The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-26


 fourth week of the hurryings to ant
 fro that he began to admit suspicion
 which grew like 1uggler's rose wheT
 he had once given 1t place. These in
 vttations, which were now conins
 from all parts of the state-could 1t b<
 possible that they were all spontane
 ous? And if they were not
 If they were so many subtle moves
 in the great game he could see no pos
 sible end to be subserved by them save
 one-they were effectually keeping him away hom the capital, which was the nucleus and center of the cam I paign activities.
 Was there something going on at headquarters that ''the powers'' did not wish him to find out? Of one
 thing he was fairly well assured
 Gantry was dodging him, was ap- 1 parently keeping an accurate record
 of his movements, for whenever the
 hurryings to and fro permitted a fly
 ing visit to the capital Gantry was al-
 ways out of town.
 | With the awakening suspicion came rapid putting together of two and two. Wherever he went there was a1- ways the same pressing hospitality, with many urgingS to delay his going. l At the same time 1t became evident in many little ways that he was in reali- ty, merely skimming over the surface 1 in his campaign work.
 i That a hot political fight was going on all around him he could not doubt The ne wspapers were full of it, and in many sections of the state the fight had become acrimonious and bitter ] But, although he was supposed to be in the fight, it began to be apparent that he was little more than an on locker when it came to the really vital struggle of the moment.
 It was as if everything had been carefully prearranged, like a sort of triumphaI procession: None the less the invisible barrier, the barrier which was shutting him out from the inner workings of the campaign, was there, and he could neither surmount it nor push it aside.
 Notwithstanding the hard work and the hard travelling he was doing he GId not let the missionary effort out weigh the Sturdier purpose, which was to hold his principals rfgfdly up to the mirror of a vtgilant watchfulness.
 Arguing that the opposition newspa- pers would be quick to seize upon any charge of corruption involving the rail road company, he read them faithful 1y. As yet there had been nothing more than spitefuI innuendoes and a raking over of past misdeeds, though many of the editors were charging a secret alliance between his father and McVickar and warning their readers to look out for startling developments later on.
 Not content with mere watchfu1ness. however, Blount got his finger upon the pulse of occasions whenever he could. On his brief stopovers in the capital he kept his eyes and ears open for the earliest hint of any charge of chicanery, and, though he was un- able to get hold of Gantry personally, he kept up a steady fire of letters and kilograms, all pointing to the same end-absolute and utter good faith and the uphoIding of his hands in the public plea for a square deal
 To these the traffic manager replied guardedly, but optimistical1y. The was delighted with the good work done and doing by the new division counsel; public opinion was slowly but surely changing; it would be a landslide election, and Blount could take credit for his due.
 In all this B1ount did not fail to re mark that there was never anything | said about the Hathaway bargain, and l the omission made him the more | watchful. A little investigation un- 1 earthed other and similar bargains 1 made in the past.
 For example, there was a practical | and very effective irrigation trust, an offensive and defensive, of | the big irrigation companies. Control ing the water under proprietary rights, as most of them did, these could Influence many votes among the beneficiary farmers. Land 1eals in the past with the railroad company had been the basis for cor uptton here, and, win the electric ,ower people, preferential freight ates had been traded for the votes of mployees, as with Hathaway.
 Some of these special rates were till in force, as the quiet investigation n the ground developed, -whereupon slount's communications to Gantry ook on a more emphatic tone. The ariffs must be revised and one of two hfngs must be done-either the prefer nt1al of the favored corporations must e withdrawn or the public rates must e Ieveled down to meet the specials. It was on a second speechmaking iSit to Ophir that Blount had his first ace to face chance at the traffic man ger after the opening of the core pondence battle. A meeting of the Mine Owners as- moving for a readjustment f the classification on copper matte nd bullion at time when the rail- pad company might be supposed to be n the giving hand, took Gantry to se great camp in the Carnadine hills, nd the first man he met at the hotel as the new dictator of policies for le Transcontinenta1 company. Made a mistake, didn't you, Dick, 'ming while I was here?'' said the .former, with a very 1ifelilze replica his fathers grim smile. q suppose 1u'vG got an immediate engagement go somewhere or see somebody