Putnam patriot., 1913-11-14
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The third of the trio was an iron gray man of clean-cut face and scrupulously we'll groomed aspect,
 Wanda knew him well, by sight For whenever political crises swept Wash tpgton he was as certain to appear as are vultures to congregate for the feast. He was Ralph Van Dyke, a New Yorker, and counsel for a great railroad. His was one of the shrewd- est legal minds in America And he had so carefully trained that mind to the million dark intricacies of corpora tion law as to be doubly worth the an- nual fortune he reaped from the inter ests' What Jim Blake was in politics. Ralph Van Dyke was in corporation law The chance word Wanda had just overheard had been spoken by him.
 Are things still going as badly with the Mullins bill as when you wired me today?" he had asked Neligan.
 "Oh," returned Neligan, i've had the house cinched when it was reported. We'd have passed 1t, hands down, if we could have jammed 1t through then. But now-we may as well stand up to facts-we're as good as licked"
 But, gentlemen urged Van Dyke .mpatiently, this bill has to pass"
 Sure 1t has" gloomily assented Neligan. "Only it cant. Unless some thing explodes Standish before 1t comes to a vote. Oh, it's the people! They're reform-crazy. They don't know what they want, and nine years out of ten they don't want anything except to stay asleep and let the right crowd handle the country. But when a man like Standish gets them to listen to him, they all wake up and yell for re- form and purity in politics as hard as a waking baby squalls for it's bottle. They've made him a popular idol
 "The people!" scoffed Van Dyke. They make an idol one minute and overturn it the next"
 That's right agreed Gregg, but the Mullins bill will be defeated before they get time to overturn Standish. The people are awake. They really seem to have an idea we ought to keep some of our promises. And, say, After all, we did promise them a lot of things"
 Did we2" echoed Neligan. "We made our platform look like cross section of the Ten Commandments, fringed with pages of Pilgrims Prog ress. Yah! That's the trouble. We're over-promised."
 If we could loosen Standish's pull with the parsons" said Neligan, "we'd have him against the ropes in one round"
 Now you are talking sanity" ap- Sroved the lawyer That was just what was waiting to suggest
 Well, we didn't wait for you to sug- gest it" retorted Neligan. "We aren't corporation law-contortionists, per haps. but we've got a few grains of gray matter left. That's the first stunt we tried We put good men on the case to look up Standishs record-to find one break that we could hang story on.'
 "Well?"
 Well, from their reports, Standish seems to have led life that would
 
 and the Pilgrim fathers look like bunch of soused Tenderloin rounders"
 You're sure your men left nothing uncovered?"
 Do you think we'd overlook any thing when the whole game hangs on it?"
 That's right, Van Dyke" supple
 
 Standish's record with a microscope. He's cost us enough to make the search mighty careful. Even if you don't give us credit for sense enough to probe the business, you'll have to allow that Mark Robertson's no fool. And Robertson's moved heaven and hell to get something on Standish. But he can't. Robertson's got more at stake than any of us. If Standish licks him in this fight and gets the speaker ship it'll cost Mark Robertson more than most people could understand. Self-respect and ambition and future and"
 Tt sure will" agreed Neligan. Lets see-it must be close on five years, now, that Standish and Robertson have been at each others throats. Five years-no, six. Ever since Robertson ran for governor and Standish dug up that smelly franchise deal against him. Robertson's had it in for him ever since"
 Just when I'm all loaded up to the guards with perfectly good stock that will go to pieces like card house when the bill fails!" walled Gregg.
 Cut out the whinel" ordered Neli- gan. eYou aren't the only man who's bought stock that Standish will turn into waste paper. Oh, that man Stand ishi He's got the country running after him like a flock of hens after the farmer at feeding-time. They think his private life's got Saint Peter and Anthony Comstock lashed to the mast and that his politics are so pure theyc make Abraham Lincoln feel like ward heeler He's no man. Hes bloodless saint don't believe he ever so much as squeezed woman's hand in his life or swigged anything stronger than sarsaparilla- How are we going to get the hooks into fei- low like that."
 'I don't know howl" fared Van Dyke. But it's Jim Blake's business to know. He was supposed to be run ming the house and holding our men together. Whats Jim been doing to let things get away from him Ike this?"
 "Ah. can it" snarled Neligan. at once up in arms in defense of his