The Irish standard., 1910-11-19

drinks which he gave TO the plain
clothes man who had so adroitly
sought to get his story on that event.
ful night, Colonel Bill shut up like
clam. The interest Of the stranger in
the story was suspicious. Colonel Bill
knew great many things that he had
not told, and did not intend to tell un
less 1t was necessary. Therefore, he
soon got rid Of his new friend and
went to his room to think it over.
He was morally certain that Gormly
and the man whom no had known as a
boy as George Fordyce were one and
the same. Fortunately he had always
liked Fordyce, and he was not dis.
posed to do anything that would in.
lure him.
or course he had heard. az had ev-
eryone else in the United States, of
the remarkable campaign of George
Gormly for the mayoralty of New
York. He had not had great amount
OF personal interest in the matter,
however. But when he identified
Gormly with Fordyce, the affair at
once engaged his keenest attention.
Since the day he had left XIII Devil
Camp, he had never heard one word
OF either the man or the woman. He
mad supposed, as everyone else had.
that they had persisted in the storm.
and although their bodies had never
been recovered there were plenty Of
reasons to account for that.
What was he to do? Was he to see
Gormly, or Fordyce as he called him.
and put him on his guard? Or was
he to wait and be governed BY cir.
cumstances? This was not an easy
problem to decide; but Colonel Bill
Hamilton finally came to the conclu.
sion that his best game was the wait.
ing one. Besides he liked to play a
lone hand, and he felt every conf.
dence that he could do 1t.
Meanwhile he determined to fortify
himself with such evidence as ha
could secure, and at the proper time,
If the story was ferreted out and an
attempt was made to make use of II.
he would, as he phrased it, butt into
the camel" He set the telegraph to
work, therefore. and presently receiv-
ed from his partner In Butte by en-
press tin box full Of very private
official documents. Thereafter no
amused himself by following the prog
ress of the campaign and doing some
highly profitable local investigating on
his own account, the result of which
filled him with Joy and satisfaction.
The demonstration of the alliance
between the Gotham Freight Traction
company and the Sachem society, the
publication Of the membership of Hal
dane and his friends In the traction
company, the exhibition of its inlqut-
GUS processes, came of according to
schedule. Such storm of wrath and
Indignation rose In the public breast
after the disclosure as had never
been equaled in any political campaign
in New York.
The storm was so terrific that tho
administration papers made no at.
tempt to counter it. They oontented
| themselves with stating that any dis.
cussion Of the issue or any defense OF
the accused was inadvisable in the
present heated state of public opinion,
and at the proper time. under proper
conditions, the matter would be ex-
planned satisfactorily to the unpreju-
diced. Meanwhile the party In power
I grimly set it's teeth and under tho
able leadership of the Sachem society,
never so brilliantly displayed, massed
its cohorts for the final trial Of
strength in the election, now three
days Off With all the machinery in
their hands, with all the facilities for
promoting fraud at their disposal.
they were nevertheless by no means
assured that they could SO control af-
fairs as to win out
The stocks of the Gotham Freight
Traction company had fallen of terri.
fically, and every other interest fur.
thered by the syndicate of which Hal
dane was the head had suffered &C.
cordingly The city was on the verge
of a tremendous panic. Unrest, ex-
element. uncertainty, were In the air.
The people had been aroused as never
before. The great multitude Of them
were resolute and determined to break
up once and forever the ring that had
dominated the city and put at the head
| OF it the man. The members of the
Sachem society and the forces of the
administration were equally deter.
mined that this should not be done.