F li^ 
 
 HIGH 
 
 HAND
 
 140 rACfffC A VENUf 
 7.0.
 
 THE HIGH HAND
 
 "I have the impression of having met you somewhere"
 
 THE 
 HIGH HAND 
 
 BY 
 
 JACQUES FUTRELLE 
 
 Author of 
 ELUSIVE ISABEL. ETC. 
 
 With Illustrations by 
 
 WILL GREFE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 GROSSET & DUNLAP 
 
 PUBLISHERS
 
 COPYRIGHT 1911 
 THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY
 
 3SII 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Chapter Page 
 
 I THE MAKER OF PLOWS ... 1 
 
 II JIM WARREN SITS IN . .11 
 
 III A MAN, A GIRL AND A DOG . . 21 
 
 IV THE SEALED PACKET ... 28 
 V JIM WARREN DEALS A HAND . . 36 
 
 VI JIM WARREN SHUFFLES ... 44 
 
 VII THE TIMID BURGLAR . . . 53 
 
 VIII MARKING THE CARDS . , . 65 
 
 IX JIM WARREN TURNS A TRICK . . 75 
 
 X CAPRICIOUS FATE . . . 85 
 
 XI JIM WARREN RAISES ... 96 
 
 XII THE HIGH HAND WINS . . . 107 
 
 XIII THE DOUBLE-CROSS . . .116 
 
 XIV THE WONDER GIRL . . .127 
 XV THE PEACE CONFERENCE . . . 138 
 
 XVI THE RECOGNITION . . .151 
 
 XVII JIM WARREN WINS A POT . . .161 
 
 XVIII HALF-SPOKEN TRUTHS . . ,172 
 
 XIX JIM WARREN AWAKES . , . 182 
 
 XX CAUGHT IN THE TENTACLES . . 191 
 
 XXI REALIZATION . . , .201 
 
 XXII JIM WARREN, GRAFTER . ^ S. 210 
 
 XXIII THE GREAT CHANGE .. -. 223
 
 CONTENTS Continued 
 
 Page 
 
 236 
 XXIV BIG STAKES 
 
 252 
 XXV THE BIG IDEA 
 
 f\ /-O 
 
 XXVI FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT . 
 
 281 
 
 XXVII THE LAST STAND . 
 
 291 
 
 XXVIII THE NEXT GOVERNOR .
 
 THE HIGH HAND
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE MAKER OF PLOWS 
 
 OUT of the chaos of mediocrity he came, 
 Jim Warren, of Warburton up through 
 the murk of the foundry, the din of the steel 
 room, the clangor of the machine-shop; up by 
 brawn and brain, until one day quite natu 
 rally he took his place at the big flat-topped 
 desk in the superintendent's office, away from 
 and yet within sound of the roar of machinery 
 and the thunder of trip-hammers. He loved 
 the mighty smashing and the crashing of the 
 trip-hammers. There was something sinister 
 and merciless in the ponderous power behind 
 the straight-out spurt of sparks from white- 
 hot metal; and yet, so gentle was it, so per- 
 i
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 fectly could that vast power be held in check, 
 that a steady hand might shell peanuts with 
 it and not so much as bruise a kernel. He 
 liked to remember that there had been a time 
 when he could shatter the crystal of a watch 
 with a ten-ton blow so accurately calculated 
 that the hands of the watch, a hair's breadth 
 away, were not touched. He used to do it oc 
 casionally for the amusement of visitors to the 
 factory. 
 
 One such incident he had always remem 
 bered. Mr. Chase, manager of the factory, 
 had brought two persons into the room where 
 the trip-hammers toiled a man and a girl. 
 He hadn't noticed the man, for the girl had 
 filled his gaze a child of fifteen she was, slim 
 and wonder-eyed. She had seemed so out of 
 place there in the grime and the smoke and the 
 glare of the furnaces. The three of them 
 paused outside the circle of flying sparks ; and, 
 fascinated, breathless, she watched him as he 
 worked. Finally Mr. Chase, with some re- 
 
 2
 
 THE MAKER OF PLOWS 
 
 mark to the child, laid his watch upon the an 
 vil beneath the great hammer and nodded to 
 Jim Warren. The hammer descended once. 
 Mr. Chase picked up the watch and handed it 
 to the girl. Its crystal was crushed to a pow 
 der. The girl held it to her ear for an instant, 
 then laughed delightedly and placed her own 
 watch, a tiny, fragile trinket, upon the anvil. 
 Again the hammer fell. Jim Warren had 
 never forgotten the expression on her face as 
 she came forward timidly and took the watch 
 in her hand. Its crystal had merely been 
 cracked! He had never seen the girl again, 
 but he remembered that she smiled back at him 
 as she went out. 
 
 That had been eight or nine years ago. 
 Shortly afterward he had been placed in 
 charge of the machine-shop and, three or four 
 years later, had taken his place at the super 
 intendent's desk. Lean and sinewy he was now 
 as in those days in the hammer room as hard 
 of fist, as strong of jaw; but many refine- 
 3
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 ments had come to him. The grime had 
 worked out His eyes were bluer here in the 
 office, away from the glow of the furnaces; 
 his hair was redder and his freckles stood forth 
 in all their pristine glory against his cleaner, 
 fairer skin. Remained that haunting sugges 
 tion of a grin about his mouth, a whimsical 
 eccentricity radiating out of honest optimism; 
 remained his ready laugh and his sheer, healthy 
 animalism ; remained his love for his work and 
 the cleanliness of mind which grew out of it. 
 And to this had been added something, a per 
 sonal absolutism, a necessary touch of author 
 ity, an utter self-reliance and that indefinable 
 quality which comes from wide reading and 
 wider understanding. 
 
 For a time Jim Warren had been content 
 with the future as -he saw it. Some day when 
 Mr. Chase chose to retire he would be made 
 manager of this big factory with its fifteen 
 hundred men; perhaps he might become even 
 a stock-holder, for he had saved something out 
 4
 
 THE MAKER OF PLOWS 
 
 of his two thousand a year so, until his field 
 of vision was unexpectedly widened and a great 
 dazzling perspective opened before him. In 
 that instant ambition was born. It came 
 through a casual question put to him by old 
 Bob Allaire, a grizzled veteran of the foundry. 
 "Why don't you go into politics, super?" 
 the old man had asked. "Us fellows who work 
 for a livin' are good and plenty tired o' this 
 here Francis Everard Lewis. He's too busy 
 makin' his own pile to do anything for us and 
 we'd put out a labor candidate in a minute if 
 we could find the man. Might not do much 
 this time, but looks to me like you might have 
 a chance next time. They're fifteen hundred 
 of us in the shops and twelve hundred'd vote 
 for you for anything from street-sweeper to 
 president Only reason the other three hun 
 dred won't vote for you is 'cause they're under 
 age; but if the wust comes to the wust" and 
 the old man chuckled "we'll make 'em vote 
 anyhow." 
 
 5
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 The possibility of a political career had 
 never occurred to Jim Warren until that mo 
 ment, but the thought stole through him warm- 
 ingly, as the glow of wine. He seemed pre 
 occupied as he made his way back to the office 
 and, once there, he sat for an hour staring out 
 unseeingly upon the ugly litter of the iron- 
 yard. After all, this work of his was very 
 monotonous, humdrum, prosaic, uninteresting. 
 Suddenly that contented future that he had 
 grown to look forward to grew empty in pros 
 pect. It meant nothing. Even as manager 
 and it might be a dozen years before he won 
 that place there would be nothing beyond. 
 But in the political field there would be no limit 
 to ambition ; he might go on, and on, and on ! 
 
 Knowing nothing of politics beyond the cas 
 ual chitchat of the newspapers and he had 
 read little of that Jim Warren started out to 
 learn something. It was not that he had de 
 cided to take a hand in the game ; he was merely 
 looking over the rules. The further he went 
 6
 
 THE MAKER OF PLOWS 
 
 in his quest for information the more aston 
 ished he was at the conditions he found in his 
 own particular city and his own particular 
 state. Commonplace enough they were, but 
 marvelous and incomprehensible to Jim War 
 ren, because he had known nothing of such 
 things in the beginning. He had heard ru 
 mors, yes ; but here he was finding them to be 
 true! 
 
 On the one hand was Francis Everard 
 Lewis, who, beginning as a penniless lawyer 
 a dozen years previously, had risen to opulence 
 in the ten years he had been in the legislature 
 from the Warburton district on a salary of 
 eight hundred dollars a year! He had no 
 other income and made no further pretense of 
 practising his profession. Yet, not only had 
 he grown rich, but he had become political dic 
 tator of his end of the state. His power was 
 absolute, his will undisputed within his own 
 kingdom. He made men and unmade them at 
 a word; he made laws and unmade them at a 
 
 7
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 nod; his host of followers stuck like hound to 
 heel. 
 
 Jim Warren wondered. 
 
 On the other hand, Big Tom Simmonds, a 
 saloon-keeper, who, in those scant years when 
 his machine was able to wrest the city of War- 
 burton from Lewis' grip, was monarch of all 
 he surveyed. His throne was a small round 
 table in an obscure corner of his bar-room. In 
 power he was a despot, jamming ordinances of 
 his own liking down the throat of his city, 
 grabbing a contract here and there, selling a 
 franchise now and then; and when out of 
 power he spent his time planning to get back. 
 He, too, had grown opulent and fat. There 
 was no enmity between Francis Everard Lewis 
 and Big Tom Simmonds. They understood 
 each other perfectly. 
 
 Commonplace enough, all this, as I have 
 said, but Jim Warren's clean mind, failing to 
 understand how such conditions had become 
 possible, reeled at the rottenness of it all. Two
 
 THE MAKER OF PLOWS 
 
 or three things he could lay his calloused hands 
 on and understand. First and foremost, of 
 course, Lewis was a crook, else he could never 
 have done the things he had done and grown 
 rich at it ; he could never have held his power 
 save by corruption and the prostitution of of 
 fice, and bribery; and if he had given bribes 
 some one had received them! Big Tom Sim- 
 monds was of the same type, cast in a coarser 
 mold. 
 
 So this was the particular brand of political 
 knavery that afflicted his city and state! An 
 unpalatable mess, on the surface at least; but 
 what a gorgeous opportunity for a young man 
 who was immune to the lure of gold! In the 
 matter of legislation he would be useless single- 
 ihanded, but if he got in right what a stunning 
 frow he could kick up ! But getting in right ! 
 how could it be done ? He would have to pass 
 in review before one or both of the bosses 
 Lewis and Simmonds and kotow to the earth. 
 But if he could get his hooks in 
 
 9
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 It was in contemplation of this evil brew 
 that an idea came to Jim Warren the big 
 idea ! Slowly, as the big idea disseminated it 
 self through his gray matter and he was able 
 to get a good grip on it, a grin grew on his 
 face. The grin became a chuckle, the chuckle 
 a deep-throated laugh. Then suddenly his 
 freckled face became grave, his sky-blue eyes 
 deeply thoughtful, his whimsical mouth hard- 
 set. 
 
 "Obviously," he said to himself, "this game 
 is played with marked cards. I think I'll 
 mark me a pack and sit in. If I can get by 
 once with any job, city or state, I'll" he 
 laughed nervously "hang it, I'll be the next 
 governor." 
 
 10
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 JIM WARREN SITS IN 
 
 "T Y THEN a wise man wants water," says 
 V V the yogi, "he goes to the well." Like 
 wise, when a wise man wants a political job he 
 goes to the source of supply. So, unashamed, 
 Jim Warren called at the Hotel Stanton, where 
 Francis Everard Lewis lived, and inquired for 
 him. The clerk was sorry, but Mr. Lewis was 
 out of town and wouldn't return for two or 
 three days. However, there was his confiden 
 tial man, Mr. Franques <r that gentleman 
 standing just by the marble column looking 
 this way." 
 
 Jim Warren had heard of Lewis' henchman, 
 
 so he turned now and look at him curiously. 
 
 He had expected a round-paunched, red-faced, 
 
 short-legged, diamond-bespangled individual 
 
 ii
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 a sort of sublimated heeler type; he saw, in 
 stead, a tall, lank, swarthy, graven-faced, 
 dusty-looking person, well past middle age, 
 with a pair of evil eyes in the head of him. It 
 just happened at that instant that Franques 
 was making an inventory of Jim Warren's per 
 son ; and Jim Warren felt, oddly, that some one 
 was going through him with a search-warrant. 
 Quite involuntarily he put his hand on his 
 watch, after which he went forward and in 
 troduced himself. 
 
 Yes, Franques knew who he was superin 
 tendent of the Atlas Plow Works, wasn't he? 
 If his business with Mr. Lewis wasn't per 
 sonal Political ? Oh, yes. Would he mind 
 stating it? Mr. Lewis was a very busy man 
 and matters of this sort were usually referred 
 to him, Franques. Perhaps they could talk 
 better at a little place he knew around the cor 
 ner. If Mr. Warren would go ahead he would 
 join him there in five minutes. 
 
 So, in this casual manner, they met and 
 12
 
 JIM WARREN SITS IN 
 
 talked that is, Jim Warren talked while 
 Franques listened talked with a naivete and 
 frankness and directness that Franques had 
 never met before in a grown-up man. It was 
 a candid statement of his desire to get into the 
 political game and an outline of his hopes and 
 his ambitions, made without reserve. Coupled 
 therewith was a casual mention of the fact 
 that he had twelve hundred labor votes laid 
 by for a rainy day ; and as labor wanted a can 
 didate there was no reason why the loyalty and 
 zeal of those twelve hundred should not win 
 others. 
 
 "But will those men disregard party ties to 
 vote for you ?" Franques wanted to know. His 
 beady eyes were fixed intently, searchingly, 
 upon Jim Warren's face. 
 
 "They will," Jim Warren asserted without 
 hesitation. "I've worked with 'em for years ; 
 they're friends of mine. They like me and 
 believe in me. They would do things for me." 
 
 "And what particular office do you want?" 
 
 13
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "I don't know," Jim Warren confessed, 
 with a grin. "What have you got?" 
 
 Franques disregarded the question. 
 
 "Suppose," he asked in turn "suppose Mr. 
 Lewis or or some one else, say, should in. 
 terest himself in your behalf?" 
 
 "I'd do the proper thing by him, of course, 
 whatever it is." 
 
 "And then, suppose he shouldn't?" 
 
 "Well" again that grin "I'd just natu 
 rally have to get into the game anyway. I 
 don't know if you know it, but there's quite a 
 lot of feeling against Lewis among the men 
 who work, and twelve hundred votes will do to 
 start with. I could poll the vote of my factory 
 solidly against Lewis or any other man. I'd 
 rather have Lewis' support. Do you get it?" 
 
 That's about all there was to that first in 
 terview. Jim Warren went out and Franques 
 sat musing for a long time with a strange light 
 playing in his evil eyes. Vaguely he felt that 
 at last he had found a man he had been look- 
 14
 
 JIM WARREN SITS IN 
 
 ing for. Jim Warren's red head and his square 
 jaw and the wholesome manner of him were 
 political assets. A man of his personality 
 would have to be reckoned with if, by any 
 chance, he should get into the game. 
 
 "But he's a fool in politics simple as a 
 child," he mused. The thought seemed to 
 please him, for his thin lips writhed in a 
 smile. "I think, Jim Warren" he added 
 after a moment "I think we may be able to 
 do some business you and I." 
 
 Meanwhile Jim Warren passed down the 
 street with an exultant grin on his freckled 
 face, his heels clicking cheerfully on the side 
 walk. 
 
 "I think, Mr. Franques," he observed enig 
 matically "I think I slipped one over on you 
 that time !" 
 
 Three or four days later there was a second 
 interview between Jim Warren and Franques. 
 This time Franques did most of the talking. 
 
 "I've been feeling out public opinion, Mr. 
 15
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Warren," he began slowly, "and frankly I am 
 surprised at the sentiment in favor of a labor 
 candidate surprised at the strength of that 
 sentiment. There seems to be a certain ill feel 
 ing toward Mr. Lewis that " 
 
 "There is," Jim Warren agreed. 
 
 "And a particularly strong feeling for the 
 right man Jim Warren." 
 
 "Yes?" Jim Warren gasped. 
 
 "Also," Franques went on unemotionally, 
 "I've been making some inquiries about Jim 
 Warren. One must know people with whom 
 one does business. I am told that Warren is a 
 man who will do a thing if he says he will." 
 
 "He will." 
 
 "I am informed that if Jim Warren makes a 
 bargain he will stick to it?" 
 
 "He will." 
 
 "I infer that if Jim Warren should be placed 
 in a public office and it should be in his power 
 to to favor the man who had placed him 
 there, he would do it?" 
 16
 
 JIM WARREN SITS IN 
 
 "He would." 
 
 "I infer that if I should make a proposition 
 an unusual one to Jim Warren he would 
 either accept it or" the beady eyes were alive 
 as coals "or turn it down and keep his mouth 
 shut?" 
 
 "He would." 
 
 "I imagine Jim Warren would be grateful 
 enough to the man who had made him politi 
 cally to be guided to a certain extent by that 
 man's advice in public affairs." 
 
 "He would." 
 
 For a long time the eyes of the two men met 
 unwaveringly. There was nervous exultation 
 in Jim Warren's face; Franques' was inscru 
 table as stone. 
 
 "In view of all this," Franques broke the 
 silence, "I'm going to make a proposition that 
 will astonish you. You may take it or leave it. 
 I shall only ask a promise of absolute silence 
 on your part if you refuse it." 
 
 "I promise," said Jim Warren. 
 17
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 And Franques made his proposition. Jim 
 Warren listened, while his sky-blue eyes grew 
 large with wonder, amazement, pleasure; his 
 grin became a fixture ; his sinewy fingers were 
 interlaced. The big idea was coming through ! 
 Lewis' henchman was making it possible! It 
 was all as if this proposition had been planned 
 to further the big idea! . . . Franques 
 stopped, with an abrupt question: 
 
 "Yes or no?" 
 
 "Yes !" said Jim Warren. 
 
 "Very well that's all there is to it !" Fran 
 ques arose. "I think I've explained every 
 thing that's necessary. My motives are not 
 germane to the matter in hand. Of course, 
 you understand we must not see each other 
 again ; we must be wholly disassociated. Any 
 communication between us, however urgent, 
 must be through indirect channels." 
 
 "I get you !" said Jim Warren. 
 
 Shortly before four o'clock the next after 
 noon Jim Warren sent an office boy to the 
 18
 
 JIM WARREN SITS IN 
 
 heads of the various departments of the shops 
 with the request that immediately after the 
 whistle blew at quitting time the men should 
 assemble in the iron-yard; he would detain 
 them only a moment. There, mounted on a 
 heap of pig-iron, he addressed them. 
 
 "Boys," he said, "I just want to tell you 
 that I'm a candidate for the legislature, to suc 
 ceed Francis Everard Lewis. He has held the 
 job for ten years, and has built one tenement 
 house for every one of those years on a sal 
 ary of eight hundred dollars per! He stands 
 for the octopus ; I stand for you fellows. I'm 
 after his scalp. Are you with me?" 
 
 There was an astonished silence for one sec 
 ond, then a yelp of approval. Through the 
 tumult came shrilly the voice of old Bob Al 
 laire : 
 
 "Go to him, Jim ; go to him !" 
 
 "There's a little job of housework to be 
 done in the capitol that'll make the cleaning of 
 the Augean stables look like an odd job for a
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 carpet-sweeper," Jim Warren went on. "Take 
 it from me, I'm going to do that bit of house 
 work. Before I finish the crooks'll be diving 
 out of the windows." 
 
 That was Jim .Warren's first political speech. 
 
 20
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 A MAN, A GIRL AND A DOG 
 
 JIM WARREN left the revolving door of 
 the Sandringham National Bank fairly 
 spinning behind him as he entered and strode 
 across the tessellated floor to the nearest wicket 
 in the polished brass grating. The wan wisp 
 of a clerk raised his tired, uninterested gaze 
 from his books ; as he met this red-headed per 
 son face to face he smiled. They always did ; 
 that was one of Jim Warren's political assets. 
 
 "Hello!" Jim Warren greeted cheerily. "Is 
 President Chisholm here?" 
 
 "Yes, sir; but just at the moment he's en 
 gaged," replied the clerk. "Perhaps the cashier 
 or his assistant " 
 
 "No; it's a personal matter," Jim Warren 
 interrupted. "I've a letter of introduction to 
 
 21
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 him. Please tell him I'm here Jim Warren, 
 of Warburton." 
 
 The clerk nodded and summoned a uni 
 formed page, who took the message and van 
 ished in the labyrinthine corridors of brass. 
 
 "Mr. Chisholm will see you in ten minutes, 
 sir," he reported on his return. 
 
 "All right, sonny." 
 
 Day by day at a given time the picture in 
 the outer office of a bank is always the same. 
 There's the special officer leaning bulkily 
 against a pillar with the weight of the world 
 on his brow; a fat woman at a small table 
 drawing a check and making a hard job of it ; 
 a nervous, bald-headed man trying to negotiate 
 a note for seven hundred and thirty-eight dol 
 lars, said note being unindorsed; four or five 
 heterogeneous persons lined up in front of the 
 paying teller's window, and here and there 
 some one waiting. 
 
 In this instance there were two persons wait 
 ing Ji m Warren and a girl a pretty girl, a 
 22
 
 A MAN, A GIRL AND A DOG 
 
 distractingly pretty girl. Jim Warren glanced 
 at her because she was pretty; and his gaze 
 lingered because of a vague impression that 
 he had seen her somewhere before. There 
 was something oddly familiar in her graceful 
 slenderness, in the tilt of her head, in the set 
 of her straight shoulders. The girl glanced 
 at him quite casually and for an instant their 
 eyes met. Somewhere at some time he had 
 seen her before. He wondered where ! 
 
 Enter the dog ; just a plain dog with a leg 
 on each corner and a tail at the far end; a 
 spotted dog, with his wanton hide tucked full 
 of reckless deviltry. He had followed a cus 
 tomer into the bank and, having nothing better 
 to do, decided to make friends with this red 
 headed man. Jim Warren snapped his fingers ; 
 the dog crouched playfully and barked. 
 
 "None of that, young fellow !" Jim Warren 
 warned. "That big man over there with all 
 that uniform on will get your number!" 
 
 "Woof!" said the dog. 
 23
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Given one dog, one red-headed young man 
 and a distractingly pretty girl ten feet away, it 
 was inevitable that something should happen. 
 Something did. The distractingly pretty girl 
 began it by dropping a glove. Jim Warren 
 stepped forward to restore it. The dog, quick 
 to see the opportunity for a game, beat Jim 
 Warren to it. In just eight seconds the dog, 
 with the glove dangling from his mouth, was 
 all over the shop, with Warren in hot pursuit. 
 The special officer looked on heavily. 
 
 "Goodness!" said the distractingly pretty 
 girl. 
 
 "Confound you!" said Jim Warren. "Come 
 here and I'll kick all the spots off you!" 
 
 "This is bully !" said the dog. 
 
 And there they went. Patiently and sys 
 tematically Jim Warren chevied the dog 
 around the office. A dozen times he stretched 
 out a hand and grasped the air. Finally he 
 stopped and glanced helplessly at the distract 
 ingly pretty girl. She smiled ; he grinned. 
 24
 
 A MAN, A GIRL AND A DOG 
 
 "Don't trouble yourself," she protested. "It 
 doesn't matter, really." 
 
 "I'll get it," Jim Warren declared. "Come 
 here, you brute !" 
 
 "Woof!" 
 
 "Nice doggie ! Bring it here !" 
 
 "Woof! Woof!" 
 
 Scoldings, coaxings, threatenings, beggings 
 they all came to the same. Finally the spe 
 cial officer deigned to unbend his bulk and 
 join in the chase. Attacked in the rear the 
 dog whirled. At just that psychological in 
 stant Jim Warren's fingers closed on his tail 
 and the game was over. 
 
 The distractingly pretty girl was smiling 
 when he returned the glove to her. 
 
 "Thank you so much," she said. 
 
 "I'm afraid he's ruined it," Jim Warren 
 apologized. "He's a mischievous little " 
 
 He stopped suddenly and stared at the watch 
 on her bosom a tiny, fragile trinket. When 
 he looked up her eyes were fixed on his. He 
 25
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 had seen her before, but where? When? 
 How ? As he looked it occurred to him there 
 was something of his own perplexity in her 
 face. 
 
 "It doesn't matter, really," she was saying. 
 "It's too bad you should have put yourself to 
 so much trouble." 
 
 "No trouble at all," he replied vacantly. 
 Again his eyes traveled to the watch on her 
 bosom. "I beg your pardon," he said hastily. 
 
 Seemingly oblivious of his embarrassment, 
 the girl smiled again and the incident was 
 closed. The uniformed page spoke to him. 
 
 "Mr. Chisholm will see you now, sir." 
 
 Jim Warren was just about to pass through 
 the door into the president's private suite when 
 he met a man coming out a smug, complacent, 
 round-faced individual with puffy eyes. Jim 
 Warren recognized him instantly. It was 
 Dwight Tillinghast, speaker of the legislature ; 
 he had seen photographs and cartoons of him 
 too often to make a mistake. Tillinghast stared 
 26
 
 A MAN, A GIRL AND A DOG 
 
 at him oddly and, after Jim Warren had dis 
 appeared inside, turned and glanced back at 
 the door. 
 
 Evidently the distractingly pretty girl had 
 been waiting for Tillinghast 
 
 "Papa," she queried, "do you know the 
 young man you met at the door?" 
 
 "His name is Warren," he replied absently 
 "Jim Warren, of Warburton." 
 
 "Who is he?" 
 
 "Nobody particularly," was the reply. "An 
 other upstart who has announced himself for 
 the legislature against Lewis." 
 
 "Oh!" said the distractingly pretty girl. 
 She followed him out the door in silence. "His 
 face was familiar somehow. I must have seen 
 his photograph in one of the newspapers." 
 
 "I dare say." 
 
 They walked on. The distractingly pretty 
 girl didn't mention the incident of the glove. 
 There was no reason why she should ; she just 
 'didn't 
 
 27
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE SEALED PACKET 
 
 MR. CHISHOLM didn't trouble himself 
 to rise when Jim Warren entered; for 
 a moment he didn't even look around merely 
 continued writing. Jim Warren sat down. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Warren?" he queried abruptly 
 at last. "You have a letter of introduction to 
 me?" 
 
 "From Mr. Chase, of the Atlas Plow 
 iWorks," Jim Warren volunteered. 
 
 Mr. Chisholm looked interested. 
 
 "Oh, I didn't know," he said half apolo 
 getically. "Glad to see you." 
 
 He read the letter, then turned in his chair 
 and settled back for a good look at his visitor. 
 
 "So you're the young man who's been kick 
 ing up the row in Warburton?" he asked. 
 28
 
 THE SEALED PACKET 
 
 "The same." Jim Warren grinned. 
 
 "It seems your announcement for the legis 
 lature to oppose Lewis has started things go 
 ing down there?" 
 
 "It's done all of that." Jim Warren grinned 
 again. "And I haven't really begun yet," he 
 explained. "One or two labor organizations 
 have declared for me and Lewis' machine was 
 a bit surprised that's all." 
 
 "I see. What are your politics?" 
 
 "Haven't any. I'm going to be elected to 
 the legislature on suspicion suspicion that if 
 I'm not entirely honest I am, at least, a darned 
 sight more honest than some of the other men 
 Warburton has sent up here Francis Everard 
 Lewis in particular." 
 
 Mr. Chisholm smiled courteously. 
 
 "But you'll have to have the indorsement of 
 one of the machines, of course?" 
 
 "Not enough to notice. What's going to 
 happen is the machines will go cahoots to clean 
 me up. Lewis and Simmonds will make some 
 29
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 sort of deal and I may add that I'm going to 
 whale the life out of all of 'em." 
 
 "Well, this is interesting," and the smile 
 broadened on Mr. Chisholm's face. "Of 
 course, I know nothing about it, but I've al 
 ways heard the machines there were invin 
 cible?" 
 
 "They have been, but I'm just on the verge 
 of getting a strangle hold on 'em and it's all 
 off. I am going to get their goat." 
 
 Mr. Chisholm laughed outright. It was so 
 unusual an occurrence his laughing that his 
 secretary turned and stared at him. Jim War 
 ren winked at her solemnly. 
 
 "Well, if you win what can you do?" Mr. 
 Chisholm felt refreshed, exhilarated by con 
 tact with this man; the lines of his face re 
 laxed; he was enjoying himself. "You are 
 only one man you'll have only one vote. Of 
 course, you'll have to tie up with one of the 
 big parties if you are elected?" 
 
 "Not this summer." Jim Warren grinned 
 30
 
 THE SEALED PACKET 
 
 again. "I'll play the hand as it's dealt. What 
 ever else I do, I am going to clean that capitol 
 of crooks ; and, as I understand it now, that'll 
 leave no one there but me and the elevator 
 man." He paused. "And he may go," he 
 added. 
 
 The business of being president of a bank 
 tends to make skeptics of men. Mr. Chisholm 
 was a skeptic. 
 
 "So you're going to reform the state, are 
 you?" he asked slowly. "That's what all re 
 formers say. I don't mean to reflect on your 
 intentions," he hastened to add. "I am merely 
 stating a platitude." 
 
 "I get you," and Jim Warren nodded. "I'm 
 the exception, you see. Previous to this all 
 freshmen in politics have gone in to take the 
 dilemma by the horns. Well, I'm going to 
 take it by the tail. Not only will I make Lewis 
 quit in this fight, but I'm going to be the next 
 governor of this state" there was not the 
 slightest trace of doubt in his manner "and 
 31
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 if I like that job I may decide to be president 
 I don't know." 
 
 For an instant Mr. Chisholm merely stared 
 at Jim Warren the while he permitted himself 
 to philosophize upon the rashness of youth, 
 the absurdity of exaggeration, and a few other 
 things to the point ; then suddenly the ease of 
 his manner fell away from him. He was the 
 curt, busy banker again. 
 
 "I believe, Mr. Warren, you came to see me 
 on business?" 
 
 "Yes; but before we go any further would 
 you mind answering just one question? Is 
 Dwight Tillinghast connected with your bank 
 in any capacity?" 
 
 "No ; he's merely a depositor. Why ?" 
 
 "I just wanted to know. I met him as I came 
 in. My business is very simple : I want to rent 
 a box in your safe-deposit vault." 
 
 "Is that all?" Mr. Chisholm seemed to be 
 surprised. "One of the clerks will attend to 
 it for you." 
 
 32
 
 THE SEALED PACKET 
 
 "Not the way I want to do it," Jim Warren 
 explained. "I want to deposit in that box a 
 sealed packet, with the stamp of the bank upon 
 it; and I want attached to that your affidavit 
 and two others stating that the packet was de 
 posited this day. I'll keep the key of that box, 
 but it is never to be opened except in the pres 
 ence of all those persons whose names appear 
 upon the sealed packet inside. Of course, you'll 
 have to give the necessary orders for all this, 
 and" 
 
 Mr. Chisholm swung about in his swivel 
 chair and faced Jim Warren. 
 
 "There's a lot of red tape about it," he ob 
 jected. 
 
 "I know it," Jim Warren agreed compla 
 cently. "It was because of this I took the 
 trouble to bring a letter of introduction from 
 Mr. Chase. It will be a bit of trouble, too; es 
 pecially as I expect to put other sealed packets 
 in the box from time to time in the same man 
 ner." 
 
 33
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Mr. Chisholm glanced over the letter of in 
 troduction for the second time. The Sandring- 
 ham National Bank was the general repository 
 of the Atlas Plow Works, thanks to Mr. Chase, 
 the manager. 
 
 "Well, of course, there's no objection to this 
 rigmarole," Mr. Chisholm said curtly at last 
 "no objection ; only a great deal of trouble." 
 
 "I'm sorry," said Jim Warren cheerfully. 
 "Now, if you'll fix up some sort of paper stat 
 ing in what manner and under what circum 
 stances the box is to be opened I understand, 
 of course, that will become a part of the bank 
 records ?" 
 
 "Naturally," said Mr. Chisholm. The nec 
 essary paper was drawn up in duplicate. "Now 
 the packet, please." 
 
 Jim Warren produced it, a long, legal-look 
 ing envelope that seemed to contain only a 
 single sheet of paper. Mr. Chisholm weighed 
 it in his hand with growing curiosity. 
 
 "For Heaven's sake, what's in it?" he asked, 
 34
 
 THE SEALED PACKET 
 
 half smiling. It was not that he meant to be 
 inquisitive; it was merely that the extraordi 
 nary precautions Jim Warren was taking to 
 protect this lonesome sheet of paper seemed out 
 of all proportion. 
 
