 
 He had been at great pains to inform himself con 
 cerning each place on his itinerary before he left 
 Rextown. He had the information all tabulated and 
 refreshed his memory at each place by referring 
 to his notes. He delighted the local personages 
 by his appreciation of the prosperity and advantages 
 of their "fair" cities. 
 
 Hicks carried with him his stenographer, and a 
 bright young labor leader from Rextown, named 
 Mortimer. These men, when approaching a city 
 or village, shifted to another car from the one Hicks 
 was in, and went to another hotel. He had pre-
 
 THE FAKERS 239 
 
 pared two speeches, and had left places for reference 
 to local questions and candidates, which he learned 
 about from the local committees. These two 
 speeches were interchangeable, and both the result 
 of long study by Hicks. They overflowed with 
 dear-people stuff, and were unsparing in their de 
 nunciation of the corruption of the Republican 
 party. Also, they touched lightly on national topics, 
 but they were loaded with references -to the State 
 government in the hands of the Republicans. 
 
 The stenographer and Mortimer went to the 
 meetings. Each had a part to play. When Hicks 
 reached a certain place in his denunciation of the 
 Republican party, he raised his right hand, and 
 Mortimer jumped up and shouted: "Will the gen 
 tleman answer a question?" 
 
 "Certainly, my friend," Hicks would reply, "I 
 want nothing more than a full and free discussion 
 of the issues of the day. I welcome all questions. 
 What do you desire to know?" 
 
 Mortimer would ask his question, which generally 
 ran like this: "Did not the Democrats in the State 
 Legislature vote to endorse this asylum system which 
 you have just attacked?" 
 
 "I ll tell you about that," Hicks would shout, and 
 he would go into a detailed explanation, showing 
 how the Democrats were exactly right in their action 
 and Mortimer would look much chagrined while 
 the Democrats cheered. 
 
 He had four property questions of this kind, two 
 by Mortimer and two by the stenographer. He 
 was skillful enough to answer by generalities any 
 real question asked him by a doubting Republican, 
 and wit enough, when he couldn t answer at all, to 
 turn the laugh on the questioner by a story or two 
 he had learned, applicable to interrupters at po 
 litical meetings.
 
 240 THE FAKERS 
 
 Hicks was a good stump-speaker, and he had big 
 meetings. He carefully saw to it that the news 
 paper mention was sent back to headquarters, a-nd 
 each night he wired in to both Haley and Dawson 
 glowing accounts of his success. When his private 
 car for the last week of his tour was sent to him 
 at Newton, he refused to accept it, and wired Haley 
 to use the money it would cost to aid in the cam 
 paign. He announced this determination in a high- 
 flown interview in which he said a friend of the 
 people had no right to be riding in a private car, 
 when the money might be used, legitimately he 
 came out hard on that word to help bring about 
 popular and honest and efficient government, which 
 would come with Democratic success. Although he 
 had made elaborate stipulations for drawing-rooms 
 and staterooms in Pullmans and parlor-cars with 
 Haley he always changed to a day coach when he 
 was coming into a town, and rode in in that humble 
 manner, taking great care the local committee should 
 see him alighting from the common coach. 
 
 Haley tore his hair when he received the mes 
 sage about the private car from Hicks. 
 
 "What do you know about that grand-stander?" 
 he asked Dawson, who was in Yorkville between 
 speeches. "He fought with me for a week for that 
 car, claiming he was entitled to one if you had one." 
 
 Dawson made no reply. He was thinking of 
 contingencies that might arise in the future. 
 
 The last rally of the campaign at Rextown was on 
 the Saturday night before election. Hicks was 
 there, and was the principal speaker, as Dawson had 
 already spoken there, and was needed in Yorkville. 
 Hicks, fresh from his triumphs on the stump, with his 
 speech elaborated to a most resonant and fervid 
 effort, discouraged all preliminaries for the meeting. 
 He would not have a chairman of the meeting, nor
 
 THE FAKERS 241 
 
 another speaker, nor a committee on the stage. He 
 spoke in the rink, and after the place was jammed, 
 made a dramatic entrance on the vacant stage, hav 
 ing arranged for a spot of light to follow him as 
 he came in from the side, posed for a moment, held 
 up his hands and began. He was at the top of his 
 speed. He spoke for two hours, using the greater 
 parts of both speeches he had used on the road. 
 He was eloquent, flowery, passionate, and was 
 loudly cheered. 
 
 He piled one peroration on another at the end 
 and then stopped. The crowd began to cheer. He 
 held up his hand, stood there with his arms out 
 stretched and in a voice shaken with emotion but 
 not so shaken it could not be distinctly heard and 
 said: 
 
 "Friends, friends of my years in Rextown, friends 
 of the city where I have lived since I came to man s 
 estate, where I have labored, where I have exerted 
 the best that is in me, I beg of you to consider 
 what I have to say. This is not my fight; this is 
 not the fight of Peter Dawson; this is not the fight 
 of the great and glorious Democratic party it is 
 a far higher, purer, holier, more important fight 
 than one or all of these it is the fight of the people, 
 the fight of the people crying out to you for relief 
 from oppression, from corruption, from the slavery 
 of plutocracy, from the iron heel of the Republican 
 party that presses them to the dust it is the fight 
 that voices the desire of the people to be free the 
 cry I make to you is the cry of the people the 
 plain people the helpless, hopeless, enslaved people 
 bound to the chariot wheels of greed and arro 
 gance and power and plutocracy the voice of the 
 people and, oh, my friends, the voice of the people 
 is the voice of God!" 
 
 He stood for a moment, then he turned and
 
 242 THE FAKERS 
 
 walked away, his shoulders heaving convulsively. 
 The next day the Chronicle said this was the great 
 est political speech ever made in Rextown. Hicks 
 went direct to the Chronicle office after the meeting, 
 revised the story written about the meeting, and 
 added a few touches of his own, of which the prin 
 cipal one was the remark about the greatness of 
 the speech.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE landslide arrived on schedule time. 
 Dawson was elected, as were the entire 
 ticket and Democratic legislature. Hicks 
 was one of the first to telegraph his con 
 gratulations to Dawson, recounting in the 
 message his own masterly activities in furtherance of 
 that glorious result, and hastened to Yorkville to 
 congratulate the forthcoming Governor personally. 
 "My dear Dawson," he said, "never in my whole 
 life have I felt a profounder or a deeper joy than 
 at this moment when I am shaking the hand of the 
 man who will be the first Democratic governor our 
 state has had in twenty years, the hand of the man 
 whose election ensures the people their rights and 
 liberties." 
 
 "Thank you," said Dawson, releasing his hand 
 from Hicks s grasp. "Thank you, Mr. Hicks. I 
 am sincerely grateful for your efforts and your con 
 gratulations. I shall not forget." 
 
 "I am sure you will not," continued Hicks. 
 How is Filkins?" asked Dawson abruptly. 
 "Why," answered Hicks, "I do not know. I have 
 kept no account of his illness. Better, I trust." 
 Dawson laughed and turned away. 
 The result had been so interesting that several of 
 the big eastern newspapers sent their political 
 writers out to Yorkville to see Dawson, and to de 
 scribe and analyze the situation. Hicks met one of 
 these men, Gropher, a Washington correspondent 
 
 243
 
 244 THE FAKERS 
 
 he had known when he was with Senator Paxton, 
 and discussed state politics with him. Hicks knew 
 a great deal and told what he knew, and guessed 
 at the rest, and the correspondent was grateful to 
 him for making his task easier. Therefore, when 
 writing of possible candidates for the great offices 
 in the state, Gropher said in his dispatch "A promis 
 ing young Democrat is T. Marmaduke Hicks, of 
 Rextown. Mr. Hicks has been his party s candidate 
 for Congress in the Rextown district three times, 
 and has been active in local politics. He was a 
 prominent figure at the state convention, was one of 
 the principal Dawson campaigners, is a successful 
 lawyer, and has the backing of Perkins G. Rollins, 
 the old Democratic war horse of Rextown. When 
 Governor Dawson was nominated it was with Cor 
 liss County votes, and Dawson is said to feel very 
 kindly toward his brilliant young supporter. His 
 name will be considered for some important posi 
 tions." 
 
 Of course, Gropher knew a lot of this was merely 
 complimentary, but Hicks had been of service to 
 him, had helped him by introducing him to men he 
 wanted to meet, and he had found that what Hicks 
 had told him about conditions was mainly correct. 
 So he reciprocated by saying some nice things about 
 Hicks, moved on and forgot all about it. 
 
 Gropher s dispatch was printed in the New York 
 paper for which he wrote, and reprinted, on the 
 following morning, in the Washington papers, as 
 being of general political interest. Mrs. Lester, 
 who had recently returned from Europe, was at 
 Mrs. Lake s for the winter, and Mrs. Lake took up 
 the paper to her. 
 
 "Do you remember that Mr. Hicks you used to 
 see here?" Mrs. Lake asked. 
 
 "Why, yes," Mrs. Lester replied, "in a way. Oc-
 
 THE FAKERS 245 
 
 caslonally he sends me clippings from the newspa 
 pers about his achievements. What s happened to 
 him. Is he married or something?" 
 
 "Oh, no," Mrs. Lake replied, "but there is a piece 
 about him in the papers this morning that is inter 
 esting. It seems he has progressed wonderfully out 
 there." 
 
 "Is it possible? Well, he always said he would." 
 She appeared quite indifferent. 
 
 "I thought you might like to read what it says 
 about him." 
 
 Thank you; I ll look at it later, if I may," and 
 she began to talk of other things. 
 
 After Mrs. Lake had gone downstairs Mrs. Les 
 ter read the political dispatch Gropher sent from 
 Yorkville, read it carefully, and reread the para 
 graph about Hicks. She had reached that point in 
 her career where she knew if she ever was to at 
 tain anything of consequence through a marriage she 
 must be about it. Although she was thirty-six, her 
 official and communicated age was twenty-nine. Her 
 whole time was taken up with two lines of endeavor. 
 The first was to make herself appear as only twenty- 
 nine, and the second was to hold that pose naturally 
 after she had prepared herself and had come on 
 view. She couldn t afford a maid and she was her 
 own maid, and a skilful one, and was constantly 
 employed, when not on exhibition or asleep, with 
 her personal embellishment. 
 
 She was slender, but she had her doubts. Her 
 mother had been slender, and had grown stout. Alys 
 noticed evidence of plumpness in various disconcert 
 ing places, and her whole life was organized on 
 the basis of fighting that fat and maintaining her 
 looks. Her room was stocked with jars of facial 
 creams. She had numerous mechanical appliances 
 for aiding her in her battle. Every night before she
 
 246 THE FAKERS 
 
 went to bed she put on her wrinkle plasters, bits 
 of flexible cardboard gummed on one side, and cut 
 in diamonds, half moons and squares. After she 
 had applied the cream to her face, she rubbed it off 
 above the space where her eyebrows met, and pulled 
 out the little frown wrinkle that, despite her best 
 endeavors, had lodged there. Then she applied a 
 plaster to hold the skin taut during the night. She 
 used half circles at the corner of her eyes in the 
 same manner, and she pulled the corners of her 
 mouth and smoothed out the lines that ran down 
 from the sides of her nose and plastered them down, 
 too. Then she tied on a band that was to push 
 back her suspicion of a double chin, put her curling 
 pins in her hair, fussed about herself for half an 
 hour more and adjusted herself in bed in order that 
 she might sleep comfortably with all these appliances 
 on her face and body. 
 
 In the morning, after her bath, she spent two 
 hours massaging her face, applying creams of dif 
 ferent sorts, polishing her nails, and generally beau 
 tifying herself. She knew how to grapple with and 
 rub and agitate her double chin, in order to break 
 the fat cells, knew how to work on the lines at the 
 side of the mouth, how to use the circular motion 
 around her eyes and how to keep her forehead 
 clear. She combed, brushed, bandolined, and bril- 
 liantined her hair, and massaged her scalp assidu 
 ously. Once a week, at night, she steamed her face. 
 She would rub her face full of cream, and then 
 wring out the middle of a bath towel in very hot 
 water and place it on her face, folding the dry 
 ends over to hold the heat in. This process she re 
 peated several times. She paid scrupulous atten 
 tion to her eyelashes and eyebrows and knew the 
 exact location for each individual lash and brow 
 hair. She was expert with the pencil used in dark-
 
 THE FAKERS 247 
 
 ening her lashes, and her supply of rouge and paints 
 and pencils ranged through all the shades that might 
 be demanded by any complexion contingency. 
 
 She put on a tight-fitting gown and rolled over 
 and over on the floor to reduce her hips, and did var 
 ious other exercises to retain her suppleness. She 
 was extremely careful as to her diet, avoided flesh- 
 forming foods, drank little wine and did not take 
 sweets. Her whole existence was organized on her 
 desire to look her claimed twenty-nine and she suc 
 ceeded admirably. She had been to the great beauty 
 parlors in New York and in Paris, and she had been 
 frequently enough to learn their methods. She did 
 not have sufficient money to patronize them continu 
 ously, and she was her own beauty persuader. She 
 had a permanent wave put in her hair, paying twen 
 ty-five dollars for the operation, and once a year 
 she went to a place in New York and had her face 
 peeled, which freshened the complexion, and which 
 was done by the application of some stringent liquid 
 which dried on the outer cuticle. This kept her in 
 retirement about three weeks each spring, and event 
 ually flaked it off in small sections. She was fortu 
 nate in having a figure that needed no artificial am 
 plification, and she practiced graceful walking and 
 standing and sitting when she was not otherwise 
 employed. 
 
 Alys was a work of art every time she appeared 
 in public. She had many gowns and manipulated 
 them so skillfully with changes of waists and coats 
 and ornaments, that she appeared to have an end 
 less number. The ladies at Mrs. Lake s secretly 
 commented on this feature of Mrs. Lester s ward 
 robe, but the men thought she had more clothes than 
 any- woman in Washington and were of the opinion 
 she could wear them better than most. The ladies 
 wondered if she used rouge. Some thought she did,
 
 248 THE FAKERS 
 
 and some thought she did not, but none was certain, 
 for she was so deft with the rouge even these wise 
 scrutinizers were puzzled. 
 
 She had many pieces of ornamental jewelry, odd 
 in design and seemingly antique. She told the his 
 tory of each piece. They were all heirlooms, she 
 said, some coming from the de Mountfort branch 
 of her ancestors, an old and noble French family, 
 and some from the Lesters, an English house of 
 high degree. She had bought these at antique shops, 
 from time to time, and had carefully connected a 
 history with each piece. She never went into details 
 about her money, but often gave vague intimations 
 of the size of her investments, and the sources and 
 magnitude of her income. Mrs. Lake and others 
 tried to pin her down, on various occasions, by lead 
 ing the conversation around to financial matters, 
 but she eluded them easily, and while she could talk 
 of Steel and Rubber and Union Pacific and other 
 shares with some expertness, she never told which 
 she owned, or how many. She had but few costly 
 jewels, a diamond ring or two, and a fair string 
 of pearls. She was exceedingly careful to explain, 
 at great length, that her other jewels possessed lit 
 tle intrinsic value. They were merely striking orna 
 ments, heirlooms handed down from the grand 
 dames of the de Mountforts and Lesters, and she 
 preferred their historical and family associations to 
 newer and more expensive pieces. 
 
 She was solicitous of the older ladies, talked to 
 them, charmed them with little attentions, amused 
 and interested them with personal stories of the 
 great ones of the er.rth of whom they had been 
 reading all their lives, and whom she said she knew 
 intimately, coddled and cuddled them, and they all 
 thought her a most entrancing creature. Their early 
 doubts of her were dispelled by this process, and
 
 THE FAKERS 249 
 
 they became her loyal admirers and staunch friends. 
 Mrs. Lake looked on her as her greatest asset. Her 
 elaborate costumes and her undeniable grace in 
 wearing them, her attractiveness, and general tone 
 of high breeding and culture, gave class to the Lake 
 establishment. The younger women boarders, 
 mostly business women in good positions, imitated 
 her, and many an hour ordinarily devoted to sleep 
 w r as spent by these young women in desperate en 
 deavors with cream, lotions, new corsets, and arti 
 ficial hair to attain complexions like hers, figures 
 that should be svelte, and coiffures as stylish. 
 
 Mrs. Lester returned to the paper after she had 
 finished her daily task of rejuvenation. 
 
 "His name will be considered for some important 
 positions," she read again. 
 
 "I wonder just what that means," she questioned 
 herself. "It would be quite interesting to know."
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 ICKS had it in mind to make a trip to 
 New York and Washington. He 
 thought he would confer himself on 
 the metropolis for a brief period of 
 rest and relaxation, and, incidentally, 
 make himself known to some of the leading men 
 there. Also, he desired to have some talks with 
 Senator Paxton. 
 
 He wrote to the Senator, recounting his recent 
 achievements in politics, asking him if he would be 
 in Washington late in November, because, as Hicks 
 put it, "I have a matter of great moment to dis 
 cuss with you. It may surprise you when I say to 
 you that the probabilities are I shall soon have a 
 seat in the Senate." 
 
 Hicks received a reply from Senator Paxton the 
 day before he left. The Senator wrote : 
 
 "Mv DEAR HICKS : 
 
 "I have your letter. You do surprise me, but not so much 
 as, perhaps, you think. Any American citizen who has been 
 active in politics may hope to be a United States Senator, 
 and some who have been inactive. There seem to be no 
 limitations on the job, as it is parceled out at present, either 
 intellectually or otherwise. The wisdom of this observation 
 becomes apparent after a critical examination of a large num 
 ber of men who are senators at present. 
 
 "There are various methods of becoming a United States 
 Senator, and, of course, I am not apprised just which method 
 you have in mind. However, I beg to call your attention to 
 
 250
 
 THE FAKERS 251 
 
 the fact that fashions in obtaining senatorships are changing 
 rapidly, and it is no longer the mode to buy, or otherwise 
 barter, for a seat, although that was the accepted practice 
 for many years. Indeed, there may be said to be a distinct 
 popular disapproval of the style and fit of a toga thus ac 
 quired, and one may as well be out of the world as out of the 
 mode of the moment when one is in politics. 
 
 "There are two ways to be a Senator. One is to have 
 connections, and the other is to be disconnected. This latter 
 manner is gaining in senatorial favor in ratio to the 
 progress of the movement for the direct election of all sena 
 tors by the people. If you desire connections, it is wise to 
 see to it that they are properly insulated. 
 
 "As I have frequently told you, the people are mighty 
 and must prevail. I trust you have so ordered your affairs 
 that when the people are prevailing you will prevail with 
 them, and I take it you have, if what you say about coming 
 here is correct. If you do come, and I hope you will, I 
 trust you will ever consider the rights of the people as para 
 mount except when a vote is being taken. Then, of course, 
 a Senator must not be unmindful of what he, personally, has 
 at stake. Much depends on the expert maintenance of this 
 delicate balance, but I am quite sure you will not find it 
 difficult, as you possess great and laudable qualities as an 
 equilibrist. 
 
 "We shall welcome you, of course, not only as a repre 
 sentative of the people, but for your own sterling qualities, so 
 ably demonstrated, and which, as an humble instrument in 
 your advancement, I shall hope to direct into reasonably 
 virtuous, and, mayhap, valuable channels. 
 
 "Yours, with congratulations and expectations, 
 
 "WILLIAM H. PAXTON." 
 
 Hicks already considered himself a Senator, and 
 he felt strongly inclined to add a note to that effect 
 after his name when he registered at the Hotel 
 Superbious in New York. 
 
 "What sort of a room do you desire, Mr. 
 Hicks?" asked the clerk, after a glance at his bold 
 signature.
 
 252 THE FAKERS 
 
 "A good room," Hicks answered pompously. 
 
 "All of our rooms are good rooms," the bored 
 clerk replied. "I can give you an inside room at 
 four dollars a day, a room with a bath for five, six 
 or seven, and a small outside suite for twelve dollars 
 a day." 
 
 Hicks had thought of engaging a parlor, bed 
 room and bath, but he gulped over that twelve 
 dollars a day. 
 
 "Oh, a five-dollar room will do, I guess," he 
 hurriedly assured the clerk, and after the usual pre 
 liminaries a ferret-faced bellboy said: "This way 
 this way, Mr. Hicks," and guided him to an ele 
 vator which took him to the sixteenth floor. 
 
 Hicks looked out of the window over the myriac 
 roofs of New York. After all, this was the city. 
 He was, in a way, wasting his talents in Rextown. 
 He determined to hold New York in mind as a 
 place for possible exploitation after he reached the 
 Senate. He knew of it as the abode of the criminal 
 rich and the predacious plutocrats, dominated by 
 Wall Street and the greedy god of Mammon, and 
 while he loathed the place, politically, and used it 
 in his speeches as the type of all that should not be, 
 he had an idea substantial things might be obtained 
 there, by a Senator, and he decided to get on terms 
 of better acquaintance with the city, its men and its 
 methods. 
 
 He reached the hotel about two o clock in the 
 afternoon. Half an hour later he went down into 
 the lobby, and walked through all the vast array of 
 glittering rooms and corridors, looking at the idle 
 men and the idler women, and was much interested 
 in everything he saw. He had been in New York 
 a few times before, but never as a guest at the 
 Hotel Superbious, and never as a potential Senator. 
 He wore his high hat, his frock-coat, his flowing
 
 THE FAKERS 253 
 
 tie, and his hair was even longer than usual, and 
 brushed to glossy perfection. 
 
 "From the South," commented one of the row 
 of red-faced men sitting in the big leather chairs. 
 
 "Nope; from the West," disputed another. 
 "Never from the South, my boy, with a plug hat 
 and a flowing tie. That s a prairie get-up." 
 
 Hicks strutted up and down the corridors for 
 half an hour. No one had spoken, not many had 
 looked at him, except those keen-eyed adventurers 
 who were about the hotel, and they had all ob 
 served him narrowly as a possible subject for their 
 own peculiar operations. 
 
 He stopped at the desk. "Mr. Clerk," he said, 
 "where are the reporters?" 
 
 "The reporters?" asked the clerk, "what re 
 porters?" 
 
 "Why, the reporters for the press, the newspaper 
 reporters." 
 
 "Do you want to see a reporter?" 
 
 "Not especially," Hicks replied, "but I fancy 
 the reporters will want to see me." 
 
 "Maybe so; maybe so," smiled the clerk, taking 
 quick stock of Hicks. "If any of them come in 
 I ll tell them you are here." 
 
 "Thank you," and Hicks walked away. 
 
 He wondered why he had not been asked for 
 an interview. Out in his country each paper had 
 a hotel reporter who called on every arrival who 
 seemed to have the slightest claim for newspaper 
 mention. He felt his name and fame must have 
 penetrated New York, and he did not understand 
 this lack of journalistic attention to him. 
 
 Not long after this Madders, of the Constella 
 tion, happened by the desk. 
 
 "Hello, Charley," he saluted the clerk, "anything 
 stirring?"
 
 254 
 
 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Not a leaf fluttering," the clerk replied. "Dull 
 as a Sunday on the curb market." 
 
 Madders turned away. 
 
 "Hold on a minute," the clerk called after him. 
 "There s a man here, named Hicks, who was ask 
 ing for a reporter." 
 , "Where is he?" 
 
 "Oh, he s parading around here somewhere. 
 You can t miss him. He looks like a cross be 
 tween a movie actor and an evangelist. You ll 
 spot him the minute you see him." 
 
 "What sort of scenery is he carrying?" asked 
 Madders, thinking of a possible paragraph. 
 
 "Frock-coat, plug hat, flappy tie, long hair, and 
 a general air of you-don t-have-to-tell-me-I m-good- 
 I-know it." 
 
 "What s his name?" 
 
 "Hicks," said the clerk, referring to the register. 
 "T. Marmaduke Hicks, of Rextown." 
 
 "What s his line?" 
 
 "Oh, anything from reading plans to palming 
 cards. Dig him up and see if there isn t a josh in 
 him." 
 
 Madders walked down the corridor past the 
 men s restaurant. He met Hicks. 
 
 "Mr. Hicks?" he said, tentatively. 
 
 "Yes," Tommie answered, "I am Mr. Hicks T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks; and whom have I the honor 
 of addressing?" 
 
 "I m Madders, of the Constellation. Are you 
 looking for a reporter?" 
 
 Hicks rather resented this. "No, sir," he said, 
 "T am not looking for a reporter." 
 
 "Excuse me; I understood you were," and Mad 
 ders started on. 
 
 "Ahem-m," coughed Hicks. "The fact is," he
 
 THE FAKERS 255 
 
 said, laying a detaining hand on Madders s arm, 
 "that while I am not looking for a reporter I am 
 always glad to see one, having a high regard for 
 gentlemen of the press." 
 
 "You don t say," commented Madders. "Well, 
 in that case, suppose we put it this way: I am a 
 gentleman of the press and you have a high regard 
 for me. Also, I have a high regard for you. 
 Thus, having established a working basis, may I 
 inquire what is the purpose of your visit in New 
 York and what is the news back in Rextown?" 
 
 Madders smiled genially at Hicks and offered 
 him a cigarette. Hicks wanted to smoke, but he 
 held his no-smoking-in-public pose. 
 
 "Thank you," said Hicks, raising a protesting 
 hand, "I never use the weed." 
 
 "Indeed," commented Madders, lighting the 
 cigarette he held in his hand. 
 
 "No," continued Hicks, "but," he added hastily, 
 "of course I have no prejudices in the matter, none 
 at all." 
 
 "So glad," murmured Madders. 
 
 "As for my business in New York," Hicks con 
 tinued, "I have none. I am simply here for recrea 
 tion, for a period of rest after my arduous labors 
 in our last campaign where we triumphed magnifi 
 cently, as you doubtless are aware." 
 
 Madders wasn t aware of anything of the kind, 
 but he nodded gravely. 
 
 "Yes," continued Hicks, "we fought the good 
 fight, and vanquished the forces of plutocracy. The 
 people came into their own, and I was one of the 
 humble instruments in bringing about that glorious 
 victory." 
 
 "What did you run for?" asked Madders. 
 
 "Oh, I was not a candidate. I was the prin 
 cipal speaker in the campaign, and had some small
 
 256 THE FAKERS 
 
 part in the nomination of the successful candidates. 
 My reward is to come later." 
 
 "And what will that be?" 
 
 Hicks waved his hand grandly. "As for that," 
 he replied, "I am not in a position to be definite. 
 However, you may say in your paper that I ad 
 mire your great city, and always have; I consider 
 it a magnificent exemplification of the spirit of ac 
 complishment that makes the American people the 
 greatest people on the face of the globe. To be 
 sure, there are certain phases of your so-called 
 high finance that give me pause, and call for 
 remedial action in order that the vast, teeming popu 
 lation of this country may not be deprived of the 
 fruits of their industry and toil by the machinations 
 of the unscrupulous representatives of the criminal 
 rich who sit here and suck the life-blood from the 
 very veins of the honest yeomanry; but, all in all, 
 these are but a blot on the noble record of its achieve 
 ments, and New Yorkers have every reason to be 
 proud of their city, as I am, contemplating it from 
 a distance and earnestly seeking to bring its devious 
 citizens into the light of a better day." 
 
 "Fine!" thought Madders, "a column, sure." 
 
 He listened attentively to Hicks, prompting him 
 now and then with a skillful question or comment, 
 and Hicks told the story of his life in great detail. 
 
 When Madders reached his office he told the night 
 city editor what he had. 
 
 "A guy up at the Superbious named Hicks T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks and looking the part, spilled 
 a lot of stuff about himself that I can make a funny 
 feature story out of," said Madders. "He s worth 
 a column of any paper s space." 
 
 "Two sticks," ordered the despot of the city 
 desk. "Loaded to the guards with real news. Save 
 him for early Sunday copy."
 
 THE FAKERS 257 
 
 "But he s funny," urged Madders. 
 
 "All right, be as comical as you like about him, 
 but two sticks is the limit. You can use him for 
 Sunday." 
 
 "Yes," sneered Madders, "and the rest of the 
 gang will dig him up before that time. I suppose 
 some leader of society in truckmen circles has 
 jumped off the High Bridge and that s crowding 
 out good stuff." 
 
 "Two sticks," repeated the city editor, and turned 
 away. 
 
 Next morning Hicks sent for a copy of the Con 
 stellation. He eagerly read the big headlines on 
 the first page. There was a Washington dispatch 
 telling of a White House conference over foreign 
 affairs, the story of an Albany legislative scandal, 
 a local political spread and full details of an elope 
 ment of a society leader with her affinity, but no 
 Hicks. Bitterly disappointed, he turned to the 
 second page. That, too, was bare of mention of 
 Hicks, but on the third page he found a short 
 item: 
 
 "HICKS IS HERE. 
 
 "T. MARMADUKE, OF REXTOWN, GIVES THE METROPOLIS 
 His FLATTERING O.K. 
 
 "T. Marmaduke Hicks, of Rextown, who runs 
 to extremes of length in his coats, his hair, his 
 neckties and his oratory, arrived at the Hotel Su- 
 perbious yesterday. Mr. Hicks is here for rest 
 and relaxation. 
 
 "He expressed himself as well pleased, in the main, 
 with New York, and had no hesitation in commend 
 ing both the size and the apparent wealth of this 
 community. A great many people, he said, impres 
 sively, live in New York. However, there is one
 
 258 THE FAKERS 
 
 feature of the numerous phases of life in New York 
 that has attracted the admiring comment of Mr. 
 Hicks which he cannot commend. He is sternly 
 opposed to Mammon, and all the Mammon family, 
 who abide in Wall Street and adjacent thereto, 
 and intends to take steps in the near future to 
 eradicate this blot from the noble escutcheon of the 
 Metropolis, as he so appropriately put it. 
 
 "The criminal rich are under the ban of Mr. 
 Hicks, and his mission in life is to see to it that 
 the common people are rescued from the toils of 
 the octopus, and come into their own. Also, Mr. 
 Hicks intimated he is about to come into his own, 
 but he did not say in what way. Mr. Hicks wears 
 a silk hat of a style not seen in the Hotel Superbious 
 in the past ten years." 
 
 Hicks threw the paper on the floor and stamped 
 on it. "It simply shows," he said to himself, "to 
 what an extent the Money Devil controls this capital 
 istic New York press," and that thought cheered 
 him up considerably. However, he discarded his 
 long coat and high hat, before he went down to 
 breakfast, and considered the advisability of having 
 his hair trimmed, He looked at himself in the 
 glass and decided that was unnecessary. Hicks 
 considered his hair quite a personal asset. 
 
 He walked up Fifth Avenue that morning, and 
 enjoyed the crowds and the store windows, marveled 
 at the vast traffic, and took a ride on a stage to 
 Grant s tomb. He returned to the Superbious for 
 luncheon, and as he was at table, trying to think 
 of some one on whom he might call, he was aston 
 ished and delighted to hear a boy in a smart uni 
 form shouting his name: 
 
 "Mr. Hicks, please; room sixteen-twenty-two. 
 Mr. Hicks, please; room sixteen-twenty-two."
 
 THE FAKERS 259 
 
 "Here, boy," he cried. "I am Mr. Hicks." 
 
 The boy came over to him. "Mr. T. Marma- 
 duke Hicks of room sixteen-twenty-two ?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes, yes," Hicks replied, eagerly. "What is 
 it?"^ 
 
 "Telephone, sir," and he handed Hicks a slip 
 which requested him to call up "Plaza 27389." 
 
 "All right," said Hicks, as if he were accustomed 
 to telephone calls in the Hotel Superbious, "I ll at 
 tend to it presently." 
 
 He went to his room, took the telephone receiver 
 off its hook and listened. 
 
 "Order, please," came a voice. 
 
 "I have no order," he answered. "I want to 
 call up a number." 
 
 "Number, please." 
 
 "Plaza, 27389." 
 
 He listened. There were a few clicks and he 
 heard a girl say: "Plaza, to-seven-th-r-r-r-ee-eight- 
 n-eyene." 
 
 "Plaza, two-seven-th-r-r-r-eeeight-n-eye-ne," an 
 other girl repeated, and after a pause a very bored 
 voice said: "Hotel Dwighton." 
 
 "Does anybody there want to talk with Mr. 
 Hicks?" 
 
 "What s the name?" 
 
 "Hicks T. Marmaduke Hicks." 
 
 Hicks heard the bored voice ask: "Anybody 
 here callin for a party named T. Marmaduke 
 Hicks? I ain t got no such call." 
 
 "Room six-oh-one," said another voice. 
 
 "Wait a moment, please, and I ll connect you," 
 and Hicks heard a few sharp clicks and then a 
 soft and inquiring "Yes?" came over the wire. 
 
 "I am Mr. Hicks, Mr. T. Marmaduke Hicks, of 
 Rextown, and I was asked to call up this number." 
 
 "How do you do, Mr. Hicks? I am Mrs. Lester.
 
 2 6o THE FAKERS 
 
 Do you remember me? I used to know you in 
 Washington." 
 
 Mrs. Lester! There flashed before the mind of 
 Hicks the picture of the fascinating widow he had 
 seen at Mrs. Lake s. Mrs. Lester! And in New 
 York! Oh, lucky Hicks! Mrs. Lester! Hicks s 
 voice trembled a little as he replied. 
 
 "Why, Mrs. Lester. Of course I remember you. 
 How could I forget you? And you are in New 
 York. May I call?" 
 
 "Would you care to?" 
 
 "Care to!" exclaimed Hicks. "Why, I ^should 
 be delighted to if I may. I have often desired to 
 renew my pleasant acquaintance with you." 
 
 "I read that you are in the city Hicks 
 
 groaned at that "and I thought it would be plea 
 sant to see you again, but I 
 
 Hicks noted the hesitation. "Oh, please," he 
 urged. "I shall be so glad to see you. I am alone 
 here, and and " 
 
 "Poor fellow," laughed Mrs. Lester. "Alone 
 in New York! Well, in that case I ll take pity on 
 you. Can you come to the Dwighton at five 
 o clock?^ 
 
 "Certainly, I shall be most happy. The Dwigh 
 ton, you say? At five o clock? I shall be there. 
 Good-by." 
 
 "Good-by," and he heard the click of the phone 
 as she hung up the receiver. 
 
 Hicks executed a heavy pirouette across the floor. 
 "What do you think of that," he said exultantly, 
 "Mrs. Lester here, of all women! Remembered 
 me well enough to call me up, too," and he took 
 a complacent glance at himself in his mirror. 
 "Will I call on her? Will I? Well, I guess yes!" 
 
 He began preparing himself for his call at three 
 o clock, and when rummaging in his trunk for a
 
 THE FAKERS 261 
 
 particularly harmonious tie uncovered the white 
 waistcoat he wore with his evening clothes. He 
 was about to set it aside when it came to him sud 
 denly that, perhaps Mrs. Lester would prefer to go 
 to dinner. He had had a rather lonesome meal 
 the night before, and realized, for the first time, 
 that if he called at five o clock he could not have 
 more than an hour, or an hour and a half at the 
 most, in her company, while if he took her to dinner 
 he could be with her several hours. Also, he knew 
 that if took her to dinner he must wear his 
 evening clothes, and he couldn t put those on for 
 a five o clock call in the hope that he might develop 
 that call into a dinner party for two. 
 
 "By George!" he said, "I ll risk it. Maybe she 
 hasn t an engagement. There s no harm in trying, 
 anyhow." 
 
 He went to the telephone, called the Dwighton 
 and asked for Mrs. Lester. 
 
 "Oh, Mrs. Lester," he said, "this is Mr. Hicks 
 again. I was wondering whether you cared to dine 
 with me to-night. I hope you can," he urged, think 
 ing she might resent such an informal invitation, "I 
 am so anxious to see you, and it occurred to me 
 that, if you have no other engagement, we might 
 have dinner together somewhere. It will give me 
 the greatest pleasure in the world, and I thought 
 possibly you might be willing please do if 
 you- 
 
 "Dine with you to-night? Why let me see I 
 have a sort of an engagement to drop in on some 
 Fifth Avenue friends nothing formal only a 
 family dinner before we go to the opera I 
 might " 
 
 "Please do!" urged Hicks. 
 
 "And possibly " 
 
 "Please!"
 
 262 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Well," she said, "I ll telephone up and tell them 
 I shan t be there. The opera is rather stupid, any 
 how. One always sees the same people, you know, 
 and I can go any time. Yes, I can do it. Thank 
 you, Mr. Hicks. Shall we say half after six o clock, 
 here, and then we can decide on a restaurant?" 
 
 "I am delighted!" burbled Hicks. "Delighted! 
 I shall be there at half-past six." 
 
 Hicks rummaged through his trunk, and collected 
 his evening-dress belongings in a heap on the floor. 
 The coat was creased and rumpled. He sent for 
 a bellboy. 
 
 "Boy," he said, "I want these clothes pressed." 
 
 "Very good, sir! I ll call the valet." 
 
 "Valet! I don t want a valet. I want my 
 clothes pressed." 
 
 "The valet will attend to that, sir."^ 
 
 Presently, the valet came, a tall, thin, horse-faced 
 person, with an air of conscious superiority devel 
 oped by many years of dealing with guests from the 
 interior who were not accustomed to upper servants. 
 
 "Can I have these clothes pressed immediately?" 
 asked Hicks. 
 
 The valet picked up the coat and trousers, ex 
 amined them superciliously, as if he thought it 
 would be a distinct lowering of the tone of the 
 establishment to do anything to what was so ob 
 viously the production of the country tailor. He 
 spoke deferentially, but he had a manner that made 
 Hicks feel that the only thing for him to do, to 
 preserve his self-respect, was to fall on him and 
 rend him limb from limb. 
 
 Holding the coat and trousers at half-arm s 
 length, the valet said, deferentially: "Yes, sir. 
 When will you require them, sir?" 
 
 "Soon as possible," Hicks ordered, in his most 
 pompous manner.
 
 THE FAKERS 263 
 
 "Like to have your hat ironed, sir?" 
 
 "Never mind about the hat." 
 
 "Yes, sir, five o clock, sir;" and Hicks saw the 
 valet looking at his hat and knew, positively knew, 
 he was saying to himself: "Oh, where did you get 
 that hat?" 
 
 "Shall I come in and assist you to dress, sir?" 
 
 "Assist me to dress?" roared Hicks. "You assist 
 me to dress? No, I can dress myself. I don t 
 need any assistance." 
 
 "As you wish, sir; five o clock, sir," and, hold 
 ing the clothes away from him, as if it were beneath 
 his dignity and disposition to touch such a suit, he 
 went out. 
 
 "Assist me to dress?" snorted Hicks. "I 
 wonder if he thinks I have to be buttoned up the 
 back." 
 
 The high hat he had brought from Rextown, the 
 one commented on by the reporter in the Con" 
 stellation, was on the bureau. Hicks looked at it. 
 It had seemed a good, serviceable hat to him, but 
 he was beginning to have his doubts. He took care 
 ful stock of his other regalia. The waistcoat was 
 there, the dress-shirt, a white tie, his patent-leather 
 shoes, his imitation pearl studs and his sleeve links. 
 Everything was in order. He decided to go down 
 stairs for a time, but as he turned to take a final 
 inventory, to make sure, his eye fell again on that 
 silk hat. 
 
 "I wonder what s the matter with that hat?" he 
 pondered. "It s all right in Rextown. Looks 
 good to me." But he recalled what the reporter 
 had said in the paper a hat of a style that had 
 not been seen in that hotel in ten years. 
 
 "Damn it!" said Hicks. "I ll get another." 
 
 He went to a hat store, and aggrieved to dis 
 cover that the only sort of silk hat, as the clerk
 
 264 THE FAKERS 
 
 assured him, a well-dressed gentleman could wear 
 could cost eight dollars. There were others 
 at ten, and some imported French styles for fifteen. 
 Hicks hurriedly bought an eight-dollar one, feeling 
 that if he did not invest immediately, the clerk 
 would sell him a French affair, and his patriotic 
 Americanism, as well as his financial prudence, would 
 not admit of that contingency. 
 
 "Shall I send it?" asked the clerk. 
 
 "No," Hicks replied, "I ll take it. I want to 
 wear it to-night." 
 
 He carried the hat back to the hotel, in the paste 
 board box, and as he entered the hotel engaged in 
 a series of running fights with doormen, bellboys 
 and elevator starters, all of whom wanted to take 
 it away from him. Finally, he reached his room 
 and posed for twenty minutes in the new hat. It 
 was an improvement. There was no doubt of that. 
 Hicks was glad he bought it, but he felt it was very 
 expensive. 
 
 He had an hour before it was necessary to begin 
 making his toilet, and went down into the lobby. 
 He walked about, seeing no one he knew, although 
 the hotel was full of people Hicks felt would be 
 benefited by knowing him. He sat in one of the 
 big chairs in a corridor. Page boys, calling the 
 names of men, constantly passed back and forth. 
 
 Hicks was interested. He followed one of the 
 boys to the information desk, and heard him say: 
 "I can t find him, sir." Hicks stood there and 
 watched the procedure. He saw men come in, who 
 asked for persons stopping at the hotel. A trim 
 maid telephoned to the rooms. If there was no 
 answer she asked: "Shall I have him paged?" and 
 a boy was summoned who started the rounds of the 
 hotel calling the name of the man wanted. 
 
 Hicks recalled how it pleased him to hear the
 
 THE FAKERS 26$ 
 
 boy shouting his name at noon that day, and he 
 stepped up to the desk and inquired: "Is Mr. T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks, of Rextown, stopping here?" 
 
 The information clerk turned over the leaves in 
 a big book: "Room sixteen-twenty-two," he said. 
 
 The maid telephoned to the room and there was 
 no answer. "Shall I have him paged, sir?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes," Hicks replied. 
 
 "Who wants him, sir?" 
 
 "Why, I do." 
 
 "I know, sir, but your name, please, or your 
 card." 
 
 Hicks did some quick thinking. "Tell him Sen 
 ator Paxton wants him and will be waiting right over 
 here," he said, indicating a seat nearby. 
 
 The page-boy came and was given his instructions. 
 He started off: "Mr. Hicks, please; room sixteen- 
 twenty-two." 
 
 Hicks could hear him calling his name down the 
 corridor. It was pleasant music to his ears, and 
 he strolled to various parts of the floor and listened 
 eagerly as the boy shouted: "Mr. Hicks, please; 
 room sixteen-twenty-two." 
 
 Finally, the boy returned and reported that Mr. 
 Hicks could not be found. Hicks gave him ten 
 cents and decided he would have himself paged fre 
 quently. It was a most gratifying experience. 
 
 He shaved with elaborate care. His evening 
 coat was hanging in his closet, and his trousers were 
 neatly disposed over the footboard of his bed. The 
 valet knocked and came in as he was tying his tie, 
 held his coat and overcoat for him, and handed him 
 his new hat. Hicks had put the old one in the 
 corner of the closet. 
 
 He looked savagely at the valet, but the face of 
 that functionary was as impassive as the wall-paper.
 
 266 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Your gloves, sir," and the valet looked about as 
 if to find them. 
 
 Hicks put his hand in his overcoat and pulled out 
 a pair of heavy tan gloves. 
 
 "I have them," he said, stiffly. 
 
 "Very good, sir, but, if I might be pardoned the 
 suggestion, those are not your white gloves, sir. I 
 assume they are in the trunk, sir," and he moved 
 over as if to explore that receptacle. 
 
 "White gloves!" shouted Hicks. "What do I 
 want of white gloves?" 
 
 "They are usually worn when a gentleman is 
 going out, sir. If by any chance, sir, you have for 
 gotten them, or mislaid them, I can procure you a 
 pair, sir." 
 
 Hicks looked narrowly at the valet. Dimly, he 
 recalled that he had worn white gloves at the Presi 
 dential receptions he had attended, years before, in 
 Washington. He hated the valet for mentioning 
 the oversight, but he wanted to be correct in every 
 detail when he appeared before Mrs. Lester. 
 
 "Pshaw!" he said weakly, "I guess I did forget 
 to put in a pair. Can you get me some?" 
 
 "Instantly, sir. What size, sir?" 
 
 "Oh, I don t know eights and a half, I sup 
 pose." 
 
 The valet took one of the tan gloves, looked at 
 the size mark, and vanished. Ten minutes later 
 he came back with a pair of white gloves. Hicks 
 started to put them on. 
 
 "If I might suggest, sir," said the valet, "it would 
 be wise to carry the gloves in the hand until im 
 mediately before they are needed, sir. It preserves 
 their freshness, sir." 
 
 Hicks looked at this creature, who, apparently 
 cringing before him, was, in reality, instructing him 
 in social usage.
 
 THE FAKERS 267 
 
 "All right," he said. "How much are they?" 
 
 "Four dollars, sir." 
 
 "Four dollars?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, four dollars, sir." 
 
 The valet stood looking at him in a most im 
 passive and impersonal manner. Hicks handed 
 him a five-dollar bill. 
 
 "Keep it all," he said. 
 
 "Thank you, sir; anything else, sir? Good eve 
 ning, sir," and he went silently out. Hicks thought 
 he heard a satiric laugh after the door closed, and 
 he reproached himself for not strangling the man 
 while he had him in his power, but his anger van 
 ished when he looked at himself in the glass, holding 
 his white gloves in his left hand, and carrying his 
 new high hat in what he considered a most im 
 pressive position against his chest. He thought he 
 looked very well, which, indeed, he did, for he was 
 a good figure of a man, and correctly appointed, 
 albeit his long hair jarred. It was his firm con 
 viction that his hair gave him the finishing touch 
 of elegance, and he put a final polish on it with the 
 brush before he left.
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 ICKS took a taxicab to the Dwighton, 
 which is one of the numerous hotels 
 that cluster in the numbered streets off 
 Fifth Avenue, a hotel with a lobby 
 garishly decorated with gold paint, and 
 studded with imitation onyx pillars. He sent up 
 his name to Mrs. Lester, and was escorted to a 
 small reception-room to wait. Mrs. Lester said she 
 would be down immediately. 
 
 He sat uneasily on the edge of a chair, balancing 
 his hat on his knee. He had put on his white gloves 
 in the taxicab, and observed them with much satis 
 faction. He waited for thirty minutes and was on 
 the point of going to the desk and telephoning to 
 Mrs. Lester himself when she entered. 
 
 Hicks rose. She stood for a moment in the door 
 way, and then advanced, smiling radiantly. Hicks 
 grew hot and grew cold. All the old feeling of 
 acute admiration swept over him. She wore a black 
 velvet gown, soft, shimmering, silky, that clung close 
 to her superb figure, draped with a heavily-embroid 
 ered chiffon and an elaborate evening coat, also 
 heavily embroidered. The coat was open, and 
 showed masses of creamy lace on her corsage. A 
 diamond ornament glittered in the lace. Her face 
 was very white, but not pallid, and her lips were 
 crimson. Hicks noted a small black patch coquet- 
 tishly adorning one of her cheeks, in which there 
 were just two suspicions of heightened color, and 
 
 268
 
 THE FAKERS 269 
 
 caught an admiring glimpse of a big velvet hat, 
 with a sweeping plume. 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Lester, how do you do? I am 
 so glad to see you." 
 
 She gave him her hand, prettily and unaffectedly, 
 as it seemed to Hicks, and said, brightly: "It is a 
 great pleasure to me, too, Mr. Hicks, to see you 
 again. It seems ages since we met." 
 
 "Do you think so?" asked the fatuous Hicks. 
 "I am delighted that you remember me at all, and 
 you so engrossed with your social duties." 
 
 "Ah," she said, with one of those gestures that 
 Hicks recalled so well, "they are a task, but, you 
 know, one may as well be out of the world as out 
 of society." 
 
 She disposed herself gracefully in a chair, and 
 began a little monologue recalling old days in Wash 
 ington and asking Hicks some adroit questions about 
 himself. He sat in ecstatic amazement, looking at 
 her as she talked. She was more mature, he 
 thought, than when he had seen her last, but, so 
 far as he could determine, more charming than ever. 
 The details of her costume escaped him, but the 
 entrancing picture she presented kept his eyes con 
 stantly on her, and made his heart thump a little, 
 and all the time there was in the back of his brain 
 a little thought that she ought to be Mrs. T. Mar- 
 maduke Hicks, provided, of course, another thought 
 constantly obtruded, she really did have the position 
 she said she had, and provided her fortune was as 
 great as Hicks thought it was. 
 
 Mrs. Lester had spent some hours preparing 
 for this entrance. She had long ago decided that 
 she was more striking in black than in any other 
 color, and she had organized her sartorial scheme 
 along those lines. This dress was a Paris model 
 she had obtained at a great reduction, and had skil-
 
 270 THE FAKERS 
 
 fully brought into the prevailing mode by a few deft 
 alterations of her own. She had built herself up 
 with exceeding art, and knew she looked well, knew 
 it far better than Hicks did, who was only con 
 scious of the captivating ensemble, and not of the 
 carefully and artistically worked-out details. 
 
 "You are here for business or pleasure?" she 
 asked, looking at him archly. 
 
 "For rest," Hicks replied. "I worked very hard 
 in the last campaign, and I came here merely for 
 relaxation. And you?" 
 
 "Oh, I am here for the usual woman s reason. 
 I am in the hands of my modistes to secure a few 
 little things I did not have opportunity to acquire 
 in Paris; I felt positively abashed when I discov 
 ered I had not fully replenished my wardrobe in 
 Paris, and was compelled to come to New York, 
 where the styles are so far behind, but," she added, 
 brightly, "I know the Paris modes and can direct 
 the work." 
 
 "Have you been in Paris recently?" 
 
 "Oh, yes," she replied, as if astonished at the 
 question. "Why, I go to Paris every year ! I 
 know so many fashionable people there and they 
 positively insist on my coming to them each 
 season." 
 
 Hicks felt depressed over this. Here was a 
 woman who associated constantly with the great ones 
 in society, and he but he put that thought aside. 
 He was as good as anybody, and he had a future 
 that meant both position and wealth. 
 
 "And it is the same here," she continued. "The 
 demands on me by the charming people are so 
 numerous. They positively insist on my coming 
 to them, and in order," and she smiled again at 
 Hicks, "that there may be no jealousies, you know, 
 I prefer to stop in a hotel rather than to select
 
 THE FAKERS 271 
 
 any particular hostess. I always come to this little 
 hotel. It s quiet and refined, and so different from 
 the garish, noisy, shoddy bigger hotels, don t you 
 think? I detest the atmosphere of vulgarity at 
 those big hotels, don t you?" 
 
 Hicks hadn t thought of it, and had thought he 
 was acquiring merit by stopping at the Superbious, 
 but he assented. "Yes," he said, "they are vulgar 
 and noisy, but rather necessary for a man whom 
 people want to meet." 
 
 "To be sure," she said, looking at him narrowly, 
 and leaped into silence. 
 
 "Where shall we dine?" asked Hicks. "You 
 must choose the place. I haven t been in New York 
 much lately, you know, and while I was formerly 
 familiar with all the restaurants that amounted to 
 anything, I suppose they change and new ones come 
 up. Will you make a suggestion? Any one you 
 like," he concluded, grandly, as If to convey the 
 impression that cost was not an object of con 
 sideration. 
 
 She assumed an air of deep thought, as if she 
 were pondering all the restaurants in the city. Long 
 before she had selected the place, but she seemed 
 to be considering the question minutely. 
 
 "There s the Splendide," she said, "but that s too 
 common, although the food is good; and the Magni- 
 fique, but theatrical persons go there; and the 
 Flamboyant, but one can t always be sure of a select 
 company; and Richleigh s why not Richleigh s? 
 That is patronized by the most exclusive people. 
 Shall we say Richleigh s?" 
 
 "Charmed," said Hicks, but his heart sank, for 
 he knew enough of the restaurants in New York 
 to know Richleigh s was the most expensive of the 
 lot. 
 
 "Very well," she said. "I suppose we can get
 
 272 THE FAKERS 
 
 a table there, but, perhaps, you should telephone 
 before we start." 
 
 "Telephone!" exclaimed Hicks; "what for?" 
 
 "Oh," she laughed, "sometimes it is well to in 
 form the head waiter of your coming. Those head 
 waiters, you know, are autocrats and we want to 
 dine comfortably, don t we?" She turned her eyes 
 on Hicks in a sort of a trustful way, to remind him 
 she was sure he would not take her to a lunch 
 counter. 
 
 Hicks went out to the telephone, called up Rich- 
 leigh s and asked for the head waiter. When that 
 person came to the telephone Hicks assumed a 
 most important telephone manner and said. "I am 
 T. Marmaduke Hicks, and I desire to reserve a 
 table for this evening." 
 
 "Hicks?" came the voice of the head waiter. 
 "Hicks? I don t think I have the honor of knowing 
 you, sir." 
 
 "Possibly not," Hicks replied, "but that makes 
 no difference. I desire to dine with you to-night, 
 and shall expect you to reserve a good table." 
 
 "Very well," the head waiter replied. "I think 
 I can arrange it. When shall you arrive?" 
 
 "I am starting from the Superbious at once," 
 said Hicks, feeling he must give himself as much 
 standing as possible, and not caring to say the 
 Dwighton, which seemed to him a very small hotel. 
 
 "What success?" asked Mrs. Lester, as he re 
 turned. 
 
 "Oh," Hicks replied, "it is all arranged. As 
 soon as I told him my name he fixed it." 
 
 Mrs. Lester looked at him and smiled a little 
 smile. "To be sure," she said. "To be sure." 
 
 As they careened towards the restaurant Mrs. 
 Lester said: "It s positively annoying when one 
 thinks of how much one is at the mercy of these
 
 THE FAKERS 273 
 
 head waiters. Unless you are very well known, or 
 fee them liberally, they are most offensive." 
 
 "Fee them?" asked Hicks, in alarm. 
 
 "Oh, yes: it is customary to give a head waiter 
 a fee for such a service. The tables are in great 
 demand, you know." 
 
 "How much is customary?" And Hicks thought 
 he might have expenses he had not considered. Still, 
 he felt that any expense was justified when his com 
 panion was so beautiful and so well gowned as Mrs. 
 Lester. 
 
 "Oh, a few dollars," she replied, as if the matter 
 was of minor importance, "no more than five I 
 should say. I think five dollars is about the usual 
 fee." 
 
 Hicks fumbled in his pocket for his money, try 
 ing to appear unconcerned. Mrs. Lester looked 
 out of the cab window and noticed nothing. His 
 gloves bothered him, and he resolved to wait until 
 they reached the restaurant, which they did in a 
 short time. 
 
 "Does the gentleman desire the cab to wait?" 
 asked the imposing uniformed starter at Richleigh s. 
 
 Hicks glanced at Mrs. Lester. 
 
 "Certainly not," she said. 
 
 "Flow much?" asked Hicks, and when the man 
 said "Eighty cents" gave him a dollar bill and waited 
 a moment for change. 
 
 Mrs. Lester had started up the steps. The 
 chauffeur looked impudently at Hicks and made no 
 move to return change. 
 
 "That s all right," Hicks said, after a moment s 
 hesitation, and followed Mrs. Lester into the lobby. 
 
 A maid came forward to take her wrap, and a 
 boy in buttons snatched Hicks s hat and coat. Mrs. 
 Lester vanished into a retiring-room, and Hicks 
 stood uneasily waiting for her. In ten minutes she
 
 274 THE FAKERS 
 
 came out. Hicks saw the perfect whiteness of her 
 throat and bosom, the jewel flashing in her lace, 
 and noted her grace of carriage and her general 
 appearance of fashionable distinction. He was 
 highly pleased with himself for asking her to dinner. 
 
 While he was standing in the hall he had taken 
 a five-dollar bill from his money, and had crumpled 
 it in his hand. The head waiter came forward to 
 meet them. 
 
 "Have you reserved a table?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes," t Hicks said, "Mr. Hicks." 
 
 "Certainly, Monsieur. Mr. Hicks; ah, yes," but 
 he made no effort to escort them into the room. 
 
 Mrs. Lester flashed a glance at Hicks, who held 
 out his hand containing the crumpled five-dollar bill. 
 The head waiter deftly extracted the bill from 
 Hicks s clasp, bowed low: "This way, Monseiur 
 Hicks," he said, and led them into the room. 
 
 Mrs. Lester swept ahead of Hicks, who followed 
 in a haze. He saw dozens of small tables, with 
 shaded lights, surrounded by women in decollete 
 gowns and men in evening dress, heard an orchestra 
 that was playing somewhere, and noted dozens of 
 waiters scurrying about. The air of the room was 
 heavy with the odor of flowers and perfumes, and 
 there was a babble of laughing conversation. It 
 seemed like a scene in a play to Hicks. He tried 
 to see as much of it as he could, and stepped on 
 Mrs. Lester s train. She turned with a little expres 
 sion of impatience, smiled, and he begged an awk 
 ward pardon. A woman near him laughed. Hicks 
 blushed, glued his eyes on the white expanse of 
 Mrs. Lester s back and blindly followed her. 
 
 The head waiter brought them to a table, elab 
 orately held a chair for Mrs. Lester, who sat down 
 with the utmost grace. Hicks noticed that many 
 of the men nearby were staring at her, and that
 
 THE FAKERS 275 
 
 the women were apparently commenting on her in 
 low tones. He considered this a compliment to 
 himself instead of to her, and was gratified over the 
 attention he had attracted. Mrs. Lester was su 
 perbly unconscious of the little sensation her en 
 trance had made, placed her gold bag at least, 
 Hicks thought it was a gold bag on the table, sat 
 back in her chair and took a calm survey of the 
 room. The head waiter stood by w 7 ith a pencil 
 and pad of paper. 
 