 "I told you I was going to clean house at the 
 capitol, didn't I ?" Jim Warren laughed. "Well, 
 that's the broom." 
 
 Patiently enough Mr. Chisholm fulfilled Jim 
 Warren's wishes in the matter and, with a 
 word of thanks, Jim Warren went his way. 
 His under jaw was thrust forward, his sky- 
 blue eyes for the instant had lost their lurking 
 twinkle. 
 
 "Governor of this state!" he mused. On 
 the crest of a hill a short distance away rose 
 the dome of the capitol. "Governor of this 
 state ! No man can stop me !" 
 
 For no particular reason there flashed across 
 his inner vision the image of a girl a distract- 
 ingly pretty girl. She was smiling. 
 
 "Where did I see her before?" he wondered. 
 35
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 JIM WARREN DEALS A HAND 
 
 FRANCIS EVERARD LEWIS was a 
 nearsilk-stocking in politics suave, soft- 
 spoken, bold, cynical and conscienceless, selfish 
 of his own power, merciless in his vengeance ; 
 altogether a young man he was thirty-six as 
 against Jim Warren's thirty-two altogether a 
 young man to be reckoned with and consulted 
 and pacified. Assiduous attention to the inter 
 ests of people who had interests to protect had 
 lifted him to his commanding position politi 
 cally, had furthered his ambitions socially and 
 had exalted him financially. As he climbed, 
 the mere friction of contact had given him a 
 superficial polish; but beneath that flimsy 
 veneer was cunning and avariciousness and an 
 unholy lust for power. From the viewpoint of 
 36
 
 JIM WARREN DEALS A HAND 
 
 the octopus he was an ideal man ; and, this be 
 ing true, the octopus was pleased to be permit 
 ted to eat out of his hand. He had had opposi 
 tion at times. Some of it he had talked to death, 
 some of it he had smashed, and some of it he 
 had bought outright, for the treasure vaults of 
 the octopus poured forth a flood of gold at his 
 "Open sesame!" 
 
 When Jim Warren appeared on the horizon 
 Lewis was in the ascendency and coming to his 
 zenith. At the previous session he had routed 
 opposition and personally named the speaker of 
 the legislature, one Dwight Tillinghast. Til- 
 linghast was one of those innocuously rich men 
 who had never been dishonest for the sole 
 reason, perhaps, that it had never been neces 
 sary for him to be dishonest; and he was 
 blessed with a conscience that worked on a slid 
 ing scale. He was an ideal mask for the 
 machinations of Lewis ; and, seeing this, Lewis 
 had made him speaker. Immediately after that 
 he had dangled the governorship before Til- 
 
 37
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 linghast's eyes, whereupon Tillinghast became 
 clay in his hands. In the course of events, all 
 things going well, Lewis would make him gov 
 ernor, and then The boss licked his chops in 
 contemplation. 
 
 This being the condition, it was not odd, 
 therefore, that men smiled at Jim Warren's 
 modest announcement of his intention of mak 
 ing Lewis climb a tree and pull the tree up after 
 him, while the flippant assertion made so little 
 impression upon Lewis himself that he actually 
 forgot to inquire of Franques, who knew 
 everybody, just who Jim Warren was. In 
 stead, he went away motoring. 
 
 Now the octopus is legitimate prey. Grasp 
 ing it firmly by the tail, Jim Warren proceeded 
 to tear great handfuls of feathers out of it, 
 after which he held it aloft and summoned 
 the world to witness its naked shame. It was 
 some time before the octopus noticed that any 
 thing unusual was going on or coming off. 
 The fact that it had noticed became evident one 
 38
 
 JIM WARREN DEALS A HAND 
 
 day when Franques received and opened a 
 terse note addressed to Lewis. It contained a 
 few tart inquiries: Who the deuce was Jim 
 Warren? Was he, Lewis, going to beat him? 
 If so, how? Would he need any help? 
 
 Franques forwarded the terse note to Lewis. 
 
 "Jim Warren is a fool, as any other man is 
 a fool who tries to beat me in my own district," 
 Lewis wrote easily in answer "a two-dollar-a- 
 day fool, without party affiliation or following. 
 I'll beat him, of course. However, it might be 
 well to make an example of the fellow; so, any 
 help you may see fit to extend in these circum 
 stances et cetera, et cetera." 
 
 Soothed by this assurance of the man who, 
 above all others, ought to know, the octopus 
 didn't squirm again for ten days or so ; and it 
 didn't press the offer of help for the simple rea 
 son that it would have cost money, and the oc 
 topus is a frugal fish. The occasion of its 
 next squirm was when Jim Warren related a 
 little of the inside history of a railroad deal by 
 
 39
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 which Warburton had been euchered out of 
 divers and sundry municipal advantages, thanks 
 to Lewis' knavery. He called spades spades 
 and bribery bribery. Another terse note from 
 the octopus; Franques telegraphed it to Lewis 
 in code. 
 
 "Guesswork," Lewis replied to the octopus. 
 
 "Please take immediate steps to prevent Jim 
 Warren from guessing so accurately," ordered 
 the octopus. 
 
 "Where does Jim Warren get his informa 
 tion?" Lewis queried of Franques. 
 
 "You can search me!" Franques replied. 
 
 "Don't let it happen again," Lewis wired to 
 Franques ; and he kept on motoring. 
 
 When Jim Warren emerged from the dust 
 he had kicked up he found that he had become 
 the picturesque figure of the campaign. His 
 fight was news; and there it was in the paper 
 right next to live reading matter. One or 
 two newspapers, not overfriendly to Lewis, 
 interviewed him. Where did he get his infor- 
 40
 
 JIM WARREN DEALS A HAND 
 
 mation? Jim Warren grinned. Who did he 
 represent? Every honest man. But what 
 party? None. Would he fight in either cau 
 cus? No. Oh, he'd be an independent candi 
 date at the primaries ? No. Did he mean he'd 
 run with no indorsement? That's what he 
 meant. Well, how did he happen to be in the 
 running, anyhow? He'd simply declared him 
 self in. What was his platform? The honesty 
 of Jim Warren as opposed to the crookedness 
 of Francis Everard Lewis. Sort of holier-than- 
 thou candidate? Uh-huh. He never had held 
 office ? Not yet. Did he actually expect to be 
 elected? He actually did. 
 
 That's all there was to that. On the tail of 
 a tip-cart, with his coat off and his hat slanted 
 over his left ear, Jim Warren knew no master. 
 A night or so later he proved that to the emi 
 nent satisfaction of a small crowd of working- 
 men he proved it by the reading of two notes. 
 The first was addressed to Francis Everard 
 Lewis. It inquired tartly: Who the deuce is 
 41
 
 Jim Warren? Are you going to beat him? If 
 so, how ? Will you need any help ? Then Jim 
 Warren read the answer to that, signed by 
 Francis Everard Lewis. It was like this : 
 
 "Jim Warren is a fool, as any other man is 
 a fool who tries to beat me in my own district 
 a two-dollar-a-day fool, without party affili 
 ation or following. I'll beat him, of course. 
 However, it might be well to make an example 
 of the fellow; so, any help you may see fit to 
 extend in these circumstances et cetera, et 
 cetera." 
 
 Next morning three newspapers published 
 facsimiles of the original letters; incidentally 
 two of them declared war on Lewis. Whoever 
 and whatever Jim Warren was, one pointed 
 out, he was at least to be preferred to this man 
 Lewis, whose long-suspected connection with 
 corporations was now indisputably shown. Or, 
 if the voters felt that Jim Warren was not the 
 man for the place, some other man of known 
 integrity and wider experience might be chosen 
 42
 
 JIM WARREN DEALS A HAND 
 
 at the primaries. It ventured to inquire if Jim 
 Warren would retire in favor of such a man. 
 
 "Not in a thousand years!" declared Jim 
 Warren. "I'm just beginning to enjoy this." 
 
 43
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 JIM WARREN SHUFFLES 
 
 WHILE the telegraph wires were singing 
 with messages in code from the octopus 
 to Lewis, and from Lewis to the octopus, there 
 came two words from Franques to Lewis. 
 They were : 
 "Come home!" 
 
 Lewis scented real danger; he came. The 
 newspaper men met him at the railroad station 
 with the amiable intention of pinning him 
 against a wall and extracting from him an an 
 swer to that one vital question: "What about 
 those letters?" Lewis smiled pleasantly and 
 told them that his motoring trip had been a 
 great success. "But the letters?" His car ran 
 well very well, indeed. "The letters?" He 
 was pleased to say that he had found the roads 
 44
 
 JIM WARREN SHUFFLES 
 
 in magnificent condition. "Letters?" The 
 weather was ideal. Again he smiled pleasantly 
 and climbed into a cab. 
 
 There was a perplexed wrinkle on Lewis' 
 brow as he entered his apartments at the Hotel 
 Stanton. Franques was waiting for him there. 
 For the first time in his life Lewis was vaguely 
 suspicious of this swarthy henchman of his. 
 For ten years Franques had served him and he 
 had come to rely upon him implicitly; for ten 
 years Franques had been practically in charge 
 of his affairs even his private papers. He 
 alone knew the combination of the safe where 
 those papers were kept; he 
 
 "Good evening, Mr. Lewis," Franques 
 greeted. 
 
 "Where did Jim Warren get those letters ?" 
 Lewis queried. His eyes were steely, but there 
 was no trace of anger in his voice; instead, he 
 was fairly purring. Franques recognized it as 
 his most dangerous mood. "Where did Jim 
 Warren get those letters ?" 
 
 45
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "If you'll step into this room?" Franques 
 requested. 
 
 Lewis followed him in silence. With a wave 
 of his hand Franques indicated the safe a 
 small, old-fashioned, unsubstantial affair. One 
 stupefied glance and Lewis dropped down on 
 his knees in front of it. The safe had been 
 robbed ! The lock had been cut away from the 
 door, clean; the work had been done with a 
 drill. There on his knees Lewis stared dumbly. 
 Here was a possibility he had never foreseen. 
 Some subtle change came over Franques' face ; 
 his wicked eyes lighted. 
 
 Finally Lewis rose and fell limply into a 
 chair. Every record of all his multifarious 
 political iniquities had been kept in that safe. 
 If they had all fallen into the hands of another 
 man Jim Warren His face went ashen at 
 the thought, his jaws snapped, his fingers 
 worked nervously; he suffered an odd sensa 
 tion of choking. 
 
 46
 
 JIM WARREN SHUFFLES 
 
 "Is anything else missing?" he demanded 
 suddenly. The question came with an effort. 
 
 "Nothing is missing," Franques assured him 
 unemotionally "not even the letters/' He 
 produced them. "Evidently they were photo 
 graphed and put back." 
 
 Lewis began to breathe again. For the sec 
 ond time he dropped on his knees and fever 
 ishly ransacked the safe. 
 
 "I think you'll find everything there," his 
 henchman ventured. "I've looked through 
 carefully." 
 
 But that was something Lewis could take no 
 man's word for, not even Franques'. He re 
 moved everything to his desk, and for nearly 
 an hour he sat there going through a litter of 
 documents for nearly an hour, and no word 
 was spoken. At last he turned upon Franques. 
 
 "Why," he asked slowly "Why should the 
 man who robbed the safe photograph only those 
 two letters when there are so many other things 
 47
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 here that would have been of even greater 
 value to him to Jim Warren?" 
 
 "There is nothing to indicate that everything 
 in the safe wasn't photographed," Franques 
 pointed out quietly. 
 
 Realization of this possibility brought Lewis 
 to his feet. He stood glaring at Franques, 
 breathing heavily, his face gone haggard. 
 
 "He would have had plenty of time," Fran 
 ques went on to explain monotonously. 
 "You've been away for two weeks, your apart 
 ments have been locked, and even the servants 
 in thei hotel didn't enter your rooms in that 
 time. I came here once a few days ago and 
 put the two letters that have been published in 
 the safe. One I got back from you ; the other 
 was returned by the interests according to your 
 agreement. When they were printed I came 
 again and found everything practically as you 
 see it now. It's clear, then, that if the safe- 
 breaker had been able to gain admission in the 
 interval between my visits he could have 
 48
 
 JIM WARREN SHUFFLES 
 
 worked at his leisure. You'll notice he didn't 
 blow open the safe. That would have attracted 
 attention." 
 
 Lewis listened, speechless. 
 
 "If he did photograph everything in that 
 safe," he broke out violently, "it means " He 
 stopped. 
 
 "It means you'll have hard sledding to get 
 back to the legislature." Franques finished the 
 sentence for him. "I am assuming, of course, 
 that the other photographs will be given to the 
 newspapers." 
 
 "It means more than that, Franques," Lewis 
 declared slowly. "It means that, with all the 
 power I've got in this state, we'll go to jail 
 unless we can recover those photographs. 
 There's no need of using pretty words! Jail 
 for you and for me, do you understand ?" 
 
 Franques shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "Did you report the robbery to the police?" 
 
 "Report this robbery ?" Franques seemed as 
 tonished. "You have just given the best reason 
 49
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 in the world why I should not have reported it 
 I did not, of course." 
 
 "And what do you make of it ? Who robbed 
 the safe ? Jim Warren ?" 
 
 "Not Jim Warren, certainly," was the em 
 phatic reply. "Evidently it is the work of an 
 expert " 
 
 "Hired by Jim Warren," Lewis interrupted. 
 "And the newspapers have they any more of 
 the photographs ?" 
 
 "I hardly think so. I have taken pains to 
 make discreet inquiries and " 
 
 "Then," Lewis declared sharply, "we've got 
 to stop these photographs before they get to the 
 newspapers." 
 
 "How ?" Apparently Franques had no ideas 
 of his own on the subject. 
 
 "Bluff Jim Warren to a standstill!" Lewis 
 was floundering for a method; he offered the 
 first possibility that came to hand : "Threaten 
 his arrest for safe-robbery? Or forgery?" He 
 stopped and stared at Franques keenly. "He 
 50
 
 JIM WARREN SHUFFLES 
 
 forged those letters that have been printed. 
 Understand?" 
 
 Franques shook his head. 
 
 "He'd laugh at you," he said. 
 
 "Get to the newspapers, then!" said Lewis 
 desperately. 
 
 "You might stop a cyclone or a streak of 
 lightning or an earthquake, but you couldn't 
 stop a newspaper," Franques remarked suc 
 cinctly. "Besides, all the newspapers here are 
 after your hide now." 
 
 Lewis' eyes narrowed to mere pin-points. 
 Fire must be fought with fire. 
 
 "There's always one way," he said mean 
 ingly. "A clever, bold man could unlock a 
 door or break open a window; or, if necessary, 
 blow a safe " 
 
 Franques regarded him steadily for a long 
 time. Finally Lewis looked away. 
 
 "I understand ; but it's dangerous." 
 
 "Dangerous !" Lewis flamed suddenly. "Do 
 you think that either you or I could live on the
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 edge of this volcano? I know it's dangerous; 
 I'll pay for the danger and I won't ask any 
 questions." His hands shook a little; he shud 
 dered. "Get 'em you know what I mean; 
 and do it at once to-night if possible." 
 
 "I think I know a man " Franques began. 
 
 "Don't tell me anything about it; I don't 
 want to know," Lewis interrupted. "Get those 
 photographs I don't care how !"
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE TIMID BURGLAR 
 
 THREE or four times Jim Warren paused 
 in his writing to glance impatiently at his 
 watch. Midnight had come and gone and the 
 roar of the restless city had sunk to a droning ; 
 one o'clock and the droning merged into the 
 sheer silence of night, unbroken save for the 
 sporadic clanging of a street-car in some near 
 by thoroughfare. At twenty minutes past one 
 Jim Warren, listening keenly, caught the sound 
 of stealthy footsteps in the hall. He grinned 
 expectantly and, leaning forward, pressed the 
 button which shut off the electric lights. Then 
 he sat still in the darkness, waiting. 
 
 The footsteps moved along the hall with a 
 peculiar hissing noiselessness on the carpet; 
 now they were just outside his door. Then, 
 53
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 for a minute, perhaps, all sounds ceased. At 
 last there came a slight click as a cautious hand 
 tried the knob. By an almost imperceptible 
 movement of the air and a gentle bulging of 
 the window curtains, Jim Warren knew that 
 the door had been opened. Ten seconds and 
 the curtains hung limp again. His visitor, who 
 ever and whatever he might be, had entered 
 and closed the door behind him without so 
 much as one squeak. Jim Warren sat staring 
 through the darkness in the direction of the 
 door. 
 
 Suddenly the slide of a dark lantern was 
 pushed aside and there came a circular swoop 
 of light, directed first at his bed, which had not 
 been disturbed. It lingered there for an instant, 
 then it was turned full in his face. He blinked 
 in the glare of it, but he didn't move. 
 
 "You did that very well," he remarked 
 quietly. "That door always squeaks when I 
 open it." 
 
 There was a pause ; and finally from out of 
 54
 
 THE TIMID BURGLAR 
 
 
 
 the pall of darkness behind the light, in a pleas 
 ant sort of voice : 
 
 "This is Mr. Warren, I presume?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Jim Warren leaned forward and pushed the 
 electric button; the lights leaped into life again. 
 It was a sinister figure he saw a man with the 
 upper part of his face obscured by a mask and 
 the lower part wrapped about with a heavy 
 muffler. The black slouch hat of melodrama 
 was pulled down over his eyes and in his right 
 hand he carried a revolver. The two men re 
 garded each other in silence. Then : 
 
 "I am the burglar, sir," said the intruder. 
 
 "So I see," said Jim Warren. "Glad to see 
 you. Won't you er won't you sit down and 
 have off your mask?" 
 
 "Thank you, sir." The burglar came for 
 ward and dropped wearily into a chair. "I had 
 expected to find you in bed, sir." It was a 
 complaint. 
 
 "I'm sorry," Jim Warren apologized. "I 
 55
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 hope I haven't put you to any inconvenience; 
 but I had some letters to write, and " 
 
 "I don't suppose it really matters." The 
 burglar spoke in a tone of deep resignation. 
 "Nothing ever happens as we'd have it, sir." 
 
 The burglar laid his hat and revolver on the 
 table and untied the cord which held his mask 
 in place. He was rather prepossessing in ap 
 pearance, with the soft eyes of a woman and a 
 weak, indolent mouth. He drew a handker 
 chief from his pocket and mopped his forehead. 
 
 "It's rather warm to-night, sir," he observed. 
 
 "It is; yes," Jim Warren agreed. "Can I 
 offer you a a glass of water?" 
 
 "If it wouldn't trouble you too much, sir." 
 
 Jim Warren rose and poured it, then stood 
 by looking down upon the burglar as he drank. 
 
 "And a cigar?" 
 
 "Thank you, sir. I never smoke. I have no 
 bad habits." 
 
 Jim Warren took the glass and set it down 
 beside the water pitcher. 
 56
 
 THE TIMID BURGLAR 
 
 "Are you a professional?" he asked cour 
 teously. "Or is this merely an extraordinary 
 enterprise ?" 
 
 "It's my regular business, sir. I used to sing 
 tenor for a living, but my voice failed and I 
 had no business training, so I adopted this 
 profession. I'm not very strong and manual 
 labor was out of the question ; so " He waved 
 his hands. "One must do something, sir." 
 
 "Yes, one must do something," Jim Warren 
 assented. "Why not this? After all, it re 
 quires only a little nerve." 
 
 "Not even that, sir, if one is careful," the 
 burglar explained. "As a matter of fact, I am 
 quite a coward. I quit this business entirely 
 at one time because of a of a Well, a 
 policeman shot at me and it quite upset me. I 
 remained out of employment for six months, 
 and only went back to this because my wife and 
 children were in want. I couldn't bear to see 
 them suffer, sir. Since then I've done rather 
 well. I manage to keep my eldest boy in board- 
 57
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 ing school, and I've bought and almost paid 
 for a little home in the suburbs, with a charm 
 ing garden attached." 
 
 Jim Warren had been half smiling as he 
 listened. He picked up the revolver and was 
 examining it. 
 
 "A little job of safe-drilling in a hotel comes 
 in the course of your duties at times, I dare 
 say ?" he asked carelessly. 
 
 "You know of that, then, sir?" inquired the 
 burglar. "It took me two days to do that job. 
 It's out of my line, but I did it rather well." 
 
 Jim Warren nodded as if some question in 
 his own mind had been answered. 
 
 "Perhaps a little photography, too?" 
 
 "Yes, sir. I made all those photographs, 
 under the direction of Mr. " 
 
 "Never mind," Jim Warren interrupted. 
 Then he came down to the matter in hand. 
 "Now that you are here, what is the next 
 step?" 
 
 "You must capture me, sir. There'll have to 
 58
 
 THE TIMID BURGLAR 
 
 be a desperate struggle, of course; then you 
 must bind me hard and fast." He unbuttoned 
 his coat and began to reel off yards of rope. "I 
 was afraid you wouldn't have any rope handy, 
 sir; so I brought this along with me." 
 
 Jim Warren laughed, deep-throated. The 
 burglar turned his mild eyes upon him inquir 
 ingly. 
 
 "If you'll permit me," he suggested, "I think 
 I can give the room the appearance of having 
 been upset by a struggle without putting you 
 to the inconvenience of going through it, sin 
 Let's see ! You were sitting at the table writ 
 ing when I came in. I crept up and leaped 
 upon you from behind. You might upset the 
 ink on the table. That would be rather an 
 artistic touch. And your chair, of course, 
 would be turned over. Then you'll have to 
 muss up your hair, sir. I'll tear my mask 
 across, like this! There! Now I think that 
 will be all, sir, if you will bind me." 
 
 Right sturdily did Jim Warren bind him, 
 
 59
 
 with his feet drawn together and wrapped in 
 coils of the rope and his hands behind him, 
 knotted securely. Then he picked him up in 
 his sinewy arms and laid him on the bed. 
 
 "Is that all right?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes, sir, I think that will do very nicely. 
 If you'll just fling my hat down on the floor 
 and trample on it and then muss up my hair? 
 Thanks. I think everything is quite convinc 
 ing now." 
 
 "But the revolver?" Jim Warren held it in 
 his hand. 
 
 "You'd better take it along, sir," the burglar 
 advised. "It's quite safe. It has only wax bul 
 lets in it" He blushed. "It quite unnerves me 
 to think of loading it with real bullets." 
 
 "But suppose," Jim Warren queried "sup 
 pose there should come a time when you needed 
 a real bullet ?" 
 
 "I should let myself be taken, sir, if that's 
 what you mean. I couldn't I wouldn't hurt 
 any one; and if I am hurt" he shrugged his 
 60
 
 THE TIMID BURGLAR 
 
 shoulders "or killed, I carry very heavy life 
 and accident insurance, sir." 
 
 Jim Warren didn't comment upon the fact 
 that insurance would be invalid if the burglar 
 should be killed or wounded in the practice of 
 his profession ; he couldn't bring himself to cast 
 a shadow of anxiety over this gentle soul. He 
 stared at him a minute and went out. 
 
 Ten minutes later Francis Everard Lewis 
 was aroused from an uneasy sleep by the ring 
 ing of his telephone bell. The sharp clatter of 
 it sent a nervous thrill through him. Franques, 
 of course ! Had he succeeded ? 
 
 "Hello!" he called. 
 
 "Hello," came the reply in a voice he had 
 never heard before. "This Mr. Lewis?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "This is Jim Warren," came over the wire. 
 "I have one of your voters locked up in my 
 room. I thought perhaps you'd like to come 
 down and talk it over with me." 
 
 "One of my what ?" Lewis demanded. 
 61
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "One of your voters," said Jim Warren. 
 "He's a burglar. He tells me he came to steal 
 some photographs which happen to be in my 
 possession. I captured him. Will you come 
 down and see him ?" 
 
 "Come down and see him? A burglar! I 
 don't know what you are talking about. Of 
 course I won't come." 
 
 "Very well, then. I'll turn him over to the 
 police. Good night." 
 
 "Wait a minute!" The request came as if 
 torn from Lewis' throat. "I I don't know 
 anything about any any burglar. I think 
 perhaps I do know about the the photo 
 graphs. I er I " 
 
 "Yes, I think perhaps you do," said Jim 
 Warren. He was grinning into the transmit 
 ter. "Those photographs have a price, you 
 know ?" 
 
 "A price!" Lewis' teeth snapped. Why 
 hadn't he thought of that before ! "And what 
 is that price ?" 
 
 62
 
 THE TIMID BURGLAR 
 
 "Your withdrawal and the indorsement of 
 Jim Warren, labor candidate, by your ma 
 chine." 
 
 The sheer audacity of the suggestion left 
 Lewis dumb for an instant. When words 
 came at last it was a spluttering that was in 
 coherent over the wire. 
 
 "What is it, please?" Jim Warren mocked. 
 
 "No !" thundered Lewis. 
 
 "Very well," said Jim Warren. "I'll turn 
 the burglar over to the police. Good night." 
 
 There was a clatter as he hung the receiver 
 on the hook. . . . Five minutes later Jim 
 Warren reentered his room. 
 
 "Didn't hook him that time," he explained 
 in answer to the look of inquiry on the bur 
 glar's face. "However, I'll bet eight dollars 
 he spends the most uncomfortable night of his 
 life." He leaned over and unfastened the 
 knots which bound the burglar. "Better run 
 along to your wife and kiddies," he advised. 
 "They'll be worrying about you." 
 
 63
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 The burglar rose and stretched himself. 
 "I'm sorry, sir, that all our trouble came to 
 nothing," he apologized. "Good night, sir." 
 And he went stealthily as he came.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 MARKING THE CARDS 
 
 IN the aerie height of an office which over 
 looked the whole city of New York, Mr. 
 Pointer sat, a shriveled wisp of a man, and 
 like Teufelsdrockh peered down "into all 
 that wasp-nest or beehive, and witnessed their 
 wax-laying and honey-making and poison- 
 brewing, and choking by sulphur. . . . The 
 joyful and the sorrowful are there; men are 
 dying there ; men are being born ; men are pray 
 ing. . . . Councilors of state sit plotting and 
 playing their high chess game, whereof the 
 pawns are men." Mr. Pointer rasped his 
 skinny hands together and cackled dryly. 
 " whereof the pawns are men!" The phrase 
 pleased him ; he played the game himself rather 
 adroitly. 
 
 65
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Mr. Pointer was one of the many tentacles of 
 the octopus ; a clearing house of political infor 
 mation and adviser-in-chief of a host of men 
 who guarded the political interests of certain 
 gigantic corporations. He was the one man 
 who knew precisely why Governor Blank was 
 not made United States Senator from the state 
 of So-and-So; and why Dash wasn't returned 
 to the city council from a certain district in the 
 city of This-and-That ; and why the mayor of 
 You-Know vetoed bill No. 18, which was an 
 act to repeal an act, et cetera. He knew these 
 things because it was his business to know them 
 and the octopus paid him well. 
 
 It was to him that Francis Everard Lewis 
 came, panic-stricken. Under the glittering eyes 
 of this shriveled little man he told his story, all 
 of it, from Jim Warren's announcement of his 
 candidacy up to and including the incident of 
 the captured burglar, who had been sent by 
 Franques to recover the photographs. He re 
 membered with abject horror the weary hours 
 66
 
 MARKING THE CARDS 
 
 following that conversation over the telephone. 
 Jim Warren had said he would turn the burglar 
 over to the police; if he had But he hadn't; 
 he had released him. What motive lay back of 
 that he didn't know, unless, perhaps, it was 
 Jim Warren's desire to keep himself out of a 
 possible controversy as to the breaking open 
 of a certain safe. 
 
 "Why were you keeping all your letters and 
 ours?" Mr. Pointer queried curtly. "What 
 was the use of it ?" 
 
 "I thought perhaps they might be of value 
 at some time," Lewis replied haltingly. 
 
 "Of value in case we ever decided to throw 
 you down?" queried the little man. "Is that 
 right? It was a club over our heads?" 
 
 "I don't know why I kept them," Lewis 
 said desperately. "Certainly I didn't want them 
 to get into the hands of any one else." 
 
 "I understand," said Mr. Pointer testily. 
 "The same scheme has been tried before. It 
 never works." He paused and stroked his 
 67
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 withered chin. "J ust when was it your your 
 man tried to recover the letters?" 
 
 "Night before last." 
 
 "Nothing has appeared since?" 
 
 "Not yet; but Jim Warren's got them all. 
 He practically admitted as much over the 
 'phone to me." 
 
 "And now, what do you purpose doing?" 
 
 "I don't know ; that's why I am here. What 
 can I do?" 
 
 "There are several things you can do," said 
 Mr. Pointer. 
 
 He turned to the window and stood staring 
 down upon the placid bosom of the Hudson 
 for a minute or more. A giant steamship 
 swashed and wallowed her way toward the 
 open sea ; mosquito-like tugs darted hither and 
 thither; cumbersome ferryboats toiled along 
 endlessly. 
 
 "There seem to be some very good reasons 
 why Jim Warren will not proceed to extremes 
 in the use of those letters unless he has to," 
 68
 
 MARKING THE CARDS 
 
 he remarked finally. "You say he has de 
 manded your withdrawal and the indorsement 
 of your machine as the price of the photo 
 graphs?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Again Mr. Pointer was silent for a minute 
 or more. 
 
 "Why don't you withdraw?" he asked casu 
 ally. 
 
 "Withdraw!" Lewis repeated incredulously. 
 "Give up all" 
 
 "Withdraw," Mr. Pointer echoed crabbedly, 
 "and name some other man who would have a 
 chance to beat Jim Warren. It would be a 
 voluntary act and would shut off the letters. 
 If Jim Warren beats your man it is no reflec 
 tion upon you; if your man wins you can 
 throw him out after one term. By that time 
 Jim Warren will be tame enough, I dare say." 
 
 "I won't do it !" Lewis declared hotly. Rea 
 son was not there; it was only anger against 
 Jim Warren. "I won't do it," he repeated. 
 69
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Mr. Pointer squinted out of half-closed eyes 
 at his visitor for an instant, then shrugged his 
 shoulders. 
 
 "Well, if you're going to stick, go at him 
 systematically," he advised in a different tone. 
 "Block him in the caucuses. You can do 
 that?" 
 
 "Yes; not only in my machine but in Sim- 
 monds'," said Lewis. "But he's announced 
 that he would ask no favor of any caucus." 
 
 "He might. You can do the same thing in 
 the primaries ? Choke him off ?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Can you keep his name off the ballots?" 
 
 "I can. Two of the Commissioners of Elec 
 tion belong to me." 
 
 "Then, go to Simmonds and make a deal. 
 Give Simmonds the mayor in return for his 
 machine's support of you for the legislature." 
 
 "I'd thought of that and felt out Simmonds 
 on it. He's willing." 
 
 Then for a long time there was silence be- 
 70
 
 MARKING THE CARDS 
 
 tween the two men. Mr. Pointer, his small, 
 shriveled face drawn into a thousand wrinkles, 
 merely looked at this man. He knew the type 
 the sordid soul of him, the selfishness, the 
 greed and the cunning boldness which would 
 lead him to any length. 
 
 "All these suggestions, of course, are based 
 on the idea that you'll have to fight it out," he 
 said finally. "But there comes to me another 
 scheme which might end the fight in your favor 
 immediately." 
 
 "What is it?" Lewis' drawn face lighted 
 eagerly. 
 
 "It's true, isn't it, that, to win, Jim Warren 
 must have the support of your machine?" Mr. 
 Pointer asked in turn. "And he knows that, 
 doesn't he?" 
 
 "Generally speaking, that's true; yes. 
 Why?" 
 
 "Every man has his price, you know." The 
 shriveled little man's thin lips were drawn into 
 a sneer. "Find Jim Warren's price. Offer
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 him a commissionership, or something of the 
 sort, if he will quit in your favor." 
 
 Lewis sat up straight in his chair. 
 
 "By George, I hadn't thought of that!" he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 "You don't have to give it to him, you 
 know," the elder man pointed out. "You can 
 always double-cross him." 
 
 Lewis rose excitedly and paced the length 
 of the room half a dozen times, his face aglow, 
 his fingers working exultantly. 
 
 "I think he'd fall for that," he declared. 
 "Of course, I don't have to give it to him. 
 Why" And he laughed. "I think that's 
 the answer." 
 
 There was nothing of this relief visible upon 
 the wrinkled face of the little man ; instead, he 
 sat perfectly still, watching Lewis. 
 
 "It will be a condition of that agreement, of 
 
 course," he said, "that the photographs and 
 
 plates are to be returned to you; and when 
 
 you get them they are to be returned to me !" 
 