 She began leisurely to remove her gloves, giving 
 no sign that she knew the head waiter was within 
 a mile of her. It seemed to Hicks she recognized 
 various persons at other tables, for she nodded and 
 smiled brightly, but Hicks did not observe there was 
 no person in the quarter towards which the nods 
 and smiles were directed. 
 
 He pulled off his white gloves, and took a menu 
 card. It was a large menu card, printed in fine 
 type, and containing a most amazing array of dishes. 
 The type blurred before Hicks s eyes. He tried to 
 concentrate his gaze on the card. He saw strange 
 dishes named in a strange language. 
 
 "What shall it be?" he gulped. 
 
 Mrs. Lester nonchalantly picked up the card, and 
 scanned it. 
 
 "Some oysters?" asked Hicks, in desperation. 
 
 "Oysters?" she repeated, as if it had just occurred 
 to her that oysters were ever eaten. "Oh, yes, if 
 you like them, but," and she hesitated prettily, 
 "why not a melon? Have you any melons, 
 waiter?" 
 
 "Old, madame, if you desire them." 
 
 "Melons in November!" thought Hicks. They 
 would cost something. 
 
 "A melon, then, chilled; and soup. What soup 
 do you prefer, Mr. Hicks?"
 
 276 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Oh," Hicks replied, reduced to a state of utter 
 collapse, "any soup." 
 
 "Bortsch, then," she ordered. "I adore Bortsch, 
 if they know how to make it." She said a few 
 rapid words in French to the head waiter and Hicks 
 listened and cursed his lack of knowledge of that 
 language. 
 
 "I learned to like Bortsch in Russia," she told 
 Hicks. "It is wonderful, if they can do it as the 
 Russians do." 
 
 "Fish, Madame?" asked the waiter. 
 
 "Do you care for fish?" she asked Hicks. "I 
 think a little pompano a la papiolette would be very 
 nice." 
 
 "Certainly," assented Hicks, "fish by all means." 
 
 "And," she continued rapidly, "a pheasant, and 
 some potatoes souffle and some crisp endive, and 
 an ice and coffee." 
 
 "Anything with the fish?" asked the head waiter, 
 who had written down the order. 
 
 "A few slices of cucumbers," she replied, "with 
 a cream dressing." 
 
 Cucumbers ! Those were out of season, too. 
 Hicks nervously computed the amount of money he 
 had with him. 
 
 The head waiter called another waiter and turned 
 the order over to him. Water-glasses, knives, 
 forks, napery, rolls and butter appeared on the 
 table as if by magic. 
 
 "Will madame have a cocktail?" asked the head 
 waiter. 
 
 She looked questioningly at Hicks, who nodded 
 dumbly. "Two very dry martinis," she said. 
 
 "And what wine do you prefer?" 
 
 She looked again at Hicks. 
 
 "Champagne," ordered Hicks, determined to 
 have some hand in the ordering. The waiter gave
 
 THE FAKERS 277 
 
 him a wine-card. He read unknowing the vast 
 array of wines listed therein. 
 
 "Ah, yes," said the head-waiter, "Champagne! 
 And what brand shall it be?" 
 
 Champagne was champagne to Hicks. He 
 moved uneasily in his chair. 
 
 "That Panzan of ninety-eight is very good," sug 
 gested Mrs. Lester. Hicks nodded again. Later, 
 lie noted that Panzan, ninety-eight, was eight dol 
 lars a bottle, and he nervously recounted his money.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 MRS. LESTER made a detailed survey 
 of the room. "There are the Bezon- 
 iuses over there," she said, inclining 
 her head towards one quarter of the 
 room. "Their daughter married a 
 Count Crispini and is very high in Roman society. 
 Two tables from them are the Scaddsleighs I 
 must speak to them before we leave very wealthy, 
 and related by marriage to the Rockstons. One 
 of their daughters married a Russian nobleman and 
 that tall girl in cerise with them is Mrs. Jack 
 Jacqueminot, their other daughter, who married the 
 Earl of Addlinton, and divorced him last winter. 
 The papers were full of it at the time." 
 
 "What s cerise?" asked Hicks, who was filled 
 with awe at her familiarity with the great ones of 
 the society columns. 
 
 "A color," she laughed. "Oh, you men ! 
 "There," and she gave a vague indication with her 
 head, "are the Grandleys and the Ibbertons a din 
 ner before the opera, I take it" she continued, 
 mentioning many people with an easy familiarity 
 that astounded Hicks. Evidently, she was on terms 
 with them all. 
 
 Mrs. Lester soon discovered that any woman in 
 an evening gown was a social leader to Hicks s 
 untutored gaze, and she grew more specific, and 
 fascinated him by relating bits of personal history 
 concerning those in the room. Hicks felt he was 
 
 278
 
 THE FAKERS 279 
 
 indeed fortunate, for he was privileged to dine that 
 night in company with about all the leaders of the 
 inner and most exclusive social circle of New York. 
 He listened closely, and asked a question now and 
 then based on what he had seen in newspapers, 
 to show Mrs. Lester he was not entirely ignorant of 
 the people she knew so intimately. It never occurred 
 to Hicks that none of these people were in the 
 room, or, at best, a very few of them. 
 
 The cocktail came, and she lifted the glass to 
 him and said: "A votre saute, Monsieur." 
 
 Hicks bowed: "Your very good health," he re 
 plied, and they both drank. He felt the glow of the 
 mixture within him, and was happy. After the 
 melon was on the table Mrs. Lester said: "But 
 all this social chatter must bore you. Tell me about 
 yourself, Mr. Hicks, and what you have been doing 
 since I last saw you." 
 
 Hicks launched into the story of his career. The 
 meal was served rapidly and skillfully. The wine 
 came and Hicks drank a glass or two. By that 
 time his face was a little flushed and he was leaning 
 forward, talking with intense earnestness about 
 what he had done and what he expected to do. 
 
 "And that is not all," he said, after he had fin 
 ished the story of the campaign to Mrs. Lester, 
 who displayed a most flattering interest, "that is 
 not all. I may tell you something in strict con 
 fidence, I suppose." 
 
 "Why, yes, Mr. Hicks," she replied. "You can 
 trust me, I am sure." 
 
 "Well," he said, lowering his voice a bit, "I ex 
 pect to be made a United States Senator within a 
 short time." 
 
 Mrs. Lester clapped her hands softly. "Oh, Mr. 
 Hicks," she exclaimed, "how splendid; how per 
 fectly splendid! You a Senator! Isn t it just too
 
 280 THE FAKERS 
 
 wonderful. Tell me all about it," and she looked 
 at him with a most bewitching smile. "I am tre 
 mendously interested." 
 
 "Yes," continued Hicks, rather pompously. "My 
 services are to be recognized. I hold the promise 
 of the governor-elect that as soon as Senator Fil- 
 kins dies he will appoint me to fill the vacancy." 
 
 "Is Senator Filkins ill?" she asked. 
 
 "Likely to die at any moment. Then, when I get 
 the appointment, I shall of course, go to Washing 
 ton and take my seat, and later, when the primaries 
 come, will enter those and shall have no difficulty 
 at all no difficulty at all, I assure you of winning 
 in that fight and being selected for the full term. 
 Senator Filkins s term will expire a year from next 
 March, anyhow, and with the leverage I shall have 
 by virtue of my place in the Senate I shall be in 
 a commanding position, and shall take my rightful 
 place in the upper branch of the Congress." 
 
 Mrs. Lester listened to him with parted lips. A 
 Senator? This young man a Senator? She won 
 dered if what he said were true, and she questioned 
 him skillfully and had him repeat the details of 
 the promise and his assurances that Dawson would, 
 undoubtedly, keep his pledge. 
 
 There were few persons left in the restaurant 
 when their coffee was served. Hicks had been so 
 interested in his tale of himself he had not noticed 
 that many of the women present had puffed at 
 cigarettes after their dinner and he was vastly aston 
 ished when Mrs. Lester, apropos of nothing, so far 
 as he could observe, said: 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Hicks, I have never seen you smoke." 
 
 Hicks reflected that he had taken a cocktail and 
 some wine with her, but the ruling passion was 
 strong with him, and he replied: "No; I rarely 
 smokeJ"
 
 THE FAKERS 281 
 
 "What would you say," she asked archly, "if I 
 told you I smoke an occasional cigarette." 
 
 Hicks had never seen a respectable woman smoke 
 a cigarette in his life. He had seen old women in 
 the country who smoked pipes, and had told them 
 he approved of it when he thought it was to his 
 political advantage to do so. He was astonished. 
 
 "You do?" he exclaimed. "You smoke cigar 
 ettes?" 
 
 "Yes," she replied, taking a gold cigarette case 
 out of her handbag, "and if you don t object I shall 
 smoke one now." 
 
 She selected a cigarette. It was gold-tipped and 
 she held it out to Hicks so he might see it was 
 embellished with her coat-of-arms. Then she took 
 a wax taper from a tiny gold matchbox, lighted the 
 cigarette daintily and blew a cloud of fragrant smoke 
 towards Hicks. 
 
 "Have one?" she asked holding out her cigarette 
 case. 
 
 "No, thank you." 
 
 "Oh, have one," she persisted prettily, blowing 
 a wreath of smoke at him. "Please do." 
 
 He handled the proffered case gingerly. Then 
 he selected a cigarette and lighted it. It was the 
 best cigarette he had ever smoked. After a pre 
 liminary puff he drew a deep mouthful of smoke 
 into his lungs, and exhaled it in the straight, steady 
 stream of the practiced cigarette smoker. 
 
 She looked at him and laughed. "Fibber!" she 
 said, leaning over and tapping him on the arm. 
 
 Hicks blushed. "Oh, well," he explained, lamely, 
 "I never do, you know in public not much." 
 
 "Never mind," she said, "I shan t tell." 
 
 Hicks reproached himself for so far losing his 
 pose as to inhale that smoke, but she said nothing 
 more about it and smoked another cigarette, saying
 
 282 THE FAKERS 
 
 it was the universal custom among the ladies of 
 Europe. 
 
 Hicks accepted what Mrs. Lester said was an 
 accurate portrayal of an aspect of high society she 
 had never observed before, and was attracted by 
 the grace with which she handled her cigarette. 
 It was so cosmopolitan in her, he thought, and dis 
 missed the matter from his mind because of his 
 larger concern in his further recital of his own 
 excellent qualities. He hinted he had done very 
 well in a financial way in Rextown, boasted of the 
 size and profit of his law practice, and felt, when he 
 left Mrs. Lester at the Dwighton that night, that he 
 had laid secure foundations for himself in her 
 thoughts. 
 
 He considered her not only a beautiful, but a 
 most talented woman, and, in thinking of himself 
 in the possible position of her husband, convinced 
 himself she would be of great aid to him in Wash 
 ington in attaining social position which he now 
 began to crave, and the possibility that there might 
 be more fashionable, more beautiful, cleverer women 
 in Washington, or elsewhere, than Mrs. Lester did 
 not occur to Hicks. He knew she was far and away 
 superior in these advantageous traits to any woman 
 in Rextown, and he was measuring her by Rextown 
 standards. 
 
 He was in her company as frequently as she al 
 lowed him to be, took her to the theater, for after 
 noon rides in Central Park on bright days, and had 
 her at dinner three times. Mrs. Lester, appar 
 ently, welcomed his attentions, but twice kept him 
 away for two days at a time, saying she had social 
 duties that required her attention. She intimated, 
 without saying so, that she was making rounds of 
 calls on the folks who live upon and adjacent to 
 upper Fifth Avenue. Hicks wondered why she
 
 THE FAKERS 283 
 
 didn t ask him to go with her, and once or twice 
 hinted he would be glad to meet her friends; but she 
 said she was merely calling on women acquaintances, 
 and keeping up her intimacies, and that she was 
 sure he would not enjoy these feminine inter 
 changes. However, she casually mentioned the 
 names of social leaders as if these were the per 
 sons with whom she was familiar, and Hicks was 
 duly impressed. 
 
 After ten days Hicks decided he must move on. 
 He spent several hours on the afternoon before his 
 last dinner with her considering the advisability of 
 proposing marriage to her, but decided to wait. 
 It would do no harm to consider the matter further, 
 although he was strongly attracted to her, and he 
 wanted to make as sure as possible of the size of 
 her fortune. If she had a fair amount of money, 
 as he was almost sure she had, he would marry her. 
 He had no idea there was the possibility of a re 
 fusal on her part. That phase of it never entered 
 into his calculations. 
 
 He had tried, time and again, to lead her up 
 to the point of confiding in him just how much 
 money she had, and how it was invested, and each 
 time she had cleverly evaded his questions, although 
 she talked knowingly of stocks and bonds and "the 
 Street" and all that. She was adorable at that last 
 dinner, urging Hicks to further exaltation of him 
 self, and listening with a most attentive and appre 
 ciative air. As he bade her good-by at the Dwigh- 
 ton he held her hand and said : "Mrs. Lester, these 
 few days shall ever remain in my memory. I shall 
 live in the hope di seeing you soon again, and, some 
 day I hope I trust I 
 
 "Yes," she said, softly. 
 
 "I shall see you again," he concluded, lamely, 
 and pressing her hand again he hurried out.
 
 284 THE FAKERS 
 
 "All I have to do is to say the word," Hicks 
 thought, as he walked towards the Hotel Superbious. 
 
 "He is ready to be picked whenever I see fit to 
 pick him," was Mrs. Lester s view of the situation, 
 as she went up in the elevator.
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 ICKS had stayed so long in New York 
 he had only a day in Washington, and 
 he was much disappointed in not find 
 ing Senator Paxton there. Madden 
 told him things were in good shape, 
 and asked Hicks about his prospective Senatorship. 
 "It all depends on how long Filkins lives," Hicks 
 told him. "I ll get it if he dies when the Legisla 
 ture isn t in session." 
 
 "He s hanging on like a puppy to a root," ob 
 served Madden. "How those old chaps do hate 
 to give up office or life, which is synonymous with 
 office, to a good many of them. Is this generally 
 known?" 
 
 "Oh, no," said Hicks, in alarm. "Nobody 
 knows it but a few people. You must regard it as 
 sacredly confidential." 
 
 "All right," Madden replied. "I ll say nothing 
 about it. Far be it from me to do anything, by 
 word or deed, that might prevent such an addition 
 to the Senate as yourself. Things are getting pretty 
 dull around here." 
 
 "Well," Hicks said, complacently, "I ll stir them 
 up when I get in. Good-by, Madden. Next time 
 I see you I ll be a Senator." 
 
 "Good-by, Hicks. Good luck!" and as Hicks 
 went out Madden lighted a cigar, puffed at it for 
 a moment, then, taking it from his mouth and re- 
 
 285
 
 286 THE FAKERS 
 
 garding the lighted end intently, he said: "Well, 
 I ll be damned." 
 
 Hicks had himself interviewed about Democratic 
 prospects when he returned to Rextown, and ex 
 pressed the matured opinion, based on his observa 
 tions in the East, and his consultations with the 
 great leaders of both parties, who confided in him 
 innermost thoughts he said that the recent Demo 
 cratic victories were but the forerunners of a tidal 
 wave that would sweep his party into power in the 
 Nation. 
 
 He saw little of Rollins, although he made it a 
 point to seek Rollins out and confer with him when 
 ever possible. Hicks felt that something had come 
 between himself and Rollins, but he could not find 
 out what, and Rollins gave no sign. Rollins was 
 polite, affable, but he seemed to have lost interest 
 in Hicks. Hicks wondered if Rollins had learned 
 of his action at the Democratic state convention, 
 and questioned McGinnis closely, but McGinnis 
 stoutly held he had not breathed a word and Hicks 
 knew Dawson had not told. 
 
 There was a great Democratic jubilation at the 
 State capital the night before the inauguration of 
 Governor Dawson. Hicks insisted on speaking and 
 did speak, sonorously and eloquently, and did not 
 fail to take his full share of credit for the "glori 
 ous result at the polls to be consummated on the 
 morrow." He was closest to Governor Dawson 
 when that statesman made his inaugural speech, and 
 stood as near as possible to him at the reception 
 that followed. He sought the political writers and 
 bored them with his views of the situation, State 
 and national, in the hope that something of what 
 he said would be printed, something containing his 
 name. He stayed at the capital for ten days, and 
 was of considerable assistance to Dawson through
 
 THE FAKERS 287 
 
 his knowledge of the politics in the Rextown dis 
 trict. Hicks was a rather adroit politician, and 
 he had strength among the \vorkingmen and the 
 farmers. He urged the appointment of three of 
 his lieutenants for good places, secured a clerkship 
 in the Legislature, and invariably wired to the ap 
 pointees and the Rextown Chronicle telling of his 
 part in what had been done by Dawson. He was 
 affable, and it was impossible to rebuff him, and 
 Dawson gradually grew to have a kindlier opinion 
 of him, especially as Hicks was amenable to any 
 suggestion and would do anything he thought would 
 advance him in the regard of the Governor. Daw- 
 son sent him on one or two minor missions and 
 Hicks never failed to bring back what was re 
 quired. 
 
 He wrote to Mrs. Lester, after he had returned 
 to Rextown, and had resumed his law, and received 
 a cordial, but rather impersonal reply. She waited 
 a fortnight before answering. The letter came 
 from Washington. Mrs. Lester said she had re 
 turned there for the winter. Hicks tried again, 
 and again received a chatty letter, with kind in 
 quiries about himself and his health, but nothing 
 more. 
 
 Senator Filkins was in a sanitarium in the East. 
 There was an occasional paragraph in the papers 
 about him. He was an old man, and while the 
 papers did not say so, the inference in these dis 
 patches was that his physical breakdown was com 
 plete and that he would not recover. Mrs. Lester 
 saw the dispatches, and, after the third one, wrote 
 a longer letter to Hicks, and became somewhat less 
 reserved and impersonal. Hicks replied and gushed 
 a little. 
 
 She read this letter from Hicks in her room at 
 Mrs. Lake s, smiled and laid it aside, and took up
 
 288 THE FAKERS 
 
 the newspaper. At the top of the second column on 
 the first page she saw this item: 
 
 "SENATOR FILKINS FAILING 
 
 "AGED STATESMAN is GRADUALLY LOSING STRENGTH 
 
 AND THE WORST is FEARED. 
 
 "Greeleysburg, February 15. United States 
 Senator Henry M. Filkins, who has been at a sani 
 tarium in this village for several months, is grad 
 ually losing strength. He is suffering from a com 
 plication of diseases and because of his great age 
 is not expected to recover. The attending physi 
 cians say his remarkable vitality may keep him alive 
 for several weeks, or he may die within a few days. 
 Everything possible is being done for the Senator, 
 who is in a comatose condition most of the time, 
 but there is no expectation of his recovery. The 
 members of his family are here." 
 
 "Senator Filkins," an editorial note that followed 
 the despatch said, "is seventy-nine years old, and 
 has not been active for a year. His term will ex 
 pire on the fourth of March next year. The Legis 
 lature in his State is now in session, and a successor 
 will be elected in case he dies before adjournment. 
 If he does not die until after adjournment the 
 appointment of his successor will rest with Gov 
 ernor Dawson, who is a Democrat, and who will, 
 undoubtedly, appoint a Democrat to fill the unex- 
 pired term until such time as the Legislature shall 
 elect. Thus far, no candidates for the Filkins seat 
 have publicly appeared." 
 
 Mrs. Lester read and reread that dispatch and 
 the following paragraph. Apparently, Hicks had 
 not misstated the case so far as the illness of the 
 Senator, and his probable death were concerned,
 
 THE FAKERS 289 
 
 and he was correct as to the subsequent details. 
 She neglected her usual morning processes of re 
 juvenation, and sat in her kimono and considered 
 every aspect of the situation, frankly and ex 
 haustively. 
 
 "I am thirty-six years old," she thought, "and the 
 fight to appear and act younger is extremely la 
 borious as well as expensive and will become more 
 so. My income is not large, and my ambition is 
 great. I have had some opportunities to marry, 
 but have not married because none of the men who 
 offered to marry me had the requisite fortune or 
 position. There is no doubt that I can marry Hicks 
 if I choose, and while he may not be rich, he, prob 
 ably, has some money, and he will give me high 
 official position here as his wife when he becomes 
 a United States Senator. I shall have the social 
 opportunities I crave, and I can do what I please 
 with him. I have no real regard for him, but I 
 want position, and he can furnish that. Hicks is a 
 faker, but so am I, and I am more skillful at it 
 than he is. With my capabilities, and his position, 
 I can do what I please in official society here, once 
 I get started, and the remaking of Hicks to rid 
 him of some of his grosser faults can come later. 
 It stands to reason that he has a certain amount of 
 ability or he would not have progressed so far. 
 If he is sure of that appointment, I might marry 
 him, on the chance that he can be elected afterwards, 
 and, even if he is not, I shall always be Mrs. Sen 
 ator Hicks, and that is better than being Mrs. 
 Alys Lester." 
 
 Senator Filkins would die. That was certain, but 
 would he die before the Legislature readjourned so 
 Governor Dawson would not have the power to 
 name his successor? The whole situation de 
 volved on that. She had a Congressional Direc-
 
 2 9 o THE FAKERS 
 
 tory, which she was accustomed to study in order 
 to familiarize herself with the details of Senate and 
 House organizations so she might talk intelligently 
 about those things to the statesmen she happened 
 to meet. She looked in that and found that Sen 
 ator Filkins was chairman of the Judiciary Com 
 mittee. After she had completed her toilet she 
 went downstairs to the telephone and called the 
 Capitol. 
 
 "Main, 3120, please," she said. 
 
 "Capitol," answered the girl at the Capitol 
 switchboard, after a time. 
 
 "Give me the Senate Committee on Judiciary, 
 please. Hello is this the Committee on Judiciary 
 this is Mrs. Lester, an old friend of the family 
 of Senator Filkins I have read the dispatch in 
 the paper this morning and am greatly concerned 
 can you tell me if it is true the Senator is in im 
 minent peril of death?" 
 
 "Just a moment, please," said a voice at the other 
 end of the line, "I ll call the Senator s secretary." 
 
 Mrs. Lester repeated her inquiry when the secre 
 tary came. 
 
 "Why, no," he replied. "That is not our under 
 standing. It is true the Senator is 111 and is grad 
 ually sinking, but we had a despatch from his doc 
 tors this morning saying there has been no change 
 for the worse and that he will undoubtedly live for 
 some weeks, perhaps months, yet, unless something 
 unforseen happens. His heart action is still good 
 and his vitality amazing." 
 
 "Thank you," said Mrs. Lester, sweetly. 
 
 She returned to her room. The chances were 
 the Senator might live for a time, and she remem 
 bered that Hicks had told her the session of the 
 Legislature expired by limitation in March. 
 Therefore, it all depended on the truth of what
 
 THE FAKERS 291 
 
 Hicks had said about his promise from Dawson. 
 She debated the question and decided Hicks would 
 not lie about it, to her at least; but to make sure 
 she drew Hammerton, a western representative who 
 lived in the adjoining State not far from Yorkville, 
 into a conversation after dinner that night. 
 
 "I see that new governor, Dawson, is making a 
 great stir with reform measures," she said. 
 
 "Yes," Hammerton answered, "he is pushing 
 about every issue we have at present." 
 
 "How did he happen to win? Isn t that a Re 
 publican State?" 
 
 "Normally, but these are abnormal times." 
 
 "Is Dawson a good man?" 
 
 "Fairly so, but not so good as the man he de 
 feated for the nomination Mulford." 
 
 "If he wasn t the best man how did he happen 
 to be nominated?" she asked. "Don t they always 
 nominate the best man?" she continued, innocently. 
 
 "Almost never," laughed Hammerton. "I hap 
 pened to be in Yorkville when that convention was 
 held, and I dropped in on the last day. Dawson 
 was nominated after a lot of ballots because the 
 Rextown outfit quit Mulford at the critical time 
 and came over to him. Some deal, I reckon." 
 
 "Oh," she said, sympathetically, "poor Mr. Mul 
 ford." 
 
 Convinced that Hicks had told the truth, she went 
 early to her room and, after releasing herself from 
 her stays, and making a few of her nightly beauti- 
 fication preliminaries, turned her mind to the Hicks 
 problem. 
 
 Obviously her plan of action was to secure Hicks 
 as soon as he was appointed, and before he reached 
 Washington, for she knew he would be so elated 
 with his new honors that she might have difficulty 
 in netting him in Washington. Therefore, her
 
 292 THE FAKERS 
 
 place was in Rextown, on the spot, so that he might 
 have no chance to escape. She was fully determined 
 to marry him, and what she needed was a rea 
 sonable excuse for her appearance in Rextown, for 
 the conduct of her campaign. 
 
 She might pretend she had relatives there, but 
 she hadn t and Hicks would ask who they were. 
 She wondered if there was a famous doctor there 
 whom she might consult, but dismissed that as too 
 flimsy. She considered the plan of going to Chicago 
 to consult her attorneys, finding there was to be 
 several weeks delay, and dropping into Rextown for 
 a time, instead of remaining in Chicago, which she 
 loathed, or could loathe for her purposes, to look 
 at that paragon of cities of which she had heard 
 so much from Hicks. That would fail, because 
 Hicks would naturally be curious about the details 
 of her law business, and there was no law business, 
 nor could she stop to invent details. She might say 
 she was going further west on a visit, and became 
 suddenly ill on the train near Rextown, and stopped 
 off there because she knew Hicks lived there, and 
 would help her in her distress. That plan, she 
 threw aside, because she didn t care to go to the 
 trouble of simulating sickness. 
 
 She pondered various other schemes. Finally, 
 the right one came to her. 
 
 "That s it," she said. "That will do the busi 
 ness," and she went to her desk and wrote: 
 
 "Mv DEAR HICKS: 
 
 "I hope it will not bore you if I ask your advice, which 
 I value highly, on a matter of some importance to me. 
 
 "Quite recently, a number of my investments have ma 
 tured and I find myself with a considerable sum of ready 
 money on hand. There is so much business disturbance 
 at present that several friends have advised me to invest
 
 THE FAKERS 293 
 
 this money in first-class farm mortgages, saying that sort 
 of security will be best for a time for my needs. 
 
 "I recall what you have so frequently told me of the 
 prosperous farming country around your city, and I won 
 dered if, perchance, you could tell me if there are advantag 
 eous opportunities there for the investment of money on good 
 farm mortgages. My friends tell me that the rate of inter 
 est on western farm lands is quite remunerative, and I am 
 tempted to look into the matter closely. 
 
 "I know this is an imposition on the time of a busy man, 
 but if you can spare a moment to inform me whether you 
 consider this form of investment safe and profitable and 
 whether there are any opportunities for such investment 
 in your vicinity I shall be deeply grateful. The sum avail 
 able is of considerable magnitude, and I, of course, want to 
 invest it as soon as possible, and at as remunerative a rate 
 of interest as is consistent with entire security. 
 
 "May I expect to hear from you soon? I trust you are 
 in your usual buoyant health and that your business and 
 political affairs are flourishing. I am looking forward to 
 the pleasure of welcoming you here as a Senator. Shall I 
 soon have the opportunity? 
 
 "Faithfully, 
 
 "ALYS DE MOUNTFORT LESTER." 
 
 "There," she said, as she addressed and sealed 
 the envelope. "That will secure an invitation for 
 me to visit Rextown and investigate farm loans in 
 person or I have mistaken my M arm a duke."
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 ICKS read Mrs. Lester s letter twice. 
 
 "By George," he said, "she has 
 more money than I thought she had. 
 The sum is of considerable magnitude, 
 he quoted. I wonder how much? 
 Forty or fifty thousand dollars, probably. Maybe 
 more, for she must be pretty rich, judging from the 
 way she dresses and the people she knows. If I get 
 that senatorship I surely must marry her. She d 
 make a great senator s wife. Also she d make a 
 pretty fair sort of a non-senator s wife, with all 
 that money and her beauty and cleverness. I wish 
 
 I could see her and talk it over. I wish " 
 
 He stopped, and looked at the letter he held 
 in his hand. "Why not?" he asked. "Why not 
 ask her to come out here and look at the farm land 
 herself? She s got nothing else to do, and then 
 I can find out just what she s worth, and she ll never 
 know I asked her to come for any other reason 
 than to protect her interests. It s worth trying. 
 I ll do it, I ll be darned if I don t." 
 
 Hicks reached out his hand to press the button 
 that called his stenographer. Then he drew his 
 hand back. "No," he said, "I ll write to her my 
 self." He took a sheet of his personal letter paper 
 and this is what he wrote: 
 
 "Mv DEAR MRS. LESTER: 
 
 "Busy as I may be, I am never too busy to be of service 
 to you and I feel highly honored by the confidence you have 
 
 294
 
 THE FAKERS 295 
 
 reposed in me in asking me the questions you do in your 
 letter of recent date. 
 