 72
 
 MARKING THE CARDS 
 
 He laughed oddly. "Meanwhile you will re 
 turn to me all the original letters I have ever 
 written to you. I'll just trim your claws." 
 
 Lewis shot him a quick, curious glance. He 
 understood perfectly. 
 
 "One other thing, Lewis," the little man 
 went on implacably. "If this Jim Warren per 
 son does beat you, in spite of all this, of hovr 
 much use will you be to us afterward?" 
 
 "As much use as ever I was," Lewis replied 
 positively. "Of more use, perhaps." 
 
 "You'll be discredited to a certain extent, of 
 course, and " 
 
 "But," Lewis put in sharply, "Dwight Til- 
 linghast is my man. I put him in there; I 
 made him and I'm going to make him gov 
 ernor. Neither Jim Warren nor any other 
 man can stop me from doing that." 
 
 "You are sure of him ?" 
 
 "Sure of him?" Lewis repeated. "Abso 
 lutely. I am going to marry his daughter 
 Edna. Every man has his price, as you say. 
 73
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 That's my price. She's worth a million or so 
 in her own right !" 
 
 On the afternoon of the following day 
 Franques called upon Jim Warren and they 
 were closeted together for half an hour. Curi 
 ously enough, half a dozen newspaper men, 
 brought there by some inspiration, were wait 
 ing outside when Jim Warren ushered Fran 
 ques through the door. 
 
 "Tell Francis Everard Lewis," said Jim 
 Warren distinctly, heedless of listening ears, 
 "that he can't buy me. I've got his number 
 and it's twenty-three !" 
 
 74
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 JIM WARREN TURNS A TRICK 
 
 THERE was no particular mystery to 
 Lewis in Jim Warren's refusal of a five- 
 thousand- dollar- a- year commissionership 
 simply, it wasn't enough. He hadn't given 
 Franques sufficient authority. The only thing 
 to do, he finally saw, would be to call upon 
 this Jim Warren person himself and adjust 
 matters. Buying him off, of course, was the 
 feasible thing. He would go and do it. No ; 
 on second thoughts he would make Jim War 
 ren come to him. To this end he despatched 
 a courteous little note to Jim Warren asking 
 him to drop by the Hotel Stanton at his early 
 convenience to talk things over. 
 
 "If you want to see me you know where my 
 office is," Jim Warren answered curtly. "If 
 you come, come alone after six o'clock." 
 
 75
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "If you come, come alone!" Lewis found 
 a grain of comfort in that ambiguous sentence. 
 Of course, it meant that Jim Warren was 
 amenable to reason if reason took a substantial 
 form. The finality of the note he construed 
 as merely an outcropping of the egotism which 
 had come to Jim Warren with his first feeling 
 of power. So he pocketed his pride and called 
 alone after six o'clock. Jim Warren 
 grinned when he came in, and shook the prof 
 fered hand without hesitation. 
 
 Lewis purred a few preliminaries while he 
 studied the freckled face, the lean jaw, the 
 whimsical sky-blue eyes. He felt himself to 
 be a keen judge of men, did Lewis; and in 
 stantly he isolated and classified to his own 
 satisfaction those qualities that drew men to 
 Jim Warren and made them believe in him. 
 Confidently he came down to the matter in 
 hand. 
 
 "It's unfortunate, Mr. Warren," he began 
 suavely, "that we never met before you er - 
 76
 
 JIM WARREN TURNS A TRICK 
 
 before you became a candidate for the legis 
 lature. I'm sure if we had met it would never 
 have happened that we would have been op 
 posed politically." 
 
 For several reasons Jim Warren didn't men 
 tion the fact that he had called upon him in the 
 beginning and didn't find him; instead, he 
 fussed around his desk for a box of cigars. 
 Casually, quite casually, his finger touched an 
 electric button hidden under a pile of news 
 papers. Lewis accepted and lighted a cigar. 
 
 "You want me to quit?" Jim Warren in 
 quired pointedly. - 
 
 Lewis waved his hands deprecatingly. 
 
 "Well, it's unfortunate that we should be 
 opposed," he temporized. "Matters might 
 have been adjusted in another way if I had 
 only understood. Now, if you had proceeded 
 in the regular way " 
 
 "Now, Lewis, let's cut out the blab," Jim 
 Warren interrupted curtly. "How much is it 
 worth to me to quit ?" 
 
 77
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 There is nothing so disconcerting to a diplo 
 matist as utter frankness. For a minute Lewis 
 stared at Jim Warren, then the whole expres 
 sion of his face changed ; his lips curled into an 
 exquisitely courteous smile which nevertheless 
 was a sneer. He glanced cautiously about the 
 room. 
 
 "Speak your piece," Jim Warren directed. 
 'There is no one to hear but me ; not a soul in 
 the building but us." 
 
 "I think it's possible for us to get together, 
 Mr. Warren," Lewis said slowly after a mo 
 ment. "You've met me frankly; we'll get 
 along." 
 
 "How much is it worth to me to quit?" 
 reiterated Jim Warren. 
 
 "How much is it worth?" Lewis reflected. 
 "Well, you declined the offer of a commis- 
 sionership at five thousand a year, made 
 through Franques; so " 
 
 "Talk business," said Jim Warren impa 
 tiently. "That was merely a sop and you 
 78
 
 JIM WARREN TURNS A TRICK 
 
 would probably have double-crossed me. How 
 much real money is it worth to me to quit ?" 
 
 Lewis smiled blandly. The difficulties he 
 had anticipated were thinning out, vanishing. 
 
 "On a cash basis?" he queried. 
 
 "On a cash basis. Make your proposition." 
 
 "Ten thousand dollars?" tentatively. 
 
 "Not enough. Come again." 
 
 Lewis was still smiling. Jim Warren's with 
 drawal at any price within reason would be 
 cheap, both to himself and the interests he rep 
 resented. This year was to bring the harvest 
 of many schemes that had been under way for 
 months. With Dwight Tillinghast as speaker, 
 and with himself on three or four choice com 
 mittees, there was no end to possibilities. 
 
 "Twenty thousand?" he suggested briskly; 
 and he rubbed his well-manicured hands to 
 gether ingratiatingly. "That is to be paid on 
 condition that you get out and stay out; and 
 that you return to me all plates and all photo 
 graphs of the various papers in my safe. 
 79
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Twenty thousand dollars is real money, as you 
 call it" 
 
 Jim Warren's sky-blue eyes were fixed in 
 tently upon Lewis' eyes. After a while he drew 
 a long breath and grinned cheerfully. 
 
 "Those photographs seem to stick in your 
 craw," he remarked pleasantly. "I believe we 
 had a short conversation about them one night 
 over the telephone, didn't we?" 
 
 Lewis chose to ignore the question. 
 
 "Does twenty thousand go?" he asked. 
 
 "Oh, why not make it twenty-five ?" 
 
 "Twenty-five it is, then," Lewis exclaimed; 
 and he banged the desk with quick impatience. 
 The price was stiff, but it meant his political 
 life and he was in no position to haggle. "That 
 offer, of course, carries the conditions I have 
 named." 
 
 "And when when do I get it ?" 
 
 "The day you announce in the newspapers 
 over your signature that you have withdrawn 
 the details can be arranged to suit you," 
 80
 
 JIM WARREN TURNS A TRICK 
 
 Lewis explained ; "and you'll return the plates 
 and photographs." 
 
 "How do I know I'll get it?" Jim Warren 
 stared at him. "Even then ?" he added. 
 
 "Ask any man I've ever dealt with. He'll 
 tell you I never break my word." 
 
 "Who, for instance ?" Jim Warren went on 
 naively. "What reference can you give? 
 What public man have you done business 
 with?" 
 
 "All this is absurd," Lewis declared. "Does 
 twenty-five thousand go?" 
 
 Jim Warren arose and lazily stretched his 
 sinewy arms. Half gaping he stood at the 
 window looking out upon the iron yard. 'Twas 
 there that his fight had begun ; 'twas there that 
 he'd given his pledge to the boys. Finally he 
 turned back upon his caller. 
 
 "Lewis, I haven't started on you yet," he 
 said quietly. "When I do I won't leave a 
 whole bone in your body." He thrust a cal 
 loused finger into the boss's face. "I'm going 
 81
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 to make you quit believe me; I'm going to 
 make it so hot for you you'll be glad to quit !" 
 His voice had risen as he talked, his freckled 
 face glowed with anger, the sky-blue eyes 
 flamed. "Now, get out of here ; quick quick ! 
 I can't keep my hands off you !" 
 
 Lewis, vastly astonished, but calm, rose. 
 
 "So you were playing a game, eh?" he 
 sneered. "It's just as well; so was I." Sud 
 denly his self-possession deserted him, the pol 
 ish sloughed off and he raged at the trick that 
 had been played upon him; but his voice was 
 cold, level, merciless: "My grip in this state 
 extendr further back, Warren, than you can 
 believe, x'm going to have you arrested for 
 safe robbery and you'll never have a chance. 
 Damn you ! I'll railroad you !" 
 
 Staring straight into Lewis' face, Jim War 
 ren laughed. 
 
 "By withdrawing now, Lewis, you can save 
 your face!" 
 
 82
 
 JIM WARREN TURNS A TRICK 
 
 "Withdrawing?" The word came explo 
 sively. "I'll I'll " 
 
 "You have just placed in my hands the 
 weapon with which I'll compel you to with 
 draw," Jim Warren continued. "There's no 
 hurry about it, though. The election is a long 
 time off, so I am going to give you a whole 
 week to think about withdrawing and get 
 used to the idea. I have the weapon. If, at 
 the end of a week, you don't withdraw I'll 
 use it !" 
 
 Lewis glanced about the room, dazed with 
 a sudden fear. What weapon? Had their 
 conversation been overheard? 
 
 "You mean some one has been listening to 
 us ?" he demanded thickly. 
 
 "There's not a soul in the building, Lewis!" 
 Again Jim Warren laughed. 
 
 "I'll railroad you!" Lewis shouted, crazed 
 by uncontrollable anger against this man. "I'll 
 railroad you for safe robbery!" 
 83
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Go ahead," Jim Warren urged. "Have me 
 arrested. I'll wait here until the police come. 
 Or" he added insolently "or shall I go 
 along with you now to the police station ?"
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 CAPRICIOUS FATE 
 
 FATE arranges the affairs of this world 
 according to her own caprice. So strange 
 ly does she work that one may have to travel 
 around the world to shake hands with the man 
 who lives next door. It was Fate the kindli 
 est one in the calendar who took charge of 
 Jim Warren on the following Sunday. He 
 had stopped in at the factory for a little while 
 and then, lured into the open by the zippy, 
 nippy air of fall, had boarded a trolley car and 
 ridden to the end of the line, some dozen or 
 fifteen miles from Warburton. Crimson for 
 ests and! golden hedges had beckoned him on 
 even then; he strode straight through the little 
 village, up the hill on the other side and looked 
 down into the rainbow valley beyond. The 
 85
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 ribbonlike road curved seductively a thousand 
 feet farther on. He would go that far, any 
 way, just to see what might lie around the 
 bend. 
 
 He paused to cut a slender switch and, snap 
 ping it against his leg rhythmically, went on, 
 inhaling deep breaths of the scented air. He 
 was very well satisfied with himself, was Jim 
 Warren, on this particular morning. Things 
 were going well with him and, above all, the 
 big idea was coming through ! Any doubt that 
 might ever have existed in his mind as to this 
 was gone now. At the proper time and in the 
 proper way he would make Lewis quit if he 
 hadn't already quit of his own volition; and 
 then He fell to building air-castles. He 
 would be governor, of course that was the 
 natural sequence of his play and after that 
 anything he liked. Governor Warren ! United 
 States Senator Warren ! He grinned. 
 
 Just before he rounded the bend he caught 
 the steady "tap-tap-tap" of what? A wood- 
 86
 
 CAPRICIOUS FATE 
 
 pecker? No; it was a more metallic sound 
 than that He strode on; then he saw. Di 
 rectly ahead of him, in the dip of the valley, 
 an automobile was standing beside the road 
 a long, low, rakish-looking craft, creamy 
 white, with tan trimmings. The daintiness of 
 its color scheme contrasted strangely with the 
 lusty look of the brute, high of wheel and 
 massive of axle. "Tap-tap-tap," came from 
 underneath the car. 
 
 As he drew nearer silently through the dust, 
 Jim Warren paused uncertainly for an instant. 
 On one side of the car, from underneath, pro 
 truded a pair of feet silly little feet they 
 were, incased in absurdly sturdy boots, laced 
 high about the ankles. By George, a woman ! 
 She had spread her blankets on the ground 
 and, lying flat on her back, was at work under 
 neath the car. Apparently she paid not the 
 slightest attention to him as he approached ; as 
 a matter of fact, she didn't hear him. "Tap- 
 tap-tap," said the hammer. 
 
 87
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Hello, under there!" Jim Warren called. 
 "Can I help?" 
 
 The feet vanished in a swirl of skirts, some 
 one exclaimed, "Goodness!" in a startled tone 
 and a girl scrambled out from beneath the car. 
 Her hair was disheveled and strands of it were 
 stringing down over her face, scarlet from ex 
 ertion. Across an alabaster brow was a streak 
 of grease ; her gloved hands were smeared with 
 it. So was the hammer she held in one of 
 them. 
 
 For an instant the girl stared up into his 
 face with questioning eyes. Then she smiled. 
 
 "Good morning. Is it you ?" 
 
 "Good morning. It is." 
 
 She glanced around inquiringly. 
 
 "Where did you come from? How did you 
 get here?" 
 
 "Nowhere; walked," replied Jim Warren. 
 "Can I help?" 
 
 The girl pushed the hair back from her face 
 with a greasy glove.
 
 CAPRICIOUS FATE 
 
 "We always seem to meet at critical mo 
 ments, don't we ?" she queried. "The last time 
 you rescued my glove from a dog ; this time " 
 She laughed. "Do you know anything about 
 automobiles ?" 
 
 "Not a thing in the world, but I can help," 
 said Jim Warren. "Are you way out here all 
 alone, with that big big thing?" The tre 
 mendous size of the car rose up and smote him 
 in the eye. A girl alone in the wilderness with 
 a locomotive like that ! 
 
 "All alone," she said. "It's a new car and I 
 was trying it out." 
 
 He dropped on the ground beside her and 
 peered underneath the car. A perfect mess of 
 joints and bolts and levers and rods and nuts 
 a million of them, more or less. It made his 
 head swim. 
 
 "And what, may I ask, is the matter?" 
 
 "I snapped off the pin in my first universal 
 joint," she explained, "and the flanges are bent 
 so I can't drive it out." 
 89
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 He looked at her blankly. 
 
 "You don't say!" he commented. "Where 
 is it? Perhaps I can drive it out." He started 
 to crawl underneath. 
 
 "But you don't know anything about auto 
 mobiles," she expostulated. 
 
 "But I do know something about machin 
 ery," he informed her; "and a universal joint 
 is a' universal joint in any language." Again 
 he started to crawl underneath. 
 
 "Take off your coat and roll up your sleeves, 
 then," she commanded. "You can't wear 
 clothes under an automobile that is, if you 
 ever want to wear them again." 
 
 He obeyed orders, baring two sinewy fore 
 arms that she had only to look at to know that 
 her troubles were over. They put their heads 
 together under the car and she explained the 
 trouble in detail. He knew precisely what was 
 the matter, but he liked to hear her talk. 
 
 "And now," he said at the end, "a monkey- 
 wrench." 
 
 90
 
 CAPRICIOUS FATE 
 
 She handed him one, some five or six inches 
 long. He glanced at it, mentally compared it 
 with the great piece of solid steel to be twisted 
 back into shape and grinned. 
 
 "My dear madam, you couldn't set a watch 
 with that," he said. "I mean a monkey- 
 wrench !" 
 
 "I have another, so large I can hardly lift 
 it," she explained. "I call it grandpa for short." 
 
 She fumbled in the tool-box and produced it 
 a two- foot wrench that would fit into a man's 
 hands, with jaws on it like the maw of Doom. 
 He fitted it to the twisted flange. 
 
 "The car won't move?" he asked. 
 
 "No. The brake's on." 
 
 "Get back a little, please. If this should slip 
 it would kill you." 
 
 There are ways and ways of bending steel : 
 one the quick, violent way, which will snap it 
 off like glass ; another, a slower, steadier way, 
 by which it can be eased back into position. 
 Jim Warren knew his metal. Slowly but surely
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 the sinews in his lean arms flexed, grew taut 
 and the massive body of the car creaked on its 
 springs. It was muscle against steel. The girl, 
 fascinated by the tremendous power of the 
 shoulders and arms, the inflexibility of inexor 
 able steel, suddenly felt very weak and puny. 
 She had tried to turn that with a small wrench ! 
 Might as well have used a hat-pin. 
 
 "It's moving," said Jim Warren, without so 
 much as a puff ; then after a moment : "There ; 
 I think we can drive out the broken pin now. 
 Have you an extra one?" 
 
 The broken pin fell out as he spoke; it was 
 five minutes' work to put in a new one; then 
 they both crawled out from under the car and 
 sat on the ground looking at each other. 
 
 "I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank 
 you," said the girl. "I can't imagine what I 
 would have done if you hadn't come along. I've 
 been here more than an hour." 
 
 Jim Warren cleaned his hands on a piece of 
 waste. 
 
 92
 
 CAPRICIOUS FATE 
 
 "Do you know," he remarked irrelevantly, 
 "I have the strangest impression of having met 
 you somewhere before?" 
 
 "That day in the bank, of course." 
 
 "Before that," he corrected. "I wonder 
 where it could have been ?" 
 
 "I wonder !" She was bending over the tool 
 box, replacing "grandpa." There was a queer, 
 introspective light in her limpid eyes. "I had 
 that impression the first time I saw you," she 
 went on. "It must have been because I had 
 seen your picture in the newspapers. I know 
 who you are, of course," she added hastily. 
 
 "You do?" Jim Warren asked almost ea 
 gerly. "I am at a disadvantage, then. I don't 
 know who " 
 
 "You are Mr. Jim Warren, of Warburton, 
 and you are running against Mr. Lewis for the 
 legislature !" There was mockery in her eyes. 
 
 "I am; and further I shall have the satisfac 
 tion of beating him believe me," said Jim 
 Warren. 
 
 93
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 The girl laughed lightly and shook her head. 
 
 "It's been tried before." 
 
 "I know ; but I've got his number." 
 
 The girl leaned forward and pressed a but 
 ton. The engine crackled and roared, then set 
 tled down to a quiet purring. 
 
 "If you do beat him," she taunted, "it may 
 be that you and I will meet again. I live in 
 Sandringham, the capital, you know. If you 
 don't beat him we probably will not meet 
 again." She offered a slim, bare hand; Jim 
 Warren took it. "If you do beat him I shan't 
 like you in spite of all you've done for me; if 
 you don't I will. Good-by. I'm more than an 
 hour late and Sandringham is twenty-five 
 miles away." 
 
 She leaped lightly into the car, pushed one 
 lever, pulled another and the car moved. 
 
 "Au revoir!" she said. 
 
 Jim Warren stood looking after her until the 
 car swung over a hill in the distance and van- 
 94
 
 CAPRICIOUS FATE 
 
 ished below it. Turning, he strode back up the 
 hill toward the trolley line. 
 
 "I wonder who she is !" He asked the ques 
 tion a dozen times. An hour later it occurred 
 to him that, had he taken the trouble to notice 
 the number of the car and inquired at the first 
 police station, that question, in all probability, 
 would have been answered. 
 
 95
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 JIM WARREN RAISES 
 
 WITH his gaze immovably fixed upon 
 some trivial ornament of his desk, his 
 mouth set, his hands clenched, Lewis was giv 
 ing orders sharply through closed teeth. 
 Franques was jotting them down in notes on 
 the back of an old envelope. There was an air 
 of humility about Franques, an oily deference 
 in his tone, an obsequiousness in his manner, 
 which were belied by the evil glitter of his 
 beady eyes and the sardonic twist of his thin 
 lips. It was all lost upon Lewis. For him there 
 remained only one thought, one idea in the 
 world to crush Jim Warren. He'd given him, 
 Lewis, a week to get used to the idea of with 
 drawing! An ultimatum! It was a bluff, of 
 course! Nobody had heard their conversation, 
 therefore A bluff and a crude one. 
 96
 
 JIM WARREN RAISES 
 
 "See Big Tom Simmonds this morning," 
 Lewis was saying, "and tell him I want Jim 
 Warren's name kept out of the caucus of his 
 machine at any cost." 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Franques. 
 
 "Tell him, further, that Jim Warren must 
 not be so much as mentioned in the primaries. 
 I'll look after my end ; I'll expect him to look 
 after his." 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Tell him, also, that under these conditions 
 the deal I talked over with him the other day is 
 on, if he's willing that is, he is to have the 
 mayor and council in return for his machine's 
 support of me against Warren." 
 
 Franques looked up in surprise. 
 
 "That's a fat price you're paying," he ven 
 tured. 
 
 "No comments," Lewis snarled. "Do as I 
 say." 
 
 "Yes, sir." Franques' lips turned up slightly 
 at the corners. "That all ?" 
 
 97
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "That's all." 
 
 There was joy around Big Tom Simmonds' 
 throne when Franques brought the glad tidings. 
 It had been something like four years since Big 
 Tom had been compelled to loosen his grip on 
 Warburton's throat four lean, hungry years 
 and his ringers were itching. 
 
 "Tell Lewis he's on," was his characteristic 
 reply. "My machine would nominate the devil 
 himself in caucus if I knew we could put over 
 the mayor and council !" 
 
 Lewis received the answer in silence, then 
 sat down to wait. It was Jim Warren's move. 
 What would it be? The production of more 
 photographs? He shuddered at the thought. 
 Day after day passed and no more photographs 
 appeared. Slowly but surely a nervous elation 
 took possession of Lewis. Of course no more 
 photographs appeared, for the simple reason 
 that Jim Warren had no more ! After all it had 
 only been an assumption of Franques' that all 
 the papers in the safe had been copied. The 
 98
 
 JIM WARREN RAISES 
 
 conjecture soothed him; confidence came back. 
 Of course he'd beat Jim Warren. Two or three 
 newspapers and half a dozen labor organiza 
 tions had declared for him, but even at that 
 he'd beat him with Simmonds' support. 
 
 He put a question to Franques one day, the 
 answer still further restored his belief in the 
 future. 
 
 "Why is Jim Warren holding off?" 
 
 "To a man up a tree it would seem he's hold 
 ing off because he has no more photographs," 
 Franques replied, with a shrug of his dusty 
 shoulders. "Of course there may be other rea 
 sons, but that is the obvious answer." 
 
 "I suppose there's no earthly way to get hold 
 of them if he has?"< tentatively. 
 
 "I'd be afraid to try again he'd shoot the 
 next man," Franques declared. "Besides, if he 
 has no more, what's the use?" 
 
 The week passed, and Jim Warren had failed 
 to make good on his ultimatum. Lewis laughed 
 outright with relief and from that moment be- 
 99
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 gan his big planning for the fight that was to 
 come. While Jim Warren was around talking 
 from the tail of a tip-cart to the men who toiled 
 he would open his campaign with a rally that 
 would smother all that had gone before or 
 would come after. He'd bring Lieutenant- 
 Governor Hope and United States Senator 
 Fynes and Speaker Tillinghast down to War- 
 burton from the capital and smash Jim Warren 
 once for all! Meanwhile, some night, he'd 
 run around in his automobile and unobserved 
 himself look over this crowd of Jim War 
 ren's. It might be interesting. 
 
 It was a night or so later that Jim Warren 
 took a running jump through Lewis' dream, 
 like a circus performer through a paper hoop. 
 He laid aside the popgun with which he had 
 been campaigning and unmasked his thirteen- 
 inch battery. Lewis and his henchman, 
 Franques, tucked away behind the closely 
 drawn curtains of an automobile standing near, 
 were there and heard it 
 100
 
 "Boys," Jim Warren began, with that quiz 
 zical grin of his, "it's all over but the shouting. 
 To-morrow Francis Everard Lewis is going to 
 withdraw in my favor. At the caucus of his 
 machine next week Francis Everard Lewis, in 
 person, will present my name and make me the 
 candidate of his party instead of himself. He 
 doesn't know it yet, but he'll do it." 
 
 "Is this man an idiot ?" Lewis growled. 
 
 Franques didn't say. 
 
 "With you fellows and the indorsement of 
 his machine no earthly power can stop me ; and 
 his machine will indorse me, whether he likes 
 it or not it will indorse me because Francis 
 Everard Lewis is its boss and he'll tell it to." 
 
 Whereupon, quietly and succinctly, Jim 
 Warren detailed the conditions of the deal by 
 which Simmonds was to have the mayor and 
 council in return for his support of Lewis for 
 the legislature. Lewis squirmed uneasily. 
 There hadn't been a hint of this in the public 
 prints. How did Jim Warren know it? 
 101
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "You can search me!" Franques answered. 
 
 Following this Jim Warren commented at 
 some length upon that splendid economy by 
 which Lewis, in ten years, had saved enough 
 out of his salary of eight hundred dollars a 
 year to build ten tenement houses and still 
 have money in bank. 
 
 "Of course," Jim Warren grinned, "it might 
 not have been merely economy. It is barely 
 possible that this affidavit may have some bear 
 ing." 
 
 From his pocket he produced a bank record, 
 with an affidavit attached, showing that the oc 
 topus had once loaned a trifling sum of fifty 
 thousand dollars to Lewis on an unindorsed 
 demand note that bore on its face the magical 
 words: "No protest and no interest." That 
 note, dated four years before, had been charged 
 off against the account of the octopus. Lewis 
 swayed, felt himself slipping, and seized 
 Franques' arm with damp, chilled fingers. 
 Franques looked at him and was silent. 
 1 02
 
 JIM WARREN RAISES 
 
 "Oh, you Jim Warren!" came out of the 
 crowd in the voice of old Bob Allaire. "Go to 
 him, boy !" 
 
 Jim Warren laughed and produced from a 
 suit-case on the tip-cart behind him a phono 
 graph, which, in the thunderous clamor follow 
 ing upon his last statement, he deliberately 
 adjusted and set up on a box. Lewis stared, 
 stared with his eyes almost bursting from his 
 head. Jim Warren turned to the throng, with 
 one hand upon the lever of the phonograph; 
 the flambeaux lighted his face, tensely earnest 
 now. 
 
 "Here is why Francis Everard Lewis is go 
 ing to quit," he screamed suddenly. "Listen to 
 the manner of man he is! Judge him by his 
 own words! The first voice is mine." 
 
 "You want me to quit ?" grated the machine. 
 That was Jim Warren. 
 
 "Now, Lewis!" Jim Warren shouted. 
 
 "Well, it's unfortunate that we should be op 
 posed," came from the phonograph in Lewis' 
 103
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 smooth, suave voice. "Matters might have 
 been adjusted in another way if I had only un 
 derstood. Now, if you had proceeded in the 
 regular way " 
 
 White as chalk, with strange lines veined 
 across his face, Lewis leaned forward and 
 spoke to the chauffeur. The car sped away. 
 
 There was dead silence in the crowd save for 
 the light whir of the phonograph and the thin 
 piping voices that were born of it dead silence 
 to the end of that interview in Jim Warren's 
 private office, and then chaos! Upon the 
 shoulders of his fellows Jim Warren was 
 hoisted and borne through the streets. The 
 surging mob halted traffic, jeered at the staying 
 hands of the police, hooted Lewis and raised 
 the name of Jim Warren to the skies. 
 
 From a darkened window of his apartments 
 in the Hotel Stanton, Lewis looked down upon 
 the crowd in the street and knew that the end 
 had come. His power was broken ; he was be 
 ing butchered to make a Roman holiday this 
 104
 
 JIM WARREN RAISES 
 
 red-headed Warren person was an idol ; he had 
 beaten him, Lewis, at his own game trickery ! 
 He wondered if he would go further! If he 
 might, perchance, in the first flush of exulta 
 tion, proceed to criminal prosecution! He 
 shuddered ! 
 
 There came a knock at the door. Lewis 
 whirled with a poignant apprehension of dan 
 ger. Perhaps the police were there now! His 
 teeth snapped ; he opened the door. Some news 
 paper men wanted to see him. The door 
 crashed in their faces. . . . After a while he 
 thought of Edna. She must not know ! . . . 
 He called Tillinghast on the long distance. 
 
 "For the love of God don't let Edna see to 
 morrow's newspapers!" he pleaded over the 
 wire. 
 
 "What's the matter?" asked Tillinghast, be 
 wildered. "What's happened ?" 
 
 "Don't let her see them you'll know why 
 when you see them!" 
 
 Next morning Franques, meek, unemotional, 
 105
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 brought in the newspapers and the early morn 
 ing mail. 
 
 "Come back at noon," Lewis directed. 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 Franques vanished as silently as he had come. 
 Lewis opened the newspapers with unsteady 
 hands. There it was! He read it without 
 comment. . . . There was some mail, too. 
 One envelope bore the mark of the Atlas Plow 
 Works. He opened it : 
 
 "Will it be necessary for me to go further ? 
 Will you quit? Will your machine indorse 
 me? Or shall I proceed to criminal prosecu 
 tion? 
 
 "JAMES PALMER WARREN." 
 
 1 06
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE HIGH HAND WINS 
 
 D WIGHT TILLINGHAST raised his eyes 
 to those of his daughter, across the 
 breakfast table. 
 
 "I heard from Lewis last night just before 
 twelve," he remarked. 
 
 "Yes?" eagerly. 
 
 "He called me up by long distance to ask me 
 to ask you not to read to-day's newspapers." 
 
 Edna arched her brows in perplexity, and 
 held her coffee-cup suspended in midair. 
 
 "Why not ?" she queried. 
 
 "Because" Tillinghast paused to clear his 
 
 throat "because well, there are many things 
 
 in politics you would not understand, my dear. 
 
 Last night, for instance, a very bitter and very 
 
 107
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 violent attack was made upon Lewis by this 
 Jim Warren person in Warburton." 
 
 Edna flushed a little, finished pouring the 
 coffee and put down the pot. 
 
 "Why shouldn't I read it ?" she asked. 
 
 "His request, I am sure, was made out of 
 consideration for your feelings," her father 
 went on to explain. "He is very thoughtful of 
 you. Politicians, my dear, have to be thick- 
 skinned, particularly a man in Lewis' position. 
 He is a man of great power, therefore a man 
 peculiarly liable to attack. He cares nothing 
 about it himself, but he hates to think that it 
 might bring you pain, even indirectly." He was 
 silent a moment. "In this instance, I thor 
 oughly agree with him and shall add my re 
 quest to his own." 
 
 Edna shrugged her shoulders, and was silent. 
 
 "It's all for the best, my dear," her father 
 
 went on pleasantly. "Remember I am under 
 
 many obligations to Mr. Lewis, and you are 
 
 under even a greater obligation because of your 
 
 1 08
 
 'I heard from Lewis last night"
 
 THE HIGH HAND WINS 
 
 your betrothal to him. I think it wisest and 
 best that you obey his our wishes in this 
 instance." 
 
 "Certainly," the girl agreed; "but it seems 
 rather absurd doesn't it? Everybody in the 
 world will know just what it is except me, and 
 I have a greater right than anybody." 
 
 "The circumstances are unusual," her father 
 pointed out. 
 
 They finished their breakfast in silence and 
 Edna arose to go. At the door she lingered a 
 moment. 
 
 "This this attack," she queried. "You say 
 it was personal ?" 
 
 "Purely personal, my dear." 
 
 "Will it in any way affect Francis' his 
 chance of election?" She faltered a little as 
 she asked the question. 
 
 "One can never tell, Edna, just what effect 
 such attacks as this will have." Mr. Tillinghast 
 faltered a little, too. 
 
 The girl's eyes were blazing. 
 109
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "You mean that there is a chance that 
 Francis will be defeated?" 
 
 "There is always a chance," her father told 
 her gently. "Or, it may cause changes in his 
 plans of a totally different nature. After all, 
 suppose you wait and talk it over with Lewis 
 himself. He can make you understand; I 
 couldn't." 
 
 "A personal attack, you say?" remarked the 
 girl. "That would involve his integrity, 
 wouldn't it? I could hardly believe that this 
 Jim this Mr. Warren would descend to that." 
 
 Tillinghast arose and went to her. The slen 
 der little figure was atremble with indignation. 
 
 "He wants the job, my dear," said' her 
 father. "There seems to be no limit to what 
 he would do to get it. His campaign through 
 out has been based upon personalities." 
 
 Edna stood staring straight into the puffy 
 eyes for an instant, then turned away suddenly 
 and went to her room. 
 
 That afternoon, forty miles away, in War- 
 no
 
 THE HIGH HAND WINS 
 
 burton, Lewis had decided upon his course and 
 was giving the necessary instructions to 
 Franques. 
 
 "See Big Tom Simmonds," he directed, "and 
 tell him that our deal is off." 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "I spoke to the Commissioners of Elections 
 about keeping Jim Warren's name off the bal 
 lots. Tell them that is off, too." 
 
 "Yes, sir." Franques' evil eyes were gleam 
 ing ; his swarthy face was flushed slightly. 
 
 "Some time this afternoon make a dozen 
 copies of this letter of withdrawal I have 
 drafted and get it to all the newspapers in time 
 for publication to-morrow morning." 
 
 That was all. Suave, courteous, soft-spoken 
 as ever, Lewis received the newspaper men. He 
 answered no questions merely smiled genially 
 and told them that in view of the popular de 
 mand for Jim Warren, he would not only retire 
 from the race but personally he would bring 
 Jim Warren's name before the caucus of his 
 in
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 party. That, of course, was equivalent to Jim 
 Warren's election. He didn't care to discuss 
 the slight misunderstanding he had had with 
 Jim Warren. It was trivial and personal. 
 
 "How about that fifty-thousand-dollar 
 note?" 
 
 He had nothing further to say. 
 
 "How about your offer of twenty-five thou 
 sand if Jim Warren would quit?" 
 
 He had nothing further to say. 
 
 "Don't you intend to make any denials ?" 
 
 He had nothing further to say. 
 
 "How about that phonographic interview? 
 How did Jim Warren get it ? What about the 
 deal on the mayoralty ? What safe was robbed ? 
 Who did it? Where was it? When? What 
 was in it?" 
 
 Really, gentlemen, he could not discuss the 
 matter further. 
 
 There was a grin of triumph on Jim War 
 ren's freckled face on the following morning 
 when he read Lewis' letter of withdrawal and 
 112
 
 THE HIGH HAND WINS 
 
 coupled therewith his statement. The grin lin 
 gered, until, in glancing through his mail, he 
 opened an envelope and took out a single sheet 
 of paper, with just a few lines, unsigned : 
 
 "The time never comes when it is necessary 
 to revile an individual merely because you want 
 his political head. I didn't believe you capable 
 of it" 
 
 It was the handwriting of a woman. A sig 
 nature would have meant nothing ; he knew in 
 stantly whence it came, and gazed at it a long 
 time in deep abstraction. 
 
 It was a landslide for Jim Warren. Big 
 Tom Simmonds had roared mightily in the heat 
 of his indignation against Lewis when the 
 mayoralty deal was called off and the city slid 
 from under his greedy fingers roared might 
 ily, and in his excitement thrust in a candidate 
 to oppose Jim Warren or Lewis or whoever 
 else there was to be opposed. Nobody ever 
 heard of his candidate again.
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Lewis received the returns in the seclusion 
 of his apartments, whence he could look down 
 upon the noisy crowd without. At last, wear 
 ily, he dropped back into a chair. At that 
 instant his eyes met Franques' and he was 
 startled by the savage exultation he read there. 
 
 "What's the matter?" he demanded sharply. 
 
 "It's come it's come at last !" Franques ex 
 claimed fiercely. His claw-like fingers were 
 knotted, his lips tightly compressed. Lewis 
 drew back uneasily. 
 
 "What's come? What are you talking 
 about?" 
 
 "I'm the next political boss of this state!" 
 Franques burst out violently. "I found Jim 
 Warren; I showed him how to win; I made 
 him. I gave him the photographs of the con 
 tents of your saf e ; I told him every move you 
 planned before you made it ; we've tricked you 
 out of your shoes. Now I am the boss !" 
 
 For a time Lewis merely stared at him. It 
 was quite clear. This man whom he had 
 114
 
 THE HIGH HAND WINS 
 
 trusted above all others had betrayed him, had 
 sold him that was how Jim Warren had made 
 himself invincible. Finally Lewis spoke : 
 "You dog!" he said. 
 
 About midnight Jim Warren, drunk with his 
 victory, forsook the adulation of his followers 
 and went home. He sat there for a long time, 
 thinking of many things. At last the clock 
 struck four. He arose and removed his coat. 
 
 "When you mark your cards right, you've 
 got to win !" he said grimly. "The big idea is 
 a pippin yet." He was silent a moment ; then 
 came that illuminating grin of his. "I wonder 
 how much an enterprising, red-headed young 
 fellow could pick up in this new job of mine?" 
 Again he was silent for a little. "I'll meet her 
 somewhere," he added irrelevantly. "She said 
 if I won we'd meet again."
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE DOUBLE-CROSS 
 
 WHEN, by some quirk of Fate, an un 
 known leaps into sudden and spec 
 tacular political success he instantly becomes, 
 by right of victory, that sterling young patriot 
 and rising young statesman ; when he f ails,, the 
 world hoots at him. Jim Warren, the un 
 known, succeeded. On the morning following 
 that achievement Jim Warren was no more. In 
 his stead there was the Honorable James Pal 
 mer Warren, our distinguished fellow-towns 
 man and newly elected representative from the 
 Warburton District. However, the Honorable 
 James Palmer Warren was no whit less red 
 headed and blue-eyed and freckle- faced than 
 the original Jim Warren. His arm was as sin- 
 116
 
 THE DOUBLE-CROSS 
 
 ewy, his fist as hard, his grin as ready ; he lived 
 in the same modest room and plugged away at 
 the same old desk. 
 
 For a week or more, letters and telegrams of 
 congratulation poured in upon him. The first 
 of these was from Francis Everard Lewis. Jim 
 Warren chuckled as he read it, but it didn't sur 
 prise him. Lewis' attitude was as transparent 
 as the ambient air. He had picked up a poker 
 by the hot end; dexterously and smilingly he 
 was trying to hold on until it cooled off. He 
 couldn't have what he wanted, therefore, he 
 would take what he could get. There was fear 
 back of this craven fawning, but there was 
 politics, too. Jim Warren was a man of power 
 he had acquired it suddenly and sensation 
 ally and a political boss is compelled to re 
 spect power that he can't smash. 
 
 Two or three days later came a courteous lit 
 tle note from Dwight Tillinghast, the speaker. 
 It brought Mr. Tillinghast's heartiest con 
 gratulations to Mr. Warren upon his splendid 
 117
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 victory, being altogether the oily sort of effu 
 sion that was intended to convey the impression 
 that Tillinghast had been sitting up nights root 
 ing for Jim Warren's success. Tucked away at 
 the bottom was an invitation to dine informally 
 at his home. Jim Warren accepted, knowing 
 perfectly what it must portend. It was simply 
 that Tillinghast was making an effort to win 
 a friend in the new man and he didn't scruple 
 to use his social position to that end. Another 
 bright thought of Lewis' ! If Tillinghast would 
 be governor that, with a United States sen- 
 atorship in view he must draw to himself men 
 like Jim Warren. 
 
 The dinner was a week or so off ; meanwhile 
 Jim Warren had some trivial matters to dispose 
 of. So rapidly had he hewn that he hadn't had 
 time to clear away his chips behind him. Now 
 he started in methodically to clean up. First, 
 in compliance with the state law, he filed his 
 campaign expense account. Its publication 
 brought a smile. It was something like this : 
 118
 
 THE DOUBLE-CROSS 
 
 i phonograph $12.00 
 
 Lights for meetings 8.40 
 
 Cigars 65 
 
 i pk. of cigarettes 10 
 
 Total $21.15 
 
 Next Jim Warren resigned from the Atlas 
 Plow Works and began to close up a few per 
 sonal affairs, in preparation for his removal 
 to Sandringham, the state capital. 
 
 These things disposed of, there remained 
 Franques Franques, that lank, dusty-looking, 
 evil-eyed genius whose betrayal of his master 
 had made Jim Warren possible. Jim Warren 
 was not proud of the means he had employed 
 to win, but he had had no choice. It was that 
 or stay out; and the big idea would have per 
 ished of inanition. So it was, from the very 
 beginning, he and Franques had worked with a 
 complete understanding and their plans had 
 fruited perfectly. Franques* motive? He 
 didn't know and he didn't care. He only knew 
 119
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 that Franques had arranged everything, even 
 down to the silly incident of capturing the 
 burglar ; and only once, and that for just a mo 
 ment, did Lewis suspect. 
 
 It was not pleasant for Jim Warren to think 
 over these things and it was still less pleasant 
 to think of the forthcoming reckoning with 
 Franques. He didn't know what to expect ; he 
 only knew that Franques was not a part of the 
 big idea that was still to be put to the touch. 
 Suppose Franques' long pent-up and unex 
 plained hatred against Lewis should be turned 
 against him, Jim Warren? In preparation for 
 the interview Jim Warren placed a small re 
 volver beneath a paper on the table beside him ; 
 then, ashamed of himself, he put it back where 
 it belonged. 
 
 Franques came to him in answer to his sum 
 mons came, meek-faced, and deposited his 
 dusty-looking person on the edge of a chair and 
 his dusty-looking hat on the floor beside him. 
 He had not obtruded since Jim Warren's vic- 
 120
 
 THE DOUBLE-CROSS 
 
 tory ; he had waited to be sent for. He could 
 bide his time, for was not he the master ? Had 
 he not made Jim Warren? Did he not hold, 
 through Jim Warren, a slice of the state in his 
 hand? Could he not garner his profit at his 
 own will ? 
 
 "Franques," Jim Warren began abruptly, "I 
 am admitting every obligation to you that you 
 can possibly impose upon me. I'll deny noth 
 ing. It was your fight you won it I was 
 merely the pawn. We are agreed upon these 
 things as a general ground for this discussion." 
 He stopped and his eyes met those of the other 
 man squarely. There was a moment's tense 
 pause. "Now, I'm going to double-cross you, 
 Franques pass you out. I've finished with 
 you. Do you get it?" 
 
 For a minute or more Franques gazed at 
 him, silent, inscrutable; then drew one of his 
 claw-like hands across his brow as if to sweep 
 away something there. It was his eyes that 
 Jim Warren was watching he found no ink- 
 
 121
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 ling there of what was going through the cun 
 ning brain behind them. 
 
 "Why?" Franques queried at last There 
 was not the slightest trace of emotion in his 
 voice. 
 
 "You'll understand it better," replied Jim 
 Warren steadily, "if I tell you that I'm going 
 to do to you only what you did to Lewis. I'm 
 going to do it because I've got the foothold I 
 want and it can't be taken away from me. In 
 cidentally, I am going to be the next governor 
 of this state and the power of no man can stop 
 me!" 
 
 "What makes you think that?" Franques 
 asked in the same quiet manner. "Do you 
 think that what you have done will get that job 
 for you so soon ? Do you think " 
 
 "I know that I have done one thing, which 
 doesn't happen to be known to you or any other 
 person, that will win for me any job within the 
 gift of the people of this state the instant I de 
 clare myself," said Jim Warren steadily. 
 
 122
 
 THE DOUBLE-CROSS 
 
 "There's been one definite idea back of every 
 thing I have done thus far the big idea. With 
 that idea I'm going to stand this state on its 
 head when the time comes." 
 
 "What is it?" Franques asked. He didn't 
 seem to be angry or even disappointed. His 
 was the placid tone of one who reasons with a 
 wilful child. Never before had he been able to 
 inspect at close range so monumental an exam 
 ple of egotism. Jim Warren was suffering 
 intensely from arrogance, growing out of an 
 overdose of spotlight. "What is it?" he re 
 peated. 
 
 "You only made one mistake in your esti 
 mate of me, Franques," Jim Warren continued. 
 "We agreed that I should take the holier-than- 
 thou attitude. I was to pose as an honest man, 
 a representative of labor that's all. You were 
 to take care of the rest of it. You did. With 
 the power you placed in my hands by your be 
 trayal of Lewis, I won. The mistake you made 
 was your failure to take into account the fact 
 123
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 that I am an honest man. The people of this 
 state suspect it now; before I finish I'll con 
 vince 'em of it in a manner they never dreamed 
 of and won't forget." 
 
 "Lots of honest men don't get to be gov 
 ernor." Franques came back to the point that 
 interested him most. "How are you going to 
 doit?" 
 
 "How?" Jim Warren echoed. "I've marked 
 the cards. This political game is played with 
 a marked pack. I've marked this pack! I've 
 shuffled 'em myself and dealt myself the high 
 hand. Now I'm going to play it out." He 
 stopped; the tense earnestness of his manner 
 passed, his tone became quite casual. "So far 
 as my relations with you are concerned, you 
 never had a chance. I've no sentiment about it 
 at all. I never intended from the first to do 
 anything but double-cross you, once I was 
 elected. You thought I was easy ; I could see it 
 in your eyes that first day we met I knew it 
 when you made your proposition. I accepted 
 124
 
 THE DOUBLE-CROSS 
 
 that proposition and played upon your selfish 
 ness and desire for revenge upon Lewis to use 
 you, to make you advance my interests. I've 
 squeezed you like a lemon; now I've finished 
 with you." 
 
 For a long time Franques said nothing. His 
 dream of power, through this man at least, was 
 shattered ; argument was useless he knew that 
 too. Suddenly he looked very old, very weak, 
 very feeble. He picked up his dusty-looking 
 hat and twisted it idly in his hands. 
 
 "There is honor even among thieves," he re 
 minded Jim Warren. 
 
 "I am not a thief; therefore I don't have to 
 be honest with thieves," Jim Warren replied. 
 "It would be a waste of time to attempt to 
 make you understand some of the subtler rea 
 sons that have inspired my conduct; therefore 
 this is all. I am an ingrate; yes. I have 
 nothing further to say." 
 
 Franques arose and wandered aimlessly to 
 ward the door. In that moment, as he stood 
 125
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 regarding this lank, shabby, broken old man, 
 Jim Warren was sorry for him. He had ex 
 pected a row he had found only a resignation 
 that was almost pitiful. Crooked or not, he 
 hadn't given the old man a square deal. He 
 was about to say so ... the door opened 
 and Franques was gone. 
 
 So, at last, Jim Warren came to be free. He 
 had played the first hand and won ; he had paid 
 his last debt as he had reckoned he would pay 
 it. Clear of that burden, absolutely alone and 
 independent, owing no man any favor, he 
 riffled the cards for the second hand. Now the 
 big idea was to be put to the test! 
 
 126
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE WONDER GIRL 
 
 D WIGHT TILLINGHAST'S invitation 
 had specified the time and the place ; and 
 there Jim Warren found the girl! Clad in 
 some soft clinging stuff that bared the ivory 
 of her throat, she stood beside her father, more 
 distractingly pretty than ever. Her eyes met 
 Jim Warren's demurely, then crinkled into a 
 smile. For a moment Jim Warren merely 
 stared at her in his astonishment. 
 
 "My daughter, Edna, Mr. Warren," Til- 
 linghast was saying in that fat, pompous way 
 of his. "Mr. Warren, my dear, has become 
 one of the big young men of our state." 
 
 "I know Mr. Warren by his newspaper pic 
 tures," Edna said graciously, and the color 
 127
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 started in her cheeks under the spell of his gaze. 
 "I think, too, I've seen him once one day in 
 the Sandringham National Bank?" 
 
 "And once after that!" 
 
 The girl reproved him with a glance sud 
 denly grown cool and extended her hand. He 
 gulped and accepted it impetuously. There fol 
 lowed some platitudes; then, in a sort of daze 
 he permitted himself to be led into the drawing- 
 room. This girl the daughter of Dwight Til- 
 linghast! Well! Well, well, well! He 
 couldn't get over that first shock. And her 
 name was Edna! 
 
 "You remember I said I'd see you again if 
 you beat Mr. Lewis?" the girl queried. 
 
 "I remember," he said slowly, meaningly; 
 "and that isn't all you said." 
 
 "No?" She sat down. 
 
 "You said you wouldn't like me." 
 
 "You didn't beat him, did you?" 
 
 "Beat him?" Jim Warren grinned. "They 
 had to pick him up in a basket." 
 128
 
 THE WONDER GIRL 
 
 "I beg your pardon. You didn't beat him. 
 He withdrew in your favor didn't he ?" 
 
 Then, and not before, Jim Warren realized 
 that he was treading upon dangerous ground. 
 Of course she would know Lewis and be 
 friendly with him, because of the close relations 
 of Lewis and her father. 
 
 "Mr. Lewis speaks very kindly of you," the 
 girl went on pointedly. "I've heard him discuss 
 you with my father often since your election. 
 You know Mr. Lewis, of course?" 
 
 "Yes, I've met him once!" He was try 
 ing to fathom the singular light in her eyes. 
 "Only once," he added absently. 
 
 "And you were political enemies at that 
 time?" Edna laughed lightly. "Political ene 
 mies! It sounds so horrid and amounts to so 
 little. I can't imagine any one being an enemy 
 of Mr. Lewis." 
 
 "No?" Jim Warren was quite polite about 
 it. 
 
 "Then, afterward, Mr. Lewis came to see 
 129
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 you were such a wonderful young man oh, 
 really wonderful! and retired in your favor 
 didn't he?" 
 
 "Something of that sort," Jim Warren 
 agreed. What was she driving at? Was she 
 trying to bait him? There was a defensive 
 note in her voice. 
 
 "I should think that would have made close 
 friends of you and Mr. Lewis." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "His withdrawal in your favor." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 Little puckers appeared in the girl's smooth, 
 white brow. She didn't understand the mono 
 syllabic questions. 
 
 "It was the magnanimous thing to do 
 wasn't it ?" she queried. "It put you under obli 
 gations to him. So, naturally, you must be 
 grateful for his assistance?" 
 
 For an instant Jim Warren's face was grave ; 
 then he grinned. 
 
 "I can't imagine you being so wise politi- 
 130
 
 THE WONDER GIRL 
 
 cally," he remarked banteringly. "You are in 
 terested in the game, then ?" 
 
 "The game?" Edna's eyes sparkled. "The 
 very words to express it. That's what it is 
 isn't it? A big, brilliant, wonderful game? 
 And naturally I am interested because my 
 my father is. He has ambitions." 
 
 Jim Warren had only known two wom 
 en in all his life. One of them had been 
 his mother. This girl was a revelation ; a figure 
 in a world he had never known. His interest 
 in her was intense; yet, oddly enough, every 
 thing she had said had grated on him. Per 
 haps it was because there was an implied 
 knowledge of things of which he thought 
 women knew nothing ; or, perhaps, because she 
 had fashioned Lewis into a tin god of her own 
 imagining! Vaguely he found himself won 
 dering if she knew what Lewis really was? Of 
 course she must know. The newspapers had 
 been full of it and hang it ! she could read. 
 
 He shook off a sudden silence.
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Did you get home all right that day?" he 
 queried irrelevantly. 
 
 "Oh, yes; thanks to you." She was smiling 
 again now; an elusive dimple played about a 
 corner of her mouth. Strange he had never 
 noticed it before ! 
 
 "Had any more trouble with the new car?" 
 
 "No, not a mite. I think there must have 
 been a flaw in the steel pin and Do you 
 know anything about steel?" 
 
 "Something; yes." 
 
 Francis Everard Lewis, immaculate in even 
 ing dress, appeared in the doorway. 
 
 "Ah, Edna!" and he came toward her 
 eagerly. She turned and extended both hands. 
 "Shall I have to say it all over again?" 
 
 "Say what?" she asked. 
 
 "How charming you look and the rest of 
 it?" 
 
 Edna flushed and her eyes dropped. 
 
 "I believe you have met Mr. Warren, Mr. 
 Lewis?" 
 
 132
 
 THE WONDER GIRL 
 
 Jim Warren had risen. He hadn't seen 
 Lewis since their fateful interview that day in 
 his private office and he was not certain ex 
 actly what was going to happen now. However, 
 he had a good, husky punch up his sleeve if 
 the worst came to the worst; and, besides, he 
 was hardly thinking of that. He was thinking 
 that not only did Edna know Lewis, but evi 
 dently she knew him well well enough for 
 him to address her by her first name; well 
 enough to offer him both her hands; well 
 enough to blush at his compliment. His doubt 
 as to Lewis' attitude was instantly dispelled. 
 
 "Of course I know Warren," Lewis ex 
 claimed heartily. He offered his hand; Jim 
 Warren shook it. "Let me repeat, Mr. War 
 ren, the congratulations I wired to you imme 
 diately after your election. I didn't believe the 
 man lived who could have done what you did." 
 
 "I know you didn't," replied Jim Warren 
 "that is, I judged it from our conversation 
 that day." 
 
 133
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "The help I was able to give you " 
 
 "It was a great help," Jim Warren inter 
 rupted. "If you hadn't been in exactly the 
 position you were I doubt if I could have 
 won." 
 
 Jim Warren's sky-blue eyes narrowed a lit 
 tle, his chin was thrust forward slightly; but 
 that haunting grin still played about his mouth. 
 Lewis smiled easily. Edna's keen woman- 
 sense divined some undercurrent that she did 
 not quite understand, and she glanced from one 
 to the other uncertainly. 
 
 "I'm glad to hear you say that, Mr. War 
 ren," Lewis went on easily. "I like to feel that 
 you are under an obligation to me. Some day 
 I may call upon you to remember it." 
 
 That was all merely a pleasant little clash 
 ing of verbal rapiers. Lewis ran on lightly, 
 talking of other things, while Jim Warren per 
 mitted himself to grow disturbed at the calm 
 air of proprietorship that he displayed toward 
 Edna. There was something in her attitude 
 134
 
 THE WONDER GIRL 
 
 toward him, too something that smacked of 
 deep admiration for this man, and more. 
 
 Other people came in, four or five of them. 
 Lewis sauntered over toward a group of men; 
 Jim Warren turned to Edna. 
 
 "You are interested in politics, you say?" 
 
 "I am, yes," curiously. 
 
 "You read the newspapers, of course?" 
 
 Edna's rosebud lips were thrust forward 
 tantalizingly. 
 
 "Sometimes; not often," she answered. "I 
 used to read them a great deal where there were 
 things concerning my father, or some 
 friend." 
 
 Jim Warren hesitated and his face grew 
 grave as he framed the next question. 
 
 "You must have read something of my fight 
 down in Warburton, then?" he asked. "Par 
 don me, I don't want to appear egotistical 
 but you read something of it?" 
 
 "I didn't read all of it, because " She 
 stopped. 
 
 135
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Because" 
 
 "Because I don't like personalities." Her 
 eyes met his steadily. "The time never comes 
 when it is necessary to attack an individual for 
 no other reason except that one wants his po 
 litical head." 
 
 Jim Warren stared at her dully. Then she 
 did know who and what Lewis was ! She must 
 know ! 
 
 " 'Revile' was the word you used in your 
 note to me," he reminded her accusingly. 
 
 Edna's brows were lifted scornfully; there 
 was a set defiance about the rosebud mouth. 
 
 "In my note to you?" she inquired coldly. 
 "What note, pray?" 
 
 "It came too late, anyway," Jim Warren ex 
 plained evenly. "Lewis had already quit." 
 
 There were strange lapses in Jim Warren's 
 recollections of what happened after that. 
 Edna and Lewis sat side by side, he knew, and 
 seemed to be absorbed in each other ; and every 
 one else talked politics, and he was not inter- 
 136
 
 THE WONDER GIRL 
 
 ested. After dinner he joined a party of men> 
 in the smoking-room and they talked politics 
 again. It was there that Jim Warren met for 
 the first time a sleek, round person named 
 Tyson a duplicate copy of Tillinghast 
 trimmed down. 
 
 One glaring thing he did remember; he 
 couldn't have forgotten if he would. It seared 
 its imprint upon his brain ; and as he wandered 
 on through the cool streets toward his hotel he 
 seemed to be suffocating. 
 
 "If I am elected governor for the next 
 term " Tillinghast had started to say. 
 
 "When you are elected governor, you mean," 
 Lewis had corrected banteringly. "We've got 
 to elect you governor, because Edna says our 
 wedding must have the governor's uniformed 
 staff as a background. It's up to me to elect 
 you." 
 
 Jim Warren remembered that, all right. 
 
 137
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 MORE than usual interest attached to Jim 
 Warren's initial appearance as a mem 
 ber of that august body that made the laws of 
 his state. In the first place, he, an unknown 
 maker of plows, had whaled the life out of 
 Lewis, who had been looked upon as invincible ; 
 in the second place, despite the fact that he had 
 accepted the support of Lewis' machine, it was 
 generally understood that he was an independ 
 ent possibly the only one in the legislature ; in 
 the third place, there are always dormant pos 
 sibilities in a red-headed young man who had 
 done the impossible thing. Besides, he was a 
 representative of labor and there was a very 
 wide and growing belief that he was incor 
 ruptible. Still, the newspaper men had found 
 138
 
 THE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 him friendly ; terse and to the point ; while the 
 cartoonists reveled in the luxury of his freckles 
 and that haunting grin of his. 
 
 Jim Warren's first sight of the legislative 
 chamber on that first day of its convening was 
 one he never forgot a vast hall, gay with 
 flowers and flags and bunting, packed with 
 humanity from the speaker's desk, almost hid 
 den behind a pyramid of blooms, to the long 
 gallery that ran around three sides of the room. 
 Seemingly this gallery was given over to 
 women wives, daughters and sweethearts of 
 these men on the floor below. A glow of pride 
 enveloped him when he realized that he, Jim 
 Warren, was a part of that splendid picture. If 
 only the little mother had lived ! As it was, no 
 woman in all that mass of fluttering ribbons 
 and plumes and handkerchiefs had a word or 
 thought for him ; none knew him, unless She 
 would be there, of course! He turned and 
 studied the gallery deliberately. He didn't see 
 her. 
 
 139
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 From the moment of his entrance Jim War 
 ren was made to feel his importance, for he 
 had instantly been surrounded by a besieging 
 body of alert- faced young men newspaper re 
 porters. He was the chap who put it all over 
 Lewis, and they didn't permit him to forget it. 
 Now that he was here on the job, what was he 
 going to do ? He had accepted Lewis' support ; 
 did that mean that he would vote with Lewis' 
 party? Did he understand that as an inde 
 pendent he would have absolutely no power 
 otherwise ? Did he have the universal panacea 
 for all labor troubles concealed anywhere about 
 his person ? Now, confidentially, what was the 
 real inside history of that flop of Lewis' after 
 the phonograph episode? He wasn't married, 
 of course? How old was he? And a few 
 thousand other questions. 
 
 A large man, with a large stick, finally took 
 Jim Warren away from the reporters and led 
 him to a desk in a remote corner of the cham 
 ber a desk that was almost hidden beneath an 
 140
 
 THE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 enormous mound of flowers. Jim Warren 
 stared. He unsteadily turned over the card on 
 the flowers and there was an absurd tightening 
 of his throat as he read it : 
 
 "From Old Bob and the Boys!" 
 
 "God bless 'em!" murmured Jim Warren 
 softly. 
 
 There was another bunch of flowers, too 
 a small, tissue-wrapped cluster of violets, cool, 
 damp, fragrant. There was no card. Jim 
 Warren's eyes opened in wonder; then he 
 turned slowly and for the second time studied 
 the mass of color in the gallery. No ; he didn't 
 see her. It was foolish, of course, that he 
 should imagine such a thing; but if not she, 
 then who? 
 
 There came the call to order, the tedious 
 work of organization, the partial announce 
 ment of committees and all the other routine. 
 Late in the afternoon of a weary day, Lewis, 
 with the freedom of a quondam member, ap 
 peared beside his desk. Apparently he had 
 141
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 forgotten all those things that had gone before. 
 He brought a smile and a pleasant word. 
 
 "How do you like it as far as you've gone?" 
 
 "I can answer that better in a month from 
 now," Jim Warren grinned. 
 
 "It's not a very good seat you have here," 
 Lewis remarked carelessly. "I don't suppose 
 you would object to a better one if I could ar 
 range it?" 
 
 "Go ahead," said Jim Warren. 
 
 "And how about committees? What have 
 you drawn so far?" 
 
 "Church and Parish Affairs." Again Jim 
 Warren grinned. "I can't see myself setting 
 the state on fire as long as they hold me to 
 that." 
 
 "Some of the committees haven't been com 
 pleted," Lewis remarked musingly. "I don't 
 suppose you'd object if I said a word for you 
 in that direction? I happen to be pretty close 
 to Tillinghast." 
 
 "Go as far as you like." 
 142
 
 THE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 Lewis strolled away and Jim Warren, watch 
 ing him with narrowed eyes, fell to wondering. 
 What was Lewis looking for ? Another bump ? 
 From Lewis his thoughts traveled on to a dis- 
 tractingly pretty girl ; and she reminded him of 
 violets. He picked up the dewy blossoms and 
 inhaled them deeply. 
 
 A legislature is like a setting hen it takes it 
 a week or more to get down to business. Jim 
 Warren spent that week in observation ; and the 
 longer he looked the more he was impressed 
 with the bigness of this particular bit of state 
 machinery. He was in the kindergarten; he 
 didn't know his A-B-abs. Slowly, too, he came 
 to see the tremendous power of the speaker; 
 and, seeing that, he knew that Lewis, despite 
 the fact that he was no longer a member, had 
 greater influence than he had ever had before. 
 He owned Tillinghast, body and soul. He was 
 out to make him governor and Tillinghast was 
 paying for that job in advance as far as he was 
 able to.
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Francis Everard Lewis stepped out of his 
 automobile one night in front of a dingy lodg 
 ing house in a dingy side street and rang the 
 bell. A disheveled maid-servant answered. 
 
 "Does Mr. Warren live here?" Lewis in 
 quired "Mr. James Palmer Warren?" 
 
 "Third floor front," barked the girl. 
 
 "May I see him, please?" 
 
 "Sure. Right up them steps two flights 
 front room." 
 
 The girl vanished in the gloom of the hall 
 and Lewis climbed the stairs. A deuce of a 
 place to live, this! Phew! Onions! Lewis' 
 delicate nostrils twitched ; his lips curled down 
 ward. 
 
 He paused before a door and rapped. 
 
 "Come in," called Jim Warren. 
 
 Lewis entered. Jim Warren, sans collar, 
 sans coat, with his sleeves rolled up, had risen 
 and was standing near a table, where evidently 
 he had been writing. At sight of Lewis his 
 face flushed a little, his lean jaw was thrust 
 144
 
 THE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 forward, his blue eyes glittered. Instantly it 
 passed that inextinguishable grin returned to 
 his lips. 
 
 "Hello!" he greeted. 
 
 "Good evening," said Lewis cordially. He 
 offered an ever-ready hand, feeling vaguely 
 that here, away from the eyes of the world, 
 Jim Warren would refuse it but Jim Warren 
 didn't. 
 
 "Sit down?" he invited, instead. 
 
 "I can only stay a few minutes," Lewis re 
 marked. "By the way, do you find your new 
 seat in the chamber an improvement on the 
 other one ?" 
 
 "Yes, thanks." 
 
 "That's good." Lewis lighted a proffered 
 cigar and settled back in his chair languidly. 
 "Warren, I'm up here under a flag of truce." 
 He paused and smiled. "You don't happen to 
 have a loaded phonograph about?" 
 
 "Not this time." Jim Warren grinned. 
 
 "Under a flag of truce," Lewis continued 
 MS
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 listlessly. "I want to make friends with you. 
 It's probable that you and I will see a good 
 deal of each other during the present session 
 and it seems absurd that we should be always 
 snapping and snarling at each other." 
 
 "It does," Jim Warren agreed readily. 
 
 "You beat me you made me quit," Lewis 
 ceded magnanimously. "I haven't a word of 
 criticism of the methods you employed, unusual 
 as they were. We'll say no more about that 
 part. I can do you good up here and you can 
 do me good. You could sit in that legislative 
 chamber for forty years and never get any 
 where, for the simple reason that you're inex 
 perienced and you are not with either of the big 
 parties. If you wanted to do anything for your 
 constituents, you couldn't do it without the aid 
 of one of those parties to be more explicit, 
 without the aid of my party. You are begin 
 ning to see that?" 
 
 "I am," readily. 
 
 "Well, what's the use?" 
 146
 
 THE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 "None at all." There was a short silence. "I 
 don't feel that I owe you any apologies, Lewis, 
 for our fight was all in the game. There's no 
 reason why we shouldn't forget all about it. 
 Frankly, after all that large time I had getting 
 up here, I've got to do something for War- 
 burton, and I can't do it alone." He was 
 thoughtful for a time. "As I look back on it 
 now I find that my campaign was destructive 
 rather than constructive." 
 
 "It was," heartily. 
 
 "Now that I'm here, I've got to deliver the 
 goods." 
 