 "I know of no place in this country where farm mort 
 gages are so desirable an investment as in Corliss and the 
 adjoining counties. The land is rich and productive, the 
 rate of interest is eight per cent., and, in case you decide 
 to invest here, there would be no commissions to pay, of 
 course, for my services will be at your disposal in arranging 
 the details of the loans. 
 
 "However, a matter of this kind can best be talked over 
 face to face, and I would not allow you to invest a dollar 
 without first making a critical examination yourself of the 
 property the mortgages would cover. Of course, it is not 
 businesslike to have large sums of money lying idle in bank, 
 and why wouldn t it be a good plan for you to run out to 
 Rextown, consult with me about the plan, look at such 
 properties as I may know about, and get a change of air 
 at the same time ? It is delightful here now ; no snow, 
 fresh pure air that has a tang and a tonic, and I am sure 
 I can make your stay agreeable. 
 
 "Shall I expect you, and when? My own affairs are 
 prospering, and, politically, there is every evidence that I 
 soon shall have my senatorial ambition gratified. 
 "Very sincerely yours, 
 
 "T. MARMADUKE HICKS." 
 
 "Unless I miss my guess," said Hicks as he 
 stamped the envelope, "that letter will land Mrs. 
 Lester in Rextown within two weeks, where I can 
 find out about this fortune of hers, and secure a 
 husband s dower rights in it if that seems advan 
 tageous." 
 
 Mrs. Lester thanked Hicks effusively in her re 
 ply, said she thought a visit to Rextown would 
 facilitate matters, asked Hicks if he would secure 
 a room for her at the leading hotel on receipt of a 
 wire from her that she had started, and thought she 
 might start within a week. 
 
 Three weeks later Hicks received a telegram from
 
 296 THE FAKERS 
 
 her which read: "Shall arrive on Thursday after 
 noon, four-forty-seven." 
 
 Hicks had decided he could not allow her to go 
 to the Metropolis Hotel, and had arranged with 
 Mrs. Hungerford to give Mrs. Lester the best 
 available room at his boarding-house. He told 
 Mrs. Hungerford that Mrs. Lester was a very rich 
 friend of his, a widow, who was seeking investment 
 in farm mortgages, and that he wanted Mrs. Hun 
 gerford to be extremely nice to her. He dilated on 
 her social position, and her beauty, and the whole 
 feminine contingent at Mrs. Hungerford s, having 
 learned of the approaching visit of this marvelous 
 woman, was so excited on the day of her arrival 
 they talked of nothing else. 
 
 Hicks dressed in his best and met the train. Mrs. 
 Lester stepped out of her Pullman, clad in a smart 
 black tailored dress, a saucy little hat, and greeted 
 Hicks with polite cordiality. She looked more 
 beautiful than ever to Hicks, who hastened to meet 
 her with outstretched hands and many exclamations 
 of delight. 
 
 "Will you attend to my trunks?" she asked, offer 
 ing Hicks several trunk checks. 
 
 Hicks hurried away to the transfer man. "Gee," 
 he said, as he gave that official seven checks, "she 
 brought a few of her clothes with her, I should 
 say." 
 
 She had. She brought all of her clothes, for 
 Mrs. Lester did not intend to leave Rextown hur 
 riedly. She was there for quite a visit, a longer 
 visit than Hicks imagined. 
 
 "I have taken the liberty of securing you a room 
 at my boarding-house," he told her. "Mrs. Hun 
 gerford conducts a most quiet and refined house 
 and I thought it would be better for you to stay 
 there, in a home atmosphere, than at the noisy
 
 THE FAKERS 297 
 
 Metropolis Hotel. Our hotels out here, you know, 
 are not quite in the New York class, and besides," 
 and he smiled what he considered a most engaging 
 smile, "I can sec you oftener then." 
 
 "At your boarding-house," exclaimed Mrs. Les 
 ter, in pretty dismay. "Why, Mr. Hicks, I had 
 expected to stay at a hotel. Are you sure it will 
 be quite convenient?" 
 
 "Oh, entirely, entirely, my dear Mrs. Lester. 
 You will find Mrs. Hungerford a most charming 
 lady, and she will give you every attention." 
 
 They drove to the boarding-house, and entered. 
 Every window was filled with eager women, staring 
 at and commenting on the new arrival. They 
 unanimously voted her a most stylish person, but 
 the one who said, "She isn t so young as she used 
 to be," concretely expressed the results of that 
 feminine analysis. 
 
 Mrs. Lester met Mrs. Hungerford and some of 
 the other boarders, and asked to be shown to her 
 room, saying she was very tired. She did not come 
 down to supper that night, pleading a travel head 
 ache, and made no appearance until noon the next 
 day, when she was completely refreshed, had re 
 paired the ravages of her journey, and was the 
 most perfect work of constructive female artifice 
 the ladies at Mrs. Hungerford s had ever seen. 
 
 Hicks called for her that afternoon, and drove 
 her about Rextown. She said she wanted to see 
 the city before she talked of business, and Hicks 
 was in no hurry. She prettily put business aside for 
 several days thereafter, talked and talked with 
 Hicks, astonished the boarders at Mrs. Hunger- 
 ford s with her various accomplishments and the 
 recital of her eminent social intimacies, and soon 
 had that household at her feet. Hicks displayed her 
 on the streets as much as he could. The local
 
 298 THE FAKERS 
 
 papers dwelt on her arrival and her beauty and 
 her standing, and the women society reporters 
 printed her picture together with glowing descrip 
 tions of her gowns. Mrs. Lester loved it. She 
 was getting more attention than she ever had had 
 in her life. 
 
 Each day she put off Hicks, who really knew of 
 some advantageous mortgages that might be se 
 cured, and told him she was so glad to be away 
 from the artificialities of society and among real 
 people that she would defer business to the enjoy 
 ment of this novel experience. Hicks was willing. 
 He neglected his office entirely, and was constantly in 
 her company. They were invited to several houses, 
 where Mrs. Lester made great sensations with her 
 clothes and her conversation, and Hicks was very 
 happy and determined not to let her get away with 
 out a promise from her that she would marry him. 
 Likewise, she was determined to make the promise, 
 provided the senatorship came. 
 
 Filkins lived on. Mrs. Lester took a short trip 
 to Chicago to see some Lake Shore Drive friends 
 she said, and returned to the nervous Hicks who 
 feared she would not, although she left six trunks 
 in the boarding-house. 
 
 The Legislature adjourned. Hicks and Mrs. 
 Lester had inspected several farms, and had talked 
 of mortgages tentatively. She was in no hurry. 
 She said she was having a most delightful experi 
 ence, and Hicks was anxious to have her stay. Her 
 manner toward Hicks changed slightly. She gave 
 occasional evidence of sentimental regard for him, 
 not pronounced, but an intimation now and then 
 that persuaded Hicks he had gained her affections. 
 He talked unceasingly of his prospects, and eagerly 
 watched for news from the bedside of Senator 
 Filkins.
 
 THE FAKERS 299 
 
 On the last day of March Governor Dawson s 
 secretary handed him a telegram, announcing the 
 death of Senator Filkins. 
 
 "Did you read it?" asked the Governor. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Filkins is dead." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And as our new primary law does not go into 
 effect until June first, it is for me to appoint his 
 successor to serve until there is an election." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Well, make out a commission for T. Marmaduke 
 Hicks, of Rextown." 
 
 "What?" shouted the secretary. "T. Marma 
 duke Hicks ! Why, Governor, you are not serious. 
 There are better men than Hicks for the place." 
 
 "That may be so," said Dawson, "but I have 
 made up my mind to name Hicks." 
 
 "Governor, wait a minute. Don t be in a hurry. 
 Talk it over with some of your friends. Hicks 
 has no particular claim on you that I know about. 
 Hold on! Let me call in some of the boys." 
 
 "No," said Dawson, "I shall not wait. If I 
 wait I won t do it, and I ve got to do it. I have 
 passed my word to him. Besides," as if seeking 
 to excuse himself, "it isn t for long, and he can never 
 win in the primaries, for Mulford, and probably 
 Rollins and some others will be sure to run." 
 
 "Governor Governor " pleaded his secre 
 tary. "Don t be in a hurry! This is the most im 
 portant appointment you have had to make. Put 
 it off until to-morrow." 
 
 "No," Dawson replied. "It will be easier to 
 do now than to-morrow, and I ve got to do it, or 
 make myself a liar. I passed my word and I ve 
 got to keep it, even with Hicks." 
 
 With his own hand Dawson wrote this telegram :
 
 300 THE FAKERS 
 
 "YORKVILLE, March 31. 
 "T. MARMADUKE HICKS, 
 
 "Rextown. 
 
 "I have this day appointed you United States Senator to 
 succeed the late Henry M. Filkins until such time as the 
 legislature shall elect. Your credentials will follow by 
 mail. 
 
 "PETER R. DAWSON, Governor." 
 
 Just as he handed the telegram to his personal 
 messenger and told him to file it at once, Smathers, 
 the capitol man of the Yorkville Sun, hurried 
 brusquely into the office, brushing aside the man at 
 the door. 
 
 "Governor," he said, "the office just telephoned 
 that Senator Filkins is dead." 
 
 "So I am informed." 
 
 "And you will appoint a successor until the Legis 
 lature meets?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Have you anybody in mind?" 
 
 "I have appointed T. Marmaduke Hicks, of Rex- 
 town." 
 
 "What?" shouted Smathers. "Hicks? Do you 
 mean that wind-jamming faker who poses as the 
 friend of the people?" 
 
 "I mean T. Marmaduke Hicks, of Rextown, who 
 is already apprised of his selection." 
 
 "Well, I ll be damned!" exclaimed Smathers. 
 "Why?" 
 
 "I have reasons of my own," said Dawson. "Mr. 
 Hicks has been a valiant and uncompromising Demo 
 crat for many years. He has remained faithful to 
 the party in times of stress and storm. He is 
 young, brilliant, strong with the masses, and will 
 serve his State and his party well." 
 
 "Sure!" said Smathers, who was looking at the 
 Governor in undisguised amazement, "and serve
 
 THE FAKERS 301 
 
 himself well, too. You ll get merry hell for this, 
 Governor." 
 
 "Well," the Governor replied, "it s done. Go 
 easy as you can, Smathers. I had to do it. Poli 
 tics is politics, and that explains many things."
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 THE afternoon papers in Rextown put out 
 extras announcing the death of Senator 
 Filkins. Hicks read the despatch, and 
 was writing a telegram to Governor 
 Dawson, when a boy came in and handed 
 him the Governor s message. 
 
 The hot blood mounted to Hicks s face as he 
 read it and his hand trembled. There it was, un 
 doubtedly official. Dawson had redeemed his 
 pledge. He, T. Marmaduke Flicks, was a Senator 
 of the United States. His first thought was : "How 
 will this affect Alys?" for Hicks had long since 
 ceased calling Mrs. Lester anything but Alys to 
 himself. 
 
 He saw visions of that incomparable woman as 
 Mrs. Senator Hicks, lording it over society in Wash 
 ington while he led the Senate on to great achieve 
 ments for the people. He had no doubt she would 
 be glad to marry him now. And he decided to 
 ask her at once. 
 
 The telephone bell rang. The afternoon papers 
 had despatches from Yorkville saying Hicks had 
 been appointed and they wanted to know if it was 
 official. Hicks assured them it was. The report 
 ers came and he talked to them of his new respon 
 sibilities and of what he intended to do at Wash 
 ington, and of how his strong hand would at once 
 be placed on the helm of government, and the ship 
 of state steered safely across the shoals that were 
 
 302
 
 THE FAKERS 303 
 
 threatening in such dangerous numbers at the pres 
 ent time. 
 
 The papers put out second extras, and printed 
 every word Hicks had said, with his picture and 
 sketches of his life. Men began to come in, in 
 twos and threes. Hicks held a reception, received 
 congratulations complacently, and told all visitors 
 how many reforms would now be brought about for 
 he, T. Marmaduke Hicks, was a Senator of the 
 United States. He planned to leave at once. The 
 Senate needed him, he said, and Filkins s seat had 
 long been vacant because of his illness. 
 
 Just as he was preparing to go home he waited 
 until the six-o clock crowds would be on the streets 
 so he might make a triumphal progress Rollins 
 entered. 
 
 "My dear old friend," gushed Hicks, "I had 
 longed for your coming. With your congratulations 
 my happiness will be complete." 
 
 "You ll get no congratulations from me, Hicks," 
 said Rollins coldly. "I did not come to congratulate 
 you. I came to notify you that I have suspected 
 ever since last September you were a traitor to 
 Mulford and to me at the convention, and now I 
 know it. This appointment is the price of your 
 treachery. I didn t think Peter Dawson would 
 stoop to so despicable a thing as this. You be 
 trayed me, Hicks, and you betrayed Mulford. This 
 is your thirty pieces of silver." 
 
 "Why, Rollins!" Hicks exclaimed, "what has 
 come over you, my dear, old, faithful friend? You 
 are joking." 
 
 "I am not joking. I never was more earnest in 
 my life." 
 
 Hicks turned on Rollins. His face was red. His 
 voice w r as harsh. "Rollins," he said, "you can t 
 come here and talk to me in this way. And you
 
 304 THE FAKERS 
 
 can t frighten me with your cheap threats. More 
 than that, Rollins, from this minute I am the leader 
 of the Democrats in this county, and I shall soon 
 be the leader of the Democrats in the State. I am 
 a United States Senator. Remember that. I have 
 the power. I shall use it, too." 
 
 Rollins looked calmly at Hicks for a moment. 
 
 "I am not the sort to indulge in heroics, Hicks," 
 he said, "and I haven t anything more to say. You 
 were a traitor. You have just been paid. I ll prove 
 it and, by God, when I do prove it I ll drive you 
 out of the State. Remember that." 
 
 Hicks was excited. He waited for ten minutes 
 to collect himself, and then made his appearance 
 on the streets. Men rushed to shake hands with 
 him. People pointed him out as the new Senator. 
 He passed graciously along to the boarding-house, 
 and there was received with wild acclaim. Mrs. 
 Lester, he observed, was not in the parlor. 
 
 She came in later, marvelously gowned. She 
 greeted Hicks, with pretty sincerity, and said she 
 had no doubt he would make a great Senator. 
 Hicks acknowledged her congratulations flamboy 
 antly and they went to dinner. 
 
 Hicks paraded about the city that night, offering 
 himself for congratulations wherever he found any 
 body to congratulate him. He visited the office of 
 the Chronicle, and added some complimentary 
 phrases to that paper s editorial estimate of his 
 capacities for the Senatorship, revised the glow 
 ing sketch of his life, and achievements, and went 
 to the boarding-house. 
 
 It was midnight, but there was a light in the 
 parlor. He entered, hung his hat in the hall, and 
 looked in as he passed the parlor door. Mrs. 
 Lester was there. His heart bounded. She was 
 waiting for him. He looked again, and was en-
 
 THE FAKERS 305 
 
 raptured by the picture. She had been reading, but 
 her book lay open on her lap, and she seemed lost 
 in thought. Her elaborately coiffured head rested 
 gracefully on a graceful hand. Apparently she had 
 not heard him. He gazed at her. She was the 
 one woman to be the wife of United States Senator 
 T. Marmaduke Hicks. 
 
 He stepped in the door, stretched out his arms, 
 put all the fervor in his voice he used when plead 
 ing the cause of the people, and cried: 
 
 "Alys! Alys!" 
 
 She started, looked up at him, blushed and said: 
 "Why, Marmaduke, how you startled me! " 
 
 Marmaduke ! It was the first time she had called 
 him that. Made bold by her action he rushed 
 across the room and knelt at her feet. 
 
 "Alys! Alys!" he said, trying to get a throb 
 into his voice, "Alys, my queen!" For months and 
 months I have worshiped you, adored you. Now 
 I can come to you with a position worthy of you. 
 Now I can offer you a place among the elect of the 
 nation. Alys, I am a Senator a Senator of the 
 United States. I can take you to Washington and 
 establish you in the highest places, where you are 
 so well fitted to hold queenly sway. I shall win in 
 the primaries. I shall be one of the great states 
 men of the nation. The whole, boundless future 
 is ours. Together, hand in hand, w r e can climb to 
 lofty pinnacles. I will take you to the White House 
 and I will make you the first lady of the land, if 
 you will marry me." 
 
 He paused overcome by the emotion of his own 
 performance. During his plea Mrs. Lester had 
 remained sitting, looking down at him, as tender a 
 smile as she could manage on her lips, but a cold 
 hard light in her eyes. 
 
 "Marmaduke," she said, softly, "I have admired
 
 306 THE FAKERS 
 
 you and I have learned to love you. I shall be glad 
 to return to Washington with you." 
 
 "Then you will marry me?" 
 
 "Yes, I will marry you," and she bent over and 
 kissed him, full on the lips. 
 
 They talked for a long time, making plans. 
 Hicks was for an immediate wedding, and she con 
 sented, hesitatingly, for she said she would like to 
 have a little time for preparation, and would dearly 
 love a wedding befitting Hicks s station. Hicks 
 would like that, too, but he was anxious to get to 
 Washington, anxious to embark on his work of re 
 forming the government, and he wanted to take her 
 with him. So they decided to be married im 
 mediately. 
 
 It was almost two o clock in the morning when 
 they parted. He went to the foot of the stairs 
 with her, and kissed her many times. As she 
 "finally released herself from his embrace and started 
 to go upstairs she turned and said: "Oh, Marma- 
 duke dear Marmaduke !" 
 
 "My love!" 
 
 "You are sure you can be elected when the Legis 
 lature meets, aren t you, dear?" 
 
 "Certain of it, my sweetheart. I shall be Senator 
 for many years, until I take you to the White House 
 as the wife of the President." 
 
 Somehow, as Hicks thought the events of the 
 night over, in his room, that last question of his 
 fiancee s rather jarred. 
 
 Hicks told Mrs. Hungerford early next morning 
 he intended to marry Mrs. Lester. 
 
 "Oh, Senator!" cried Mrs. Hungerford. "Where? 
 When?" 
 
 Hicks hadn t thought of those details. 
 
 "Please, Senator, please have the wedding here," 
 pleaded Mrs. Hungerford. "It will be such an
 
 THE FAKERS 307 
 
 advertisement for my house a United States Sen 
 ator getting married in my parlors! Please, oh, 
 please do ! I have been very kind to you. There 
 is no other place for you to go unless you go to 
 a minister s house if you are going to be married 
 at once. Please !" 
 
 Hicks was impressed. He felt he must be mar 
 ried and on his way to Washington within a week, 
 and he had no home except the boarding-house where 
 he lived so long, nor had Mrs. Lester. He said 
 he would consult with his fiancee about the matter 
 he constantly referred to Mrs. Lester as "my 
 flan-say" but he moved to the Metropolis Hotel 
 and took a big suite on the second floor, announcing 
 his place of residence in the papers and inviting the 
 people to call on him and make known their wants, 
 in order that he might go earnestly at work as soon 
 as he took his seat "donned his toga," Hicks said 
 and relieve their necessities in the way of help 
 ful legislation. He explained, carefully, this shift 
 from the boarding-house was not ostentation. It 
 was merely due to his position and to give the 
 people a chance to call on him. 
 
 The Dawson newspapers made the best they could 
 of the appointment, and the opposition papers ridi 
 culed it. Almost every paragrapher in the State 
 called attention to the fact that the date of the 
 appointment was March thirty-first and said the 
 Governor certainly had played an April Fool joke 
 on the Commonwealth, Hicks set this ridicule 
 down to the venom of the capitalistic and suborned 
 press, and prepared a long defense of Dawson and 
 a long exaltation of himself for publication in the 
 Chronicle. 
 
 He made arrangements for the continuance of 
 such law work as he had on hand, and saw to it 
 that the papers, and the correspondents, had full
 
 308 THE FAKERS 
 
 particulars of his forthcoming marriage. He was 
 expert at publicity about himself and he dictated 
 an article for use in the out-of-town papers advising 
 Washington of the imminent arrival of T. Marma- 
 duke Hicks, who would be not only one of the 
 youngest Senators who ever sat in that distinguished 
 body Hicks was much chagrined to find he wouldn t 
 be the youngest but who would bring a beautiful 
 and accomplished bride with him. He said nothing 
 about his previous work and experience. 
 
 He foresaw with much satisfaction that his ap 
 pearance as a Senator and as a bridegroom would 
 attach a new value to him, and he urged Mrs. 
 Lester to have some new pictures taken, which she 
 did, with a special rush order to the photographers. 
 As for himself, he went to a photograph gallery and 
 posed twenty different ways, ranging from an atti 
 tude of deep study of pressing problems, at a desk, 
 leaning on his hand, with one finger disposed along 
 his cheek, to a pose with his arms outstretched, as 
 if he were delivering an impassioned speech in de 
 fense of rule by the people. The photographer had 
 a papier mache property in his gallery that looked 
 like the end of a train. Hicks had several pictures 
 taken with this, in various poses, and one with him 
 self and Mrs. Lester together. These pictures were 
 hurriedly finished and handed to the Rextown 
 papers, labeled: "Senator Hicks and his bride 
 leaving Rextown for Washington." 
 
 He took large numbers of pictures with him, in 
 order that the demand from the magazine and 
 newspaper people in Washington might be supplied, 
 and so did Mrs. Lester. He kept his stenographer 
 working nights preparing literature about himself, 
 his life, his achievements, his bride, her old and no 
 ble lineage, her culture, her beauty, and bore down
 
 THE FAKERS 309 
 
 heavily on the statement that she was young and 
 looked like a girl in her teens. 
 
 Hicks talked with Mrs. Lester about her pro 
 posed mortgage investments. She said there was 
 no hurry, for now that they were to be married their 
 home interests would be in Rextown, and they could 
 wait until they returned and then take up the mat 
 ter if it seemed the thing to do. Also, she gave 
 Hicks the impression that in her new estate she 
 wouldn t be so eager as she was as a widow to get 
 this portion of her fortune invested. She hinted 
 that it might as well remain in bank for a time, sub 
 ject to her check. This coincided exactly with the 
 views of Hicks, who knew that money placed in 
 mortgages is not easily converted into cash until the 
 mortgages expire. He did not press the matter, and 
 he thought, but did not say, that the more money 
 Mrs. Lester had in bank where it could be obtained 
 easily the better he would be pleased. 
 
 They were married at Mrs. Hungerford s, which 
 had seemed best to Mrs. Lester, although she had 
 an idea it might be well to have the ceremony at 
 the pastor s house and hold a reception at the Me 
 tropolis Hotel. That wasn t feasible, after she 
 had thought it all over, and when Hicks suggested 
 it, desiring to make a splash himself, she told him, 
 sweetly, it made no difference where they were mar 
 ried, she loved him so much, and they could come 
 back and have a reception later in the year, for 
 which adequate preparations could be made. Mrs. 
 Hungerford had a wedding breakfast, at which 
 Hicks made a speech, congratulating himself and 
 Rextown, the state and the nation on the auspicious 
 event. 
 
 They left on the two o clock train. The affair 
 had been so well advertised there was a crowd of 
 sightseers at the station, and Hicks and his blush-
 
 gio THE FAKERS 
 
 ing bride stood on the rear end of the train, she 
 clinging to his arm and he bowing and waving his 
 hat, until the town was left far behind. 
 
 On the morning of his wedding day Hicks an 
 nounced in the Chronicle, in a carefully prepared 
 statement, he was henceforth to be considered the 
 Democratic leader of that section, and that he 
 would take even a more active part in state affairs 
 than he had. He intimated his new position put 
 him in such a place of power that he had no doubt 
 the Democracy would flock to him as their leader. 
 He praised every act of the Dawson state admin 
 istration, but intimated that Hicks would be potent 
 in national affairs, and he promised the Democracy 
 to be faithful to this great and unexpected, al 
 though worthily bestowed, honor that had come to 
 him. He considered the advisability of announcing 
 his candidacy to succeed himself, but decided to say 
 nothing about it, and await the outcome of what 
 Rollins might do. Besides, he felt he might pre 
 cipitate a warfare on himself, and he considered it 
 to be the better politics to hold off on that point. 
 He was a candidate to succeed himself, of course, 
 and had no idea of failure of election.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 THERE had been despatches in the Wash 
 ington papers about Hicks, his marriage, 
 and he had sent on pictures of both of 
 them, with typewritten life stories of 
 each. The Washington papers had 
 printed not only portions of the highly eulogistic 
 articles sent in by Hicks, but had reprinted some 
 of the comment from the opposition papers. Hicks 
 and his bride were well advertised when they ar 
 rived, and he was extremely gratified to find a little 
 knot of idlers at the station as they came through 
 the gates. The local papers had sent snapshot men, 
 and Hicks and Mrs. Hicks posed for them. The 
 idlers and curiosity-seekers applauded them and 
 Hicks made a brief speech, while his bride stood 
 radiantly beside him, for she loved applause as 
 much as he did. 
 
 The correspondents for the papers in Hicks s 
 home state were there. They sent back chaffing dis 
 patches about his arrival. The story got around 
 on Newspaper Row, and one or two of the New 
 York papers carried a paragraph or two about this 
 new world-maker who had come out of the West. 
 The Washington papers were sedate about it. They 
 told the story, and let it go at that. Washington 
 papers rarely josh statesmen, for reasons of their 
 own not connected with the fact that Congress legis 
 lates for Washington and establishes the tax rate. 
 
 311
 
 3 i2 THE FAKERS 
 
 The hotel question had been settled rather de 
 cisively on the train. 
 
 "I suppose," Hicks had said to his wife, after 
 they were comfortably in the drawing-room she in 
 sisted upon when Hicks had proposed a section, "I 
 suppose it wouldn t do to go to Mrs. Lake s?" 
 
 "Certainly not," Mrs. Hicks replied. 
 
 "Well, then, my dear, where shall we go? You 
 know about the Washington hotels better than I do." 
 
 "I prefer the Palace." 
 
 "The Palace but, my dear the Palace is " 
 
 "I prefer the Palace," she repeated, with an air 
 of finality that warned Hicks there was to be no 
 further discussion of the matter; and, after the re 
 ception at the station, they went to the Palace. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks accompanied Hicks to the desk and 
 stood beside him as he registered: "Hon. T. Mar- 
 maduke Hicks, and wife, Rextown." 
 
 "What will you require, Mr. Hicks?" asked the 
 clerk. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks replied: "A suite two bedrooms, 
 parlor and bath," she said calmly. 
 
 Hicks gasped. That meant at least twenty dol 
 lars a day without meals. 
 
 "My dear he began. 
 
 "I should like to examine several suites," inter 
 rupted Mrs. Hicks, speaking to the clerk, but look 
 ing steadily at her husband. "We shall be here 
 for some time." 
 
 She selected one on the fifth floor, and soon was 
 ordering bellboys, porters, maids and housekeeper 
 about as if she owned the hotel. Hicks sat gloom 
 ily in the parlor. There seemed nothing for him 
 to say, and he said nothing. Finally, he telephoned 
 up to the Capitol and asked for Senator Paxton. 
 That statesman was in New York, Madden told
 
 THE FAKERS 313 
 
 him, after he had congratulated, but would be back 
 in the morning. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks dressed for dinner with elaborate 
 care. She thought Hicks should wear his evening 
 clothes, but Hicks protested he couldn t afford to. 
 He said he was a new Senator, the friend and 
 tribune of the people, and he must not begin throw 
 ing on undemocratic style as soon as he landed in 
 the city. He told Mrs. Hicks they would have to 
 move to a plainer place. She smiled and said noth 
 ing. She did not press the evening clothes matter, 
 and Hicks compromised by putting on his long coat. 
 She was radiant when she went to dinner, and at 
 tracted much attention. 
 
 They sat about the long corridor where others 
 were sitting, paraded back and forth a few times, 
 and were universally observed. The hotel people 
 passed the word this was Senator Hicks and his 
 bride, and some of the women and many of the 
 men introduced themselves. Mrs. Hicks was charm 
 ing. She let it be known she was no stranger in 
 Washington, that her former husband had held a 
 "diplomatic" post, and inasmuch as Hicks had 
 spread himself in his information to the press on 
 :er high family connections, especially on the de 
 lountfort end, and some of this had been printed, 
 he had little difficulty in making the desired im- 
 rcssion. Hicks s colleague, Senator Jackson, a Re- 
 iiMican of the old school, who had been in the 
 !. rnnte for years, called to pay his respects and to 
 make arrangements about the swearing in of Hicks. 
 He was extremely polite and cordial. 
 