 "You've the right idea, Warren." Lewis 
 was fairly beaming. It had been perfectly sim 
 ple after all. He studied the guileless inno 
 cence of this freckled face with a new interest 
 and decided that, properly handled, Jim War 
 ren was a mere child, plastic and tractable. 
 Having reached this conclusion, he was off on 
 another tack : "You remember I spoke to you a 
 short time ago about your committees ?"
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Jim Warren nodded. 
 
 "There are two or three places still open 
 particularly one in the Committee on Public 
 Structures." Lewis was studying Jim War 
 ren's face keenly. "It's an important commit 
 tee, as you know. Tillinghast has been con 
 sidering you for the place, because he knows 
 you to be a practical man." 
 
 Jim Warren's sky-blue eyes gleamed with 
 gratification. 
 
 "I came up partly to tell you this and to sug 
 gest that if you get an invitation to Tilling- 
 hast's place for a week-end it would be to your 
 advantage to accept it. Is it necessary to say 
 more ?" 
 
 Jim Warren rose and smashed one clenched 
 fist into the palm of his hand. If he, a first- 
 year man, could only get on one of the big com 
 mittees! He had not dared to hope for so 
 much; and yet in those committees was 
 the power. 
 
 "I understand," he said. "What am I to do 
 148
 
 THE PEACE CONFERENCE 
 
 for this ?" He was searching Lewis' bland face. 
 "How do I pay for it?" 
 
 "Pay for it?" Lewis repeated as if aston 
 ished. "You know, you've got a totally wrong 
 idea of what the legislature is," he went on. 
 "There are things to be done and some one 
 must do them. Occasionally we'll admit there 
 is something questionable, but everybody in 
 the legislature isn't crooked. You'll have to get 
 that idea out of your head." 
 
 Jim Warren took it at its face value. 
 
 "I'll go," he said. 
 
 "Do," said Lewis. "You'll be back Sunday 
 evening, I dare say? I may run by and see 
 you for a moment, to see how it came out." He 
 rose and drew on his gray suede gloves. "I 
 had a deuce of a time finding your place here," 
 he remarked carelessly. "You'll pardon me, I 
 know; but you are abominably situated for a 
 man of your position. If Warburton should 
 send a delegation up here to see you you'd " 
 He stopped. 
 
 149
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "I'm poor, Lewis," Jim Warren explained 
 simply. "I gave up two thousand a year to 
 take eight hundred. I can't afford better than 
 this." 
 
 Lewis poked at a design on the skimpy car 
 pet with a patent-leather toe. He seemed on 
 the point of saying something more, but ap 
 parently changed his mind. After a little he 
 went out. 
 
 150
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE RECOGNITION 
 
 WOMAN," says the dictionary, "is an 
 adult human female." What a libel 
 it is, to be sure ! We know it's a libel you and 
 I and Jim Warren we who have fallen under 
 the subtle spell of woman's witchery; we who 
 have basked in the lure of her haunting smile ; 
 we who have gazed upon the glory of her 
 gold-burned hair; we who have been stricken 
 sheer dumb by the mystery and coquetry of her 
 eyes; we who have dreamed rose-dreams and 
 eaten to repletion of the lotus we know that's 
 all hocus-pocus. "An adult human female!" 
 Forsooth! So is the moon a piece of green 
 cheese and the sun a pennyworth of sulphur 
 matches and the star-pierced sky a tin-dipper 
 turned topsy-turvy over all.
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Jim Warren meditated gently upon these 
 things at the end of his day of awakening. He 
 had expected a sordid day, a day of political 
 trafficking. Instead, it had been a day filled 
 to bursting with the charm of Her; a day of 
 sensuous delight to be viewed through half- 
 veiled eyes; a day of gay chatter and lazy 
 content, unmarred by one thought beyond the 
 fleeting present. Somewhere out in the mer 
 cenary world men toiled and haggled and died 
 and were born again; somewhere out there 
 great games were being played for great 
 stakes; but here was he in this big, rambling 
 country house, perched on a crag overlooking 
 the thunderous sea. Everything else was very 
 far away, indistinct, immaterial for She was 
 here. For that one day he chose not to remem 
 ber that he was a maker of plows and she one 
 of a class apart, a daughter of millions, in 
 trenched behind those barriers that convention 
 says must not be broken down by the man who 
 works with his hands. She belonged to Lewis, 
 152
 
 THE RECOGNITION 
 
 yes; but he didn't permit that thought to dis 
 turb the serenity of that wonderful day. 
 
 They had breakfasted alone, Edna and Jim 
 Warren. She had come to him there in the 
 sun-drenched breakfast-room rosy as the dawn, 
 vibrant with life, a smile in her eyes. 
 
 "Isn't it a glorious view?" She swept a 
 hand toward the windows. Far below, the surf 
 crashed against the jagged breast of the rocks ; 
 on the horizon white sails fluttered in the bril 
 liant January sunshine. "Father and I come 
 here every week-end, rain or shine, snow or 
 sleet. This is our part of the week. I get very 
 tired of the city, but here I love this place." 
 She extended her arms in a gesture, all-envel 
 oping. "In summer, of course, we live here." 
 
 "I can imagine you would love it," said Jim 
 Warren. 
 
 She sat down and babbled of many things 
 of flower gardens she planned ; of curling, pur 
 ple waters on the beach ; of gaunt gray stones 
 in the hills; of birds and trailing vines and 
 153
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 pictures and music and automobiles. He said 
 little. He was content to listen to the rhythm of 
 her voice, to watch the play of expression on 
 her face, to study the color of her eyes. He 
 wondered what color they were. They seemed 
 all colors, yet none. 
 
 After breakfast he had smoked a while, then 
 wandered idly about the house. Every nook 
 and corner of it reflected the magic of her 
 touch. He found it in the sturdy comfort of 
 the great living-room, in the daintiness of the 
 sun-bathed conservatory, in the simplicity of 
 the music-room. The town house was merely 
 a show place for furniture and art, and rare 
 and curious trifles; here was a home. There 
 was a cheerful litter of books and ribbons and 
 feminine knickknacks; and on a spindle-legged 
 work-table was an embroidery ring with a half- 
 worked flower in the center. Jim Warren ven 
 tured to pick it up and look at it. He didn't re 
 member that he had seen one since his mother 
 
 Pending that time when his host should 
 154
 
 THE RECOGNITION 
 
 choose to appear, Jim Warren went to his room 
 for his heavy coat, intending to go for a stroll. 
 Quite involuntarily, as he passed along the hall, 
 he glanced through a half -open door and saw 
 a slipper, turned upside down on the floor. The 
 sight of it startled him. He averted his eyes 
 quickly as though he had gazed upon forbidden 
 things. 
 
 When he came down-stairs again he heard 
 Edna in the music-room. She was playing very 
 softly and singing something he didn't know 
 what. He peered in. She recognized his pres 
 ence by a sidelong glance and a little smile, 
 then went on to the end of her song. 
 
 "Isn't it charming?" She referred to the 
 song. 
 
 "It is." He referred to the voice. 
 
 "It should be sung more brilliantly, of 
 course," she explained, "but I can't be brilliant 
 when papa's asleep." She laughed a little. "It 
 makes him fussy." 
 
 Jim Warren didn't go for his stroll after all. 
 155
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 He dropped the heavy coat across a chair and 
 sat down. 
 
 "Please go on," he requested. 
 
 "What shall I sing? What is your favorite ?" 
 
 "I have no favorite." 
 
 Wrapped in the ineffable charm of young 
 womanhood, at times oblivious of his presence, 
 she sat at the piano for a long time playing, 
 occasionally singing, always softly. It fitted in 
 with Jim Warren's mood. There had been so 
 much of clangor and tumult in his life! He 
 loved to watch the coruscations of light in her 
 hair, the grace and mastery of her touch, the 
 dreaminess in her eyes. She seemed very far 
 away. 
 
 Suddenly she whirled around on the piano 
 stool. 
 
 "Do you know, I can't get over the impres 
 sion that you and I met somewhere before that 
 day in the bank?" she exclaimed impulsively. 
 "I had seen your picture, of course, but even 
 before that" 
 
 156
 
 THE RECOGNITION 
 
 "I had never seen your picture and I had the 
 same impression." 
 
 "Odd, isn't it?" There were thoughtful little 
 crinkles about her eyes. "Have you lived long 
 in Warburton?" 
 
 "All my life." 
 
 "I hardly think it could have been there, be 
 cause I don't remember that I was ever there 
 but once; that was when I was a little girl. I 
 remember that very distinctly." The perplexity 
 passed from her face ; she smiled at some recol 
 lection. "Father and I went through an enor 
 mous factory or foundry, or something of the 
 sort, while we were there. He had gone out to 
 see Mr. Chase, the manager, on business and I 
 insisted on seeing the shops where the men were 
 at work. It was wonderful !" 
 
 In that instant Jim Warren knew her. 
 
 "The Atlas Plow Works," he said. "I am 
 or rather I was until I resigned a short while 
 ago superintendent there." 
 
 "Superintendent?" she repeated thought- 
 
 157
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 fully. "Perhaps that's where I saw you !" He 
 chose to remain silent; he wanted her to re 
 member him. "That was nine or ten years ago ; 
 if you were superintendent then you must hare 
 been a very young superintendent." 
 
 "I have been superintendent only for three 
 or four years." He was smiling, waiting. 
 
 After a moment she shook her head. 
 
 "That was one of the wonder days of my 
 life," she ran on. "It was all so hot and noisy 
 and clanky. It seemed incredible to me that 
 men could work in such a place. In the foun 
 dry, I remember, they moved about in the 
 murk, like demons, I thought. There was a 
 spouting and spatter of iron so hot that it ran 
 like water. They took it in ladles and poured 
 it into boxes full of sand." 
 
 "Molds," Jim Warren told her. 
 
 "I could feel the heat on my face all the way 
 
 across the room, yet they didn't seem to mind. 
 
 I am sure at some time Dante must have visited 
 
 a foundry!" She was gazing at him now with 
 
 158
 
 THE RECOGNITION 
 
 those wonder eyes he remembered so well 
 how had he ever forgotten! "After that we 
 went into the hammer room trip-hammers, 
 don't they call them?- where they were mak 
 ing plows. And there were furnaces, too 
 great open-mouthed, greedy-looking furnaces." 
 
 She paused. Jim Warren's sky-blue eyes 
 were fixed upon her face. Finally he took up 
 the thread of the narrative : 
 
 "And you and your father and Mr. Chase 
 stopped near one of the hammers and looked on 
 while the hammer-man worked and finally 
 Mr. Chase placed his watch on the anvil and 
 the hammer-man smashed the crystal. Then 
 you placed your watch on the anvil and that 
 crystal was only cracked ! And when you were 
 going away you turned back at the door and 
 smiled at the hammer-man didn't you?" 
 
 Charming bewilderment was depicted on her 
 face; she was struggling to remember. Her 
 hand involuntarily touched the watch on her 
 bosom the same watch. 
 159
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Then then you must have been there?" 
 
 "I was" Jim Warren was smiling "I was 
 the hammer-man." 
 
 Suddenly Edna remembered. It was some 
 thing in the whimsical, sky-blue eyes of him 
 that bridged the chasm of years. Sudden 
 realization brought sudden confusion. She 
 didn't seem able to reconcile things all at 
 once. The hammer-man, with arms bared to 
 the shoulders, grimed, sinewy was this man 
 the same? this rather well-dressed, clean-cut, 
 smiling individual opposite her? 
 
 "It leaves me quite quite breathless," she 
 faltered at last, with a queer little laugh. "I 
 can hardly make myself believe that we " 
 
 "I understand." 
 
 Now that she remembered, Jim Warren won 
 dered if it would make any difference. He 
 knew grimly that it was not meet that they 
 should fraternize on a common level. The color 
 surged into her cheeks. Why? He asked that 
 question many times. 
 
 1 60
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 JIM WARREN WINS A POT 
 
 IT was on the morning following that day of 
 rose-dreams that Dwight Tillinghast bared 
 his hypocritical soul to Jim Warren; and an 
 unsavory spectacle it was. Psychologically the 
 exhibition was interesting, politically it might 
 be useful ; so, in furtherance of the big idea and 
 despite an unholy inclination to take the honor 
 able speaker by his august windpipe and throt 
 tle him, Jim Warren listened attentively. Smug 
 and lofty and unutterably pompous Tilling 
 hast was typical of a class that, having all 
 else, seeks political preferment. With wealth at 
 his command, coupled with an unbounded 
 egotism and the support of Francis Everard 
 Lewis, he couldn't see why he shouldn't have 
 anything he wanted. In fact, he didn't mind 
 confiding in Mr. Warren to the extent of say- 
 161
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 ing he was going to be the next governor and, 
 by the way, that was one of the things they 
 must discuss. It didn't happen that Mr. War 
 ren was committed to any other man ? 
 
 No ; Mr. Warren was not. 
 
 "Ah!" It was as if a vast wind were blow 
 ing in a cavern, "Could I, in that event, count 
 upon your support ?" 
 
 "It all depends," Jim Warren told him. 
 
 "It all depends?" Tillinghast echoed. 
 
 "I'd just as soon see you governor as any 
 man I know, except myself," said Jim Warren ; 
 "but" 
 
 "Except yourself ?" Tillinghast seemed a bit 
 aghast at the suggestion. His fat, shallow eyes 
 were reassured at the grin on Jim Warren's 
 face. "Ah! I see! A joke! Ha-ha!" 
 
 "Yes, a joke ha-ha!" 
 
 "Very good." Tillinghast paused ponder 
 ously ere he voiced the next question. "You 
 er and Mr. Lewis had some sort of an inter 
 view the other night, I believe ?" 
 162
 
 JIM WARREN WINS A POT 
 
 Jim Warren nodded. 
 
 "I'm glad to see that you are friends again." 
 Tillinghast rubbed his pudgy hands together. 
 "Possibly something was said about a a va 
 cant place in the Committee on Public Struc 
 tures?" 
 
 "I believe the matter was mentioned, yes." 
 
 "Well er that vacant place er " 
 
 "I think, perhaps, I can say what you want 
 to say, Mr. Tillinghast. You'll give me the 
 vacant place on that committee if I support you 
 in your fight for governor is that it?" 
 
 Tillinghast seemed astonished at the ease and 
 directness with which the proposition had been 
 put. 
 
 "Precisely." He beamed. 
 
 "And, if we agree on terms, then what?" 
 Jim Warren wanted to know. 
 
 The honorable speaker rose and wandered 
 
 aimlessly about the library for a time, pausing 
 
 now and then to shoot a curious glance at Jim 
 
 Warren. This red-headed man made him feel 
 
 163
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 uncomfortable; there was a direct, cold 
 blooded manner about him that he didn't alto 
 gether like. Jim Warren sat gazing at the floor, 
 smoking placidly. 
 
 "I've made no secret among my friends of 
 my candidacy for governor, Mr. Warren," he 
 said at last. "Now I have no fears for Mr. 
 Lewis' end of the state your end but I am 
 a little afraid of the upper end of the state. 
 Mr. Lewis and I have agreed upon a plan that 
 will insure all the state to me. The fight will 
 have to be made in the Committee on Public 
 Structures." 
 
 "Yes?" Jim Warren lifted his gaze inquir 
 ingly. 
 
 "Mr. Lewis and I think in fact, we know," 
 he amended "that the way to pull the upper 
 part of the state solidly is to give those people 
 up there what they want. Now there has been 
 some clamor up there for recreation piers, a 
 new state school and libraries, and what-not. 
 The present governor is opposed to the expen- 
 164
 
 JIM WARREN WINS A POT 
 
 diture of the money necessary for all these 
 things; and " 
 
 "It would run into millions wouldn't it?" 
 asked Jim Warren. 
 
 "It would, yes," Tillinghast agreed compla 
 cently. "If bills should be introduced to this 
 end that is, giving them all they want and 
 more and I, as speaker, stood back of them 
 and made a fight for them do you see I would 
 become their champion? I would be the man 
 they want. I would " 
 
 "And it would only cost the state a few mil 
 lion dollars?" Jim Warren put in. He glanced 
 up quite casually into Tillinghast's fat face. 
 "In other words, the state would pay for the 
 privilege of electing you governor?" 
 
 Tillinghast didn't like the way he put it. 
 What a coarse, tactless person, to be sure ! 
 
 "You don't understand, Mr. Warren," he 
 
 went on to explain. "If any bill was passed the 
 
 governor would veto it ; and, in the first place, 
 
 it couldn't be passed. Certainly we couldn't 
 
 165
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 pass it over the governor's veto, but the moral 
 effect would be the same." 
 
 Slowly it dawned upon Jim Warren. 
 
 "Oh!" he said. "It's only a grand-stand 
 play." 
 
 Tillinghast grunted. Why did this man in 
 sist on calling everything by its first name ? 
 
 "As a matter of fact, I don't care a hang 
 whether those people up there get their recrea 
 tion piers and schools and libraries or not," the 
 speaker went on ; "but the bill would precipitate 
 a big fight and, whatever else came of it, it 
 would strengthen me in that end of the state." 
 
 "And why," asked the maker of plows qui 
 etly "why does Lewis choose me for this 
 committee ?" 
 
 "Because you are a fighter, Mr. Warren." 
 The speaker laid a pudgy hand on his shoulder 
 and beamed upon him fatly. "Because you 
 have suddenly become one of the influential 
 men of the state. With you on my side don't 
 you see the possibilities?" 
 166
 
 JIM WARREN WINS A POT 
 
 The man's hand was hot and moist on his 
 shoulder; Jim Warren wriggled out from un 
 der it and went to the window. His sinewy 
 fingers were clenched. 
 
 "You are planning to hand them a gold brick 
 up there and I am to be the middleman?" he 
 asked slowly. 
 
 "Not at all !" suavely. "I'm going to try to 
 give them something they want. If I don't suc 
 ceed it isn't my fault. You are the man to make 
 the fight. I think so well of you Lewis and I 
 both think so well of you that not only are 
 we am I willing to make you a member of 
 that committee but we'd be glad to make you 
 chairman." 
 
 Chairman! The word sent a thrill through 
 the sturdy figure of Jim Warren. Chairman! 
 The big idea was coming through! It was a 
 moment or more before Jim Warren trusted 
 himself to speak. 
 
 "And what else do I get ?" he queried quietly. 
 
 "What else? I don't understand." 
 167
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Jim Warren turned upon him suddenly. 
 
 "Tillinghast, I know your situation pre 
 cisely," he said tersely. "Lewis was absolute 
 dictator of his end of the state. When I beat 
 him I ripped his following wide open. That 
 following is mine now. He still handles the 
 money-bag and his influence in the legislature 
 is no less than it was; but among the voters in 
 my end of the state he has lost cast. Now you 
 figure that if you have Lewis on your side, as 
 you have, and can get me on your side, you 
 will gain all that Lewis has lost and more. Isn't 
 that so?" 
 
 The honorable speaker hummed and hawed 
 about it. 
 
 "It is." Jim Warren answered his own ques 
 tion. "In other words, with both of us on your 
 side, that end of the state is certain to go for 
 Tillinghast. I am absolutely necessary to you 
 if you carry that end of the state; it is neces 
 sary to placate me with this committee job 
 and all I have to do is to further your interests 
 168
 
 in the other end of the state with this this 
 gold brick. Now, I'm asking you what else I 
 am to get out of it? I mean, of course, in ad 
 dition to the place on Public Structures." 
 
 Tillinghast gasped and sat down heavily. He 
 was overwhelmed with a sense of impending 
 disaster. Something was going to drop in a 
 minute. This red-headed whirlwind was the 
 person to drop it. Why hadn't he let Lewis 
 deal with him ? 
 
 "I had assumed that a place on one important 
 committee would satisfy a first-year man, who 
 rarely gets on any committee of consequence," 
 he argued. "I am certain that I am violating 
 every precedent by making you chairman of 
 that committee. Now you want more !" 
 
 Jim Warren stared at him reflectively. 
 
 "I happen to know there's still a vacant place 
 on Railroads," he went on. "If I could get that 
 too" 
 
 The honorable speaker moaned a little and 
 perspiration broke out on his brow. 
 169
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "It's unheard of !" he expostulated. "I'd an 
 tagonize men whom I couldn't afford to an 
 tagonize. I'd " 
 
 Suddenly that illuminating grin of Jim War 
 ren's broke forth and shone like a beacon of 
 hope. Tillinghast drew a long breath of relief. 
 
 "I tell you what I'll do, Tillinghast," Jim 
 Warren suggested ; "I'll compromise with you : 
 You make me chairman of Public Structures 
 and give me a place on Railroads or I won't 
 accept any place on any committee." 
 
 Here was confusion and more of it. Tilling 
 hast edged away a little from the calloused 
 hands of him. The man was insane ! 
 
 "In other words, give me all I want or noth 
 ing!" Jim Warren continued naively. 
 
 "But I don't see " Tillinghast began help 
 lessly. 
 
 "All or nothing," Jim Warren repeated. His 
 mouth had grown hard again. "You won't 
 have to urge me to make your fight for recrea 
 tion piers and the rest of it. I'll make a fight 
 170
 
 JIM WARREN WINS A POT 
 
 and put fireworks in it. Whether you believe 
 in 'em or not, I do. I believe in a state giving 
 its citizens all it can afford and more. All or 
 nothing!" he concluded abruptly. 
 
 The honorable speaker was a little pale but 
 thoroughly tame when the new chairman of the 
 Committee on Public Structures and the new 
 member of the Committee on Railroads went 
 out of the room whistling. 
 
 171
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 HALF-SPOKEN TRUTHS 
 
 THEY came out of the house together, 
 Edna Tillinghast and Jim Warren Edna 
 slim and graceful in her short walking skirt, 
 heavily booted, heavily gloved, with the glory 
 of her hair hidden beneath a saucy tam-o'- 
 shanter. They came out of the house together 
 into the winter sunshine. There was a tang of 
 salt in the air swept in from the sea which 
 spumed on the rocks and a boisterous, play 
 ful wind, which painted Edna's cheeks the color 
 of a rose and whipped her skirts about her. 
 
 "Which shall it be?" she asked at the end of 
 the long drive. "Over the hills or along the 
 beach?" 
 
 "If you leave it to me," answered Jim War 
 ren, "I say the beach. I like the ocean. A hill 
 172
 
 HALF-SPOKEN TRUTHS 
 
 can only stand majestically still and look impos 
 ing, but the ocean can kick up a deuce of a row 
 if it has a mind." 
 
 "Do I understand from that that you like a 
 deuce of a row, as you call it?" Edna was 
 laughing. 
 
 "We grow to like what we're used to." 
 
 "You are used to rows?" demurely. 
 
 "I've spent the last twelve years of my life 
 in a plow factory. And now here I'm in 
 politics!" He grinned. "I mean that I'd like 
 Niagara Falls more than I would Gibraltar, 
 for the sole reason that one moves and the 
 other doesn't." 
 
 "I think I understand. You like energy for 
 energy's sake. I should imagine you would." 
 She gave him a sidelong glance. "You're that 
 type of man." 
 
 They walked on in silence for a long way, 
 
 their feet crunching rhythmically in the gravel 
 
 of the beach. Finally Jim Warren paused to 
 
 throw a stone into the tumbling surf. She 
 
 173
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 watched it until a spurt of water far out 
 marked the spot where it fell. Then, again they 
 walked on. 
 
 "It's very curious that you and I should meet 
 again, isn't it ?" he remarked idly. 
 
 "Curious? Not particularly. Why?" 
 
 He didn't say; he didn't know. Gradually 
 there was stealing over him the spell of yester 
 day that strange, quiet content which he was 
 coming to associate with her. Conversation 
 seemed utterly useless. She, too, seemed to feel 
 the mystic charm of silence. When she did 
 speak it was merely because it seemed neces 
 sary to say something. 
 
 "Do you intend to make a a profession of 
 politics?" 
 
 "Well, I should hate to have people call me 
 a professional politician," he said. "I'm in it 
 to stay, if that's what you mean. I'm am 
 bitious, you know." 
 
 "Naturally. And what is your ambition?" 
 
 "I haven't the faintest idea yet, beyond 
 174
 
 HALF-SPOKEN TRUTHS 
 
 beyond certain things." He looked down at her 
 gravely. "I don't know where I'll stop." 
 
 "Well, the next step up would be the state 
 senate, wouldn't it?" She smiled. "State Sen 
 ator Warren! It would sound very imposing 
 and sonorous!" 
 
 "Ye-es," Jim Warren agreed. 
 
 "Then Congressman Warren! Then Gov 
 ernor Warren! Then United States Senator 
 Warren! Then " 
 
 "Just a minute, please. This rapid promotion 
 is making me dizzy." 
 
 The girl laughed. With the laugh passed 
 that singular moodiness which she had felt 
 stealing upon her. 
 
 "I consider myself rather an apt pupil in this 
 political game," he remarked, his eyes, grown 
 whimsical again, fixed on her face. "I hope to 
 cut out some of the intermediate rungs of the 
 ladder. In other words, it is my modest inten 
 tion to climb the political stairs two steps at a 
 time." 
 
 175
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Well, please don't get the governorship bee 
 in your bonnet. Papa wants that." 
 
 Jim Warren looked at her quickly with nar 
 rowed eyes ; the remark was innocent of mean 
 ing. 
 
 "Isn't it queer," she went on musingly, "how 
 the pursuit of an ambition makes one oblivious 
 to everything else? Ambition, after all, is a 
 lust for power and power is what we all seek 
 isn't it ? Papa wants to be the next governor 
 he will be the next governor but he won't be 
 satisfied with that. He's already looking on 
 ahead toward the United States senatorship. 
 Really, I don't believe it has ever occurred to 
 him that while he is governor he may be able 
 to do things for the people. He doesn't seem 
 to think of that at all. He's only thinking of 
 what he can do as governor to advance his 
 chances of becoming United States senator." 
 
 Vaguely Jim Warren was wondering 
 whether the girl knew how accurately she had 
 summarized the situation. Of course, she 
 176
 
 HALF-SPOKEN TRUTHS 
 
 didn't know, but he couldn't have said it more 
 pointedly himself. She turned upon him with 
 shining eyes. 
 
 "Mr. Lewis tells me that your political future 
 is assured," she added. "I'm very glad. I like 
 to think that you will owe all your achievements 
 to his generosity." 
 
 "To his what?" asked Jim Warren. 
 
 "His generosity," she explained. "I mean 
 his withdrawal, of course. That made your 
 election possible." 
 
 "Why, I'd have" And there Jim War 
 ren stopped; he had remembered the ties that 
 bound this girl to Lewis. "I forgot. You 
 didn't read the newspaper accounts of my cam 
 paign." 
 
 "No." Her eyes dropped. She had become 
 quite serious. "I told you why. Let's not go 
 into that again." She was silent a moment; 
 then brightly: "You interrupted yourself. 
 You started to say something, then shut up like 
 a clam. What was it ?" 
 177
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "You know about my campaign only from 
 what Mr. Lewis has told you?" 
 
 "Yes." Her eyes opened a little. "He ex 
 plained all of it to me why he retired in your 
 favor and the rest of it." 
 
 Jim Warren flung another stone into the sea. 
 He, too, was serious deadly serious. 
 
 "I don't think we'd better discuss politics, 
 Miss Tillinghast," he remarked irrelevantly. 
 
 "Why not ?" There was a perplexed wrinkle 
 in her brow. "Why shouldn't we ? What was 
 it you started to say?" 
 
 "It doesn't amount to anything, really." 
 Suddenly Jim Warren tired of this game of 
 half -spoken truths. He was possessed of an 
 idea to make her understand. "I started to 
 say," he went on deliberately, "that I would 
 have beaten Lewis anyhow. His withdrawal 
 meant nothing." 
 
 Edna stared at him with dilated eyes. 
 
 "You mean you would have won without 
 Mr. Lewis' support?" 
 
 178
 
 HALF-SPOKEN TRUTHS 
 
 "Certainly." He made no pretense of soft 
 ening an obvious fact. 
 
 "How ?" imperiously. 
 
 "How ?" Jim Warren repeated blankly. "By 
 continuing to do what I started out to do ; by 
 showing Lewis' er his connection with 
 er " He stopped abruptly. 
 
 "By continuing your attacks on Mr. Lewis, 
 you mean?" she demanded hotly. "It's easy to 
 campaign on personalities. That's what you 
 were doing, wasn't it ?" 
 
 For a moment Jim Warren regarded her 
 tensely. A tendril of her hair was blowing free 
 across her face ; her limpid eyes were alive as 
 flame. 
 
 "I shouldn't have called it that," he said 
 slowly. 
 
 "But that's what it was !" 
 
 "There are personalities and personalities. 
 
 If I should criticize the cut of a man's coat or 
 
 his cross-eyes or his bow-legs, that is one thing. 
 
 On the other hand, if I should attack his public 
 
 179
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 record' and show that he was er show that 
 he had made mistakes which which compro 
 mised his honesty, that is quite another matter." 
 
 There was nothing of fear in Edna's sudden 
 drawing away from him only aversion. He 
 saw it instantly and understood it. If it had 
 been only fear 
 
 "Do you pay all your debts of gratitude in 
 this coin?" she asked coldly. 
 
 "I owe no debt of gratitude to " He 
 stopped, ashamed of himself. 
 
 "I'm not a child, Mr. Warren. I understand 
 that for political gain it is always possible to 
 magnify a trivial incident into a mountain of 
 evil if one is clever, as you are, and if one has 
 his partizans, as you have." 
 
 "You don't know why he quit in my favor !" 
 he went on ruthlessly. 
 
 "I do know. He explained it to me." 
 
 "He must have had a busy minute of it !" 
 
 The girl's face went white with anger. She 
 1 80
 
 "I owe no debt of gratitude tc
 
 HALF-SPOKEN TRUTHS 
 
 turned upon him with the reproof that burned 
 upon her lips. 
 
 "That's cowardly !" Her voice was broken 
 by the intensity of her emotion. "Cowardly!" 
 she repeated helplessly. 
 
 "I beg your pardon," said Jim Warren 
 hastily. "I shouldn't have said that. I was 
 afraid a political discussion would result in " 
 A madness seemed to seize upon him. What 
 was the good of all this dissimulation? She 
 must understand sometime. He would make 
 her understand now. "If a soldier, who is 
 sworn to defend his country, allows himself to 
 be bribed to betray that country, they shoot 
 him, don't they?" 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "They don't shoot members of the legisla 
 ture." 
 
 "You mean that Mr. Lewis " 
 
 "Some day you will understand." 
 
 181
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 JIM WARREN AWAKES 
 
 NEVER before in his thirty-two years had 
 Jim Warren come face to face with the 
 eternal problem of woman. It took him days 
 and days to discover for himself a thing Adam 
 knew thousands of years ago that woman is 
 irreducible by any known formula, mathe 
 matical or otherwise. If there had only been 
 figures and symbols and rules! But there is 
 none alas ! In the absence of these he betook 
 himself to the solitude of his room and at 
 tempted to reason it all out. Now, reason is 
 not only inapplicable but wholly superfluous in 
 any consideration of the woman problem. So 
 is logic. But Jim Warren didn't know that. 
 On the evening of his return to the city 
 182
 
 JIM WARREN AWAKES 
 
 Lewis dropped in, as he had said he would. 
 Jim Warren stared at him dully. 
 
 "Well, how did you come out?" Lewis 
 wanted to know. 
 
 "Tillinghast has made me chairman of the 
 Committee on Public Structures," said Jim 
 Warren. 
 
 "Very good!" That was according to the 
 plan. 
 
 "And a member of the Committee on Rail 
 roads." 
 
 "The Committee on " Lewis stopped, 
 speechless, and gazed at him in utter astonish 
 ment. "Did you er draw a gun on him or 
 anything?" 
 
 "No!" simply. 
 
 "What else?" Lewis was sarcastic. 
 
 "Nothing." Jim Warren didn't know it. 
 
 After a little while Lewis went away and 
 Jim Warren resumed his pondering on the 
 problem in hand. It was simple enough, con 
 sisting as it did of only one question: Why 
 183
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 couldn't a woman Edna Tillinghast, to be ex 
 act understand that a man who sold his own 
 vote and influence in the legislature of his state, 
 and trafficked in the votes of others, was just 
 as much a traitor to his country as was a sol 
 dier who walked into the enemy's camp and de 
 livered over the plans of campaign ? Of course, 
 in this instance, the girl loved the man; but 
 should love make her blind to his crookedness ? 
 Evidently it had but should it? In all his 
 moody ponderings he was able to find only one 
 answer to that. 
 
 There was a hullabaloo in the legislative 
 chamber on the following morning when 
 Dwight Tillinghast announced the Committee 
 on Public Structures and the Committee on 
 Railroads. Every precedent had been violated ! 
 Everybody said it at once and, there being no 
 possible chance for argument, there followed 
 the question: "Why?" 
 
 "Because Mr. Tillinghast wanted a practical 
 184
 
 JIM WARREN AWAKES 
 
 man on those two committees, where a prac 
 tical man was needed," Lewis explained ur 
 banely to the scowling mob that besieged him. 
 "Mr. Warren is practical." 
 
 Jim Warren sat through the uproar with 
 far-away thoughts. . . . The mere fact that 
 she loved him was no reason why she shouldn't 
 realize that he was crooked. Why, then, was 
 she blind to it ? Was it that she didn't under 
 stand political right and wrong? Was it be 
 cause of the lies of her father and of Lewis? 
 Had they made her believe that all those 
 charges by which he had made Lewis quit were 
 mere vapory nothings things of no moment, 
 except in so far as they might arouse sentiment 
 against him? She believed that Lewis' with 
 drawal had been really a magnanimous act; 
 therefore all that Jim Warren had said and 
 done in opposition to him had strengthened her 
 belief in his generosity. At the last she had 
 accused him, Jim Warren, of being ungrateful! 
 She had said she was not a child. Jim Warren 
 185
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 tried his best to make himself believe that she 
 was a child! If he could only have believed 
 that! 
 
 Lewis came and stood by Jim Warren's desk, 
 looking out over the chamber with cold, cynical 
 eyes. There was a sneer on his face. 
 
 "It kicked up one hell of a young row, all 
 right !" he volunteered. 
 
 "What?" asked Jim Warren. 
 
 "What !" Lewis repeated. He stared at Jim 
 Warren a moment and went away. 
 
 ... As opposed to this generous hypo 
 thesis, there was another an ugly one. Per 
 haps she did understand and sought to palliate 
 Lewis' crookedness! Riches make their pos 
 sessors arrogant and give them standards of 
 which the unit is the dollar mark. Was that 
 it? Her father was a rich, complacent, fat, 
 overfed hypocrite. Was she, too, a hypocrite ? 
 The glitter of her luxurious life, the emptiness 
 of it all had it utterly crushed every fine in 
 stinct in her every instinct of honesty ? Was 
 186
 
 JIM WARREN AWAKES 
 
 her attitude that of an innocent one who 
 didn't understand or of a brazen one who 
 didn't care? 
 
 Days passed and still that last question re 
 mained unanswered. The expected bills pro 
 viding for recreation piers and a new state 
 school and half a dozen libraries were dumped 
 in on the house one day by Representative 
 Tyson, who incidentally was also on Public 
 Structures. These were the bills Jim Warren 
 was to fight for to further Tillinghast's 
 golden dream of the governorship. However, 
 they would have to pass a third reading before 
 they reached the committee; meanwhile Jim 
 Warren had time to brood. His abstraction at 
 last aroused a glimmer of suspicion in Lewis' 
 mind. 
 
 "The bills are all in," he remarked to Jim 
 Warren gratuitously one day. There was 
 something about Jim Warren's attitude that he 
 didn't like. 
 
 "I know it," was the reply. 
 187
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "They'll be before your committee in a day 
 or so." 
 
 "There's nothing I can do, yet is there?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 It was a dismissal. Lewis understood it as 
 such. He stood in a corner of the lobby for a 
 long time and stroked his chin thoughtfully. 
 It might be necessary to get to this man in an 
 other way. How ? 
 
 Slowly Jim Warren evolved an answer to 
 the question that was tormenting him slowly 
 and reluctantly: Edna Tillinghast did under 
 stand that Lewis was a crook, but she didn't 
 care! It didn't matter to her whether men 
 were honest or dishonest! No other conclu 
 sion was possible. She was not a fool. What 
 if she hadn't read his charges against Lewis? 
 It was impossible that she should not know of 
 them. . . . She knew, all right! It didn't 
 matter to her that was all ! 
 
 This question settled at last, there came an- 
 188
 
 JIM WARREN AWAKES 
 
 other: What did it matter to him, Jim War 
 ren, what she thought of Lewis' honesty or 
 dishonesty? What business was it of his? She 
 belonged to Lewis, didn't she? She was part 
 of the price Tillinghast was paying for the 
 honor of Lewis' support for governor, wasn't 
 she? What did it matter to him, Jim War 
 ren? 
 
 "Nothing," he told himself. 
 
 And a day or so later she appeared in the 
 gallery of the House. Jim Warren happened 
 to glance up and saw her there with Lewis. 
 At the same instant she saw him and waved 
 her handkerchief. He nodded. Lewis was 
 with her, of course! But what did it matter 
 to him, Jim Warren? 
 
 "Everything !" 
 
 Through the clouds of conjecture that had 
 tormented him one isolated fact suddenly 
 thrust its head. Whoever and whatever this 
 girl was, he wanted her honest or dishonest, 
 arrogant or humble, rich or poor, he wanted 
 189
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 her! It was elemental the call of sex to sex. 
 And, wanting her, he would have her. Noth 
 ing to the contrary ever occurred to him. At 
 first she had awed him from the pinnacle of her 
 social position. Awe changed to admiration; 
 admiration had changed to the one thought of 
 owning her. Lewis! Faugh! So much the 
 worse for Lewis! But she was betrothed to 
 Lewis ! Well, what of it ? 
 
 "The minute a man gets what he has wanted 
 more than anything else in the world," Jim 
 Warren philosophized, "there's something else 
 he wants worse. I want her and, by the living 
 God, I'll have her!" 
 
 190
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 CAUGHT IN THE TENTACLES 
 
 STRANGE thoughts grew out of Jim War 
 ren's sudden determination dishonest 
 thoughts, envious thoughts. He put them all 
 in the pot and boiled them together. They 
 simmered down to this: Position and wealth 
 were necessary to win her and he had neither ! 
 Position he would win in this political game; 
 money he could get, and all the more easily that 
 she didn't care where it came from. He was 
 here in a jungle of temptation. All he had to 
 do was to reach out both hands and pick hun 
 dred-dollar bills from every bush and vine. 
 The Committee on Public Structures was a 
 harvest to be garnered and he was chairman ! 
 Then Railroads, too! 
 
 The big idea? He shook his head impa- 
 191
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 tiently as it recurred to him. A quixotic thing, 
 anyway! But the sealed packet in the safe de 
 posit vault? Perfectly simple. Let it remain 
 there. Nobody knew it was in existence save 
 the people in the bank and not one person 
 knew what was in it save himself. Let it stay 
 there and rot! With money, he could buy the 
 smiles that were now given to Lewis. It seemed 
 strange that after all his plans the one thing he 
 wanted most in all the world Edna Tilling- 
 hast would be possible to him only by dishon 
 esty! It was not fit that it should be so but 
 so be it ! 
 
 It happened a day or so later that Tyson 
 dropped down at the table where Jim Warren 
 was at luncheon. Jim Warren looked him over 
 thoughtfully. His face and neck were fat and 
 pudgy and coarse; an enormous diamond glit 
 tered on one of his thick fingers; another 
 flashed in his tie. 
 
 "Tyson," asked Jim Warren curiously, "how 
 many years have you been up here?" 
 192
 
 CAUGHT IN THE TENTACLES 
 
 "Six. Why?" 
 
 "What was your business ?" 
 
 "Liquor." 
 
 "You've made a fairly good thing of this 
 job, haven't you? that is, you're well-to-do 
 now." 
 
 Tyson flicked the ashes from his cigar into 
 the salad dish and turned his small eyes upon 
 Jim Warren keenly. He had an uncomfort 
 able suspicion that Jim Warren was honest 
 and being honest he was not a fit person to con 
 fide in. Then, too, there was something in 
 his manner, in his quick, short questions, in 
 the steadiness of his cerulean gaze, that dis 
 concerted him. 
 
 "What's the answer?" he inquired. 
 
 "I was merely curious that's all," Jim 
 Warren explained. "Everybody in the capitol 
 seems to be very prosperous except me. I was 
 wondering how they managed it. I gave up 
 two thousand a year to come here at eight hun 
 dred. You get just what I do, yet you live at 
 193
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 a big hotel, with a suite of rooms and a valet, 
 and an automobile and a chauffeur. Are you 
 still in the liquor business ?" 
 
 "No," said Tyson. "I'm interested in in 
 two or three little things that er " He 
 stopped. 
 
 "On the level now, Tyson between man 
 and man," Jim Warren urged. "Just because 
 I was elected to this legislature as a labor man 
 and a reformer, there seems to be a popular 
 impression that I'm here for my health. You 
 didn't come here for your health, did you?" 
 
 "Well not exactly." 
 
 "What's the answer?" 
 
 Tyson rolled his cigar around in his rosebud 
 mouth and his piggy eyes were blazing with 
 curiosity. Finally he said : 
 
 "Warren, they tell me that you did hand 
 Franques an awful wallop down in Warbur- 
 ton?" 
 
 "I did. I used him as far as he was useful, 
 then passed him up." 
 
 194
 
 CAUGHT IN THE TENTACLES 
 
 "You know you can't do that in politics 
 but once." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Because you won't get a second oppor 
 tunity. Everybody up here knows about it. 
 Even if it was in anybody's way to to well, 
 to slip you something he'd be afraid to." He 
 smoked on. "I'm not saying that anybody 
 ever does slip anybody anything up here, you 
 understand ?" 
 
 "Oh, no!" Jim Warren pondered the mat 
 ter all the way through the entree. "Did it 
 ever occur to you why I turned down Fran- 
 ques?" 
 
 Tyson shook his head. 
 
 "He had deliberately betrayed Lewis; I 
 didn't know what he might do to me." 
 
 After a moment Tyson rose languidly and 
 strolled out. At the door he turned as if to 
 come back, but changed his mind. 
 
 That night it was that Lewis dropped in on 
 Jim Warren again in the wretched, smelly 
 
 195
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 lodging-house in the dingy side street. Appar 
 ently he had just come up to talk over a few 
 things the fight that would begin in Public 
 Structures next day on the various bills that 
 were intended to promote the political well- 
 being of Dwight Tillinghast. He talked on for 
 an hour or so without having said anything 
 in particular, after which he rose to go. 
 
 "You won't mind, Warren, if I'm frank with 
 you about one or two matters, will you?" he 
 asked hesitatingly. 
 
 "Not at all," said Jim Warren. "Go ahead." 
 
 "You know you know you're a big man 
 up here, Warren," Lewis went on in the same 
 tone. "You're chairman of a big committee 
 and a member of another big committee. You 
 are as close to Tillinghast and myself as any 
 body else in the chamber perhaps closer; and 
 it occurs to me that well, that you ought to 
 be more decently situated than you are away 
 out here." 
 
 With a deprecatory movement of his hands 
 196
 
 CAUGHT IN THE TENTACLES 
 
 he indicated the room and its furnishings. Jim 
 Warren looked about curiously, as if it were 
 all strange to him. At last his sky-blue eyes 
 met Lewis'. 
 
 "I'm a poor man, Lewis," he said simply. 
 "I told you once before." 
 
 "But, really," Lewis expostulated, "you 
 ought to be better situated than this. It's an in 
 justice not only to yourself but to your con 
 stituents. Suppose Warburton should send a 
 delegation up here and they should " He 
 spread his hands again in a gesture. 
 
 "Can't help it," said Jim Warren. 
 
 Lewis scrutinized his gray suede gloves for 
 a moment in silence. 
 
 "Pardon me ; I don't want to suggest the in 
 delicate thing, but if I could be of any assist 
 ance to you?" he questioned. "If you hap 
 pened to be short of funds at the moment " 
 
 "So soon!" Jim Warren grinned. 
 
 "Only a trifling loan ?" Lewis urged blandly. 
 "The representative of a great district like 
 197
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Warburton shouldn't be hidden away in a hole 
 like this." He paused. "A thousand or so and 
 your note for a year." 
 
 Jim Warren turned away from him abruptly 
 and stood at the window idly snapping his 
 fingers. Below was Lewis' automobile, purr 
 ing patiently. 
 
 "I might not be able to repay you at the end 
 of the year," he said at last, without looking 
 around. 
 
 "Two years, then five years!" Lewis sug 
 gested generously. "That doesn't matter, 
 really. Don't let it disturb you for a mo 
 ment." 
 
 Jim Warren whirled around ; Lewis dodged. 
 
 "Don't tempt me, Lewis," he pleaded, almost 
 bitterly. "I don't love poverty for poverty's 
 sake. I know I shouldn't be here, but I can't 
 afford anything else. I saved a bit of my sal 
 ary, it's true ; but " 
 
 "It just happens that I have a blank note in 
 my pocket," Lewis interrupted courteously. 
 198
 
 CAUGHT IN THE TENl'ACLES 
 
 He dropped down at the pine table that served 
 Jim Warren for a desk. "Say, fifteen hun 
 dred? That will make you comfortable for 
 a few weeks; and, after that, if I can do any 
 thing else " 
 
 Dumbly Jim Warren looked on as Lewis 
 filled in the note. There was a little mercenary 
 glint in his eyes as Lewis counted out fifteen 
 one-hundred-dollar bills and laid them on the 
 table. 
 
 Jim Warren put his hands behind his back. 
 
 "What have I got to do for that?" he de 
 manded abruptly. 
 
 "There you go again," Lewis reproved pleas 
 antly. "Nothing, of course; absolutely noth 
 ing, except sign this note. It isn't a bribe; it's 
 a loan." 
 
 For half a minute Jim Warren merely 
 stared at him, stared until Lewis began to fear 
 that he had been precipitate; and the weird 
 thought entered his head that perhaps this man 
 was honest ! Jim Warren sat down and signed 
 199
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 the note. Lewis tucked it away in his pocket- 
 book. . . . After a while the door opened 
 and closed and he was gone. 
 
 "I think, maybe, I've got you where I want 
 you now, Mr. Warren!" he exclaimed exul 
 tantly as he made his way down the dim stairs. 
 "Just so much as a whimper out of you, and " 
 
 Jim Warren stood perfectly still until the 
 automobile below bellowed and moved away. 
 Then he grinned. 
 
 "At last," he said, "I'm a regular politician. 
 I've been bribed and everything." His eyes 
 grew steely; he was thinking of Her. "Lewis, 
 I'm sorry for you !" 
 
 On the following morning Jim Warren 
 opened an account at the Sandringham Na 
 tional Bank with a deposit of fifteen hundred 
 dollars. 
 
 200
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 REALIZATION 
 
 "/"T^HEY don't shoot members of the legis- 
 A lature!" Edna pondered that absurd 
 statement for days, vaguely conscious that 
 back of it lay an accusation of of dishon 
 esty? that at least against Francis Everard 
 Lewis, whose name she was to bear ; to whom 
 her hand was pledged. Finally she came to 
 see that Jim Warren had meant that he, Lewis, 
 was morally on a level with a traitor who sold 
 his country. Complete realization made her 
 face go scarlet with anger! It was contempt 
 ible ! She despised innuendos. And this from 
 Jim Warren after Lewis, believing in him, had 
 made him what he was! Not only was Jim 
 Warren ungrateful, but, knowing of her be 
 trothal to Lewis, he had sought to sow the seed 
 that would destroy her faith in him. 
 201
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 In the beginning she had fallen under the 
 influence of that strange, intangible quality that 
 won men to Jim Warren. She had felt it that 
 first day she saw him that day in the bank 
 when he had looked so ridiculously in earnest, 
 pirouetting around after that silly little dog. 
 She had felt it still more at her next meeting 
 with him the day her automobile had broken 
 down. There was a comforting sense of power 
 about him, a quaint frankness, an odd, boyish 
 twist of mind that belied the real man. She 
 was glad that at last he had lifted his mask 
 and bared his envious, cowardly soul. That 
 was the end, of course ; she would despise him. 
 For a time this thought satisfied her. Imperi 
 ously she denied vague questionings of her con 
 science. 
 
 Having resolved never to permit Jim Warren 
 to intrude upon the serenity of her mind again, 
 she found him constantly in her thoughts but 
 only that she might hate him, she told herself 
 arrogantly. She found his name always be- 
 202
 
 REALIZATION 
 
 fore her in the daily press and his photo 
 graph. The day following his appointment as 
 chairman of the Committee on Public Struc 
 tures she met those whimsical eyes, that half- 
 smiling mouth, in every newspaper she picked 
 up. She flung them down rebelliously. 
 
 Women are hopelessly illogical that's why 
 they are women ; also, perhaps this is a plati 
 tude that's why we love them. No man can 
 love an adding machine. Edna, being a 
 woman, was as illogical as the rest of them. 
 So it was that one afternoon, despite her prom 
 ise to her father, she hauled down a great 
 scrapbook in which an obliging press-clipping 
 bureau had garnered newspaper and magazine 
 articles that had to do with her father's politi 
 cal career and with Lewis'. Here was Jim 
 Warren's fight against Lewis from beginning 
 to end. She read it guiltily, with tense interest 
 all of it, from Jim Warren's first flippant 
 declaration that he would make Lewis climb a 
 tree and pull the tree up after him, down to the 
 203
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 incident of the fifty-thousand-dollar note, and 
 that fateful interview which Jim Warren had 
 made a matter of record on a phonograph. 
 
 Slowly, as she read, the color ebbed from 
 her face. Had she been blind not to have un 
 derstood all this before? Where was Lewis' 
 denial? There was none; he had made no 
 denial. Smilingly he had told her that denials 
 of charges like these in the great game of 
 politics was a mere waste of time. It had 
 sounded plausible enough then, but these 
 things cried for denial. Her father, too, had 
 casually pointed out that all men in politics 
 were liable to bitter and violent attacks and 
 advised her to pay no heed to comments in the 
 press. That might be all right in some cases; 
 but this. this Her father! Was he, too, 
 dishonest? He knew of all this ! And yet he 
 was blind to it! Blind to it because of his 
 ambition ! 
 
 She sat staring blankly at the pages for a 
 long, long time. Finally she flung herself 
 204
 
 'And bribery is a crime?" she went
 
 REALIZATION 
 
 across the bed and wept. That night, mouse 
 like, she crept into the great library where her 
 father sat gazing thoughtfully into the open 
 fire and dropped on the floor at his knee. He 
 placed a caressing arm about her shoulders. 
 
 "Father," she queried after a little, in a hard, 
 strained voice, "if a man who holds public 
 office accepts money from well, from any one 
 a corporation, say in return for his vote 
 and influence in that office, it is bribery 
 isn't it?" 
 
 "Certainly," her father responded readily. 
 He was immersed in a rosy glamour of con 
 templation, planning the things he would do 
 when he was governor. 
 
 "And bribery is a crime ?" she went on. 
 
 "Yes. It's a penal offense either to give or 
 accept a bribe." 
 
 "It is dishonesty ? Treason, even ?" 
 
 "Yes" absently. 
 
 "They send men to jail for it ?" 
 
 "If they catch them." 
 205
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 A long, long silence. 
 
 "Somehow I didn't understand it that way," 
 Edna said wearily at last. "It had never oc 
 curred to me that one was not rightfully en 
 titled to what one might earn by advancing the 
 interests of a corporation, say, with which he 
 might be connected." 
 
 "As you state it, one is entitled to what one 
 may earn." Tillinghast took the trouble to 
 explain. "But if one holds public office, and 
 sells his vote and influence to a corporation, it 
 is bribery." 
 
 Another long silence. 
 
 "Of course," she said faintly, at last, "that 
 makes it impossible." 
 
 "Makes what impossible ?" 
 
 "My marriage to Mr. Lewis" simply. 
 
 Startled out of his sensuous contemplation 
 of power, Tillinghast straightened up suddenly 
 and looked amazed into the white face of his 
 daughter. 
 
 "How ! why ! what are you talking about, 
 206
 
 REALIZATION 
 
 my dear?" he demanded. His words fairly 
 tripped over one another. 
 
 "Just what I say." She didn't even look up. 
 "I can't marry a criminal ; you wouldn't have 
 me marry one. I never understood before. 
 From what Mr. Lewis said " 
 
 "Lewis a criminal!" her father broke in, 
 aghast. "My dear daughter, what is the mat 
 ter with you?" 
 
 "He is a criminal, isn't he? He did sell his 
 vote and influence to a corporation while he 
 held public office, didn't he? He has given 
 and accepted bribes, hasn't he? He's grown 
 rich and powerful from nothing just as Mr. 
 Warren charged, hasn't he? He did offer Mr. 
 Warren twenty-five thousand dollars not to 
 run, didn't he?" 
 
 Chaos was come. That fat, benignant-look 
 ing hypocrite, Dwight Tillinghast, breathed 
 heavily through his nose as he looked upon it. 
 
 "What's the matter with you?" he repeated 
 helplessly. 
 
 207
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Nothing, except that I've come to under 
 stand some things that I didn't understand be 
 fore." 
 
 "Sold his vote and influence " he began. 
 
 "For fifty thousand dollars!" Edna inter 
 rupted unemotionally. 
 
 "That note, you mean? Why, Edna, you 
 amaze me! That was merely a loan." 
 
 "A loan made four years ago by a corpora 
 tion to a man who held public office a loan 
 that never was repaid. Mr. Lewis had noth 
 ing to offer in return for that loan except his 
 vote and influence, had he ?" 
 
 "A loan, nevertheless," her father exploded 
 suddenly. "You are talking about things you 
 don't understand." 
 
 The girl rose and stood facing her father. 
 There was no trace of emotion in her manner ; 
 no sign of perturbation save that she was 
 deadly white. 
 
 "Of course, it's impossible," she said coldly. 
 "I shall tell him so next time he calls. I have 
 208
 
 REALIZATION 
 
 been placed in a false position in the eyes of 
 the world in the eyes of Mr. Warren. Every 
 one knew who and what Mr. Lewis was except 
 myself. I" 
 
 Tillinghast came to his feet ponderously. 
 
 "Edna, you don't know what you are do 
 ing!" he exclaimed pleadingly. "My candi 
 dacy for governor, my child. If Lewis with 
 draws his support and he will if you do this 
 I am lost. You must marry him !" 
 
 "Must!" she repeated quietly, very quietly. 
 "My own father tells me that I must marry a 
 traitor, a thief, to further his political ambi 
 tion!" 
 
 "It isn't that, Edna," the honorable speaker 
 whined. "Mr. Lewis is an honest gentleman. 
 You don't understand!" Her eyes met his 
 placidly. "If he withdraws his support " 
 
 "I will not marry him!" It was final. She 
 turned and passed out the door. 
 
 209
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 JIM WARREN, GRAFTER 
 
 IT was a strange metamorphosis that was 
 worked in Jim Warren by that fifteen 
 hundred dollars. He had never known luxury, 
 he had never craved it ; but now he would have 
 just fifteen hundred dollars' worth of it. If it 
 panned out he would have more; if it didn't 
 in that event his plans were unsettled. Fifteen 
 hundred dollars wouldn't last long, but there 
 was more where that came from and when that 
 source was exhausted there were a thousand 
 others. So it came to pass that Jim Warren 
 moved out of that dingy house in that dingy 
 side street, where he had been quartered at six 
 dollars a week, into a suite of apartments ad 
 joining those of Representative Tyson in a 
 down-town hotel, at one hundred dollars a 
 week. The sensation of physical comfort fol- 
 210
 
 JIM WARREN, GRAFTER 
 
 lowing the change was pleasant most pleas 
 ant. 
 
 Within a week or so Jim Warren had be 
 come a part of the gay life of the capital. He 
 spent money like a drunken sailor luncheons, 
 dinners, wines, theater parties, hired automo 
 biles ; all were his, along with other essentially 
 luxurious things. He reserved a special table 
 in the cafe and there was always to be found 
 a choice collection of men of Tyson's type. 
 Some of them were members of the legislature, 
 some of them lobbyists, some of them were 
 political panhandlers all of them were graft 
 ers. 
 
 Lewis looked upon it all and smiled. 
 
 "Gad ! He's going in with both feet," he re 
 marked to himself cheerfully. "He'll strike 
 bottom pretty soon. I wonder how he'll ex 
 plain this to his constituents?" 
 
 Tyson didn't quite understand it, but he had 
 his suspicions. Passing Jim Warren in the hall 
 one day, he winked solemnly and inquired : 
 211
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "You've found the key, eh?" 
 
 "What key?" asked Jim Warren. 
 
 "The key to prosperity." 
 
 Jim Warren laughed oddly. 
 
 "I smashed in the door." He was passing 
 on when a sudden thought occurred to him. 
 "Sometime, when you have half an hour, Ty 
 son, I'd like to talk with you." 
 
 "There's no time like the present," Tyson 
 responded. "Come on in." 
 
 He led Jim Warren into his own apartments 
 and for ten minutes they talked of every 
 thing in the world except the one thing Jim 
 Warren wanted to talk of. Obviously he 
 didn't quite know how to get at it. 
 
 "Spit it out," Tyson invited cordially. There 
 was a poker game in abeyance down the hall. 
 "What's eating you?" 
 
 "It's this matter of money again," Jim War 
 ren said bluntly. He felt the blood rush to his 
 face. "You know I told you once before that 
 I wasn't up here for my health, no more than 
 212
 
 you are. Now let me in. I've got two big 
 committees over here and I've got certain pow 
 ers in those committees. How should I pro 
 ceed to realize on them? You know I'm an 
 amateur." 
 
 Tyson laughed. 
 
 "Oh, it's easy enough to get if you're out for 
 that sort of thing," he remarked carelessly. 
 
 "But how?" Jim Warren insisted. 
 
 "You're a member of Railroads, aren't 
 you?" 
 
 Jim Warren nodded. 
 
 "It would be worth while to two or three 
 of the railroads who have bills coming up this 
 session to slip you something on suspicion," 
 Tyson went on. "It never does a railroad 
 harm to make friends among the people who 
 can do things for 'em. In this case it would 
 be a sort of retaining fee." 
 
 "I think I see," said Jim Warren slowly. 
 
 "Just drop a casual hint some day in the 
 lobby in the presence of the right man," Tyson 
 213
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 went on. "You'll find coin sticking in your 
 coat-tail pockets before you can get home." 
 He laughed again. "Don't ask me how it will 
 get there I don't know." 
 
 For a long time Jim Warren sat, with his 
 sinewy fingers interlaced, staring at Tyson. 
 
 "I'm chairman of Public Structures," he re 
 marked irrelevantly. 
 
 "I was coming to that," said Tyson. He 
 leaned forward and tapped Jim Warren's hand 
 with one pudgy finger. "Now, Warren, you 
 know and I know that those bills I put in for 
 Tillinghast those recreation-pier bills and the 
 rest of 'em haven't a chance to pass. You're 
 making the fight for them and it isn't doing 
 you any harm in that end of the state any more 
 than it is doing Tillinghast harm ; but we know, 
 all of us, that they won't pass. However, there 
 are a whole lot of contractors and steel men, 
 and people to whom that work would have to 
 go if the bills did pass, who don't know that 
 they haven't a chance. I dare say one or two of 
 214
 
 JIM WARREN, GRAFTER 
 
 those fellows would be delighted to pass over 
 something just to know that you are on their 
 side. As chairman of Public Structures don't 
 you see?" 
 
 Again Jim Warren was silent for a long 
 time. 
 
 "And Lewis would come across again with 
 out a murmur if you put it to him," Tyson 
 went on. 
 
 "Lewis!" exclaimed Jim Warren. "How 
 did you know that " 
 
 "He's made no secret of it," Tyson informed 
 him cheerfully. He told the lie glibly. It was 
 a guess and it had gone home. "He's put a 
 few of us wise." 
 
 Lewis! The bare mention of the name 
 brought a flush of anger to Jim Warren's face. 
 Some day there would come a reckoning with 
 Lewis. His steel-like fingers gripped in his 
 palms. 
 
 "Well, say Lewis loosens up another thou 
 sand or so," he remarked; "say the railroads 
 215
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 add a couple of thousand and the contractors 
 and steel men still another thousand what, 
 after that?" 
 
 The piggy eyes of Representative Tyson 
 grew large in his astonishment. 
 
 "Holy Moses ! What do you want ?" he ex 
 claimed. "That's a fine lot of pickings for a 
 first-year man an amateur." 
 
 Jim Warren's teeth closed with a snap. 
 
 "It's a piker's game," he declared. "Do you 
 imagine that three or four or five thousand 
 dollars is of any use to me? It's the big game 
 I'm after. That's cigarette money." 
 
 "You'd better get a piece of lead pipe and 
 go into it right," Tyson advised. "I'm telling 
 you how the game is worked. You wanted to 
 know. Of course, if it's too small for you, I'm 
 sorry, but I can't help it." 
 
 Suddenly Jim Warren rose and paced the 
 
 length of the apartment half a dozen times. 
 
 Tyson glanced at his watch; the poker game 
 
 was still waiting. Jim Warren stopped in front 
 
 216
 
 JIM WARREN, GRAFTER 
 
 of him abruptly. There was an unpleasant 
 lowering of his eyebrows, a hardening of his 
 mouth, a narrowing of the sky-blue eyes, as he 
 looked down on his fellow member. 
 
 "Why not play the big game, Tyson?" he 
 demanded. 
 
 "Cough it up; let's hear it." 
 
 "There happens to be before the house now 
 a bill that provides for the building of a public 
 bridge across the arm of the ocean which cuts 
 in toward the capital here Sandringham," 
 said Jim Warren. 
 
 Tyson nodded. 
 
 "The purpose of that bridge will be to 
 shorten the present wagon-road that goes 
 around the water. It will cut off about two 
 miles." 
 
 Again Tyson nodded. 
 
 "The Q. & X. Railroad follows the wagon- 
 road now. If they had a bridge across that 
 arm of the sea it would cut two miles off 
 their road and relieve them of the maintenance 
 217
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 of two miles of railroad-bed that is built across 
 the marshes. Do you follow me?" 
 
 "I know what you're talking about, yes." 
 
 "Well? Don't you see it?" 
 
 "See what?" 
 
 Jim Warren's calloused forefinger was 
 thrust into Tyson's face ; his eyes were ablaze. 
 
 "Don't you see, if there were a provision in 
 that bill which would allow the railroad to use 
 that bridge, it would ultimately save them the 
 price of a bridge? They'll have to build one 
 sooner or later." 
 
 Slowly Tyson's rosebud mouth dropped open 
 in pleased astonishment; suddenly it closed. 
 
 "Oh, but you couldn't put that over." The 
 dreamer was awake. "It's a fine young scheme, 
 but" 
 
 "You talk like an idiot, Tyson," Jim War 
 ren declared in sudden impatience. "We 
 wouldn't have to put anything over. All we 
 would have to do would be to get an amend 
 ment with this provision in it tacked on to the 
 218
 
 JIM WARREN, GRAFTER 
 
 bill. Then, when it came to committee do- 
 you see now ?" 
 
 "No," helplessly. 
 
 "I'm chairman of Public Structures you 
 are a member of Public Structures. The bill 
 comes to us with that amendment tacked on. 
 It would cost the Q. & X. just fifty thousand 
 dollars for the committee to pass upon that 
 bill, with the amendment, favorably. We don't 
 care what they do with it after it leaves the 
 committee. It would simply cost that much 
 to get it through the committee. Do you see 
 now?" 
 
 The rotund Mr. Tyson saw suddenly; he 
 went sheer white with pleased astonishment. 
 The superb audacity of this Jim Warren be 
 numbed him with delight. He rose, gasping, 
 and whacked his fist on the table. 
 
 "And they'd do it !" he declared. He waved 
 
 his fat hands in the air. "They're easy down 
 
 there anyway. If they saw a chance, even a 
 
 remote chance, for that scheme to get by they'd 
 
 219
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 do it. They'd fall for it. You're on ! Oh, a 
 
 pippin 
 
 A smile grew upon Jim Warren's face a 
 hard, unpleasant smile. 
 
 "Fifty thousand dollars !" he said. "Twen 
 ty-five thousand for me, ten for you, and the 
 rest split it up as you like." 
 
 "It would take months to do it, but it's worth 
 it." Tyson's little soul fairly shriveled with 
 envy of this gaunt, red-headed man, who 
 rigged schemes like that out of the ambient 
 air. "I'm with you !" 
 
 "Well, it's going to take some work get 
 on the job," Jim Warren directed curtly. 
 "You know the ropes; I don't. You see, Ty 
 son, this thing of holding up people for five 
 hundred here, and a thousand there, and two 
 thousand yonder, is a piker's game. I'll play 
 the big game or not at all." 
 
 Tyson's exuberance fled as another thought 
 came to him ; his fat face grew grave. 
 