 Senator Jackson presented Hicks s credentials, 
 which were found to be in order, and in due time 
 Hicks was sworn in. He was escorted to the Vice- 
 President s desk in the Senate chamber by Senator 
 Jackson, who stood gravely by while Hicks took the
 
 3 i4 THE FAKERS 
 
 oath, which was administered by the Vice-President. 
 Mrs. Hicks was in the gallery, most becomingly at 
 tired, and Hicks, who had been shown the seat as 
 signed to him, which was in the rear row on the 
 Democratic side, went back and sat down. He wore 
 his long coat, had spent half an hour polishing his 
 hair, his flowing tie flowed over his heaving bosom, 
 and he was a proud and a happy man. He felt a 
 certain sense of injury, however, inasmuch as his 
 swearing in had created no consternation in the Sen 
 ate chamber, and had been absolutely devoid of fea 
 tures useful for advertising purposes. 
 
 Most of the Democratic Senators and a few of 
 the Republicans came over and shook hands with 
 him, Senator Jackson making the introductions. 
 Hicks was glad to learn none of them remembered 
 him, and was relieved to find that Senator Paxton 
 was not among their number. Paxton did not ar 
 rive at the Senate until about two o clock. He came 
 straight to Hicks s seat. 
 
 "Welcome to our midst, Tommie," he said. "I 
 didn t think you could put it over so soon." 
 
 "The people," Hicks replied, "are mighty and 
 must prevail." 
 
 "Well, they haven t had much to say about it 
 in this instance, but that will come later, I assume. 
 Come down to the old room. I want to have a talk 
 with you." 
 
 "All right," said Hicks, "but I have a little writ 
 ing to do. Can I use your stenographer? I haven t 
 been assigned to a room yet." 
 
 "Certainly you can," Paxton answered. "Come 
 along." 
 
 They reached the room where Hicks had for 
 merly worked. "I ll be in presently," said Hicks, 
 "I want to get this despatch off early." 
 
 "Despatch?" asked Paxton. "What despatch?"
 
 THE FAKERS 315 
 
 "Why, Senator, you don t think I intend to al 
 low the good people of Rextown to be uninformed 
 of the full details of the ceremony of my swearing 
 in, do you? I am astonished." 
 
 "Of course," chuckled Paxton. "I hadn t thought 
 of that. Go ahead and I ll wait for you." 
 
 Hicks dictated a long and glowing account of his 
 swearing in. He described the crowded and enthu 
 siastic galleries; the loud applause that greeted him 
 as he walked down the center aisle leaning on the 
 arm of Senator Jackson; the impressiveness with 
 which the Vice-President administered the oath; his 
 own feeling of consecration as he took it; the hope 
 for the people that lay in the event, which was full 
 of significance for the toiling masses, and closed with 
 a tribute to the grace and beauty of Mrs. Hicks, 
 who was the most admired of all the flower of 
 Washington society filling the galleries on this mo 
 mentous occasion. He told the stenographer to send 
 this to the Rextown Chronicle, and then went into 
 Senator Paxton s private office. 
 
 Paxton looked admiringly at the young man who 
 stood before him, and recalled his first meeting with 
 him, his interest in him, his satiric suggestion to 
 him that he go out and play the friend-of-the-people 
 game and its amazing result. 
 
 "Tommie," he said, "you are a peach." 
 
 "Also," Hicks replied, "I am a United States 
 Senator." 
 
 "The terms are synonymous a peach of a 
 United States Senator. Now that you have landed, 
 what is on your mind?" 
 
 "Nothing, except to stay landed. I ve got to keep 
 in the limelight here in order to have a chance in 
 the primaries. You watch my curves, Senator. I 
 am going to pull off some things around here that 
 will make them all take notice."
 
 3i6 THE FAKERS 
 
 "For example?" 
 
 "Well, I have heard that it is the custom ab 
 surd, of course for new Senators to remain silent 
 for a time." 
 
 "Ordinarily that is true," Paxton replied, his eye 
 twinkling, "but not in an exceptional case like yours. 
 It would be a positive injury to the cause of the 
 people if you sat supinely in your seat when there 
 is so much you can say so very much." 
 
 "That is the way it appears to me. I shall make 
 my first set speech within a few days; as soon as I 
 can get the advance notices properly distributed." 
 
 "Right," commented Paxton gravely. "Give no 
 tice that on a certain day this is Tuesday on Fri 
 day next, say, you will submit some remarks to the 
 Senate after the conclusion of the business of the 
 morning hour." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 "Then get up and let her rip. Once you get the 
 floor you can hold it indefinitely just as long as 
 you can talk." 
 - ."I can talk for quite a period." 
 
 "Well, go as far as you like. What will your 
 topic be?" 
 
 "The rights of the people, the down-trodden, op 
 pressed people." 
 
 "I had suspected as much. Let s have a rehearsal. 
 I want you to get away to a running start. Would 
 you object to telling me what you intend to say, 
 Senator?" 
 
 Paxton emphasized the "Senator." Hicks 
 laughed. 
 
 "No, Senator," he replied. "I may as well be 
 gin the work of enlightening you now as later. You 
 understand, of course, that I am determined to bring 
 the light to you, as an unregenerate reactionary, as 
 well as to your associates in the Senate?"
 
 THE FAKERS 317 
 
 That, I take it, is your mission. Go ahead." 
 
 Hicks rose and assumed his best oratorical man 
 ner. Paxton settled himself in his chair, and lis 
 tened gravely. 
 
 "1 shall call the attention of the Senate," began 
 Hicks sonorously, "to the distressing situation that 
 exists wherein the dominant party in our Govern 
 ment, represented by yourself, has fastened on the 
 people and is slowly crushing them to despair and 
 death because of its wicked and corrupt alliance 
 with the special interests. I shall point out the many 
 phases of this corruption. I shall make it clear that 
 the hope of the people lies, not alone in the tri 
 umph of the Democratic party but in the triumph 
 of such Democrats as myself. I shall hold myself 
 to be the true representative of all that is best in 
 the extension of popular rule and shall disavow, for 
 all time, any possible alliances with the forces of 
 darkness which are operating here and which have 
 strangled the Republican party and made it subser 
 vient to their malicious and malignant purposes." 
 
 "Fine !" applauded Paxton, as Hicks paused. "Go 
 ahead." 
 
 "I shall attack in unmeasured terms the money 
 devil, the iniquities of Wall Street, the hoarding 
 of gold by the vested interests to crush the poor 
 farmer and laboring man and deprive him of his 
 enjoyment of life, liberty and the pursuit of happi 
 ness. I shall hold up, undaunted and unafraid, the 
 Standard Oil Company so that all men shall see its 
 hideous machinations. I shall denounce the crimi 
 nal rich. I shall expose to public scorn those pluto 
 crats who are fattening on the body politic. I shall 
 mention by name many of our millionaires, and show 
 how impossible it is for them to have obtained their 
 money honestly. I shall denounce trusts, corpo 
 rations, illegal combinations for sapping the life-
 
 3 i8 THE FAKERS 
 
 blood of the farmer and the workingman. I shall 
 paint in darkest colors the greed and corruption of 
 the men who now control our governmental des 
 tinies. 
 
 "I shall demand the release of the control of our 
 Treasury by the gamblers in Wall Street, and the 
 extension of our governmental credit so every man 
 may have an opportunity with every other man to 
 amass a competence. I shall demand more money, 
 the fullest extension of popular government, the abo 
 lition of special privileges, the curbing of trusts and 
 corporations, and tell the Senate the actual facts 
 about the distressed condition of the poor, but hon 
 est, people who are held in darkness by these crimi 
 nal combinations working in concert with the corrupt 
 Republican party." 
 
 "Three cheers!" shouted Paxton. 
 
 "I shall bring tears to the eyes of even the most 
 stolid of the Senators when I paint the woes and 
 distresses of the great, uncomplaining common peo 
 ple, whose champion I am; shall inveigh against the 
 follies and extravagances of the day; shall attack 
 the idle rich, and their palaces and their unearned 
 increment; shall call John D. Rockefeller and others 
 by name and hold them up to the execration of all 
 honest men; shall explain my own honesty of pur 
 pose and purity of motive, and shall offer to lead 
 the Senate to a day of better things; shall ask the 
 Senate to turn its face toward the morning, drive 
 the money-changers from the temple, release us, the 
 common people from the bondage that enslaves us, 
 release us from the fell clutches of the Money De 
 mon, and give us the right to live, to rear our chil 
 dren and enjoy the advantages of our country, so 
 liberally bestowed on us by a munificent Nature and 
 so greedily usurped by cunning and unscrupulous and 
 criminal millionaires."
 
 THE FAKERS 319 
 
 "Bully!" said Paxton, clapping his hands. "Bully. 
 That s the stuff. I hope you will not long delay call 
 ing the attention of the Senate to these pressing mat 
 ters." 
 
 "It shall be done forthwith," said Hicks. 
 
 Paxton roared with laughter. 
 
 "Lordy, Lordy," he said, "and I was conceited 
 enough to think I could give you some points on the 
 friend-of-the-people game."
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 THAT afternoon, when Hicks returned to 
 the Palace Hotel, Mrs. Hicks, who had 
 spent the greater part of the day over her 
 wardrobe, and on her complexion, greeted 
 him effusively. 
 
 "Sit down, Marmaduke," she said, "and let s have 
 a chat. You know, of course, dear, I must have 
 some new gowns." 
 
 "Some new gowns!" exclaimed Hicks. "Why, 
 Alys, haven t you gowns enough?" 
 
 "Oh, my, no! My position here demands a re 
 plenishment of my wardrobe that must be made at 
 once. It is imperative. My round of social duties 
 will soon begin, and I haven t a thing fit to wear. I 
 am your wife, you know, Marmaduke, and I must 
 maintain your position. I must help you." 
 
 Hicks was uneasy, but he tried to seem compla 
 cent. 
 
 "Well," he said, "I suppose you know best, my 
 dear. There are undoubtedly good dressmakers in 
 Washington." 
 
 "In Washington!" Mrs. Hicks raised her elabo 
 rate eyebrows. "Oh, la la ! I shall go to New York 
 for my gowns." 
 
 "Go to New York?" repeated Hicks in amaze 
 ment. "What s the matter with Washington, I d 
 like to know?" 
 
 "The question isn t open to argument, Marma- 
 r duke, dear," she said sweetly. "I have always se- 
 
 320
 
 THE FAKERS 321 
 
 cured my gowns in New York or in Paris and now 
 that I have need of especially handsome ones I shall 
 not even consider the work of these provincial 
 Washington modistes." 
 
 "When are you going?" asked Hicks nervously. 
 
 "To-morrow afternoon." 
 
 "To-morrow afternoon! Why, Alys, I intend to 
 make my first speech in the Senate on Friday, and 
 I want you to hear it." 
 
 "Oh," she answered lightly, "you will be making 
 plenty of speeches during the years we are to be here, 
 and I can applaud those. This is most impor 
 tant. ; 
 
 Hicks was stunned. His wife placed gowns above 
 his first speech in the Senate. 
 
 "Better wait until next week," he urged. 
 
 "Impossible ! The season is waning, and I want 
 to take my rightful place as soon as possible. It s 
 all for you," she added, smiling radiantly at him. 
 
 Hicks tried again to induce her to change her 
 mind, but she was obdurate. "Very well," he said 
 finally, "I must confess I do not place the impor 
 tance on this you do, but, probably, you know best," 
 and he continued, trying to be sentimental, "you will 
 return to me as soon as you can, won t you, darling? 
 I shall miss you dreadfully." 
 
 "Why, Marmaduke, of course I shall. Will you 
 see about my ticket and a stateroom on the four 
 o clock train?" 
 
 "A stateroom your tickets?" repeated Hicks 
 dully. 
 
 "Certainly, and I shall require some money, say 
 two hundred and fifty dollars for my expenses. 
 Please have that ready for me to-morrow. Now 
 excuse me, won t you dearest? I must get ready 
 for dinner." 
 
 She bent over, touched his cheek with her lips and
 
 322 THE FAKERS 
 
 went into her bedroom, closing the door behind 
 her. 
 
 Hicks was astonished. It flashed over him that, 
 perhaps, there was an angle to matrimony on which 
 he had not fully informed himself before he en 
 tered that holy state, but Mrs. Hicks was charming 
 at dinner that night, and Hicks thought it would all 
 come out right. 
 
 Next day he gave notice in the Senate that on 
 the following afternoon, at the conclusion of the 
 morning business, he would submit some remarks to 
 the Senate on the general state of the union. There 
 was an undercurrent of laughter as Hicks made his 
 announcement, which he did, not from his seat, but 
 after he had walked to the head of the center aisle, 
 had posed there for a moment and had rolled out 
 "M-r-r-r. P-r-r-eso-dunt!" to get recognition from 
 the chair. The older Senators looked curiously at 
 him, as he stood there, wrapped in a long coat, with 
 his polished hair reflecting the softened lights that 
 straggled through the stained glass ceiling, the flow 
 ing ends of his tie elaborately disposed on his bosom, 
 and his whole pose extremely histrionic. The Dem 
 ocratic leader grimaced as if in pain. The men 
 in the press gallery made note of the occurrence, 
 and the word was passed that next day young Hicks 
 was to put on a show. Whereupon, the bureau 
 chiefs told the big funny men to go up next day and 
 "take a hack at Hicks." 
 
 Paxton hurried over to Hicks s seat. "That s 
 right," he said. "Don t wait. Give it to them red- 
 hot. They will all be here to listen." 
 
 Paxton spent the rest of the afternoon going 
 from one desk to another, advising all Senators to 
 be in their seats next day, as he could guarantee 
 them a performance that would interest them. Hicks 
 sat in solitary state in his rear-row seat, after he
 
 THE FAKERS 323 
 
 had disposed himself in what he considered a states 
 manlike attitude, and tried to give the impression 
 he was thinking great thoughts to be expounded to 
 the Senate. 
 
 He left at three o clock, to escort Mrs. Hicks to 
 the train. He handed her two hundred and fifty 
 dollars, which she took as if it belonged to her, 
 Hicks noticed to his great alarm, thanked him casu 
 ally, and ordered up the porter for her hand lug 
 gage. 
 
 "The green cars run past the station," suggested 
 Huks as they came down in the elevator. 
 
 Apparently, she did not hear him, for she went 
 directly to the carriage man s desk and said: "A 
 taxicab, please." 
 
 Hicks followed meekly. The porter put the bags 
 in the cab, the starter helped Mrs. Hicks in with 
 elaborate politeness, and stood with his hand on 
 the cab door, smiling expectantly, while the porter 
 lined up beside him and smiled expectantly also. 
 
 "Go ahead," ordered Hicks impatiently. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks did not turn her head, nor did she, 
 apparently, move her lips, but she said sharply to 
 Hicks: "Give them their tips." 
 
 Hicks went into his pocket in an embarrassed 
 fashion and gave each man a quarter. The starter 
 then inquired politely: "Where to, please?" 
 
 "Union Station," Hicks replied gruffly. 
 
 "Take Senator and Mrs. Hicks to the Union Sta 
 tion, driver," said the starter grandly, and Hicks re 
 laxed and bowed graciously to the uniformed man. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks discussed certain persons she had ob 
 served in the hotel, talking incessantly until the sta 
 tion was reached. There Hicks paid the driver, 
 gave him a quarter also, and started to pick up the 
 bags and carry them in himself. Mrs. Hicks pushed 
 his hand away and beckoned to a station porter.
 
 324 THE FAKERS 
 
 Then she led Hicks into the station, and out to the 
 concourse. 
 
 "I hope your speech will be a great success, Mar- 
 maduke," she said, brushing his cheek with her lips, 
 and he stood watching her, filled with admiration 
 for her grace and attractiveness as she walked down 
 the platform to her car. 
 
 "Well," Hicks thought, "she ll have to pay that 
 porter s tip herself, anyhow." 
 
 He remained until the train was pulling out. As 
 he turned to go a red-capped negro touched him 
 on the arm, bowed and said: "The lady said you d 
 pay me, boss." 
 
 Hicks whistled, reflected Mrs. Hicks was not 
 there to see, and grudgingly gave the boy a dime. 
 He went out and took a street car back to the hotel. 
 He bought an afternoon paper, and, after he had 
 read the headlines on the first page, had glanced 
 at the Congressional news, and had observed, par 
 ticularly, a paragraph which said Senator Hicks was 
 to address the Senate next afternoon, he turned to 
 the notes of social doings. 
 
 The fourth item in the column read: "Mrs. T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks, wife of Senator Hicks, is at the 
 Hotel Superbious, in New York, for a few days. 
 Mrs. Hicks, who is a bride and a most charming 
 addition to Congressional society, and who has lived 
 abroad for the greater part of her life, especially 
 in France, where she is a social favorite, will in 
 troduce to Washington society during the season a 
 number of artists and musicians whom she met on 
 the Continent. Mrs. Hicks has in contemplation 
 a literary morning at the Palace Hotel, when Pierre 
 Chatrand, the noted Parisian litterateur, will read 
 from his own works." 
 
 The paper dropped from his hand. His wife 
 going to the Hotel Superbious instead of to the
 
 THE FAKERS 325 
 
 Dwighton the Hotel Superbious which she had con 
 sidered noisy and vulgar. He wondered why, and 
 quaked a little at the thought of what her entertain 
 ment there would cost. He was so sure she would 
 go to the Dwighton he had not asked her plans. 
 Moreover, he had not heard of the proposed literary 
 mornings. Those, he supposed, would cost some 
 thing. Evidently, Mrs. Hicks intended to live up 
 to her station. He knew his wife must have sent 
 that information to the paper herself whereat 
 he had an inkling of what was the fact Mrs. T. 
 Marmaduke Hicks was even cleverer than her hus 
 band at the husband s own particular game of pub 
 licity. 
 
 There wasn t a new idea or a new expression in 
 the speech Hicks proposed to deliver, but he thought 
 it well to supply the papers with advance copies of 
 his remarks. He sent for his stenographer, who 
 was an expert typewriter, and dictated the speech 
 direct to the machine. A dozen copies were made. 
 Then Hicks wrote the introduction for it, saying: 
 
 "The dignified and austere Senate of the United 
 States was made aware this afternoon that a new 
 force had entered within the precincts of that body. 
 Senator T. Marmaduke Hicks, although a young 
 member, made one of the greatest speeches ever 
 heard in that forum where great speeches are the 
 rule. He chose for his theme the rights of the peo 
 ple, and for three hours the entire membership of 
 the Senate hung breathless on his impassioned utter 
 ances, while the crowded galleries broke into peals 
 of thunderous applause. Senator Hicks was elo 
 quent, witty, logical, effective. His speech stamped 
 him as a factor to be reckoned with in the future af 
 fairs of the Senate, and immediately placed him on 
 a par, if not above, the great orators and debaters 
 of that distinguished assemblage. At the conclu-
 
 326 THE FAKERS 
 
 sion of his speech Senator Hicks was warmly con 
 gratulated by his colleagues, who unanimously pre 
 dicted a brilliant career for him, while the galleries 
 cheered the eloquent and earnest young orator to the 
 echo." 
 
 The stenographer delivered copies of the speech 
 to the correspondents of the big papers in Hicks s 
 state, including a copy of the introduction with each, 
 and to the New York and Chicago papers. These 
 were marked "For release for the papers of Friday 
 afternoon," which precluded the sending in of the 
 introduction that night by the correspondents, who 
 were all there next afternoon, when Hicks rose to 
 talk. So was nearly the entire Senate membership. 
 Hicks was somewhat chagrined that the bare an 
 nouncement he was to speak did not fill the galleries, 
 which contained only the usual number of idlers and 
 tourists, but he felt after he had talked this once, 
 there never would be a time when the announce 
 ment of a speech by him would not jam the galleries. 
 
 He had moved around to a seat on the center 
 aisle at the end of the next to the last row on the 
 Democratic side. He was elaborately prepared. Al 
 though he could talk the stuff he intended to talk 
 by the hour, without note or reference of any kind, 
 he had his stenographer lug in half a dozen big law 
 books, which were piled ostentatiously on his desk, 
 and had displayed a lot of papers, documents, pam 
 phlets and other properties in order to give evi 
 dence of great and studious preparation. 
 
 The morning business came to an end. The pre 
 siding officer looked expectantly at Hicks. The 
 Senators turned in their chairs. The messenger in 
 the press gallery stuck his head through the door 
 and shouted to the waiting correspondents in the 
 correspondents workroom outside: "Hicks is up!" 
 and the correspondents came trooping in.
 
 THE FAKERS 327 
 
 Hicks rose. He was self-possessea. The white 
 button of the purity league in his buttonhole was the 
 only relief to his somber attire. His black hair was 
 glossy, his smile complacent, his manner confident. 
 He made a pretext of arranging his books and 
 papers, stepped out into the aisle, glanced patroniz 
 ingly around at the interested Senators, let his eyes 
 dwell for a moment on the crowded press gallery, 
 thought with much satisfaction the reporters were all 
 on hand for this momentous event, and began. 
 
 "M-r-r-r. Pr-r-eso-dunt !" he rolled out, "while I 
 am aware that it may seem presumptuous for a Sena 
 tor who has so recently come among you to seek 
 expression on the floor thus early, I am constrained 
 to ask the forbearance of this distinguished body be 
 cause the message I bring to them is of such im 
 mediate and pressing moment, and because it seems 
 to me I have been especially commissioned, by the 
 people, to deliver it to you." 
 
 "This is going to be better than your advance 
 notices led me to expect," whispered the Republi 
 can leader to Senator Paxton. 
 
 Paxton grinned and nodded. Hicks took another 
 step forward, threw up his hands as if invoking the 
 aid of Heaven, and continued: "Meek and lowly as 
 I am, I am the humble instrument through which 
 this message is to be communicated. I voice to you 
 the protest of the people, the great, patriotic, hard 
 working, honest, God-fearing people the people 
 who are the backbone of our institutions as they are 
 the support and mainstay of our Republic the peo 
 ple who have so long been despised and downtrod 
 den by the forces of greed and power and arro 
 gance and crime and corruption the people who 
 now are coming into their own, and who look to 
 me to hold aloft their standard, to fight the fight 
 for them, and to keep the faith."
 
 328 THE FAKERS 
 
 Hicks made an impressive rhetorical pause. He 
 looked at the press gallery. Most of the reporters 
 there were writing busily. He felt a great content. 
 He imagined his speech would be printed in every 
 paper in the land that afternoon and next morning, 
 and he stretched out his arms again, and pleaded 
 the cause of the dear people, assailed the Republi 
 can party, excoriated the Standard Oil Company, 
 denounced trusts and corporations, told of the ini 
 quities of Wall Street, and the Money Devil, flayed 
 the special interests, denounced in unmeasured terms 
 all who were opposed to the fullest extension of pop 
 ular government, execrated Rockefeller and Mor 
 gan, and Harriman, and the National City Bank, 
 and displayed his entire box of tricks. 
 
 He closed with an impassioned tribute to the plain 
 people, the farmers who are the wealth-producers 
 and the laboring men who make capital of value. 
 He pleaded for them, wept for them, exalted them, 
 and, for his peroration, solemnly warned the Sen 
 ate unless cognizance was taken of the abuses that 
 had been and were being heaped upon the common 
 people, there would be an uprising that would sweep 
 the forces of capitalistic and corrupt government 
 from their entrenched position, a revolution of bal- 
 ots, bloodless, he prayed, but a revolution that would 
 sink to oblivion all those who now so arrogantly 
 refuse to consider the cry for succor from the peo 
 ple who form the underlying basic strength of this 
 greatest country on which the sun ever shone. 
 
 Hicks talked for more than two hours. He could 
 have talked a week, had he wished to. The Sena 
 tors listened, chuckled, walked out and came back. 
 The galleries rilled. The reporters hurried joshing 
 descriptive stories over the wires. Hicks, confident 
 he was making a profound impression, ran his voice 
 up and down over its entire elocutionary gamut. He
 
 THE FAKERS 329 
 
 made dramatic pauses. He pounded the books piled 
 on the desk. He turned and shook an accusing 
 finger at the grinning Republicans. He stamped 
 back and forth in the aisle. He ranted, roared, 
 and, when he was detailing the woes of the people, 
 he had great difficulty in repressing his tears, and 
 let his voice break artistically. 
 
 As he finished he sank into his seat and bowed 
 his head. There was a spattering of applause in 
 the galleries. The Senator in charge of the Indian 
 Bill instantly called up that measure, and the routine 
 of the Senate began again. But the Republican 
 Senators, almost to a man, came over to Hicks and 
 congratulated him, wrung his hand, exclaimed at the 
 marvelous eloquence he had displayed and told him 
 he had set an oratorical mark high above any pre 
 vious one made in the Senate. The Democrats were 
 perfunctory in their congratulations, except a few 
 of the radicals. These told Hicks he had started 
 well, but didn t seem particularly enthusiastic, much 
 to his surprise. He set that down to jealousy. He 
 waited until there was no possible chance for any 
 further congratulations, stood about the Senate 
 chamber for a time, went into the cloak-room to 
 see if, perchance, some Senator might not be there 
 who desired to felicitate him, and then went to his 
 office and sent out for the Washington afternoon 
 papers. 
 
 These papers printed portions of the speech, and 
 said little about it, except to comment on the fact 
 it was an unusual performance, both in manner and 
 matter. He went into his hotel well content, and 
 sent a telegram to his wife at the Hotel Superbious, 
 giving the details of this triumph and telling her he 
 had arrived at the top in one leap, and that she 
 was the wife of a famous Senator. He posed about 
 the hotel that night, grabbed every hand that was
 
 330 THE FAKERS 
 
 offered him, and listened with pleased smiles to the 
 extravagant praise lavished on him. 
 
 He sent down for the New York papers early 
 next morning, and his face reddened and his heart 
 beat rapidly when he saw what they had done to 
 him. There wasn t a paper in the lot that didn t 
 have a column story about the speech, on the front 
 page, and every story was a josh. One paper printed 
 his own introduction, verbatim, and headed it in big, 
 black letters, "By Senator T. Marmaduke Hicks." 
 
 It was sickening. He began the preparation of 
 a statement to the public, claiming these attacks 
 on him in the monopolistic New York papers were 
 due to his well-known advocacy of the rights of the 
 people and their equally well-known subserviency of 
 the press, to the gamblers of Wall Street and the 
 corrupt corporations and trusts. 
 
 After he had worked on this half an hour he had 
 another idea, and stopped his denunciation of the 
 New York papers. He wrote a dozen telegrams 
 to himself, from various parts of the country, com 
 plimenting him highly on his speech, signed fake 
 names to them, and put them in his pocket. He in 
 tended to hand these to his stenographer when he 
 reached his office, and to tell him to make many 
 duplicate copies of them, and send them to the chaf 
 fing correspondents, with a note stating that not 
 withstanding the apparent attempts of the press 
 to belittle him, the people, the real common people, 
 were with him, as these telegrams, of which he sent 
 accurate copies, showed. Also, he thought of sev 
 eral letters, or extracts from letters, he might con 
 coct in the same way, and probably have the entire 
 lot inserted in the Congressional Record so he 
 might send them out under a frank. 
 
 This congenial labor restored him to a more con 
 tented frame of mind.
 
 THE FAKERS 331 
 
 "Those New York boys were a little rough on 
 you this morning, Hicks," said Senator Paxton to 
 him, "but don t mind that. New York isn t the 
 whole country, although New York thinks it is, and 
 that stuff will go great when it is franked out to 
 the lads in the country districts. You ll have to get 
 used to these attacks by the servile minions of a 
 capitalistic press, you know." 
 
 "Sure," Hicks replied, with a jauntiness he did not 
 feel, "I can work that capitalistic New York press 
 business to a good effect out home." 
 
 Paxton looked at Hicks with admiration. 
 
 "My boy," he said, "if you ever begin to take 
 yourself as seriously within as you appear to take 
 yourself without, God help you."
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 MRS. HICKS, reading the ridicule of her 
 husband in the New York papers at 
 the Hotel Superbious, was concerned. 
 She was under no delusions as to his 
 character or characteristics. The only 
 things about him she cared for more than casually 
 were his title of Senator and his money. She had 
 taken a gambler s chance on his return to the Sen 
 ate by election, hoped he had as much money as he 
 said he had, and she had planned an elaborate fu 
 ture for herself in Washington. She shrewdly as 
 sayed her husband, knew he had qualities that could 
 be developed, and knew, also he had faults that must 
 be suppressed. She considered him so much raw 
 material for her skilful manipulations, and resolved 
 to use all her finesse and all her knowledge on him 
 and refine him, tone him down, rub the rough edges 
 off, train him and put forward his good features, 
 provided he was elected. She determined on this 
 procedure as a supplementary activity, of course, for 
 her first and almost entire concern was herself. She, 
 as Mrs. Senator Hicks, in her own right, would exalt 
 herself. If her husband rose with her, all well and 
 good, and she would help him, if she had time, but, 
 first and foremost, she must rise, and that is exactly 
 what she intended to do. 
 