 "By the way," he queried, "do you happen 
 220
 
 JIM WARREN, GRAFTER 
 
 to know that Franques would be the man we 
 would have to deal with in Q. & X. ? He did 
 them some favor at some time; and after you 
 passed him up they took him in." 
 
 "Well?" Jim Warren demanded belliger 
 ently. "Didn't I make a monkey of Franques 
 once? I can do it again." 
 
 During the next four days Jim Warren's 
 bank account grew some forty-five hundred 
 dollars. Tyson's conjecture that the railroads 
 and a few big contractors would drop a few 
 crumbs in Jim Warren's hands just for the 
 sake of making a friend of him, proved cor 
 rect. . . . On the fifth day a messenger 
 brought a note to Jim Warren's suite. He 
 glanced at the superscription and it startled 
 him; he opened the envelope with feverish 
 fingers : 
 
 "Mv DEAR MR. WARREN : 
 
 "At last I have come to see what you meant. 
 I owe you a thousand apologies. Will you call 
 
 221
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 to-morrow afternoon at four and allow me to 
 make them in person ? 
 
 "Sincerely, 
 
 "EDNA TILLINGHAST." 
 
 Jim Warren was dazed a little; the words 
 were jumbled together meaninglessly. After 
 a long time the note fluttered to the floor, Jim 
 Warren's eyes closed as though he were in 
 pain and he dropped back limply into a chair, 
 his face in his hands. 
 
 "God ! What have I done !" he said. 
 
 222
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE 
 
 WHITE and haggard and gaunt, Jim 
 Warren stalked back and forth across 
 the drawing-room as Edna talked. His hands 
 were clenched savagely, his teeth crushed to 
 gether. From time to time he turned flatly and 
 looked down upon this woman with the misty 
 eyes. She was apologizing to him; he owed 
 the apologies, not she ! Occasionally there was 
 a little catch in her voice, a half sob, as she 
 talked; then she recovered herself and went 
 on bravely. 
 
 "There were days and days when I merely 
 hated you for what you had said," she was 
 saying in a low, tense voice. "I thought your 
 innuendos were cowardly ; I told you they were 
 cowardly and all the time you were merely 
 223
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 trying to make me understand. I couldn't 
 bring myself to believe that this man to whom 
 I had given so much was anything but what 
 I had pictured him in my own foolish dreams. 
 When finally I did come to understand who he 
 was and what he was" she raised her moist 
 eyes pleadingly "you can imagine what it 
 meant to me. Every shred of affection I had 
 ever cherished for him died in that instant 
 the hate that I had directed toward you was 
 turned upon him." She shuddered a little. 
 "He had not only deceived me, lied to me, but 
 he was a thief, a traitor, a criminal !" 
 
 Jim Warren strode toward her impetuously ; 
 she extended her hands defensively. 
 
 "Never mind all this," he said harshly. "It 
 doesn't " 
 
 "Please hear me to the end," she begged. 
 "I suppose you knew that I was engaged to 
 this man ; and yet" she spoke very softly "it 
 was hardly love, the feeling I had for him. It 
 was rather admiration for what the man had 
 224
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE 
 
 done. I had no way of knowing I didn't 
 even dream of the manner in which he had 
 gained his power. I only knew he had it ; and 
 woman is prone to worship the strong. Be 
 sides, he was going to make my father gov 
 ernor; he had already made him speaker." She 
 paused suddenly and her limpid eyes reflected 
 her agony and shame. "You understand, don't 
 you?" 
 
 "I think I do." Again Jim Warren strode 
 toward her; again she stopped him. 
 
 "When finally comprehension came," she 
 continued in a strained, thin voice, "I went to 
 my father and explained that the marriage 
 would be would be impossible." 
 
 A great gladness pulsed in Jim Warren's 
 heart, softened the harshness of his face, 
 melted the steeliness of his sky-blue eyes. 
 
 "The rest of it is ugly ugly!" she said 
 faintly. 
 
 "Please stop," Jim Warren urged. 
 
 "You know the ambition he has ? He wants 
 225
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 to be governor and after that United States 
 senator? If I should break my pledge to Mr. 
 Mr. him it would mean that all his power 
 would be directed against my father to defeat 
 him. My father saw it instantly and pointed 
 it out to me. He, too my own father had 
 deceived me; but what could I do?" She 
 stopped. Jim Warren started to say some 
 thing. She went on hastily: "If my engage 
 ment were allowed to stand it would hold his 
 support to my father." Her face flamed sud 
 denly. "You see I'm goods I'm chattels 
 they're bargaining with me !" 
 
 Jim Warren's fingers closed and unclosed 
 spasmodically. He would have given some 
 thing, almost anything, at that instant to have 
 had them about the fat neck of the honorable 
 speaker. 
 
 "Finally I agreed to my father's wishes I 
 
 could do nothing else," Edna resumed. "The 
 
 betrothal is to stand for the present, but I am 
 
 going away going away to-morrow, to be 
 
 226
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE 
 
 gone for months. I couldn't bear to remain 
 here and live the lie that I should have to live. 
 . . . I felt that I must make you understand 
 before I go. I wanted you to know that I 
 know who and what this man is. I want to 
 apologize to you and I want to thank you." 
 She sighed wearily. "That is all. You under 
 stand now?" 
 
 How trivial, how pitifully inconsequential it 
 all was compared to the confession he Jim 
 Warren had to make! She had believed in 
 the man whom she was to marry. It was just 
 and right that she should believe in him. But 
 he, Jim Warren He drew a chair up oppo 
 site to her and sat down, looking straight into 
 her eyes. 
 
 "I want you to listen to me and I want you 
 to understand every word I say," he com 
 manded. He spoke rapidly, feverishly. "I 
 want you to understand that it is I, and not 
 you, who should make apologies." 
 
 She drew back a little, vaguely alarmed at 
 227
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 the earnestness of his manner, at the directness 
 of his gaze. He seemed not to notice. 
 
 "I went into this political game, or blundered 
 into it, with a definite idea," he ran on mo 
 notonously. "That idea came before anything 
 else, before it had ever occurred to me that it 
 would be practicable to put it to the test. It 
 was based on the exact knowledge that the po 
 litical game, generally speaking, is played with 
 marked cards. Why should not a clever man 
 who was honest that was the first requisite, 
 honesty! why should not a clever man who 
 was honest step into the game, mark his cards 
 to suit himself and play it out with them? In 
 other words, bring himself down to their level, 
 match them trick for trick, and go them one 
 better ! In the end it would all be, of course, 
 for the sake of decency and honesty and the 
 public good. There was a bare chance that 
 such a thing could be done; and if it could be 
 done it would purge the state capitol as no 
 other thing in all the world would. 
 228
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE 
 
 "Lewis was the big boss in my end of the 
 state. I went to see him in my effort to break 
 in. I didn't see him, but I did see Franques, 
 his henchman, and made a deal with him that 
 fitted perfectly with the big idea. Briefly, he 
 was to betray Lewis to me and he did. Then, 
 to clench the big idea, I deposited a sealed 
 packet in a certain bank here in Sandringham. 
 I was elected. I used Franques as long as he 
 was useful to me, then dropped him. In polit 
 ical parlance, I double-crossed him. That act 
 of ingratitude and it was that, nothing else 
 was the first step toward the carrying out of 
 the big idea. It was necessary and and ugly, 
 as you say." 
 
 He stopped and his voice dropped a little. 
 
 "Meanwhile our paths in life yours and 
 mine crossed and recrossed ; and for political 
 reasons it was necessary for Lewis to be decent 
 to me in spite of the fact that I had smashed 
 his power in his own district. . . . Then I 
 learned you were betrothed to him. . . . 
 229
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Why, I don't know but I wanted to make you 
 understand what manner of man he was; I 
 didn't believe you knew. That was the day I 
 offended you so grievously. During the days 
 following that, when you were hating me, you 
 were constantly in my thoughts. I was trying 
 to decide for myself whether you knew or did 
 not know what Lewis was. I couldn't reconcile 
 your attitude with the bald fact that the news 
 papers had been full of Lewis' exposure. . . . 
 It was a long time before I reached a conclu 
 sion." 
 
 "And that conclusion was " she queried 
 softly. 
 
 "Forgive me," said Jim Warren. "That con 
 clusion was that you did know, that you must 
 know, who and what Lewis was; and the arro 
 gance of wealth and power had made you cal 
 lous to it. In other words, you knew and didn't 
 care. Your attitude left me nothing else," he 
 pleaded desperately in self-extenuation. 
 
 "Please go on," she said coldly. 
 230
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE 
 
 "You see you owed me no apology I owed 
 every apology to you. I'm glad you've given 
 me the opportunity of making them." 
 
 "Your conclusion was inevitable," she re 
 marked, "just as mine had been. I under 
 stand." 
 
 Jim Warren rose and again he stalked back 
 and forth across the room. Would he go on? 
 Would he tell her all of it? After a moment 
 he dropped down in front of her again. 
 
 "I knew you belonged to another man," he 
 began bluntly; "and when I asked myself why 
 I had taken the trouble to try to make you 
 understand what manner of man he was, there 
 was no answer. After all, it was none of my 
 business. I tried to make myself think that; 
 I couldn't. Then, one day the day you waved 
 your handkerchief to me from the gallery 
 one day I knew. You were necessary to me; 
 you were " 
 
 "Please don't; please!" she cried despair 
 ingly. 
 
 231
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 She extended her hands; he crumpled them 
 in his own, like rose-leaves. Suddenly he let 
 them go and rose. 
 
 "Whatever you were, honest or dishonest, I 
 wanted you," he went on violently. "I was 
 poor and without position. It was necessary to 
 have both to win you. In that instant I think 
 I must have gone mad. I forgot honor and 
 honesty; I forgot my pledges to the boys at 
 Warburton ; I forgot the big idea ; I forgot all 
 else in the world but you. It would be easy 
 to get money with the temptations about me; 
 I could force myself into a position in the game 
 I was playing; I " 
 
 "You don't know what you are saying!" 
 There was a sob in her voice. "You must not ! 
 You must not !" 
 
 "It was easy to get money," he continued re 
 lentlessly. "I started to get it. I got it. Here, 
 there, everywhere, it was to be had for the 
 stretching out of a hand." His voice suddenly 
 softened. "I was going to win you from Lewis 
 232
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE 
 
 as Lewis had won you in the first place by 
 selling myself to the highest bidder, by crook 
 edness, by thieving, by treason." 
 
 Edna sank forward, with her head in her 
 hands. She was moaning. 
 
 "I have no defense save that I loved you and 
 wanted you," Jim Warren went on very quietly. 
 "Now, I've taken the step. I'm a crook like the 
 rest of them. I have taken bribes. I'm all 
 that I've ever said of any man." He stopped, 
 waiting for her to speak. "It seemed odd to 
 me that the purest, sweetest thing of my life 
 was to be won by dishonesty; but I didn't 
 hesitate." 
 
 For a long time there was silence, broken 
 only by the girl's sobs. Jim Warren stood mo 
 tionless, looking down upon the glory of her 
 hair with drawn, white face. At last she strug 
 gled to her feet and faced him, her eyes swim 
 ming. 
 
 "You must," and she laid a slender hand on 
 his arm "You must return all that has come 
 233
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 to you dishonestly you must play the game as 
 you intended to play it." 
 
 "You care, then?" 
 
 "Whether I care or not is of no consequence. 
 Unwittingly I have caused you to become be 
 come dishonest; now, for my sake, that you 
 understand I am honest, you must be honest." 
 
 Jim Warren passed one hand across his 
 brow. "Play the game as you intended to play 
 it!" she had said. Through the shame of it 
 all he saw a way. The big idea! His path 
 lay straight as the arrow flies! The sealed 
 packet in the vault! As it all came to him 
 the way to save himself his face cleared, and 
 for a scant instant there was a suggestion of 
 that haunting grin on his lips. "Play the game 
 as he intended to play it !" Hang it, he would ; 
 he was playing it that way ! 
 
 "And understand, please," she was pleading 
 in a small, weak voice, "that I am beyond your 
 reach. I am still betrothed to another man. 
 You must do all this yourself." 
 234
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE 
 
 His blood flamed and swiftly his sinewy 
 arms enfolded the shrinking figure. She strug 
 gled to free herself. 
 
 "I'll be honest," he said harshly. "I'll play 
 the game as I intended to play it, but you must 
 believe in me come what will, happen what 
 may, you must believe in me. Say you will! 
 Say you will !" 
 
 "I will," she promised. 
 
 For an instant she lay there quiescent, over 
 come by the violence of this man ; and a thrill 
 of peace and content passed over her. 
 
 Jim Warren, going down the front steps, 
 met Lewis coming up. 
 
 "Hello!" Jim Warren greeted bruskly. 
 
 Lewis nodded and stood motionless on the 
 steps until the sturdy figure of the maker of 
 plows vanished around the corner. Then he 
 rang the bell. 
 
 235
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 WHATEVER ideas of honesty and loy 
 alty to the trust of his constituents may 
 have been knocking about in Jim Warren's 
 head, they were not in evidence during the next 
 two months. Instead, with the faithful Tyson 
 at his elbow, he was going around with his hand 
 out. The old-time grin had, returned to his 
 face and settled apparently for a long stay. 
 There was a gouge here, and a holdup there, 
 and the diplomatic turning of a doubtful trick 
 yonder. Tyson's function was to supply expert 
 advice as to where it was to be had ; Jim War 
 ren furnished the boldness and audacity neces 
 sary to get it. Tyson was never so scared and 
 pleased in his life as he was during these two 
 months. He didn't know there was so much 
 236
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 money in the world. And the big trick was yet 
 to come the deal with the Q. & X. Railroad 
 for that bridge privilege. It was shaping up 
 nicely. 
 
 Rumors of corruption in the legislature flew 
 thick and fast and Jim Warren's name always 
 led all the rest. At last it came to be an open 
 secret that he would take anything that wasn't 
 nailed down. He proved that late one after 
 noon when he strolled unannounced into a 
 committee-room where four men were busily 
 engaged in counting money. They thought the 
 door was locked. 
 
 "Hello, boys !" Jim Warren greeted cheerily. 
 "Cutting up something? Don't I get in?" 
 
 It wasn't Jim Warren's committee, and he 
 had nothing to do with any bill that had come 
 or might come before it, but he picked up a 
 couple of hundred there. Lewis heard of it and 
 grinned. This red-headed paragon of virtue 
 was a wizard when it came to getting his share ; 
 and every dollar he took placed him more 
 237
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 surely in Lewis' grip. Meanwhile he had no 
 complaint, because Jim Warren was living up 
 to his compact so far as the fight in the Public 
 Structures, which had for its ultimate pur 
 pose the strengthening of Tillinghast in the 
 doubtful end of the state, was concerned. 
 Those bills for recreation piers and the rest 
 of it had been jammed in as a political move; 
 and here was a man who had fought for them 
 so hard and so consistently that now they stood, 
 at least, a bare chance of passing. All of which 
 reflected great glory upon his own puppet, 
 Tillinghast. 
 
 Jim Warren was sitting alone at his private 
 table in the hotel cafe late one afternoon, when 
 Tyson came in hurriedly. Victory was written 
 all over his fat face. Intuitively Jim Warren 
 knew what it meant the Q. & X. had fallen 
 for the big deal the money was in sight. 
 Tyson sat down. 
 
 "We put it over," he ejaculated in a hoarse 
 whisper. 
 
 238
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 "Good. Franques came to see it our way, 
 eh?" 
 
 "I told him we were ready to report on the 
 bridge bill when the er " Tyson made a 
 motion of counting money. "And that will be 
 to-morrow morning at ten o'clock." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "In your rooms here." 
 
 That was all that was said about it. After 
 a while Jim Warren glanced at the calendar. 
 June third, it said. 
 
 "By the way," he queried carelessly, "what 
 date are the primaries to elect delegates to the 
 state convention?" 
 
 "July twenty-first," Tyson replied. "That'll 
 be about two weeks after the session closes." 
 He tapped Jim Warren on the wrist meaningly. 
 "You've done an awful lot for Tillinghast. It'll 
 be a walk-over for him. It just occurs to me 
 that he might stand for a little er touch?" 
 
 "Forget it," said Jim Warren. 
 
 Properly abashed, and recognizing the pres- 
 
 239
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 ence of a superior mind, Tyson dropped the 
 subject. He went back to Franques. 
 
 "Do you know, I'm surprised that Franques 
 hasn't got it in for you good and plenty?" he 
 remarked. "Instead of being sore at the way 
 you double-crossed him, he's mild as milk." 
 
 Jim Warren leaned back in his chair and 
 stared at Tyson steadily through the cloud of 
 cigar smoke. 
 
 "He's framing up something to hand me," 
 he remarked; "but don't let it disturb you 
 he won't get away with it." He scribbled his 
 name on the check. "And don't let that idea 
 that Tillinghast will have a walk-over in the 
 state convention run away with you. He won't 
 even be a candidate before that convention." 
 
 "He won't what !" exclaimed Tyson. 
 
 "You may bet all the money you want on 
 that at any odds you like," Jim Warren assured 
 him with a yawn. "He hasn't a chance in the 
 world." 
 
 While Jim Warren made his way to his 
 240
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 rooms Tyson sat still and did some heavy think 
 ing. Once in his rooms, Jim Warren crashed 
 the door to behind him and locked it, after 
 which he flung his cigar away and dropped into 
 an arm-chair. 
 
 "How tired I am of it all!" he exclaimed 
 suddenly. "It seems to me I haven't drawn a 
 clean breath in generations." Then evidently 
 the tenor of his thoughts changed, for his eyes 
 softened and he smiled a little. "She'll be com 
 ing back soon." 
 
 There was a look of grave concern on Jim 
 Warren's freckled face an hour or so later as 
 he went up the steps of D wight Tillinghast's 
 home. The speaker received him effusively. 
 
 "I've come up here, Tillinghast, to do you a 
 favor," Jim Warren began abruptly. "I don't 
 know just how you're going to take it." 
 
 "Do me a favor?" Tillinghast repeated, puz 
 zled. 
 
 "You remember, when you first approached 
 me in this matter of your candidacy for gov- 
 241
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 ernor," Jim Warren continued, "I told you I'd 
 just as soon see you governor as any man I 
 knew, except myself." 
 
 "I remember, yes. An excellent joke!" 
 
 "Now, I'm going to ask you I'm going to 
 beg of you not to be a candidate before the 
 state convention." 
 
 Tillinghast's puffy eyes grew wide and 
 wider ; the color rushed to his face, then ebbed 
 away. 
 
 "Not be a candidate! Not be a candidate!" 
 he blustered. "Not be a candidate! Why?" 
 
 "Because," and Jim Warren's voice was per 
 fectly level and calm, "I'm going to be a candi 
 date, and I want to save you from the ignominy 
 of defeat." 
 
 The speaker's fat lips shook with the torrent 
 of words that rushed up for utterance. 
 
 "If you'll listen to me just a minute," Jim 
 
 Warren continued in the same quiet tone, "I'll 
 
 say all I have to say, and you can think it over 
 
 at your leisure. I'd hate to have to beat you 
 
 242
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 and I would beat you I can beat any man 
 and there are other reasons" a pair of limpid 
 eyes swam across his inner vision "other rea 
 sons you don't know, which make me want to 
 let you out gracefully in other words, permit 
 you to withdraw your name now. I won't 
 undertake to explain; I'm merely telling you 
 the facts." 
 
 The words came then, a torrent of them, dis 
 jointed, sputtering, incoherent. After the first 
 rush they took form. Invectives there were 
 and charges of grafting, and threats of ex 
 posure. Jim Warren, with no trace of emotion, 
 listened to the end. 
 
 "I was afraid," he said regretfully, "that you 
 wouldn't understand. Believe me" he was 
 quite in earnest "I'm trying to do you a 
 favor." 
 
 Sharp at ten o'clock Franques came in. He 
 remained in Jim Warren's rooms for three- 
 quarters of an hour, then went away with his 
 243
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 evil eyes agleam and his thin, pale lips writh 
 ing in a smile. In an inner pocket he carried 
 Jim Warren's receipt for fifty thousand dol 
 lars ! His lank, dusty-looking figure had barely 
 vanished down the hall when Tyson, eager and 
 greedy, came in. 
 
 "Did you get it ?" he demanded breathlessly. 
 
 "Yes. Now, look here, Tyson," and there 
 was a commanding, businesslike note in Jim 
 Warren's voice; "listen to me just a minute. 
 This is your cue to get out, vamoose, skip, dis 
 appear. I got it all right, but if I'm not wrong, 
 I'll be in the hands of the police before night. 
 I'm letting you out because you have made 
 many things possible for me; now vanish !" 
 
 Tyson stared at him in bewilderment. 
 
 "What're you trying to do bilk me?" he de 
 manded rebelliously. 
 
 "I'm trying to keep you out of jail! The 
 police, man! Don't you see? It's all been a 
 big scheme ! There'll be hell to pay before the 
 day's over !" 
 
 244
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 Fright laid hold of the heels of Representa 
 tive Tyson suddenly and he fell to running with 
 all his might. Jim Warren sped down the 
 stairs and leaped into a taxicab. 
 
 "Sandringham National Bank quick!" he 
 commanded. 
 
 It was shortly after eleven o'clock when Jim 
 Warren strolled into the legislative chamber 
 and, after one look around, went on to the com 
 mittee-room. The explosion would come there. 
 He dropped into a chair and was sitting drum 
 ming idly on the long table when the door was 
 thrown open violently and Lewis came in. 
 
 "Hello, Lewis!" he greeted. "I was waiting 
 for you." 
 
 For a moment Lewis hovered around the 
 door, glaring at him ; then, by an effort, he re 
 gained control of himself. When he spoke it 
 was a sort of purring, with a dangerous under 
 tone. 
 
 "Tillinghast called me up last night and told 
 me of his little conversation with you," he said. 
 245
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Yes?" 
 
 "You will not be a candidate for governor 
 and you will support Tillinghast!" 
 
 "Your statement is slightly twisted," Jim 
 Warren taunted. "I will be a candidate for 
 governor and I will not support Tillinghast." 
 
 "In your campaign against me, Warren, you 
 took particular pains to identify me with the 
 interests ; you stamped it upon the public mind 
 and burned it in." Lewis was sneering. "It 
 was a job well done. That stamp is inerad 
 icable." 
 
 "It is." Jim Warren grinned. 
 
 "You made a dirty campaign of it and won 
 as an honest man." 
 
 "I did." 
 
 "And in the last two or three months you've 
 been grafting right and left. The first man you 
 took a bribe from was this very man whom 
 you had stamped with the mark of the beast 
 myself!" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 246
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 "You got money from me on three occasions 
 and you signed a note each time ! Now do you 
 understand why you will not be a candidate for 
 governor ?" 
 
 "You mean you'll make the notes public? 
 Give them to the newspapers?" 
 
 "I mean just that and don't think that any 
 idea of saving myself will stop me. I coaxed 
 you into taking that first money just to get this 
 grip on you. You have been tricky, Warren 
 I'll meet you, trick for trick!" 
 
 For some reason, which was not apparent, 
 Jim Warren seemed seized of a sudden desire 
 to laugh. 
 
 "And you're determined to make those notes 
 public if I insist on being a candidate?" he 
 queried. 
 
 "I am." 
 
 "Have you got 'em with you?" 
 
 "I have." 
 
 "Excuse me just a second, won't you?" Jim 
 Warren stepped outside the door; reappearing 
 247
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 almost immediately. "Now, if you'll wait just 
 a moment, please," he requested courteously. 
 
 He sat down and began drumming on the 
 table again. Lewis regarded him in silence 
 a silence he couldn't have explained. Two, 
 three minutes passed ; and then came a hurried 
 shuffling of feet outside the door. 
 
 "Now, Lewis, you'll have to make those 
 notes public," Jim Warren declared. "I'm still 
 a candidate." 
 
 Came a knock at the door ; Lewis started. 
 
 "Who is that ?" he demanded nervously. 
 
 "The newspaper men," said Jim Warren. 
 "Come in, boys." 
 
 They came in, a dozen of them, staring curi 
 ously first at Jim Warren, then at Lewis, sud 
 denly gone white. 
 
 "Lock the door, boys," Jim Warren directed. 
 "Some one might want to come in or go out. 
 Mr. Lewis has a few words to say to you." He 
 turned upon him. "Or shall I ?" 
 248
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 "Are you mad, man ? Are you mad ?" That 
 was all. 
 
 "I'll say it for him," the maker of plows vol 
 unteered. "It isn't necessary for me to tell 
 you boys how I whaled the life out of Lewis to 
 come here. That's history you all know it. 
 My platform consisted of one word Honesty. 
 Lewis is the accredited representative of the 
 combined interests. Now he is pleased to say 
 that on three separate and distinct occasions he 
 has bribed me. Further, he has certain notes 
 in his pockets with which he undertakes to 
 prove that he bribed me. He suggested that he 
 would like to give this matter to the newspa 
 pers, and I sent for you. I dare say he'll be 
 glad to produce the notes?" 
 
 Stripped of the veneer that covered his sor 
 did nakedness, taunted, mocked, bullyragged, 
 Lewis sprang to his feet, his face purple. 
 
 "So help me God, Jim Warren, I'll send you 
 to jail if it's the last thing I ever do!" he 
 249
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 shouted. "Yes, I have the notes. Here they 
 are. Take 'em; read 'em. Get a line on the 
 particular brand of honesty this man deals in." 
 
 Twelve reporters fell upon those three slips 
 of paper and twenty-four eyes devoured them. 
 
 "Of course you deny that you signed these?" 
 one of the reporters asked of Jim Warren. 
 
 "No; I don't deny it," he replied in a tone of 
 surprise. "I did sign 'em. That's my signa 
 ture. I got the money. He bribed me." 
 
 "Then what " The press collectively 
 scratched its head in perplexity. 
 
 Came another knocking at the door. Jim 
 Warren addressed the newspaper man nearest 
 the door: 
 
 "Will you please let in Mr. Franques and the 
 officer with him?" 
 
 "Officer !" Lewis was chalky white. 
 
 "For me not you," said Jim Warren. 
 
 The door swung back and Franques, his 
 swarthy face contorted by malignant hate, 
 came into the room. Behind him was a plain- 
 250
 
 BIG STAKES 
 
 clothes man. Franques thrust a claw-like finger 
 in Jim Warren's face. 
 
 "James Palmer Warren," said the officer, 
 "I arrest you on the specific charge of accept 
 ing a bribe of fifty thousand dollars from one 
 Franques." 
 
 Twelve live newspaper men showed an un 
 easy disposition to fly. 
 
 "Just a minute, boys," Jim Warren requested 
 pleasantly. "I want to ask you to go by the 
 Sandringham National Bank with us." He 
 grinned. "Take my word for it, boys, this 
 story hasn't started yet." 
 
 251
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 IT was a strange gathering in the sturdy steel- 
 barred vaults of the Sandringham National 
 Bank. A dozen reporters there were; and Jim 
 Warren, the maker of plows ; and Francis Ev- 
 erard Lewis, and Franques, erstwhile his 
 henchman; and the plain-clothes man; and 
 President Chisholm of the bank, with those 
 two clerks whose affidavits had been attached 
 to the sealed packet at the time it was placed in 
 Box 1313. Lewis' liver had turned white 
 within him the craven had come through; 
 Franques was as inscrutable as marble ; the re 
 porters keen, eager, tense and Jim Warren, 
 pallid, but calm, assured and grinning. As for 
 the plain-clothes man, the delay annoyed him. 
 He hadn't wanted to come by here, anyway; 
 252
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 and if these people were going to stop all day 
 and gab, he might miss the ball game. 
 
 Jim Warren was self-appointed master of 
 ceremonies. 
 
 "Mr. Chisholm," he requested, "will you 
 please state the conditions under which Box 
 I 3 I 3 which is held in my name, may be 
 opened ?" 
 
 Mr. Chisholm recited the whole rigmarole 
 and produced his copy of the written agree 
 ment. 
 
 "That agreement has never been violated?" 
 Jim Warren asked. 
 
 "It has not been, certainly," was the reply. 
 "You have the only key to the box and you 
 have never been inside the vault except with 
 these two witnesses and myself." He indicated 
 the clerks. 
 
 Jim Warren produced the key and thrust it 
 into the lock. There was a sharp click as he 
 turned it once ; then, with his hand on the knob, 
 he faced the huddled group. 
 253
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "We're going to make some political history 
 now," he remarked. "It will be mighty un 
 pleasant, but history, nevertheless." 
 
 He pulled the door open. There was a cran 
 ing of necks to see what the box contained. 
 Seemingly there were only a dozen or more 
 long envelopes; no, two dozen, .three dozen 
 each sealed and numbered. Jim Warren stood 
 aside and took a note-book from his pocket. 
 
 "Now, officer," he requested, "will you take 
 out those envelopes, one at a time, and give me 
 the numbers, please?" 
 
 The plain-clothes man thrust in a red, hairy 
 hand and brought forth the first packet a 
 bulky one. 
 
 "Number thirty-nine," he read. 
 
 Jim Warren consulted his note-book. 
 
 "Number thirty-nine," he repeated. "Fifty 
 thousand dollars in marked five-hundred-dol 
 lar bills, paid to me by one Franques, as agent 
 of the O. & X. Railroad, to be divided in the 
 Committee on Public Structures to secure a 
 254
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 favorable report on an amendment that gives 
 the Q. & X. the right to run its trains across a 
 public bridge. Now, officer, please tear off the 
 outer envelope, and inside you will find another 
 with affidavits of Mr. Chisholm here, and these 
 two clerks, showing that the packet was depos 
 ited in that box less than two hours ago." 
 
 The officer obeyed dumbly. Inside, every 
 thing was according to specifications. With 
 nervous fingers he ripped open the inner en 
 velope. Money, money, money! His eyes 
 bulged at the yellowbacks of it. He had never 
 before seen fifty thousand dollars all at once. 
 
 "Count the money and keep that and all the 
 envelopes, officer," Jim Warren directed. "You 
 will need them for evidence. Now the next 
 one." 
 
 Again the officer thrust in his hand. 
 
 "Number thirty-eight," he called. 
 
 "Seven hundred and fifty dollars; my share 
 of three thousand dollars paid to Dalrymple, 
 Matthews, Tyson and myself, as members of 
 
 255
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Public Structures, for reporting favorably a 
 bill for cement work on the docks in the lower 
 basin," Jim Warren read. "The next, please." 
 
 "Number thirty-seven." 
 
 "Two thousand dollars; my share of ten 
 thousand dollars paid to Weston, Blakely, 
 Chester and Hall, of the Committee on Rail 
 roads, in consideration of an adverse report 
 on a street railway franchise that would have 
 been a competing line." He read it off glibly. 
 
 "Number Thirty-six." 
 
 "Two hundred and fifty dollars; my share of 
 fifteen thousand dollars paid to sixty members 
 of the House for the defeat of the pure milk 
 bill. In the inner envelope you'll find a list of 
 the men who accepted the bribe along with me." 
 
 The plain-clothes man drew out the list and 
 scanned it. There was a unanimous movement 
 of the reporters in his direction. He thrust the 
 list into a pocket. 
 
 "The district attorney first," he said. 
 
 It was a grateful break in the silence of won- 
 256
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 der that had fallen upon the group. Jim War 
 ren glanced at the reporters, nodded and 
 smiled; they understood. Then his sky-blue 
 eyes traveled over all reflectively. Lewis, white 
 to the gills, was merely gazing at him dumbly, 
 fascinated; Franques' beady eyes were im 
 penetrable; President Chisholm was standing 
 with his mouth half open staring, staring. 
 Only the reporters were keenly alive, alert 
 the reporters and Jim Warren. Some of them 
 had already exhausted their note-paper and 
 were scribbling on their cuffs. Jim Warren 
 tore out the back of his book and distributed it 
 among them. 
 
 So the roll-call went on that roll-call of 
 shame. Names that had never been touched 
 by the breath of scandal were here ; and always, 
 ever recurrent like the tolling of a bell, was the 
 name of Tyson. The nervous tension broke at 
 last; the mere mention of Tyson brought a 
 snicker, a laugh, a hysterical guffaw. Oddly 
 it occurred to Jim Warren that these men were 
 257
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 going mad about him. There was nothing, no 
 body, left for them to believe in. For the first 
 time there came a doubt as to the wisdom of 
 this thing he had done. He, himself, hadn't 
 realized the sweeping dishonor he had brought 
 upon his state. Rotten it was yes, he had 
 known that; but this this He gritted his 
 teeth ; the work went on. 
 
 "Twenty-seven," said the plain-clothes of 
 ficer at last. 
 
 "Please lay that aside," Jim Warren re 
 quested. 
 
 "Ain't you going to open it ?" 
 
 "I am at the proper time." 
 
 He turned deliberately and his eyes lingered 
 on Lewis' face for a scant instant. Again, 
 when number nine was called he asked that 
 that be laid aside, and for the second time he 
 glanced at Lewis. Finally came number one, 
 and there remained in the box just one other 
 packet a long, legal-looking envelope which 
 seemed to contain only a single sheet of paper. 
 258
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 Jim Warren took number one and turned upon 
 Lewis savagely. 
 
 "You started it all, Lewis," he exclaimed 
 passionately. "Number one is yours your 
 original fifteen hundred dollars; and here is 
 your next one thousand/' He picked up en 
 velope number nine. "And your next one 
 thousand." He picked up number twenty- 
 seven, and ripped the three of them open fever 
 ishly. Bills came out and crackled in his 
 fingers. "Here's your filthy money, Lewis, 
 every cent of it !" and he flung it straight into 
 the ashen face before him. Deliberately, with 
 eyes fixed upon Lewis', he tore the three en 
 velopes to bits and they dribbled down at his 
 feet. "You're safe so far as I am concerned. 
 I can't appear against you. I'm going to let 
 you out for the sake of a woman who believed 
 in you." 
 
 Lewis stooped and mechanically began to 
 gather up the bills from the floor. Jim Warren 
 took a step forward and stood looking down 
 259
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 upon him with clenched fists upraised. The 
 plain-clothes man stopped him with a gesture. 
 Quite himself again, Jim Warren turned to the 
 reporters. 
 
 "To summarize, gentlemen," he said quietly, 
 "I have been in the legislature about six 
 months ; and in that time there has been paid to 
 me in the form of bribes and considerations of 
 various sorts a sum total of about eighty-two 
 thousand dollars. This, of course, includes the 
 fifty thousand dollars paid to me this morning 
 by Franques here. That was never intended as 
 a bribe. It was a trap ; every bill was marked. 
 Franques set the trap; I carefully arranged that 
 he might do it. It's a little personal matter be 
 tween us eh, Franques?" There was no an 
 swer. "Eight-two thousand dollars, gentle 
 men," Jim Warren continued reflectively ; "and 
 that is only a part of the graft of this session. 
 Altogether, seventy-one members out of a total 
 of two hundred and forty-eight are implicated. 
 Their names are all there." 
 260
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 Then, as he stood, something seemed to snap 
 within him. The reaction had come. He 
 turned away and fell back limp against the steel 
 bars of the vault, his face in his hands. In the 
 silence eye met eye inquiringly. What did it 
 all mean ? What was the man driving at ? Was 
 it merely a confession? Or was there some 
 deeper significance? Pent-up curiosity burst 
 into questions a dozen of them, a thousand. 
 The little throng broke all at once into a bab 
 bling. 
 
 By an effort Jim Warren threw off the weak 
 ness that seemed to be crushing him. 
 
 "God only knows the lies I have told, the 
 tricks I have played, the deceptions I have prac 
 tised to make all this possible," he said bitterly. 
 "For six months I have lived in an atmosphere 
 polluted by the filth and stench of dishonesty. 
 I had to bring myself down to the moral level 
 of these two." He turned fiercely upon 
 Franques and Lewis. "I did it. There is not a 
 grafter in the legislature, not a corruptionist in 
 261
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 the lobby, not a crook in all the game, that I 
 haven't met and done business with. I was one 
 of them. I lived their lives. I got my share 
 and more, all with one purpose in view the 
 cleaning out of men of their ilk." 
 
 Puzzled glances passed from man to man. 
 Jim Warren stared dully at the mute inquiry 
 in the faces of these men. 
 
 "Haven't I made myself clear?" he asked. 
 "Don't you see it was all a put-up job? That I 
 have taken their bribes only in order to jail 
 them ? That every cent I have taken is there ? 
 Don't you see?" 
 
 "Ah, tell it to Sweeney!" Lewis broke out 
 suddenly. "You were caught with the goods 
 and now you're trying to get out. You, the 
 honest labor man ! You, the man whom money 
 couldn't touch ! You, the " 
 
 "Just a minute, please," Jim Warren inter 
 rupted curtly. "Don't you gentlemen get what 
 I'm driving at?" This to the reporters. 
 
 "You see, Mr. Warren," one of them ven- 
 262
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 tured hesitatingly, "it might be either way as 
 you say or as Mr. Lewis says. Of course, the 
 manner in which it all came about would have 
 to be considered; so " 
 
 He stopped. Mr. Chisholm came forward 
 and laid a friendly hand on Jim Warren's 
 shoulder. Jim Warren looked around at him 
 blankly. 
 
 "The sealed packet you first deposited in the 
 vault," Mr. Chisholm reminded him. 
 
 Jim Warren seemed dazed. After a moment 
 the light of understanding flashed in his eyes. 
 He hadn't thought of that packet in the stress 
 of all that had gone before. He turned to the 
 plain-clothes man. 
 
 "There's one more envelope in the box," he 
 said. "Be good enough to note the date on that 
 envelope and on the affidavits attached; then 
 open it and read the statement inside. 
 
 The officer drew forth the packet. 
 
 " 'Deposited September twenty-second, in 
 presence of three witnesses, whose affidavits 
 263
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 are attached hereto,' " he read on the back of 
 the envelope. Then he read the affidavits. 
 
 "Please remember that the election was on 
 November fifteenth," Jim Warren requested. 
 
 The plain-clothes man drew a single type 
 written sheet from the envelope, glanced at it, 
 cleared his throat and read : 
 
 "This statement is deposited, as the date on 
 the envelope will show, nearly two months be 
 fore election. It is a declaration of principles. 
 
 "I have made a deal by which Franques is 
 to betray Francis Everard Lewis into my 
 hands. There is every possibility that I will 
 be elected to succeed Lewis, in which event I 
 pledge myself 
 
 "First : To break my bargain with Franques 
 and rid myself of him immediately after elec 
 tion. I don't know his motives. I only know 
 he is a crook and he thinks I'm a fool. 
 
 "Second : With the one idea of cleaning out 
 the grafters and corruptionists, who are re- 
 264
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 puted to be practically in control of the legis 
 lative machinery of this state, I shall play their 
 own game and accept every bribe, every recom 
 pense in any form, that is offered to me. 
 
 "Third : As these moneys come into my pos 
 session I shall deposit them in this vault, with 
 the name of every man whom I know to have 
 shared the bribe. 
 
 "Fourth : I pledge myself to open this vault 
 in the presence of witnesses and make public 
 its contents on or before June sixth, following 
 this date, in the manner that seems most fit- 
 ting." 
 
 There was a long, tence silence. Came at 
 last a deep breath of relief from the press col 
 lectively, then a rush of questions. The re 
 porters saw it at last. 'Twas all a trick, a put- 
 up job, just as he had explained. The ultimate 
 effect of it no man might tell. 
 
 "Boys, I'd like to call your attention to the 
 fact that to-day is June fourth," said Jim War- 
 265
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 fen. "I'll just add that, after I understood the 
 crookedness existing in the state, this came to 
 me as a possible way of exposing it all and 
 ridding the state of the men who are responsi 
 ble for it. It was a sort of joke at first. It 
 didn't strike me as being very serious. I knew 
 they played the game with marked cards; I 
 thought it would be amusing to sit in their 
 game with cards of my own marking. I didn't 
 dream of the disaster that would come, for it is 
 a disaster. Our state will be the laughing 
 stock of the world, but it will be clean. After 
 all, that was what I was aiming at." 
 
 He stopped and gazed straight into the eyes 
 of Franques and Lewis gazed until they 
 looked away. Neither said a word. 
 
 "Just one other thing, boys," he went on. 
 "Financially I am ruined. I spent every penny 
 I had in the world living up to this reputation 
 of a grafter which I had built about myself." 
 He smiled wearily. "This is my record all of 
 it. Please say for me that I am standing on 
 266
 
 THE BIG IDEA 
 
 that record as a candidate for governor of this 
 state." He extended both hands toward the 
 plain-clothes man. "I am your prisoner. Are 
 you going to put handcuffs on me ?" 
 
 267
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT 
 
 HUGE, startled-looking type blared the 
 story of graft to the world along with 
 the extraordinary manner of its revealing, 
 whereupon Jim Warren's state rose up and 
 bellowed its indignation at the conditions he 
 had shown. He had fired the fuse the bomb 
 of public wrath blew up with a roar that was 
 heard all over the country. Immaculate repu 
 tations, shorn to their bare pelts, scuttled hither 
 and thither, seeking a knot-hole wherein to hide 
 their nakedness from the mighty blast of pop 
 ular fury. There was a bandying of epithets, 
 of threats, of ugly phrases, of recrimination; 
 a laying together of cunning political heads and 
 a sudden and mysterious thinning out of those 
 legislators whose names occupied the more con- 
 268
 
 FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT 
 
 spicuous places on the roll of dishonor. The 
 newspapers, always intrinsically right, flung a 
 slogan across the sky: "Clean the capitol! 
 Complete the work Jim Warren has begun!" 
 It was a tribute to the maker of plows. He had 
 done the impossible thing. 
 
 On the afternoon of his arrest Jim Warren 
 had been arraigned and remanded in the cus 
 tody of his attorney. Afterward he had re 
 turned to his apartments at the hotel and there 
 wearily he had flung himself down to think 
 upon many things. He had turned the trick! 
 He had no fears as to his future; the public 
 would take care of that. Its stamp of approval 
 was already his; . . . but would she ap 
 prove? After all, her approval meant more 
 than anything else in the whole world. Even 
 if she did approve, what would come after? 
 ... If only her father, D wight Tillinghast, 
 had withdrawn as he had requested ! Of course 
 he couldn't give him any inkling of what was to 
 come, but if he only had! 
 269
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 The telephone rang. 
 
 "Mr. Franques is in the office, sir," said the 
 operator. "He wants to know if you can see 
 him in your committee-room to-morrow morn 
 ing at half-past ten?" 
 
 "Franques!" Jim Warren repeated in per 
 plexity. He was thoughtful for a second. 
 "Tell him yes," he directed. 
 
 Fulsome praise in the morning papers 
 brought no exultation to Jim Warren. There 
 was little criticism of the methods he had em 
 ployed to bare the rottenness of it all radical 
 methods, yes; unheard of, even; but evidently 
 they had been necessary. Obviously here was a 
 reformer who was bent upon reforming. Re 
 gardless of the manner of it, the power of the 
 press was pledged to him unanimously. Jim 
 Warren merely glanced at the morning head 
 lines and went his way to the capitol. Here 
 was public approval; . . . but would she 
 approve ? 
 
 There was a sudden and tense silence in the 
 270
 
 FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT 
 
 legislative chamber when Jim Warren entered, 
 five minutes after the speaker's gavel had fal 
 len. He glanced over the huge hall once it 
 was dotted here and there by an unoccupied 
 desk then went on to his seat. Three or 
 four men came over and spoke to him. Their 
 voices were very far away; it was of no conse 
 quence what they said. There was only one 
 thought in his mind: . . . Would she ap 
 prove ? 
 
 Sharply at half -past ten o'clock Franques' 
 card was laid on Jim Warren's desk; he arose 
 and went into the committee-room. Franques, 
 shabby, dusty-looking, lank, was standing be 
 side the long table twisting his hat idly in his 
 hands. There was something pathetic in the 
 bent figure ; the inscrutable face challenged his 
 curiosity. 
 
 "Good morning, Franques," he greeted pleas 
 antly. 
 
 "Good morning, sir," Franques said deferen 
 tially. He shambled a little as he stood. "I 
 271
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 sort of felt, sir, that I had an explanation com 
 ing to you, and " 
 
 "Not at all," Jim Warren interrupted cour 
 teously. "You owed me something unpleasant 
 for the turndown I gave you six or eight 
 months ago. You framed up this bribe to pay 
 for it, after I had made it possible ; but it just 
 so happened that your plan fitted into mine." 
 
 "It isn't that, sir," Franques explained. He 
 glanced up at the clock. "After to-day it's 
 hardly probable that you will will see me 
 again, and I felt that I wanted to make you 
 understand that I think what you've you've 
 done is right. I thought it all out yesterday 
 afternoon and last night. I I just wanted to 
 tell you." 
 
 There was a strange softening about the evil 
 eyes, a tremor about the rigid, thin-lipped 
 mouth. 
 
 "I'm getting to be an old man, Mr. Warren," 
 Franques went on slowly, "and I've been a 
 crook all my life. I'm tired of it; and I'm not 
 272
 
 FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT 
 
 all bad, sir. I've picked pockets and forged 
 checks, and snatched purses and looted houses. 
 That's how I met Lewis ten or twelve years 
 ago. He was practising law at the time and he 
 got me out of some trouble. After that I came 
 to work for him. You know how " 
 
 "I know, yes," said Jim Warren; "but why 
 are you telling me all this?" curiously. 
 
 "I don't know, sir," was the reply. There 
 was a mistiness in the evil eyes ; again Franques 
 glanced up at the clock. "I don't know. I only 
 thought I wanted you to know. I won't see 
 you any more, or " He stopped and mut 
 tered incoherently. 
 
 "You're going away, then?" Jim Warren 
 was puzzled. 
 
 "Yes, sir for all time!" hesitatingly. 
 "You see, Lewis and my daughter I had a 
 daughter" he rambled on irrelevantly 
 "Lewis and my daughter until he met Miss 
 Tillinghast, you understand. She is dead, sir 
 my daughter. . . . She was to be Lewis' 
 273
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 wife. ... It was grief. ... I tried to 
 smash Lewis ruin him; you upset my plans. 
 . . . He doesn't know she's dead. . . . 
 It's just as well. . . . He will be here in a 
 few minutes now." 
 
 . . . There came a murmurous, menacing 
 roar through the open windows. Jim Warren 
 turned away from Franques and glanced out. 
 It was a crowd, a throng, a mob swarming up 
 the hill toward the capitol. Blue-coated police 
 men struggled vainly here and there to restrain 
 them. . . . Franques was staring at Jim 
 Warren glassily. 
 
 "He will be here in a few minutes," he re 
 peated dully. 
 
 "Who will be here ?" Jim Warren demanded 
 sharply. 
 
 "Lewis, sir," was the reply. "He's been 
 avoiding me ; I haven't been able to get to him ; 
 he's afraid of me. So last night I wrote him a 
 note, sir, asking him to come here at eleven 
 o'clock; and I signed your name to it. He 
 274
 
 FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT 
 
 thinks he can make a deal with you. He 
 wouldn't have come otherwise." He laughed 
 vacantly. 
 
 "Signed my name to it?" Jim Warren re 
 peated in bewilderment. "What for? What 
 are you driving at? .Why do you want him 
 here?" 
 
 . . . The mob was just outside, under 
 neath the windows of the capitol, bawling im 
 precations, jeering, hooting. Now and then, 
 rhythmically from a thousand throats, came the 
 cry : "Clean the capitol !" Again Jim Warren 
 glanced out of the window anxiously, with 
 apprehension on his freckled face. . . . 
 
 "Why did you want Lewis here?" He had 
 turned upon Franques. 
 
 "I'm going to kill him, sir," said Franques 
 simply. 
 
 "Franques!" Jim Warren seized this man 
 who was growing old, going mad here before 
 his very eyes. "Franques ! What's the matter 
 with you? Are you crazy?" 
 275
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "I'm going to kill him!" Franques repeated. 
 
 . . . The incoherent roar of the mob cho 
 rused individual names now. "Lewis!" Re 
 peated a dozen times, it came hurtling through 
 the windows. "Tyson!" and "Dalrymple!" and 
 "Hall!" and the rest of them. Smouldering 
 anger had burst into flame. Here was outraged 
 decency bent upon destruction. . . . 
 
 The door opened suddenly and Lewis, white- 
 faced, stepped into the room. Franques saw 
 him and laughed outright. His right hand 
 darted to his hip pocket and Jim Warren caught 
 the glint of a nickeled revolver as it was 
 raised again. He brought one clenched fist 
 down in a sweeping, smashing blow. It caught 
 Franques' wrist and the revolver clattered on 
 the floor. Jim Warren picked it up. Lewis, 
 motionless, pallid, was merely looking on. 
 
 "Franques, don't make a fool of yourself!" 
 Jim Warren said, not unkindly. "You're not 
 well." 
 
 276
 
 FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT 
 
 Franques was staring down at his limp right 
 hand. 
 
 "I think you've broken my wrist, sir," he 
 said. 
 
 Suddenly his face went white beneath its 
 swarthiness; he reeled and collapsed. Jim 
 Warren gathered him up as he would a child 
 and laid him upon the couch. Again the door 
 opened and an excited messenger from the 
 chamber thrust in his head. 
 
 "The speaker wants you in the house at 
 once, sir," he said to Jim Warren hurriedly. 
 
 Jim Warren nodded ; the messenger vanished 
 as swiftly as he had come. 
 
 "Lewis," and Jim Warren's voice was one of 
 quick command, "when I go out of this room 
 lock the door behind me. Don't let any one 
 enter in my absence; and if you love yourself 
 don't show your face at either of those win 
 dows. They're mad with anger out there. 
 They want you. What they would do to you, 
 277
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 you can guess. I'll try to disperse the crowd. 
 When they have gone all of 'em you may 
 unlock the door and go. And see that Franques 
 gets out all right. That's all." 
 
 Jim Warren ran lightly along the hall toward 
 the chamber. As he entered, Dalrymple's voice 
 came shrilly above the hubbub of the mob. 
 
 "The governor should call out the troops!" 
 he shouted. "It's revolution. Our lives are 
 not safe!" 
 
 "It's the protest of honesty against the 
 damnable crookedness of men of your type!" 
 Jim Warren shouted from the center of the 
 floor. He turned to the speaker: "I am in 
 formed, sir," he said in quite another tone, 
 "that you want me." 
 
 "This mob," and Tillinghast waved a hand 
 toward the outside "they're threatening vio 
 lence. You are responsible for this. Can you 
 stop it?" 
 
 "Thank God, I am responsible for it!" re 
 torted Jim Warren. 
 
 278
 
 FRANQUES PAYS A DEBT 
 
 He strode down the aisle, through a window 
 and out upon the balcony overlooking the 
 crowd. The jeering became a cheering, a roll 
 ing wave of approbation. Jim Warren, quiz 
 zical of eye and with that whimsical grin upon 
 his lips, stepped to the front of the balcony and 
 lifted his hand. Instantly there was silence, 
 broken by a voice he knew : 
 
 "Oh, you Jim Warren! You went to 'em, 
 didn't you, boy ?" 
 
 "Hello there, Bob Allaire!" Jim Warren 
 called. 
 
 There was a roar of laughter. When it had 
 subsided anger had passed ; there remained only 
 a crowd of a thousand or more men, smiling 
 and expectant. 
 
 "Now, boys," said Jim Warren quietly, "we 
 appreciate this little visit, but you're interfering 
 with the business of the capitol. We're not 
 going to do anything foolish, but we're all go 
 ing home to dinner, aren't we ? Take my word 
 for it there won't be any more crooks up here 
 279
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 for three years to come, because I'm going t 
 be the next governor of this state. Am I ?" 
 
 "You are !" It was a mighty bellowing, an 
 it went ringing down the streets for ten mir 
 utes, as the crowd went about its business. 
 
 280
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE LAST STAND 
 
 FROM his eerie office, overlooking the city 
 of New York, Mr. Pointer loosed the 
 terse command of the combined interests: 
 "Smash Jim Warren!" In the solitude of his 
 apartments in the city of Sandringham, Lewis 
 pondered that deeply for forty-eight hours, 
 after which he talked it over with Dwight Till- 
 inghast far into the night. 
 
 "There's still a good chance for pulling you 
 through," he assured the honorable speaker. 
 "Things are not so rosy as they were, but still 
 there's a good chance. The interests are willing 
 to spend money do you understand? The 
 primaries for the election of delegates to the 
 convention that will nominate the governor are 
 still some weeks off. If we get to this thing 
 now we can do things." 
 281
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Do you mean that this Jim Warren this 
 maker of plows actually has a chance to de 
 feat me?" Tillinghast demanded in pompous 
 astonishment. "Why, he's nobody ; I'm worth 
 millions." His fat eyes narrowed cunningly 
 and he tapped Lewis' knee with a pudgy finger. 
 "I'm willing to spend some money myself. I 
 don't relish the idea of being defeated by a 
 by a" he was puffing in his indignation "a 
 person from the lower walks of life." 
 
 "Jim Warren has a chance, yes," Lewis con 
 fessed. "I've noticed that affairs in this world 
 are not always as we would have them. These 
 'persons from the lower walks of life' occa 
 sionally butt in and kick up a devil of a row. 
 Meanwhile, if you're willing to spend money 
 and the people I represent are willing to spend 
 money, together we may do anything." 
 
 "We'll defeat Jim Warren certainly," Til 
 linghast declared. 
 
 After that interview Lewis betook himself 
 to New York for a conference with the spidery, 
 282
 
 THE LAST STAND 
 
 crabbed Mr. Pointer, who furnished expert 
 political advice to the interests for a considera 
 tion. If Mr. Pointer was delighted to see him, 
 he concealed it most effectually. 
 
 "A pretty mess you made of it in your state," 
 he complained crustily. 
 
 "The the circumstances were unusual," 
 Lewis faltered in self-defense. 
 
 "Circumstances have nothing to do with it," 
 said Mr. Pointer acridly. "There are no cir 
 cumstances that one can't twist around to suit 
 oneself if one goes at it properly and at the 
 right time. You'll remember I advised you it 
 would be best for you to quit before " 
 
 "I couldn't," Lewis expostulated. "It would 
 have done me as much harm as " 
 
 "And instead of that you insisted upon mak 
 ing a fool of yourself !" Mr. Pointer went on, 
 heedless of the interruption. "Now, how are 
 you going to elect your governor? Is Tilling- 
 hast still your man ?" 
 
 "He is, yes; he's there to stick." 
 283
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 "Of course, he'll stick, but will he be elect 
 ed?" Mr. Pointer wanted to know. "I mean 
 will he be even nominated? Can you pull 
 that? Primaries are pretty close up and this 
 man Jim Warren seems to have turned the 
 world upside down. Can you nominate Til- 
 linghast ?" 
 
 Lewis' face flushed. Always he had feared 
 this shriveled little man and always he had 
 longed to throttle him. He was merciless, re 
 lentless, offensively to the point. 
 
 "I'll not only nominate him, but I'll elect 
 him," he boasted out of the anger in his heart. 
 "The interests will have to stick to me, of 
 course. It may cost half a million to do it," 
 he added tentatively. 
 
 "The cost is of no consequence," Mr. Pointer 
 declared impatiently. "Show me where you 
 spend your money every cent of it and your 
 vouchers will be honored up to a quarter of a 
 million; let Tillinghast put up the rest of it. 
 We'll do this; but, if you don't elect Tilling- 
 284
 
 THE LAST STAND 
 
 hast, that is the end. It won't be necessary 
 even to write me explaining why. We don't 
 want excuses; we want results. There are 
 many things we want to do in your state and 
 we must put your man across. If you don't 
 as I said." 
 
 Lewis nodded his head. He knew the slim 
 chance he had no one knew better. It was 
 to be a fight for his political existence. If it 
 failed 
 
 "You said something about marrying Til- 
 linghast's daughter," Mr. Pointer went on. 
 "Have you?" 
 
 "Our marriage is to take place immediately 
 after Tillinghast becomes governor," Lewis ex 
 plained. 
 
 "All the better for us," and the little man 
 rasped his skinny hands together. "I think 
 you said she was worth a million in her own 
 right eh ? You will have another incentive to 
 put Tillinghast through." 
 
 Mr. Pointer cackled dryly and leered at 
 285
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Lewis. The one spark of decency within Lewis 
 flamed for an instant, then was extinguished 
 by his sordid lust of money. 
 
 "There's another matter, too," Mr. Pointer 
 resumed. "You never returned those original 
 letters to me." 
 
 "Well er the fact is, the matter had 
 slipped my mind," Lewis apologized lamely. 
 "The necessity for " 
 
 "The matter hasn't slipped mine," inter 
 rupted the little man curtly. "Your real pur 
 pose in hanging on to them, of course, is to try 
 to hold us up if we throw you down. Is that 
 the scheme? We'll just stop that. I'll take 
 the responsibility if Jim Warren produces the 
 photographs at any time." 
 
 "But " Lewis started to protest. 
 
 "No buts about it," exclaimed Mr. Pointer. 
 "Either send me those originals at once or we'll 
 call off everything and I'll put the campaign in 
 that state in the hands of another man." His 
 thin, piping voice hardened. "When you send 
 286
 
 THE LAST STAND 
 those letters you may consider this other deal 
 
 on.' 
 
 "I've read all of it every line of every 
 thing," Edna was saying. 
 
 "Was I right or wrong?" Jim Warren in 
 sisted. 
 
 "I don't know," the girl declared helplessly. 
 Her slim fingers were interlaced tightly. "It 
 was all so horrid and strange and dishonest I 
 don't know !" 
 
 With darkened brows, Jim Warren stood 
 looking down upon the sheen of her hair. For 
 a long time he said nothing. It had been weary 
 waiting and he had lost. His lips were crushed 
 together. 
 
 "I didn't know anything about politics until 
 less than a year ago," he said at last, "but it 
 seems that the game, at least in this state, has 
 been honeycombed with dishonesty and graft 
 for years. It was an evil ! The right man in 
 the right place could remedy it. I took the 
 287
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 only way and, whatever else may result from 
 it, I won. You I have lost, but the state is clean 
 and will remain clean for the next three years." 
 
 Edna raised her eyes and stared at him 
 breathlessly. His face was set, his eyes smoul 
 dering; and yet beneath the fire of them was a 
 a something that caused her to look down 
 again. 
 
 "You hope to be the next governor?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "I will be the next governor. I've got to be 
 the next governor to finish the work I have 
 started." 
 
 "And my father?" weakly. 
 
 Jim Warren turned away from her suddenly. 
 The highest office in his state was his by right 
 he had gone through mire and mud to win it. 
 Her father ! There came a powerful revulsion 
 of feeling and, after a little, a strange, quix 
 otic idea. After all, did his state need him as 
 he needed her? He extended his clenched 
 hands toward her. 
 
 288
 
 THE LAST STAND 
 
 "Shall I withdraw?" he asked. 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 "I don't know ; it wouldn't be fair." 
 
 "Would it make you any happier if I with 
 drew?" 
 
 "Please please !" She extended both hands 
 in a pleading gesture he knew. 
 
 "Yes or no?" He seized her hands and 
 dragged her to her feet. "Yes or no? It's 
 with you." His eyes were blazing into hers. 
 "There's nothing on the face of God's earth I 
 wouldn't do for you," he went on passionately. 
 "After all, I suppose I'm as bad or worse than 
 the rest of them; I, too, was a grafter. Yes 
 or no?" 
 
 She looked away and struggled to free her 
 hands. 
 
 "Look at me !" he commanded sharply. 
 
 "I'm very tired," she said. "Let me go." 
 
 "Yes or no?" 
 
 Slowly she raised her head and her lids lifted 
 until her wonder eyes, dim with tears, met his. 
 289
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 In them he read an answer not an answer to 
 the sordid question, but an answer to the one 
 question that had been tormenting him. He 
 drew her into his arms gently, very gently 
 and leaning over he pressed his lips to hers. 
 She closed her eyes and her heart seemed stilled 
 by the sheer joy of her awakening. 
 
 Dwight Tillinghast entered the room, fol 
 lowed by Lewis. Edna struggled ; Jim Warren 
 held her close, close, and met the eyes of the 
 other two men defiantly. 
 
 "She's mine !" he declared harshly. "Mine ! 
 do you understand ?" 
 
 290
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE NEXT GOVERNOR 
 
 THE moral sense of a rich man, dulled by 
 ambition, came to itself in the next few 
 weeks. When the session had closed and the 
 grand jury had duly whitewashed those legis 
 lative grafters who dared to remain for it and 
 as duly indicted those who incontinently fled 
 then, and not until then, did Dwight Tillinghast 
 awake to a full realization of the part he had 
 played for Lewis and the part he would be 
 called upon to play in the campaign for gov 
 ernor. The scales fell from his eyes and he 
 stood aghast at the things he saw. He had 
 known them all along in a vague, hazy sort of 
 way, but somehow it was all different now. 
 There was a contemptuous undercurrent of 
 comment here and there that penetrated his 
 hypocritical hide. 
 
 291
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 Still eager, still determined, he had listened 
 to Lewis' plans for the campaign against Jim 
 [Warren ; suddenly he saw that it was hopeless. 
 Out of that realization came the thought that 
 he had almost given his daughter to this man 
 whose name had become a stench in the public's 
 nostrils almost given her! Yes, he would 
 have driven her into Lewis' arms at one time. 
 He shuddered a little ! After all, he had merely 
 been a cat's-paw for Lewis; even if he became 
 governor with Lewis' help it would be the 
 same if he would go further. 
 
 There was a swish of skirts in the hall ; Edna 
 entered, and after her Jim Warren. Tilling- 
 hast rose and stood looking at them. 
 
 "Father, can you spare just a moment ?" his 
 daughter asked. 
 
 He nodded. Instinctively his eyes met Jim 
 Warren's. Through the deep earnestness of 
 that cerulean gaze he saw a glint of that whim 
 sical boyishness of the maker of plows. 
 
 "It's merely that we want you to answer a 
 292
 
 THE NEXT GOVERNOR 
 
 question," Jim Warren explained. "Your 
 daughter hasn't been able to decide whether 
 she wants to be the daughter of the next gov 
 ernor of this state or the wife of the next gov 
 ernor of this state." 
 
 Tillinghast was staring at him, speechless; 
 his slow-moving mind was not attuned to in 
 tricacies. 
 
 "I I don't understand," he said after a mo 
 ment 
 
 "If I withdraw you'll be the next governor," 
 Jim Warren continued frankly, "and if you 
 withdraw I'll be the next governor. If one of 
 us withdraws there is no man in the state who 
 can beat the other he's elected; if one of us 
 doesn't withdraw it will be the most corrupt 
 campaign this state has ever known. Votes 
 are now being bought right and left; and you 
 see" 
 
 "I don't see at all!" declared Tillinghast. 
 
 "I mean if your daughter says so I'll 
 withdraw in your favor," Jim Warren told 
 293
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 him. "That's the question she can't answer; 
 we brought it to you." 
 
 For a time Tillinghast merely stared at them 
 in bewilderment. Edna was looking into his 
 face smiling. 
 
 "You mean," he burst out suddenly, "that, 
 after all you've done, you'll quit?" 
 
 Jim Warren nodded. 
 
 "I mean just that," he said. "But, whether 
 I stick or quit, I'll ask a greater reward than all 
 that" 
 
 He was looking at Edna ; Tillinghast under 
 stood then. Suddenly he stretched out his 
 hands toward his daughter ; she nestled against 
 his shoulder, weeping softly. Slowly his own 
 head bent until his lips caressed her hair. The 
 maker of plows stood abashed, counting his 
 fingers like a school-boy. 
 
 "I think," said Tillinghast at last slowly "I 
 
 think you had better stick, Mr. Warren. I was 
 
 just about making up my mind that I'd had 
 
 enough. I'm only beginning to see how how 
 
 294
 
 THE NEXT GOVERNOR 
 
 bad it all is. You've gone so far in your efforts 
 to clean out this state take the fight on to the 
 end. You're the man to do it." 
 
 A graven- faced servant entered. 
 
 "Mr. Francis Everard Lewis," he an 
 nounced. 
 
 Tillinghast took the hand Jim Warren of 
 fered and laid Edna's in it. Then he turned 
 to the servant. 
 
 "Tell Mr. Lewis that I am not at home and 
 will not be at home to him again," he directed. 
 
 It was weeks after that day, when a conven 
 tion had gone mad at the mere mention of Jim 
 Warren's name, that Edna and he were talking. 
 She was sitting gazing into the smouldering 
 fire, with one of his hands clasped between her 
 own. 
 
 "When did you first realize that I I liked 
 you?" she demanded. "I don't mean loved you 
 just liked you?" 
 
 "The day I found a small cluster of violets 
 
 295
 
 THE HIGH HAND 
 
 on my desk the opening day of the session," 
 he told her. 
 
 "Violets?" she asked. "What violets? Do 
 you flatter yourself that I sent them? Well, I 
 didn't." 
 
 He kissed her ; she laughed. 
 
 "Well, anyway, I knew every desk would 
 have flowers on it, except possibly yours, and I 
 didn't want you to feel that no one remembered 
 you," she explained "And you were not sup 
 posed to know who sent them. There was no 
 card." 
 
 THE END
 
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