 She turned her attention to her gowning. She 
 knew the shops in New York intimately, knew the 
 modistes and the milliners, and had an acquaintance 
 
 332
 
 THE FAKERS 333 
 
 with their excellencies and their various deficiencies. 
 She had never been able to buy much from the most 
 fashionable ones, owing to her limited income, but 
 she had a full knowledge of what she might have 
 bought had she been able, and she went direct to 
 the greatest and most fashionable Parisian modiste 
 in New York. She explained who she was, proved 
 her identity, and demanded to see the best this 
 haughty lady had. She wanted an evening gown and 
 several other costumes. She could not wait for per 
 sonal making. She asked to see models brought 
 from Paris, for she knew she might easily be fitted 
 in this emergency, and could get creations con 
 structed for herself later, when the hurry was not 
 so great. 
 
 She critically examined the exclusive models this 
 modiste had, and visited several others. At each 
 establishment, being a woman who knew about 
 clothes, she took all offerings of evening gowns into 
 the "evening room" and sought for the effect their 
 colors had on her complexion under the glare of 
 electric lights. She spent hours on this, by her 
 self, trying colors, matching herself to shades, and 
 getting the exact tones she desired, always having in 
 mind a spectacular appearance wherever she might 
 be. In the end she selected one sumptuous and 
 very expensive evening gown, and one somewhat 
 simpler, both exclusive models from the most fa 
 mous house in Paris. She bought a costly evening 
 wrap, a calling dress, and much lingerie, many gloves, 
 boots, slippers and pumps of various kinds. She 
 spared no expense for hats, and bought several. 
 
 All of this took ten days. Hicks having discov 
 ered that, as Senator, he could send telegrams and 
 have them paid for by the Government, wrote her 
 several long wires each day urging her to come back, 
 detailing his successes, and telling her of his utter
 
 334 THE FAKERS 
 
 loneliness and lack of interest in life without her. In 
 reality, Hicks got along very well without her, for 
 he had the bachelor habit, and had been married 
 only a brief while. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks opened charge accounts at the various 
 places she patronized, insisting on that, and display 
 ing her credentials as the wife of Senator Hicks, 
 which was sufficient in most instances. She told each 
 shopkeeper, milliner, modiste, boot-seller and all 
 others with whom she dealt, to send the bills to her, 
 but to make them out to her husband. She supplied 
 herself with handkerchiefs, laces, perfumes, cos 
 metics, stockings and what not, and by the time she 
 was ready to return she had spent about two thou 
 sand dollars for the Senator. 
 
 Hicks was at the station to meet her, and wel 
 comed her effusively. He made no suggestion of a 
 street car this time, and took her to the Palace Ho 
 tel in a taxicab. She charmed him with a vivacious 
 account of her visit to the metropolis. He asked if 
 she had obtained her gowns and she said she had 
 "selected a few little things" which she hoped he 
 would like. 
 
 Hicks had his doubts about the "few little things" 
 part of her story when the boxes and packages be 
 gan arriving by express, but said nothing, and con 
 cluded she had paid for them herself, inasmuch as 
 she had not asked him for money beyond the two 
 hundred and fifty dollars. 
 
 He took great satisfaction in showing her off in 
 the hotel lobby and in the long corridor that ran 
 between the restaurants. He had had a severe jolt 
 when he received his first week s bill from the hotel, 
 but paid it with the reflection that in a short time 
 he would move to a cheaper place. Mrs. Hicks did 
 not ask for money. Instead, as Hicks discovered, 
 she got what money she wanted at the cashier s win-
 
 THE FAKERS 335 
 
 dow in the hotel, and had it charged in the bill. 
 Also, she sent such purchases as she made in the 
 Washington stores to the hotel, C. O. D., and the 
 hotel paid those and charged the amounts in the bill, 
 and she used cabs and automobiles lavishly, and had 
 manicures, a masseuse, a daily hairdresser, and paid 
 one of the hotel girls by the hour to act as her maid 
 when she needed her. 
 
 She made some calls, but Hicks observed she 
 wore none of her new gowns. He asked her why. 
 She said she wasn t ready, yet, and told Hicks to 
 wait developments. They had been invited no 
 where. Mrs. Hicks was planning to give a dinner 
 herself and had told Hicks they must do something 
 of the kind when cards came for a reception given 
 by Mrs. Jackson, wife of Hicks s colleague, the 
 senior Senator from his state. Mrs. Hicks was 
 elated, for the Jacksons had been a long time in 
 Washington, lived in a big house in the vicinity of 
 Sheridan Circle, the most fashionable part of the 
 city, and Mrs. Hicks was sure the function was to be 
 of importance. 
 
 She became tremendously interested and began 
 at once to make her preparations for the event. 
 She brought out her gowns bought in New York, 
 selected the sumptuous one, and had herself photo 
 graphed in it in her room, in various poses, which 
 was simple inasmuch as Washington photographers 
 are accustomed to this sort of thing. She examined 
 her proofs critically, and had the photographers in 
 a frenzy over her exactions before she selected four 
 poses. These she had finished suitably for news 
 paper reproduction. She called up the public stenog 
 rapher from the hotel lobby, dictated a description 
 of her gown, of herself, and put in a few details of 
 her family and social connections and of her Euro 
 pean acquaintance. This description was duplicated
 
 336 THE FAKERS 
 
 on the typewriter and filed away with the photo 
 graphs. On the evening of the reception, which 
 was to begin at ten o clock, she retired to her room 
 at seven, and told Hicks he must not bother her 
 until she appeared. Hicks looked at the cards, 
 which were conspicuously displayed on their parlor 
 table, and saw the reception was to begin at ten 
 o clock. He was dressed and ready at half-past 
 nine, and waited impatiently until ten, when he 
 wrapped on his wife s door and said: "Alys, my 
 dear, we shall be late." 
 
 "I shall be ready presently," Mrs. Hicks replied. 
 "Be patient." 
 
 At a quarter past and at half-past ten Hicks, 
 nervous by that time, demanded that she hurry, and 
 each time was told to be calm. Finally, at a quarter 
 to eleven, when he was fast becoming frantic, her 
 door opened and she came out. 
 
 Hicks gave a cry of astonishment and admiration. 
 She was wrapped in a cloak of black silk velvet, 
 caught up close around her feet, completely envelop 
 ing her in its soft folds. The collar was wide and 
 was of a magnificent black fur that caressed her 
 milky throat, and rolled down to the waist line. The 
 flowing sleeves were cuffed with this fur, and the 
 wrap seemed to be lined with it. He noticed her feet 
 were shod in brightly-colored slippers, and that her 
 hair was arranged with even greater fastidiousness 
 than usual. Always ultra, she had surpassed her 
 self with this coiffure. Her intensely black hair was 
 undulated and stretched, flatly and tightly, in two 
 loops, or waves, on each side of her face, the one 
 dropping over the ears and the other drawn out 
 to the middle of her cheeks, and held in place by 
 some adhesive preparation. This gave her a marked 
 Parisian appearance, and the artistry of it was ap 
 parent when, on close examination, it was seen the
 
 THE FAKERS 337 
 
 thinning down process on the cheeks extended, al 
 most, to the correct alignment for each individual 
 hair. It was caught back in an elaborate and con 
 voluted knot, low on her neck. 
 
 He noticed, also, to his amazement, her usually 
 clear, pale, almost pallid complexion had miracu 
 lously changed to a girlish rosiness. He rushed 
 forward to take her in his arms. 
 
 "Don t!" she said peremptorily, "don t touch me, 
 please!" 
 
 They went down the elevator. She had arranged 
 with the carriage man for a limousine car, and it 
 was waiting. They were rapidly driven to the Jack 
 son house. 
 
 There were dozens of automobiles arriving and 
 parked nearby. The Hicks machine took its place 
 in the line that crawled up on the roadway under 
 the porte-cochere and discharged beautifully gowned 
 women and faultlessly attired men. They reached 
 the door after many stops and jerky starts, and went 
 in. The men left their coats at one side, and the 
 ladies on the other. Hicks waited at the foot of the 
 stairs and presently a vivid woman approached him, 
 a woman who swayed in a rosy mist before his daz 
 zled eyes, a sinuous, lustrous woman, resplendent, 
 striking beyond compare. 
 
 Hicks wondered who she was, and his knees trem 
 bled, his eyes widened, his heart jumped when she 
 took him by the arm and said: "Come, Marma- 
 duke." 
 
 She w r as his wife his wife this glorious creature 
 whom he had never seen in any other color than 
 black, or black and white. He tried to look at her 
 as they went up the broad stairway, but she held 
 him close and hurried him on. 
 
 The orchestra was playing a popular air, there 
 was a hum of talk, and as they reached the space
 
 338 THE FAKERS 
 
 at the top of the stairs, she pressed his arm and 
 whispered: "Wait!" 
 
 They stood for a minute. The orchestra stopped 
 playing. There was a momentary silence. "Now!" 
 she said, and slightly in advance of him, having re 
 leased his arm, she swept into the great drawing- 
 room where Mrs. Jackson was receiving her guests. 
 
 It was like a sudden sunburst in a dull day. It 
 was like a splotch of carmine on a black cloth. 
 
 "Ah-h-h!" said the women, involuntarily, as Mrs. 
 Hicks advanced to greet Mrs. Jackson. Hicks came 
 behind. 
 
 Instantly every woman s eyes took in the details 
 of that costume. Instantly every man s eyes opened 
 in admiration. 
 
 They saw this slender, svelte, perfectly-propor 
 tioned woman, robed in a closely-fitting, shimmering, 
 almost luminous gown of the exquisite color of a 
 vivid American beauty rose, a gown that was draped 
 and interdraped about her figure down to the tips 
 of her rose-colored slippers, that was extremely 
 long, and extremely narrow so narrow it seemed 
 she must walk in it with difficulty, but in which she 
 did walk with exceeding grace. There was a long 
 pointed train. Her corsage was cut into a daring V 
 in front and into a still more elongated and daring 
 V in the back, displaying neck, shoulders, bosom and, 
 particularly, a back, creamily white and exquisite in 
 their perfection. She wore no jewels, and the lack 
 of them seemed to accentuate the garishness of the 
 necklaces and dog-collars and stomachers and tiaras 
 on other women. She carried one perfect, long- 
 stemmed American beauty rose that blended abso 
 lutely with the color of her gown. 
 
 Such desultory conversation as there was stopped. 
 Everybody in the room leaned forward, eagerly 
 striving to see her. As if unconscious of the sen-
 
 THE FAKERS 339 
 
 sation she had created, Mrs. Hicks greeted her 
 hostess, chatted with her a moment, and moved 
 down the line, followed by the bewildered Hicks. 
 
 Then there came a sudden rush of "Who is she? 
 Who is she?" and the men crowded forward to find 
 out, and the women shrank back, for there wasn t 
 a costume in the room, not a pink, nor a blue, nor 
 a lavender nor a yellow that didn t seem faded, 
 sickly, insipid, when within the color predominance 
 of that gown. 
 
 "How dare she?" gasped the women, "how dare 
 she?" for they all knew the effect this startling crea 
 ture, in this startling gown, had on on them and 
 their costumes. 
 
 "Great!" said the men and flocked around to be 
 presented, not knowing the sartorial crime this 
 woman had committed in the eyes of their women 
 folk. Mrs. Hicks, calmly unconscious, to all out 
 ward appearances, of the enormity of her offense, 
 was soon the animated center about which half the 
 men in the room revolved. She talked vivaciously, 
 used her French and Russian phrases continuously, 
 shrugged her shoulders with charming grace, made 
 her moues, and utilized her rose to chic effect in em 
 phasizing some of her exclamations. The women 
 scrutinized her coldly, and thought she must be 
 French. The men were inclined to the belief she 
 was a Russian. After a time Hicks recovered his 
 equanimity sufficiently to announce to all comers she 
 was his wife, the wife of Senator T. Marmaduke 
 Hicks, and he basked assiduously in the reflection 
 of her glory. 
 
 Senator Paxton was there, and Mrs. Paxton. 
 "Goodness, Billy," said Mrs. Paxton to her husband, 
 "look at that amazing woman. Who is she?" 
 
 The Senator looked; "Can t imagine," he replied. 
 "But she certainly is a stunner."
 
 340 THE FAKERS 
 
 "Stunner!" sniffed Mrs. Paxton. "She has ab 
 solutely killed the dress of every other woman in 
 this room with that rig fiendish, I call it." 
 
 Paxton saw Hicks. "By Jove!" he exclaimed, "I 
 believe she s the wife of Tommie Hicks. A fit help 
 meet, I should say." 
 
 "Pshaw!" said Mrs. Paxton, "she s cleverer than 
 he is. That gown and that entrance show genius, 
 Billy, positive genius." 
 
 The Senator edged his way over to Hicks. "How 
 do you do, Senator," he said. "Am I right in sup 
 posing this charming lady is Mrs. Hicks?" 
 
 "She is, she is," bubbled Hicks. "Alys, dear, al 
 low me to present an old and very dear friend, Sen 
 ator Paxton." 
 
 Mrs. Hicks impulsively put out her hand. "Oh, 
 Senator," she said, "I have heard my husband speak 
 of you so many times!" 
 
 "Yes, I have known him for some years. In 
 deed," he continued whimsically, "I flatter myself 
 I had something to do with the making of your hus 
 band what he is a Senator." 
 
 She turned a quick glance on him. "Allez vous 
 en!" she said. 
 
 "I did so," protested the Senator, laughing, "but 
 I must say he supplemented my endeavors magnifi 
 cently when he married you. I congratulate him." 
 
 "And me?" she asked archly. 
 
 "Oh," replied the Senator, as he moved away, 
 "why paint the lily or gild refined gold?" 
 
 Mrs. Hicks was acutely aware of the sensation 
 she had made. She had no intention of allowing 
 herself to be monopolized by the men, nor of allow 
 ing the women to remain aloof. She soon inveigled 
 Senator Jackson to her side, and, under his escort, 
 moved about the room, was presented to the women, 
 and was even more agreeable to them than she had
 
 THE FAKERS 341 
 
 been to the men. She chatted gaily, complimented 
 them tactfully, spoke of herself as a newcomer in 
 official life who must depend upon them as guides, 
 philosophers and friends, told an anecdote, now and 
 then, concerning some personage she had known 
 abroad, flattered some of the women about their 
 husbands especially the wives of well-known states 
 men whose names she had read in the papers and 
 was generally pleasant, affable and at her top bent 
 as a conversationalist. Most of the women thawed. 
 She knew how to be a woman s woman as well as a 
 man s woman, and she exerted herself to her ut 
 most to impress herself favorably on the feminine 
 portion of that company. 
 
 She was too wise to allow her first appearance 
 in a Washington house to dwindle to an anti-climax, 
 and she amazed Hicks by telling him they would go 
 before he thought they were well into the swing 
 of it. 
 
 "But it s great," he whispered to her. "Stay 
 awhile. You ve made an awful hit." 
 
 "No," she said, "we ll go now." 
 
 She made her adieus, and took the reluctant Hicks 
 downstairs. They hurried into their wraps, secured 
 their automobile and left. 
 
 Hicks searched his soul for something to say 
 to her to express his tremendous appreciation of 
 the impression she had made. He framed a dozen 
 complimentary speeches, but each one seemed to 
 him not to be extravagant enough. Finally, feeling 
 he must say something, he began mushily: "How 
 queenly and young and wonderful you are to-night, 
 my love. And what a change in your coloring. Why, 
 you always were so beautifully white and now 
 
 "Cochonf" she said sharply, and leaned back in 
 the corner of the car and closed her eyes.
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 ICKS did not know what "cochon" 
 meant, and he intended to look up the 
 word, but, as he would have phrased 
 it himself: "other matters of greater 
 moment" intervened, and the incident 
 passed out of his mind. He imagined it was a com 
 pliment, for how could his wife address anything but 
 compliments to him, especially as he had been so 
 prominent at the Jackson reception. By morning 
 Hicks h?d convinced himself he was the sensation at 
 the reception, and not Mrs. Hicks. 
 
 The episode was a general topic of conversation 
 among the official women next day, those who were 
 at the reception hastening to tell those who were not. 
 The papers printed large pictures of Mrs. Hicks in 
 her gown, a minute description of the costume, and 
 a paragraph about this Senatorial bride, and her 
 family and all that, all of which had been sent in 
 by Mrs. Hicks with polite notes to the society edi 
 tors asking them to use. While she was in New 
 York Mrs. Hicks had a hurry order for note paper 
 filled. She had a die of her personally invented 
 crest, and she had used it on note paper before, but 
 this time she went to the most expensive stationer 
 on Fifth Avenue, ordered a complete outfit of writ 
 ing materials, in all the fashionable sizes, had every 
 sheet of the paper, the correspondence cards, and 
 the flaps of the envelopes embossed with her crest. 
 She used this paper when writing to the society edi- 
 
 342
 
 THE FAKERS 343 
 
 tors, writing in the third person and hoping to cre 
 ate an impression. The society editors were familiar 
 with crests, but a new woman in Washington rarely 
 made such a sensation and they were glad to print 
 the picture and all they could get about her, con 
 fining the other details of the reception to a few 
 lines, and making it seem as if Mrs. Hicks had been 
 about all there was to it. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks was greatly pleased with the news 
 paper representation of her first venture into so 
 ciety, and resolved to press her advantage. The 
 Cabinet ladies were receiving that afternoon, and 
 she early began her preparations for a descent on 
 them. At four o clock she appeared in the hotel 
 lobby and took the big limousine car they had the 
 night before. She had arranged to have a great 
 bunch of violets in the car and created another sen 
 sation as she walked out to the carriage entrance. 
 She wore a black velvet dress, with a demi-train. 
 Her hat was a Gainsborough with a sweeping plume. 
 She wore her heirloom pearls the long twisted rope 
 around her neck and oddly-shaped pendants in her 
 ears. She carried a lorgnette, which she constantly 
 used in true Parisian fashion. Pier complexion had 
 miraculously returned to its original pallor and her 
 lips were a livid crimson. Her hair was in the 
 style of the night before. She swept into each Cabi 
 net home, ran the gamut of her French and Russian 
 expressions, displayed all her wares and swept out, 
 leaving a flutter of agitated conversation behind her 
 at each place. She intended to make another im 
 pression, and she made a series of them. 
 
 Hicks posed about the Senate chamber that after 
 noon, and received the congratulations of those Sen 
 ators who had been at the Jackson reception. He 
 was not at all interested in the proceedings in the 
 Senate, inasmuch as he saw no way for projecting
 
 344 THE FAKERS 
 
 himself into the debate, not because of his ignorance 
 of the subject under discussion, which would not 
 have deterred him, but because he couldn t discover 
 advertising for Hicks in it, left early and strolled 
 back to his hotel. 
 
 Near the corner of Eleventh Street he met Wil 
 liam G. Buffum, of Blossburg, Corliss County. Buf- 
 fum was a farmer, a Democrat who had been im 
 pressed with Hicks s oratory about the people, and 
 had helped Hicks get delegates many times. He con 
 sidered Hicks a sterling representative of the 
 masses, and was somewhat abashed when he en 
 countered that statesman elaborately attired in a 
 frock coat, a high hat, and various other habiliments 
 that did not jibe, in Buffum s opinion, with friend 
 liness and concern for the toiling masses. 
 
 "Howdy, Senator," said Buffum, in a rather 
 abashed fashion. 
 
 "Why, Billy," exclaimed Hicks, dropping into 
 the vernacular, "howdy ! How is my dear old friend 
 from Corliss? I am glad to see you, powerful glad 
 to see you, Billy. It is a sight for sore eyes to let 
 them rest on the honest face of one of my old and 
 dear friends like you. How long have you been 
 here?" 
 
 And he took Buffum s right hand in both of his 
 and shook it vigorously, holding to it while he made 
 his speech of greeting. 
 
 "Only a few hours," Buffum replied. 
 
 "Well, I m glad to hear that. I should feel very 
 badly if Billy Buffum came to Washington and didn t 
 run in to see me the first thing. Where are you 
 stopping?" 
 
 "Down at the Nation." 
 
 "Down at the Nation! Well, well, if that ain t 
 just like Billy Buffum. No airs about him. Fine 
 old hotel, the Nation; none of this newfangled styl-
 
 THE FAKERS 345 
 
 ishness about it. Fine, plain old hotel, and good 
 home cooking, just like we have back in dear old 
 Corliss. I always eat there when I get a chance, 
 and sit around with the boys. None of these fash 
 ionable places for me. They smack too much of 
 plutocracy. I m glad to greet you, Billy. Run in 
 and see me. Make yourself at home in my office. 
 Let me know if I can do anything for you. Dsop 
 around and see the Missus, too. She ll be mighty 
 glad to shake your hand. Sorry I ve got an en 
 gagement, Billy, but I shall expect to see a lot of 
 you while you are here. Be sure, now, and come to 
 visit me, or I shall feel very badly about it." 
 
 "All right, Senator," promised Buffum, again con 
 vinced of the sincerity of Hicks as a friend of the 
 people, "where are you stopping?" 
 
 "Oh, run up to the Senate office building. Ask 
 for Senator Hicks. They all know me, you know." 
 And Hicks started away. 
 
 "But," said Buffum, "I d like to pay my respects 
 to Mrs. Hicks, too. Where shall I find her?" 
 
 "Well," said Hicks, "the fact is Billy, owing to 
 some friends of Mrs. Hicks who are stopping at 
 the same place, we are at the Palace temporarily 
 only temporarily. Pretty soon, when she has paid 
 her visits you know how these women folks are 
 we ll be right back at the Nation or some other 
 good, old-fashioned place, where the boys like you 
 and me are at home. Good-by. Come to see me!" 
 
 Buffum watched Hicks as he swaggered up the 
 avenue, and resolved to look over the Palace Hotel 
 before he left in order to tell the boys back home 
 just how their new Senator was living down there 
 in Washington. 
 
 Hicks had saved about fifty thousand dollars, 
 most of which he had carefully invested in standard 
 securities. He was naturally tight-fisted, almost to
 
 346 THE FAKERS 
 
 the point of meanness, but was always willing to 
 spend money when he thought he could advance him 
 self thereby. He had been thinking much about 
 the campaign he must make for election to the Sen 
 ate, for he knew there would be many candidates, 
 and he resolved to mention the subject to Mrs. 
 Hicks, and arrange for a contribution from her for 
 tune, which he still thought must be two or three 
 hundred thousand dollars, a fallacy of which Mrs. 
 Hicks had never disabused his mind. He felt, as 
 her husband, he could not protest just yet about 
 her lavish expenditures, although he writhed when 
 the bills came in, and had worked earnestly, but 
 without avail, on the manager of the Palace to get 
 a reduction in his room rates. However, he was 
 of the opinion, after thinking the matter over at 
 length, he could legitimately ask his wife, for finan 
 cial aid for his campaign from her large resources, 
 for it meant much to her to have him come back to 
 Washington and more to have him stay there. 
 
 After dinner that night he approached the subject 
 carefully. "My dear," he said, "I must now be 
 thinking of my campaign for election. Of course, 
 I am the logical candidate, and shall be elected, but 
 there are certain things that must be done." 
 
 Mrs. Hicks yawned and suggested he set about 
 doing these things. 
 
 "Oh, yes," he continued. "As I have assured you, 
 there will be no difficulty in my election, not a par 
 ticle, but, of course, others may try to contest the 
 place with me. In fact, I feel quite sure that cer 
 tain men in our state, unmindful of many sacrifices 
 for the party, and regardless of my preeminent 
 fitness for the place, will seek to wrest this honor 
 from me. I shall be obliged to spend some money 
 legitimately, of course, my dear, but in certain neces 
 sary ways."
 
 THE FAKERS 347 
 
 "I trust, Marmaduke," Mrs. Hicks said, "you 
 will not hesitate to make any proper expenditures 
 to insure your return." 
 
 "Certainly not, my dear; certainly not. I merely 
 thought it the part of wisdom to enlighten you on 
 these points we are husband and wife, you know- 
 partners, if I may use the word and our interests 
 are identical " 
 
 "Well?" she asked sharply, turning to Hicks and 
 looking him straight in the eye. Hicks shrank back. 
 He noticed a hard, a sort of frozen, expression in 
 her face he had never seen there before. 
 
 He hesitated. 
 
 "Well," she said again, even more sharply than 
 before. 
 
 "The fact is, my dear, as our interests are identi 
 cal, I was thinking it might be agreeable to you to 
 give me a check for, say five thousand dollars, or 
 some such trifling sum in order to start us on an 
 equal footing in this matter." 
 
 "What?" she demanded. "You want me to give 
 you five thousand dollars to help pay your election 
 expenses?" 
 
 "Exactly," smiled Hicks rubbing his hands. 
 "That seems a fair proposition to me and I should 
 say, judging from my knowledge of these matters, 
 that I shall not need more than ten or fifteen thou 
 sand dollars from you all told a mere bagatelle." 
 
 "Senator Hicks," she said, and there were icicles 
 on each word, "I am amazed at your request. I see 
 no reason why I should contribute to your election 
 expenses from my personal fortune, and I shall not 
 do it. I shall not give you one cent." She 
 made an impressive pause between each word, and 
 Hicks froze in his chair. 
 
 "But my dear you astonish it s customary 
 our identical interests you are rich I shall take
 
 348 THE FAKERS 
 
 you to the White House as the first lady of the 
 land " 
 
 "It makes no difference," she replied. "The idea 
 of your asking for money from me is preposterous 
 preposterous ! 
 
 She walked into her bedroom, and returned with a 
 sheaf of bills in her hands. "While we are on this 
 subject," she said, "here are the bills for my cos 
 tumes and other incidentals I bought in New York. 
 Please pay them." 
 
 Hicks reached a shaky hand for the bills. "How 
 much do they amount to?" he asked. 
 
 "Oh," she replied carelessly, "two thousand dol 
 lars, or some such insignificant sum." 
 
 "Two thousand dollars!" repeated Hicks in a 
 husky voice. "Do you mean that you spent two 
 thousand dollars when you went to New York, and 
 want me to pay it?" 
 
 "Certainly; why not? You are my husband, aren t 
 you? That may not be all of them. At any rate, 
 they are yours to pay." 
 
 She yawned again, rather ostentatiously, Hicks 
 thought, as he sat looking at her, noting her perfect 
 indifference to his surprised distress. 
 
 "Good night, Marmaduke," she said, "I m very 
 tired and I shall retire." 
 
 She walked to her bedroom, entered and closed 
 the door behind her. Hicks sat for a long time with 
 the bills in his hands. He didn t try to total them. 
 He didn t dare, for fear the shock would unnerve 
 him still more. It was evident his wife did not in 
 tend to help him. It was further evident she in 
 tended to spend as much of his money as she cared 
 to. He realized she was cleverer than he was. He 
 tried to work himself into a frame of mind that 
 would give him courage to go to her door, knock, 
 demand admittance, and tell her this sort of thing
 
 THE FAKERS 349 
 
 must stop. He started once or twice, but stopped 
 midway in the floor. He was afraid of her. So, 
 about midnight, he went to his own room, and went 
 to bed. He was awake for hours thinking of the 
 situation. He cursed the day when he first saw Alys 
 de Mountfort Lester. The only thing clear to him 
 was that he must must be elected, and he fancied, 
 in time, he could make his wife look at these matters 
 reasonably. 
 
 He did not see Mrs. Hicks in the morning, as she 
 continued her practise of having her breakfast in 
 her room, in order to give her an opportunity to 
 prepare herself for the day, and he ate his break 
 fast moodily and walked to the Capitol, turning 
 things over in his mind. It would cost money to be 
 elected. He didn t want to spend any of his slow 
 accumulations. He considered ways for making 
 money in Washington. He knew that Senators and 
 Representatives had opportunities for betraying the 
 people and profiting thereby by taking pay from the 
 special interests. He wondered just what a special 
 interest was, and how Senators met them, and where.
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 ICKS paid the bills Mrs. Hicks pre 
 sented to him. The total was a little 
 more than twenty-one hundred dollars. 
 Every check he signed cost him an 
 acute pang, and his agony was not 
 lessened by the incidental bills Mrs. Lester con 
 tracted in Washington. As he signed the checks that 
 were to recompense the New York modistes, milli 
 ners, boot-makers, perfumers and the like, he 
 thought more and more of the advantageous posi 
 tion a Senator finds himself in when he has the un 
 limited resources of the special interests to draw 
 upon. He had not been approached. Nobody had 
 offered him money for anything. Everybody seemed 
 to be in a conspiracy to take money away from him. 
 He had been enough on the inside in his early days 
 in Washington to know that money was to be se 
 cured by legislators, provided legislators know how 
 to secure it, but was not familiar with the detail of 
 the methods used. He thought over several plans, 
 but discarded them all, for each one was predicated 
 on a demand by him, and that would be fatal to his 
 career. The proffer must come from the other side. 
 This was not a new idea to Hicks, for he had hoped 
 there might be an intimation from some quarter, 
 after his first speech, tending to show him that the 
 special interests feared him, and would make it 
 worth his while to keep quiet. He hoped this, but, 
 in his heart, he knew no such proffer would come, 
 
 350
 
 THE FAKERS 351 
 
 for he was as well aware of the charlatan character 
 of that speech as any other person wise in politics. 
 He had made it for home consumption. 
 
 The special interests ignored him, and he was 
 making constant inroads on his bank account. One 
 day, while talking to Senator Lusby, a Democrat 
 who had been in public life for many years and was 
 rich because of his political endeavors, Hicks worked 
 the conversation around to money. 
 
 "By the way, Senator," he said, "I suppose many 
 of the Senators supplement their incomes by receiv 
 ing money from the special interests and by iniqui 
 tous participation in the gambling hell of Wall 
 Street." 
 
 "Oh, I don t know," Lusby replied, looking at 
 Hicks narrowly. "I have heard of such things, of 
 course, usually in speeches like those you make, but 
 I have very little knowledge of the subject." 
 
 "It must be true," persisted Hicks. "Where there 
 is so much smoke there must be some fire. Merely 
 as a matter of curiosity, and, in order that I may ex 
 pose these corrupt practices, tell me, Senator, how 
 does a member of this body go about securing one 
 of these criminal alliances with the plutocrats? 
 What is the procedure?" 
 
 "Why, Hicks," Lusby said, "never having made 
 any such alliances I do not know, and I am not in 
 the confidence of those who do make them. It must 
 be easy enough, though." 
 
 "You alarm and astonish me, Senator," continued 
 Hicks, "when you say such reprehensible practices 
 are both common and easy of arrangement. Just 
 how, for example, would a Senator ally himself with 
 a special interest in order that the alliance might 
 work to his own profit?" 
 
 Lusby lighted a cigar and took a turn about the 
 room.
 
 352 THE FAKERS 
 
 "I should say," he answered finally, "that if a 
 Senator a new Senator like yourself, for exam 
 ple," and he looked straight at Hicks, who shifted 
 uneasily in his chair, "wanted to do that sort of thing, 
 it would be simple enough. All you ve got to do, 
 Hicks, is to advertise you are in the market and 
 somebody will make a bid." 
 
 "You misunderstand me, Senator," protested 
 Hicks. "I, of course, am merely seeking for in 
 formation for use in my great fight to drive the 
 vested interests out of power, and with no thought 
 of participation. Advertise, you say; in what man 
 ner?" 
 
 "Oh, hell!" snorted the disgusted Lusby, "One 
 good way would be for you to put a placard on say 
 ing that you are for sale and stand out in Statuary 
 Hall." 
 
 "My dear Senator " began Hicks. 
 
 "Excuse me," interrupted Lusby, "I must go to a 
 committee meeting. I may say to you, though, that 
 before you can sell anything you must invariably 
 have something to sell." 
 
 Hicks thought that over. He didn t have any 
 thing to sell but his oratory, and there was no 
 market for that. However, he concluded he might 
 as well try again, and he announced and delivered 
 another speech, in which he went to even greater 
 lengths in his attacks on plutocracy, and in his fer 
 vor for the welfare of the people. This speech 
 attracted little attention. Most of the Senators 
 left the chamber while Hicks was talking, and he re 
 ceived scant newspaper mention, and that all ridi 
 cule. Men like Hicks are too common in Washing 
 ton to repeat for newspaper purposes. They are 
 biggest when they first come. 
 
 He was concerned about his reelection. Advices 
 from home had informed him there would be sev-
 
 THE FAKERS 353 
 
 eral candidates for the place. He tried again to 
 make Mrs. Hicks listen to reason. She was pur 
 suing her social duties, and making new ones, with 
 out regard to him, and utterly refused to part with 
 a cent. 
 
 He said he must spend his own money, and he 
 began an elaborate campaign. He had subscribed 
 for all the leading papers in his state. He hired 
 some extra clerks. The business of one of them 
 was to read the newspapers carefully and clip out 
 all items that might, by any possibility, give Hicks 
 a chance for a congratulatory letter or a letter of 
 sympathy or condolence or any other kind of letter. 
 He prepared seven form letters, which were num 
 bered. These letters were about five hundred words 
 in length, and detailed the unselfish efforts Hicks 
 was making, here at the very citadel of corruption 
 and political crime, to help remedy the abuses 
 heaped on the people, and drive their oppressors 
 from power. 
 
 Every morning he took his little bunch of clip 
 pings, and called a stenographer. He would dic 
 tate a first paragraph, like this: 
 
 "MY DEAR MR. JOXES: 
 
 "I learn with infinite regret of the death of your lovely 
 daughter, in the full flower of her youth. My heart goes 
 out to you in this your hour of bereavement. Of course, 
 I know that no mere words of mine can heal the wound, 
 but, so far as words can express it, I offer you my sincere 
 sympathy, taking a few moments from my labors to send you 
 this heartfelt note ? 
 
 "Got that?" Hicks would say^ "All right, then 
 begin the next paragraph like this: You have no 
 idea how the forces of evil encompass me. 
 
 "Got that? Well, then add number six; that will 
 fit in there."
 
 354 THE FAKERS 
 
 And the stenographer would write the first para 
 graphs and join form number six, and Hicks would 
 sign "Faithfully, T. Marmaduke Hicks, United 
 States Senator," and frank the letter to the bereaved 
 parent. He saw to it that all letters appeared to 
 be individual letters, and he sent them out by the 
 score, to all parts of the state, spreading his con 
 gratulations, his condolences, his everything else he 
 could work into an excuse for a letter over all the 
 state, combined in each instance with a few kind 
 words for himself in the provided form letters. 
 
 He had McGinnis and his other labor friends 
 busy getting "unsolicited" endorsements for him 
 from labor organizations; started farmer friends 
 out to round up granges and other organizations of 
 farmers; had his pastor employed in securing "un 
 solicited" church and church organization recom 
 mendations for him; enlisted old ladies of Rextown 
 to secure the approval of the Colonial Dames, and 
 the Daughters of the American Revolution and 
 the rest; literally buried the leading members of the 
 G. A. R. with documents and seeds in the hope of 
 getting the old soldiers support; made several pro 
 hibition speeches in churches in Washington, and 
 had a pamphlet printed containing them which he 
 sent to all prohibition leaders and workers; joined 
 the anti-saloon league; endorsed woman suffrage in 
 a ringing pronunciamento, and had that circulated, 
 also; and embarked on a crusade to drive the sa 
 loons out of Washington, the Nation s Capital, 
 which, he said, should be a model city. 
 
 He side-stepped a similar movement in Rextown, 
 when his support was asked, saying the conditions 
 were dissimilar, as Rextown had a large working 
 population which thought differently on this matter, 
 so that it deserved and must receive mature con 
 sideration from him. He said he wanted to be on
 
 THE FAKERS 355 
 
 the ground when that movement was carried on, 
 and advised delay for a time until he could study the 
 situation. But he was firm in his determination to 
 make Washington a model city, for he needed no 
 votes there. 
 
 He broke into the newspapers whenever he could, 
 was insensible to rebuffs when the frequent arti 
 cles about himself he sent to the correspondents were 
 returned to him, or not used, and kept himself con 
 stantly occupied with the one object of securing elec 
 tion. 
 
 Congress was due to adjourn in midsummer. 
 Hicks made several more speeches, all of the same 
 tenor, flooded his state newspapers with extracts 
 therefrom, and increased the number of his clerks 
 until he had half a dozen working on his advertising 
 propaganda. He early learned the efficiency of the 
 Congressional frank, and included much useful ma 
 terial for self-exploitation in his speeches and placed 
 more "by request" in the Congressional Record. 
 This stuff he franked out as "Part of the Congres 
 sional Record" to many voters in the state, for he 
 had secured city and county directories from various 
 sections and used the names in them. His money 
 was melting rapidly, but Mrs. Hicks remained ob 
 durate. Also, she continued to be most expensive. 
 Her gowns were subject of much newspaper descrip 
 tions furnished by herself. She went to New York 
 again and spent another five hundred dollars, which 
 Hicks had to pay. He tried to argue with her, but 
 she would not discuss the matter. She gave him 
 the bills as they came in, told him to pay them and 
 let it go at that. 
 
 They lived together, but had little in common. 
 Mrs. Hicks was active in such society as she could 
 push into, and displayed herself in the hotel nightly, 
 always decorous, but always striking in appearance.
 
 356 THE FAKERS 
 
 Hicks admired her, and clung to the thought that, 
 after he was elected, he and she would have an un 
 derstanding. She was still a wonderful woman to 
 him, and her new costumes and her new activities 
 infatuated him even more as time passed. He went 
 with her whenever she would allow him to, and ap 
 propriated for himself as much of her admiration 
 as he could. She was much interested in his cam 
 paign for election, and urged him to greater efforts. 
 It was imperative, she said, reminding him he had 
 promised her, when he had proposed to her, not only 
 to remain indefinitely in the Senate, but to achieve 
 the Presidency, and she held him to his word.
 
 H 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 ICKS had been placed on several of the 
 unimportant committees of the Senate, 
 but he paid no attention to his duties. 
 His whole concern was to secure a 
 nomination and election. He was 
 merely a filler-in as he stood, and his colleagues had 
 slight interest in him. They had seen many other 
 men come to the Senate, by appointment by Gover 
 nors, to fill vacancies, some serving for not more 
 than thirty days, and the regularly-elected six-year 
 men considered these as interlopers, and did not take 
 them into the inner senatorial circle. They were all 
 polite to him, for they did not go to the trouble 
 of analyzing Hicks, and were indifferent as to 
 whether he believed, or only pretended to believe, 
 what he talked about. 
 
 The general opinion of Hicks was expressed by 
 one caustic old statesman who said, after a cursory 
 examination: "If he had a little more brains he d 
 be an ordinary damn fool," but that was for cloak 
 room consumption only. As some one said, Hicks 
 was a Senator, with a vote that might be useful, 
 and, also, he might come back. Such things had 
 been known. There were several Senators on the 
 roll, at that time, who were even more demagogi 
 cal than Hicks. So they were scrupulously courte 
 ous to him, and took no chances of offending him for 
 fear he might be elected regularly, and be there to 
 vex them when they needed him. While they did 
 
 357
 
 358 THE FAKERS 
 
 not take him in they did not exactly leave him out 
 side. 
 
 Hicks s mental attitude began to change about two 
 months after he arrived in Washington. In Rex- 
 town he was playing a well-defined game, and was 
 under no personal delusions as to his part as a player 
 in it. He had gone out from a reactionary begin 
 ning to take a radical stand, not because he was a 
 radical, but because he thought he could best ad 
 vance himself as a radical. He missed the steady 
 ing influence of Senator Paxton, who had been called 
 away and was absent for a long time. Left to him 
 self, Hicks began to consider himself what he pre 
 tended to be. The change came gradually, but it 
 came surely. There were times when he laughed 
 at himself for pretending to himself, but these peri 
 ods became less and less frequent, and, presently, 
 Senator T. Marmaduke Hicks had convinced him 
 self he was a true friend of the people, and that he 
 meant everything he said. 
 
 Paxton returned. "How s Hicks getting on?" he 
 asked Madden. 
 
 "Getting on?" repeated Madden. "Why, he s 
 getting impossible. He s hypnotized himself into 
 thinking he means what he says. Darned if he 
 wasn t in here the other day handing out that guff 
 of his to me as if he thought it was genuine, and as 
 if he thought I must accept it as such. He s got 
 the worst case of swelled head I have seen in a long 
 time, and if you don t compress it to normal, he s 
 gone. I don t mind a man faking the public, but 
 when he begins faking himself it s the limit." 
 
 "I m not surprised," said Paxton. "It s a big 
 jump from a law office in Rextown to the United 
 States Senate, even if it comes by a measly ad interim 
 appointment. I ll look him over and see what can 
 be done about it."
 
 THE FAKERS 359 
 
 The Senator invited Hicks to luncheon and sug 
 gested they have it in his room, where they might 
 be undisturbed. Hicks came in about half-past one, 
 and found Paxton waiting for him. 
 
 "Well, Tommie," the Senator called to him, "how 
 are things moving?" 
 
 Hicks stiffened. "Senator Paxton," he replied, 
 "I wish you wouldn t call me Tommie. I m a Sena 
 tor, you know, the same as you are, and I resent the 
 patronizing that greeting infers." 
 
 "I beg your pardon," Paxton said gravely. "I 
 was in error. Won t you be seated, Senator? I 
 want to have a talk with you." 
 
 "On some legislative matter?" asked Hicks. 
 
 "No, on personal matters." 
 
 "Of course," began Hicks, "I shall be glad to con 
 fer with you on any matter personal to yourself, as 
 an old friend, but if what you have in mind refers in 
 any way to the past I must refuse. I have changed 
 my viewpoint, Senator Paxton. What began as an 
 adventure has changed to a crusade. I have a mis 
 sion, and that mission is to redeem the pledges I 
 made to the people, and thought when I first began 
 making those pledges I made them simply for my 
 ~v>wn aggrandizement. I have seen a light. Instead 
 of using the people to advance myself, I have deter 
 mined to use myself to advance the people. I trust 
 I make myself clear." 
 
 "You do," Paxton answered, "clearer than you 
 imagine, even. Pray forgive me for thinking you 
 had retained your perspective. Of course, I was 
 wrong. So let s say no more about it. Sit down 
 and have a bite." 
 
 Hicks ate uncomfortably. They talked of minor 
 Senatorial matters, and general politics, discussed 
 a few of the policies of the President and Hicks 
 left as soon as he could get away.
 
 360 THE FAKERS 
 
 "You re right, Madden," Paxton said to his secre 
 tary. "He s all swelled up like a poisoned pup." 
 
 "Did you tell him about himself?" asked Madden. 
 
 "No, it isn t time. He ll harm nobody yet 
 a while, and I think we shall need him presently." 
 
 The need came quickly. A law providing for 
 a drastic supplementary power for the Interstate 
 Commerce Commission was pending, and there had 
 been a great public clamor for it and against the 
 railroads. The railroads held this added power 
 would be disastrous to their freedom of operation, 
 for it virtually placed their affairs in the hands of 
 the commission. They called on all their friends 
 in the Senate to defeat it. Division was not on 
 party lines. Paxton, who was handling the rail 
 road side, had made exceedingly careful polls. He 
 needed three votes. Two of these he secured by 
 means best known to himself, and Lusby advised 
 him to see Hicks and arrange for a money payment 
 to him for his vote. Hicks had not taken a public 
 position on the matter largely because he was too 
 busy with his own affairs, but he knew there was a 
 certain popular demand for it, and that the corpora 
 tions approved it and thought privately, that he 
 would vote for it. 
 
 "I know you can get him," said Lusby. "He 
 made a talk to me a week after he got here that 
 convinced me he is willing to be compensated for 
 any service he can render and not get caught at. 
 You ve got a big war chest. Let him dip into it." 
 
 Paxton was dubious. He had thought a great 
 deal over his talk with Hicks when Hicks had de 
 clared himself as converted to the cause he had been 
 preaching so many years. Paxton held the view 
 that Hicks, impressed by his own importance, had 
 hypnotized himself into thinking that what he said 
 was the truth from his heart.
 
 THE FAKERS 361 
 
 But Paxton needed that vote. Every other source 
 had been canvassed with close scrutiny, and all pos 
 sible influences had been brought to bear. He must 
 have Hicks. 
 
 Two days before the time set for taking the vote, 
 Senator Paxton went to Hicks and said: "Senator, 
 may I have a talk with you?" 
 
 "Certainly, Senator. What is it?" 
 
 "Come down to my office if you will be so kind." 
 
 They went out together. As they entered the 
 inner room, Paxton walking behind Hicks, closed 
 and locked the door. 
 
 "Hicks," he said, without any polite preliminaries, 
 "you and I must have a showdown." 
 
 Hicks was uneasy. Notwithstanding his inflated 
 opinion of himself this man had once been his em 
 ployer and had been his benefactor. 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "I mean that all time for piffle and platitudes is 
 past. I have come to a point when I must speak 
 plainly to you, and make a demand on you. In 
 short, Hicks, I want you to vote against that Inter 
 state Commerce Bill." 
 
 "But, Senator " Hicks began. 
 
 "But nothing! Now, listen, Hicks: You were 
 a bright young man working here for me. I 
 noticed your brightness and your adaptability, and 
 I sent you out to Rextown, and gave you the work 
 ing plans of a political propaganda, that eventually 
 made you a Senator. I helped finance your earlier 
 years. I put you in the way of this prominence 
 you have gained. I have advised you. Of course, 
 it was a game of mine, but you played it willingly, 
 and you certainly are under some obligations to 
 me. I want you to vote against this bill. It is 
 vital to me. You can do it, for plenty of other 
 Democrats intend to vote against it, and there will
 
 362 THE FAKERS 
 
 be absolutely nothing unusual in the matter. Will 
 you do it?" 
 
 "No," Hicks replied, looking Paxton squarely in 
 the eyes. "I do not recognize your right to make 
 this demand on me. Some of the things you have 
 said are true, but you have overlooked the main 
 point. That is that insincere as I was when I be 
 gan my political career I have become sincere. I 
 am now for the people, truly, and at heart. I have 
 seen the error of my ways. I have decided to vote 
 against this bill, and you have no right to try to 
 influence my conscientious determination, and the 
 prompting of my sense of duty and my love for 
 the people in this way. I won t vote for the bill. 
 I ll vote against it." 
 
 "Very well," Paxton answered, calmly. "If you 
 refused to be influenced by decency, gratitude and 
 a real obligation to me, the man who has been your 
 best friend, let me put it another way. You are a 
 candidate for election to the Senate." 
 
 "I haven t announced my candidacy as yet." 
 
 "I know, but you will. Now, then, Hicks, that 
 fight will cost a good-sized sum. Vote for this 
 bill and I ll see to it that you will have all the money 
 you can use." 
 
 Hicks jumped from his chair: "Do you mean 
 to bribe me?" he shouted. 
 
 Paxton laughed. "No," he replied. "I don t 
 mean to bribe you. All I offer is legitimate cam 
 paign money for a legitimate campaign, and all I 
 ask in return is a vote for this bill. There is no 
 bribery about it." 
 
 Hicks walked over to the door and turned the 
 handle. 
 
 "It s locked," he said, facing Paxton. 
 
 "Yes " 
 
 "Unlock it."
 
 THE FAKERS 363 
 
 "Not until you tell me what you intend to do. 
 I have a right to know, notwithstanding your recent 
 assumption of the Messiah role." 
 
 "Open it," Hicks demanded. "I ll have to think 
 this thing over." 
 
 Paxton hurried to the door. "In that case," he 
 said, "I ll open it gladly. The vote is on Tuesday 
 afternoon at four o clock." 
 
 "Good-by," said Hicks, and walked out. 
 
 Hicks spent all that afternoon and evening talk 
 ing about the proposed railroad legislation. He 
 consulted various Senators. They told him there 
 was a considerable public interest in the bill, and 
 that various influential newspapers demanded it. 
 Still, the public clamor was not so great, owing to 
 the skill with which the bill had been handled by 
 Paxton, as to make a vote against the bill partic 
 ularly dangerous, and there was ample ground for 
 objection on the basis of the unconstitutionality of 
 the measure. Others said it conferred too great 
 powers on a subordinate Government bureau. 
 Others had reasons that were not disclosed. There 
 was both a sincere and a manufactured sentiment 
 in opposition. 
 
 "It s simple enough," said Senator Lusby to 
 Hicks. "If you want to vote against the bill and 
 have any apprehensions of what the folks in your 
 State may say, vote against it and assign a constitu 
 tional reason. Assert it as your deep-seated con 
 viction that the bill will be held worthless by the 
 Supreme Court on constitutional grounds. There 
 will be no come-back to that, and you ll get a repu 
 tation as a student of the Constitution, for by the 
 time the Supreme Court passes on the bill everybody 
 will have forgotten what it is all about, and what 
 your vote was." 
 
 Enough of the old Hicks was projected into the
 
 364 THE FAKERS 
 
 consideration of his dilemma to cause Hicks to 
 weigh Senator Paxton s proposition carefully. He 
 knew Paxton was liberal, especially with the money 
 of other people, and he had no doubt he could get 
 several thousand dollars from him, maybe ten or 
 fifteen, or, perhaps, more. That money might elect 
 him. It was a great temptation, but there was this 
 drawback: If he took the money and was returned 
 he would then be completely in the power of Paxton, 
 who could use him as he wished, and who would. 
 Hicks knew enough of Paxton s methods to know 
 that whenever he obtained a hold on any person he 
 gave that person a musket and a knapsack and 
 forced him to stand guard for him continuously. 
 Paxton s control would spoil an independent career 
 for himself, except so far as money went, and Hicks 
 couldn t convince himself, much as he desired money, 
 that the place he might assume, independently, would 
 not be of greater value to him. Besides, as the 
 old Hicks whispered in the ear of the new Hicks, 
 he then could collect for himself and be his own 
 paymaster, provided he came to that view of his 
 Senatorial procedure. 
 
 He had declared himself to Paxton, and felt that 
 Paxton had no hold on him, save, perhaps, a story 
 he might tell of their early association. He re 
 viewed his past career, and tried to remember 
 whether there had been anything that might hurt 
 him in the letters he had written to Paxton. He 
 did not think many of them were at all indiscreet, 
 even if Paxton had retained them. And, if he had 
 retained them, how could he use them? He had 
 distinctly tried to bribe Hicks and his word was as 
 good as Paxton s and better out in Hicks s State, 
 where Hicks could brand Paxton as identified with 
 the special interests and claim he was being perse 
 cuted by the reactionaries.
 
 THE FAKERS 365 
 
 Finally, he convinced himself he was a virtuous, 
 duty-loving man, on whose integrity an assault had 
 been made, and resolved to look over the news 
 papers carefully to see just what ones were sup 
 porting the bill and what the chances for advertis 
 ing were for Hicks. By Monday he was certain 
 he was sincere, that he had a stern sense of duty 
 to the people in the premises. 
 
 Paxton said nothing more to him until the close 
 of the morning hour in the Senate on Tuesday. 
 Then he walked over to Hicks s desk and sat down 
 next to him. He took a slip of paper, wrote on 
 it in big figures "25,000" and nothing else, and said, 
 shoving the paper across to Hicks, "That, as I 
 view it, is about what a senatorial campaign will 
 cost out your way. My friends think the same as 
 I do." 
 
 Hicks gave no sign he knew what the figures 
 meant. Paxton watched him narrowly, but Hicks 
 sat impassively for an hour and listened to short 
 speeches for and against the bill made by various 
 Senators who desired to get the last word in the 
 Record defending or lauding their forthcoming 
 action. 
 
 The galleries were crowded. At half-past three 
 Hicks rose and left the Senate chamber. Paxton 
 saw him, and hurriedly sent for Madden and in 
 structed him to keep watch of Hicks and bring him 
 in when the bells rang for roll call. 
 
 Hicks went to the restaurant, and ordered a 
 sandwich and a pot of coffee. He kept a watchful 
 eye on the clock, and reviewed his situation for the 
 last time. Paxton had offered him $25,000 for a 
 vote against the bill. It was a great temptation. 
 It might elect him, but, knowing Paxton as well 
 as he did, and knowing his methods, Hicks was sure 
 he could not get the money without some sort of a
 
 3 66 THE FAKERS 
 
 voucher, or some sort of an obligation secured by 
 Paxton that would hold him in Paxton s power. 
 Paxton needed this vote, but he never bought one 
 thing with his money when he could just as well 
 buy two, and Hicks knew Paxton would snare him 
 in some way, and, if he returned, would control 
 him by that means as he already had tried to con 
 trol him through a demand on his gratitude. 
 
 He knew, too, he might take the money and, 
 when he came back, refuse to do Paxton s bid 
 ding. That, he thought, would subject him to 
 endless persecution by Paxton and seriously hinder 
 his career. He reread a double-leaded editorial 
 in the New York World of that morning, calling 
 on all Democrats to support the bill. If he took 
 the money, and was defeated, it would do him no 
 good, for he could not save it. He would be 
 obliged to spend it. It wouldn t hurt him any to 
 take an active stand against Paxton and his crowd. 
 It would help, for they were deep in public dis 
 favor; also, the next Senate might be Democratic, 
 and then he could laugh at Paxton. 
 
 Just at four o clock, a bell rang sharply and in 
 sistently. 
 
 "It s the vote!" thought Hicks, and he went up 
 to the Senate floor. 
 
 At the same moment bells jangled in all parts of 
 the Senate wing of the Capitol. 
 
 "Vote!" cried the press gallery attendants, and 
 the correspondents trooped in, with long tally sheets 
 in their hands. 
 
 "Vote !" echoed in every committee-room. 
 
 Senators who were out of the chamber hurried to 
 their seats, but Hicks, shadowed by Madden, walked 
 up to the green braid doors on the Democratic side 
 and chatted with Colonel Jimmie Edwards, the 
 aged doorkeeper.
 
 THE FAKERS 367 
 
 The roll-call began. Each Senator kept tab. 
 Various Senators announced pairs. The clerk called 
 the names raucously. The H s were reached. 
 
 "Mr. Hicks," shouted the clerk. There was no 
 reply. 
 
 "Mr. Hicks," the clerk repeated. Hicks did not 
 respond. 
 
 Paxton raised himself in his seat, cursing Madden 
 to himself for not bringing Hicks in. After the 
 call had proceeded a few names further, the side 
 doors on the Democratic side swung open. Hicks 
 came in and walked to the head of the center aisle, 
 where he stood waiting. 
 
 "Ha," said Paxton, much relieved, "he only 
 wants to attract a little attention to himself by 
 voting conspicuously." 
 
 The roll-call was finished. Paxton s tab showed 
 forty-two for and forty-one against. Hicks s vote 
 would give him a tie, and the Vice-President would 
 have the casting vote. The Vice-President would 
 vote for Paxton, and although the squeak would 
 be a narrow one, the bill would be beaten. 
 
 As the clerk called the last name on the list 
 Hicks stepped out into the center aisle. 
 
 "Mr. Pres-o-dunt!" he said. 
 
 There was an instant hush. "Mr. Hicks," the 
 clerk called. 
 
 "Aye !" shouted Hicks, and the galleries burst 
 into applause. Paxton grew red and then white. 
 Hicks stood in the aisle until the vote was an 
 nounced forty-three ayes to forty-one nays, and the 
 journal clerk recorded that detail and added, as 
 journal clerks have done since Congress began: 
 "And so the bill was lost." 
 
 A good many of those in favor of the bill con 
 gratulated him. The Senate immediately proceeded 
 to other business. Hicks stood about until he had
 
 3 68 THE FAKERS 
 
 shaken every admiring hand proffered and went back 
 to his seat. 
 
 Paxton came over. His face was stern and set. 
 
 "Damn you, Hicks!" he said. "What did you 
 do that for?" 
 
 "I voted according to the dictates of my con 
 science," Hicks replied, looking squarely at Paxton. 
 
 "You did," sneered Paxton. "You did, eh? 
 Well, that conscience is too sensitive to be exposed 
 here. I ll make it my business to see that both 
 you and your conscience are retired to private life."
 
 CHAPTER XLI 
 
 HICKS received a good deal of commen 
 dation from the progressive press for 
 his vote, and was well pleased. He 
 worried somewhat about what Paxton 
 might do to him, but Paxton, beyond a 
 refusal to speak to Hicks, gave no further sign of his 
 anger. Ten days before Congress adjourned Hicks 
 put out the formal announcement of his candidacy to 
 succeed himself. He had sent it to every paper in 
 the State with a release date, and on that release 
 date he called in the correspondents and gave them 
 an interview. He said he was a candidate to suc 
 ceed himself, that he would make an active canvass 
 of the State, returning home immediately after 
 the adjournment of Congress, that he had no doubts 
 of his election, and that he would continue in the 
 future, as in the past, to be the true and devoted 
 friend of the common people. 
 
 The politicians at Yorkville and Rextown and 
 elsewhere in the State, had been waiting for the 
 announcement by Hicks. They were certain it was 
 coming, but until it did come they were blocked, in 
 a way, for other candidacies hinged both geo 
 graphically and politically on Hicks. He knew 
 this, and that is why he had delayed in announc 
 ing himself. A considerable amount of secret cam 
 paigning had been done, and four other Demo 
 crats \vere ready to enter the field, but none of these 
 underestimated the strength Hicks had with a cer- 
 
 369
 
 370 THE FAKERS 
 
 tain element of the population, and each thought 
 he might appropriate this strength, or some of it, 
 provided the miraculous happened and Hicks de 
 cided he would retire to private life. 
 
 Hicks cleared the air with his manifesto. The 
 others were in the running within twenty-four hours 
 after he had specifically declared himself. One 
 candidate was Enos G. Mulford, the man Flicks had 
 deserted for Dawson at the State convention, and 
 thereby gained his Senatorship ; another was Henry 
 H. Broughton, a former judge of the Supreme 
 Court, and the other two were lawyers of some 
 prominence in their sections, but of no state-wide 
 reputation. Rollins did not enter. It was con 
 ceded the contest would be between Hicks, Mul 
 ford and Broughton. This was before the adop 
 tion of the constitutional amendment providing for 
 the direct election of Senators, but the State had 
 a new law effective June first which compelled can 
 didates for the Senate to go before the primaries, 
 binding the Legislature to the support of the man 
 who, after the primaries had selected the candidates 
 of the opposing parties for the place, should receive 
 the highest vote at the general election in November. 
 The primaries were to be held on September twenty- 
 fourth. This meant a primary campaign of six 
 or seven weeks from the time the candidates were 
 definitely in the field. 
 
 Hicks carefully tabulated the comment on his 
 announcement. All in all, he was fairly well re 
 ceived by the press of his own party, although he 
 was ridiculed by the Republican papers. It was 
 conceded the Republican aspirant would have little 
 chance, as the state of public opinion was still ex 
 tremely adverse to all Republicans and their party. 
 Aside from that, the normal Republican vote of the 
 State would be split by a Progressive Republican can-
 
 THE FAKERS 371 
 
 didate, and a stand-pat Republican, both in the pri 
 maries and in the general election, and it was as 
 certain as anything political can be certain, the 
 Democrat who carried the primaries would be the 
 next Senator. 
 
 Hicks based his hope on the response he received 
 from the people, whom he had assiduously culti 
 vated for so many years. He was strong with the 
 people. They had taken him at his own valuation 
 of himself, had believed in his protestations of his 
 fervor in their cause. He had skilfully prepared 
 every shred of commendation he had received, from 
 any source. He had taken sentences from ela 
 borately sarcastic articles about himself, sentences 
 that, separated from the context, appeared to praise 
 him in the highest terms, and had arranged them, 
 giving the names of the authors, into culminative 
 peans of praise. He had printed thousands of 
 copies of his speeches, and had reprinted the matter 
 useful to his candidacy he had had inserted in the 
 Congressional Record, and made preparations to 
 flood the State with this in franked envelopes. He 
 revised his mailing lists, and sent several of his clerks 
 and stenographers to Rextown. 
 
 He arranged to convert most of his securities into 
 cash, and resolved to invest all he had in the enter 
 prise. If he lost he would be without money, but 
 if he won the winning would be worth the price. 
 It was a bet, and Hicks made it. 
 
 Congress drew to a clamorous close. Hicks 
 sought for a chance to exploit himself further, but 
 the Democratic leader in the Senate sternly repressed 
 him, telling him serious business was at hand, and 
 there was no time for sounding the Hicks tom-tom. 
 He did push himself into debates on pending meas 
 ures, but as he had paid no attention to legisla 
 tion the men who were looking after that legisla-
 
 372 THE FAKERS 
 
 tlon wound him up so sharply and so decisively he 
 soon abandoned that route to further fame. On 
 the last night of the session he secured the floor 
 and made a twenty-minute speech for use in his 
 campaign, and decided he had done all that could 
 be done in that direction. 
 
 Already he had spent a good deal of money. 
 His efforts to induce Mrs. Hicks to help him had 
 been unavailing, but he made one last effort to in 
 terest his wife in the financing of the campaign 
 while they were returning to Rextown. 
 
 "Please, Senator," she said, u do not refer to 
 that subject again. I have not the slightest in 
 tention of giving you any money for your campaign. 
 I do consider that a part of my obligation to you. 
 You have plenty of resources. You have frequently 
 told me that. Why should I give you money when 
 you have a fortune of your own? I would regret 
 to think you married me for my money, but I shall 
 be forced to conclude that was the case if you 
 continue these overtures." 
 
 Hicks protested volubly he married her because 
 he loved her. He said he merely thought she might 
 be interested enough in his success to desire to parti 
 cipate in the necessary expenses he must incur to 
 bring about that success which he wanted not for 
 himself but for her and he promised he would not 
 refer to the matter again. 
 
 Nor did he, but he thought, if he did win, he 
 would he didn t know what he would do, but it 
 would be something exemplary. He turned the 
 offices of Hicks, Chittlings and Wilson into a head 
 quarters, enlisted McGinnis, Mortimer and others 
 as his staff, set his clerks and stenographers to their 
 tasks, and began work in earnest. He wanted to go 
 back to Mrs. Hungerford s, but Mrs. Hicks would 
 not hear of it. Instead, she demanded, in fact,
 
 THE FAKERS 373 
 
 selected herself, what was known as the "bridal 
 suite" in the Metropolis Hotel, an ornate parlor 
 and bedroom and bath for herself, and engaged an 
 adjoining room for Hicks. 
 
 Hicks went to various places in August and made 
 speeches. Beginning on September first he stumped 
 the State from end to end. Mrs. Hicks went with 
 him, for a few days at a time, and stood on the 
 platform when he spoke. She had read of the po 
 litical campaigning done by Lady Cornwallis West, 
 and other women of high degree, in England, and 
 she imitated them so far as she was able. She was 
 amiable and affable to his supporters, wore her most 
 fetching tailored costumes, and her most becoming 
 hats, but did not appear except in the cities. Hicks 
 was glad of that. He didn t know how the plain 
 people in the rural districts might look on a can 
 didate who had so stylish and so aristocratic a 
 wife, and when she refused to go into the country 
 he didn t urge her. She said she couldn t think of 
 mingling with the horny-handed sons of toil, much 
 as she desired Hicks s success, and he agreed her 
 attitude was wise, but he put on his oldest suit of 
 clothes, his slouch hat, brushed up his stock of plain- 
 people talk, shifted to the vernacular and went out 
 and mingled with them at every cross-roads where 
 he could gather a dozen or so for mingling purposes. 
 McGinnis and Mortimer were good routine poli 
 ticians and they kept things running at headquarters, 
 and Hicks appeared in every county at least once, 
 and in most of the counties half a dozen times. 
 
 Mulford and Broughton were campaigning, too; 
 the other candidates were doing what they could 
 and the State was in a ding-dong of politics for the 
 first three weeks of September. Mulford and 
 Broughton made guarded references to the light 
 ness of weight of Hicks, and laughed at his pre-
 
 374 THE FAKERS 
 
 tensions, but Hicks paid no attention to them and 
 pounded away unceasingly on his own love for the 
 people, his sincerity in their cause, and promised 
 immediate and sweeping reforms of every nature, 
 including the extension of agricultural credits, the 
 emancipation of the farmers from the rule of the 
 bosses, winding up each speech with a flowing pic 
 ture of the millennium he would bring about if he 
 were returned. Mulford challenged Hicks to a 
 debate on the issues of the day, but Hicks side 
 stepped so successfully the end of the campaign 
 came without loss of prestige to himself for his 
 refusal to go on the platform with the able Mul 
 ford. Rollins was in the East, and, apparently, 
 doing nothing.
 
 CHAPTER XLII 
 
 McGiNNis and Mortimer had arranged 
 a grand campaign-closing meeting for 
 Rextown on the Friday night before 
 the primaries, to be held on the fol 
 lowing Tuesday. Hicks was to be the 
 speaker. They engaged the rink, which would hold 
 about three thousand people, hired a band, billed 
 the town, hung out banners, and bought advertising 
 space liberally in the newspapers. 
 
 Rollins, who had returned a few days before, 
 was invited to be one of the vice-presidents of the 
 meeting, and accepted. 
 
 The night came. The band blared outside the 
 rink for an hour. Mortimer and McGinnis had 
 red fire burned and fireworks exploded in the street, 
 and at eight o clock the big rink was jammed with 
 people. Every prominent Democrat in that section 
 had been asked to be an honorary vice-president, 
 and many of them were on the platform, sitting in 
 self-conscious rows. The chairman of the meeting 
 was Lafferty, a labor State senator whom Hicks 
 had helped elect. Chairs had been reserved for 
 Hicks at the right of the small table used by the 
 presiding officer, and at a quarter-past eight, while 
 the band, which had left the street and had gone 
 to the gallery, was playing a lively tune and the 
 younger men and the boys were whistling and stamp 
 ing with their feet and shouting: "Hicks! Hicks! 
 Hicks!" the Senator came in escorting Mrs. Hicks. 
 
 375
 
 376 THE FAKERS 
 
 Mortimer had arranged a signal with the leader 
 of the band. He stepped forward on the platform, 
 waved his handkerchief, and the band stopped the 
 quickstep, and immediately began "America." 
 
 "All up!" shouted Mortimer and McGinnis. 
 
 The people stood while the band played. A few 
 tried to sing the words. As the band finished vari 
 ous men in various parts of the hall began cheer 
 ing for Hicks, shouting and clapping their hands, 
 and Hicks and Mrs. Hicks, standing together, lis 
 tened to the applause, he with his best air of self- 
 consecration, and she frankly pleased at the out 
 burst, which she might have thought was spontaneous 
 instead of accelerated. 
 
 Lafferty rapped for order and introduced the 
 pastor of Hicks s church, who made a brief prayer, 
 laudatory of Hicks. Lafferty then made a ten- 
 minute speech in which he eulogized Hicks as the 
 brilliant young Democrat of Rextown who had, 
 even in his brief service in the Senate, shed luster on 
 that thriving community, and prophesied tremendous 
 things for him after his triumphant election. Hicks 
 sat with his head bowed, as if overwhelmed by the 
 fervor of his welcome. 
 
 Lafferty finished. The cheer leaders scattered 
 through the hall started another demonstration as 
 Hicks arose and stepped forward. Boys had pre 
 viously distributed small American flags, and some 
 of these were waved. The applause continued. 
 Hicks raised both hands as if to still it. He was 
 calm, smiling, self-possessed. 
 
 "S-s-sh-h-h!" came from some of the older men. 
 "Let s hear what he has to say." 
 
 Hicks was never in better form. He tremulously 
 thanked his friends and neighbors for his over 
 whelming, magnificent and unparalleled testimonial 
 of their affection for and faith in him, and their
 
 THE FAKERS 377 
 
 appreciation of his humble, though sincere, labors 
 in the cause of the people. Then he began at the 
 beginning and told all he knew. He exhibited every 
 oratorical trick he had, harped on every theme in 
 his stock, was eloquent, flowery, passionate, de 
 nunciatory, pleading, prayerful, sobbed some, rose 
 to his highest flights, and consistently held to the 
 main threads of his discourse which were three in 
 number: exaltation of himself, the promise of every 
 popular reform he could think of through his efforts, 
 and the consecration of Hicks, until time should 
 end, to the cause of the people. 
 
 His peroration was a combination of the striking 
 sentences of every other peroration he had ever 
 used. They could hear him as far as the city hall 
 .when he pronounced that, and, as he closed, and 
 sank, as if overcome, into his chair, Mortimer and 
 McGinnis rushed to the edge of the platform and 
 waved their little flags shouting in Unison : "Hicks ! 
 Hicks! Hicks!" Those in the audience fluttered 
 their flags and joined in the cry. The band played 
 "The Star-Spangled Banner." Those near the door 
 began to go out. Lafferty, as soon as the cheering 
 had died down a bit, rapped loudly with his gavel. 
 
 "Fellow Democrats!" he shouted, "while I had 
 supposed the meeting would conclude with the speech 
 of Senator Hicks I have been informed that the 
 Honorable Perkins G. Rollins, our esteemed fellow- 
 townsman and sterling Democrat, wishes to say a 
 few words." 
 
 Hicks looked up, astonished. He saw Rollins 
 advancing from his chair to the clear space on the 
 platform. Hicks hurried to the front. 
 
 "Mr. Chairman," he said, if you will kindly con 
 sent I should like to usurp your function for a 
 moment and have the honor and the pleasure of 
 introducing my old and valued friend, Perkins G,
 
 378 THE FAKERS 
 
 Rollins, to this magnificent assemblage of Demo 
 crats." 
 
 Lafferty bowed. Hicks went to the table. Rol 
 lins stood a few feet away from him, looking out 
 over the interested audience. 
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen," Hicks began, "I can 
 scarcely find words in which to phrase the pleasure 
 I feel in presenting to you Perkins G. Rollins, of 
 Rextown, known to all of you as a righteous and up 
 right citizen and to all of you as a sterling Demo 
 crat of the old school. It, perhaps, has fallen to 
 my fortunate lot to know Mr. Rollins better than 
 most men of my age, for I have been associated 
 with him in promoting the interests of the people 
 and the Democracy ever since I came to this fair 
 city to live and practice my profession. He was 
 one of my earliest friends. From his fount of po 
 litical wisdom from his vast store of political saga 
 city, from his undeviating adherence to the prin 
 ciples of the Fathers, from his pure life, from his 
 sterling Democracy I have drawn my inspiration 
 for the work to which I have devoted my life. 
 
 "I owe much to Perkins G. Rollins and, in in 
 troducing him to you to-night, I desire to acknowl 
 edge that obligation as freely as I pay testimony 
 to his worth as a citizen and an American and to 
 his true Democracy, which has weathered every 
 storm, has stood firm in times of stress, and now 
 sees, in our Democratic successes, the triumph of 
 the principles for which he has so valiantly fought. 
 Mr. Rollins." 
 
 Hicks turned to Rollins, and bowed low. 
 
 Rollins, taking no notice of Hicks, walked to 
 the table. A small man, dressed in a dark-gray 
 suit, he did not fit in the picture. He was pale. 
 His hands trembled a little, but his eyes burned and 
 his voice was clear and firm when he spoke. Hicks
 
 THE FAKERS 379 
 
 watched him narrowly, wondering what he had in 
 mind. He had never known Rollins to make a 
 speech before, but he concluded Rollins had decided 
 to let bygones be bygones, and had come to urge 
 support for him. 
 
 "Fellow Democrats of Rextown," Rollins began, 
 "this is the first time I ever made a speech in public. 
 It will be the last time. The reason I come before 
 you to-night is because I have something to say that 
 is of vital importance to you, as residents of Rex- 
 town, and as American citizens." 
 
 "Ha!" thought Hicks, settling back comfortably 
 in his chair, and looking at Rollins with a pleased 
 smile, "he intends to urge my election." 
 
 "You all heard what Senator Hicks said in his 
 introduction of me," Rollins continued, evenly, with 
 no attempt at oratory, but in a voice that reached 
 the ends of the hall. The people in the audience 
 were regarding him curiously. Most of them knew 
 him, but not as a campaign orator. 
 
 "All that Senator Hicks has said is true," Rol 
 lins went on. "I have been his friend. I was his 
 earliest friend in this city. I have been in politics 
 with him. I have had faith in him. I have sup 
 ported him, have been loyal to him, have stood by 
 him through good and evil report, and have felt he 
 was sincere. 
 
 "I came here purposely to make this confession 
 for it is a confession. I do not desire to shirk 
 any responsibility for what I have done, and I want 
 to state at the outset of my remarks, that I, also, 
 accept full responsibility for what I have to say. 
 I came here to make this confession, but I came, 
 also, to make an indictment of this man of T. Mar- 
 maduke Hicks, now unworthily a Senator of the 
 United States by grace of an appointment brought 
 about by the betrayal not only of me, his friend,
 
 3 8o THE FAKERS 
 
 but by the betrayal of you, his constituents. I came 
 to- 
 
 "Mr. Chairman!" shouted Hicks, jumping to his 
 feet, and rushing to the edge of the platform. 
 "Mr. Chairman, this is outrageous! Am I to be 
 thus denounced in the house of my friends? I 
 demand that this man cease these libels! I demand 
 he be removed from the hall. I demand 
 
 The people were excitedly interested. "Sit down, 
 Hicks!" a strong-voiced man yelled. 
 
 "Sit down, and let s hear what he has to say!" 
 
 "Sit down!" shouted others. 
 
 "Goon, Rollins 1" 
 
 "Go ahead!" 
 
 "Sit down! Sit down!" 
 
 Hicks paused and looked around. The audience 
 was eager for Rollins. Hicks began another pro 
 test, waving his arms wildly and shouting at the top 
 of his voice. 
 
 "Sit down, Hicks!" yelled the excited crowd. 
 
 "Sit down and shut up ! Let him talk." 
 
 Rollins stood at the table, looking straight ahead. 
 Hicks shouted frantically. Sweat poured from his 
 forehead. Mrs. Hicks leaned forward. Her face 
 was pale, too, and her lips were parted as she gazed 
 at the impassive Rollins. 
 
 "Go on, Rollins, go on!" came from all parts of 
 the hall. 
 
 "I came to expose this man," said Rollins. "I 
 came to tell you of his chicanery, his fraud, his in 
 sincerity, his double-dealing, his hypocrisy, his trea 
 son to me and to you, his long career of demagog- 
 ism and deceit." 
 
 The hall was in an uproar by this time. Hicks s 
 partisans were shouting for Hicks, but the bulk of 
 those present loudly demanded Rollins should be 
 heard. The reporters, at the press tables, were
 
 THE FAKERS 381 
 
 taking every word Rollins said, alert for each de 
 tail of the sensation. Mortimer and McGinnis 
 tried to rush Rollins from the stage, but Lafferty 
 and some others interfered. 
 
 "Let him talk!" they ordered, and Mortimer and 
 McGinnis disappeared. Hicks was shouting at the 
 top of his voice: "I protest! I protest!" 
 
 After a time the clamor of those who desired to 
 hear Rollins prevailed over the shouts of the Hicks 
 men, and Rollins took a sheet of paper from his 
 pocket. The hall became still. Hicks dropped 
 into a chair. 
 
 "I have set it all down here," said Rollins. "I 
 have written it all out and signed it. I am re 
 sponsible for what I am to say. I cannot present 
 my documentary proofs here, but I have them and 
 will exhibit them at the proper time." 
 
 Then, as if he were a judge, reading a decision, 
 he read from his paper: 
 
 "First: I charge and can prove that T. Marma- 
 duke Hicks obtained his appointment to the United 
 States Senate by means of a corrupt deal with Peter 
 B. Dawson, Governor of this State, by which the 
 Corliss County delegation was thrown to Peter B. 
 Dawson, by tools of Hicks, and the nomination of 
 Dawson assured. I charge that, when this plot 
 was carried out, Senator Hicks was absent, on a 
 fake plea of sickness, that he had made this deal 
 with Dawson previously, and that his fake sickness 
 was intended as a ruse to protect his own nefarious 
 work. I have the statement of the doctors at the 
 hospital where he went that he was not sick when 
 he went there, and I defy Peter B. Dawson to give 
 any other reason for the appointment of Hicks than 
 this political deal. 
 
 "Second: I charge that, in the municipal cam 
 paign in 1907, T. Marmaduke Hicks, then a candi-
 
 382 THE FAKERS 
 
 date for alderman of the Seventh Ward of Rex- 
 town, on the Democratic-reform ticket, became 
 aware of a plot of the street-car company to stop its 
 cars on the afternoon of election day, because of a 
 fake accident in its power-house, and thereby dis 
 franchise a sufficient number of voters in the Fourth, 
 Ninth, Tenth and Sixteenth wards to enable them 
 to win the election. I charge that T. Marmaduke 
 Hicks blackmailed the street-car company for five 
 thousand dollars, through his knowledge of this plot, 
 accepted that sum, and then used it for his own ad 
 vertisement by acting as dishonestly with the street 
 car people as he had in the original instance with 
 you." 
 
 There were wild cries of: "How about it, 
 Hicks?" from the crowd. Hicks sat huddled in 
 his chair, staring at the floor. 
 
 "Third: I charge that this paragon of Democ 
 racy never was a Democrat, was brought up as a 
 Republican and merely joined the Democratic party 
 for his self-aggrandizement. I charge that his 
 friendship for the people is as insincere as his devo 
 tion to Democracy. I charge that under the pro 
 tection of Christian religion he has swindled trust 
 ing old women, and has debauched his church and 
 himself. I charge that his whole career has been 
 one of blatant self-advertising, hypocritical pre 
 tension, gross demagoguery and unscrupulous ex 
 ploitation of every person with whom he has come 
 in contact for his own selfish personal ends." 
 
 Hicks had secured control of himself by this 
 time, and was trying to maintain an attitude of 
 amused contempt. He succeeded fairly well, but 
 his heart was heavy as a stone. He knew Rollins 
 could prove what he said. Mrs. Hicks, after listen 
 ing for a time, had quietly and quickly left the 
 stage.
 
 THE FAKERS 383 
 
 " T make these charges," continued Rollins, "fully 
 aware of their gravity, and I make them because 
 I am backed with incontrovertible proof. I make 
 them because I am, in a measure, responsible for 
 this blathering, faking, insincere, hypocritical faker, 
 and worse, who has foisted himself on the people of 
 Rextown and our State. I make them feeling ab 
 jectly humiliated because of my friendship for this 
 man, my lack of penetration into his insincerities 
 because I do not purpose to have him returned to 
 the Senate of the United States, where his continued 
 presence would reflect on the integrity, the patriot 
 ism, the Americanism, and the honor of our people 
 and our State. For such part of his career as I 
 have been responsible I meekly ask your forgive 
 ness." 
 
 Rollins turned to Hicks. He seemed to grow in 
 stature. He walked over to Hicks, and, standing 
 in front of him, shouted: "And I challenge Sen 
 ator T. Marmaduke Hicks to refute one of my 
 statements. I defy him to show any untruth in 
 my charges, and I leave him in the hands of the 
 people the people whom he has betrayed and de 
 ceived from the first day he came into this com 
 munity."
 
 CHAPTER XLIII 
 
 THE meeting was a mob by this time. 
 Hicks sprang forward and tried to reply, 
 but the noise and confusion were too 
 great. He summoned all his strength 
 and screamed: "He lies! He lies! I 
 can disprove all he says!" 
 
 He soon saw that he could not get a hearing 
 and he hastened to his headquarters, where he dic 
 tated a long and detailed denial of every charge 
 Rollins had made. Rollins had prepared a state 
 ment for the press, which he handed to the excited 
 reporters, and the news was telegraphed to every 
 part of the State, and to most of the papers in 
 the big cities outside the State. Hicks spent hun 
 dreds of dollars telegraphing his denial to the State 
 papers. 
 
 Rollins had prepared himself thoroughly. He 
 had spent the summer in getting his material to 
 gether. He visited Dawson, and Dawson, angered 
 by Hicks s assumption of State leadership, and 
 anxious to have Broughton in the Senate, while 
 refusing to give Rollins any details of the conven 
 tion deal, made it easy for Rollins to get ample 
 proof from men who were in the confidence of 
 Dawson and took responsibility for what had been 
 done. This treachery made a stronger case against 
 Hicks to Rollins than to many others, for it was 
 held to be a political deal, and somewhat excusable 
 under that head, but there were thousands of Mul- 
 
 384
 
 THE FAKERS 385 
 
 ford men in the State and thousands of anti-Dawson 
 men who were much impressed and very angry 
 over it. 
 
 Rollins had been to Washington. He was a good 
 investigator, and he soon discovered the former re 
 lations between Hicks and Paxton. He visited Pax- 
 ton at his summer place on the North Shore of 
 Massachusetts. Paxton, much angered over the 
 vote of Hicks, and suffering from a considerable 
 loss of prestige because the bill, which had been 
 placed in his charge for defeat, was passed a 
 loss of prestige among the men of big affairs who 
 relied upon him to help them out of just such 
 legislative difficulties had told his story freely to 
 Rollins. Paxton sent to Washington and secured 
 the letters from Hicks about the five thousand dol 
 lars of street-car money. This letter Rollins had. 
 
 On Saturday the Rextown papers carried not only 
 the sensational stories of the scene in the hall, but 
 the charges of Rollins in full, backed by the circum 
 stantial details of the State convention episode; the 
 sworn statement of Paddy Ross, Jenkins and Ros- 
 coe that it was the plan to stop the street cars on 
 election afternoon because of a fake accident in the 
 power-house; the affidavit of Roscoe, then retired 
 and living in California, that he paid Hicks five 
 thousand dollars to suppress the story, on the 
 solicitation of Hicks; the affidavit of Pendleton, 
 president of the First National Bank, that on the 
 day of the attempted bribery Roscoe drew five thou 
 sand dollars, in hundred-dollar bills, from the bank, 
 and a facsimile of the letter Hicks wrote to Senator 
 Paxton, which showed the only motive he had in not 
 accepting the money was because he thought there 
 was more advertising for him in the public exploita 
 tion of the fact that he had not taken it. 
 
 Every daily paper in the State had printed the
 
 3 86 THE FAKERS 
 
 story and the facsimiles before Tuesday. Hicks 
 worked ceaselessly to counteract the charges. Rol 
 lins said no more. Mrs. Hicks remained in her 
 room. Hicks saw her only once in the three days 
 between the meeting and the election. 
 
 A few of his friends were at his headquarters 
 on election night. The early returns showed Mul- 
 ford was running ahead, with Broughton second, and 
 Hicks third. Before nine o clock it was evident 
 Hicks was disastrously beaten. At ten o clock 
 all his friends had left. He walked to the Metrop 
 olis Hotel, where a group of Mulford partisans 
 were noisily celebrating Mulford s victory. Hicks 
 held himself well. He greeted the celebrants, sent 
 a telegram of congratulations to Mulford, and went 
 up to his room. 
 
 He took off his coat, ran his fingers through his 
 long hair, and looked at himself in the glass. He 
 was pale. There were bags under his eyes. His 
 hand trembled a little. He gazed at his pallid re 
 flection and said, half aloud: "Well, Tommie, 
 they landed you that time they surely landed you 
 that time." 
 
 He sat down in a chair and reviewed his whole 
 career. The cloak of self-deceit that he had been 
 wearing dropped away. He was the old Tommie 
 Hicks, the faker, the adventurer, once more, and 
 he saw clearly that he had been too eager for ad 
 vertisement in that street-car matter. He might 
 have taken the money, been that much richer, and 
 no one would have been the wiser. He reproached 
 himself for letting Paxton into his confidence, and 
 he reproached himself for breaking with Paxton. 
 He had always considered the Dawson deal as 
 politics, and had no regrets for that. He wondered 
 if he could rehabilitate himself. 
 
 "Probably not," he said. "I guess it s all over
 
 THE FAKERS 387 
 
 for me along my particular line in these parts, but 
 now what now what? I suppose I can bluff it 
 out," and he smiled wearily, "but I m tired of the 
 pose." 
 
 He rose and walked around the room. "Damn 
 the people!" he said. "When I tried to be square 
 with them I got the worst of it. If I had voted 
 against that bill this never would have happened. 
 Damn the people! I " 
 
 There was a rap on his door. 
 
 "Come in," he said. 
 
 Mrs. Hicks entered. She was dressed in a gray 
 tailored suit, and was fascinatingly gray from 
 head to foot hat shoes gloves bag her color 
 scheme correct to the minutest details. 
 
 "Some of the clothes I bought," he thought, but 
 he threw as much emotion as he could into the 
 "Alys!" with which he greeted her. 
 
 She stood looking at him serenely, her hand on 
 the knob of the door. 
 
 "I am glad you came to me," he continued, en 
 deavoring to speak feelingly. "I need your con 
 solation. It has been a hard experience. I am 
 beaten," and he tried to get a hopeful ring in his 
 voice, "but not for long. Truth is mighty and must 
 prevail." 
 
 "It seems to me, Marmaduke," she replied, "that 
 it has prevailed." 
 
 "Surely you do not believe these calumnies?" 
 
 "What difference does it make whether I do or 
 not. They have had their effect, and I am off for 
 Paris." t 
 
 "Paris? What do you mean?" 
 
 "I mean I am leaving on the midnight train for 
 New York, and I shall sail for Paris on Friday." 
 
 "But why Paris?" 
 
 "Oh, I have thought it all out. I cannot take
 
 388 THE FAKERS 
 
 life with you here. It means nothing to me to be 
 the wife of ex-Senator Hicks at any place in 
 America, at any place you may go, and much less 
 in this miserable Rextown than elsewhere. I can 
 make it mean a great deal to me in Paris. They 
 won t hear of these things over there, you know," 
 and she smiled at him. 
 
 "But," he said, advancing towards her, "I don t 
 understand." 
 
 "I haven t tried to explain, but you should have 
 intelligence enough to comprehend that with that 
 title of Mrs. Senator Hicks I can get recognition 
 in Paris I can get it with my abilities for obtain 
 ing what I want that would never come to me 
 here. And I hate this miserable imitation of a 
 city, this Rextown, and I am going to realize on 
 what I have while there is time." 
 
 She took her hand from the knob, buttoned a 
 button of one of her gloves, smoothed down her 
 coat in front, fussed for a moment with her veil, 
 brushed back a lock of hair. Then she opened a 
 door, daintily blew him a kiss and said : 
 
 u Good-by Tommie good " 
 
 Hicks sprang forward and caught her by the 
 arm. 
 
 "Hold on!" he cried, excitedly. "Hold on! If 
 there is anything to be done with my title of Senator 
 in Paris I ll go with you and get my share." 
 
 THE END
 
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