Morrison recognized a voice that was keyed to a pitch almost as high as the bugle's strains. "Hold your yawp! Don't you hear that?" Lanigan screamed. "Don't you know the difference between that and a fish-peddler's horn? That's the tune we fellers heard the Huns play just before Armistice Day. That's retreat! Come on, Legion!" he urged, frantically. "Ram back those sledge-hammers!" Morrison grinned and released the general's arm. "You hear that, do you, sir? When you can convince fair men that you're on the right slant, the fair men will proceed to show rough-necks where they get off if they go to trying on the wrong thing!" "There's going to be the devil to pay!" insisted the adjutant-general. "You're going to let that mob into the State House, and they'll fight all over the place." "We'll see what they'll do after the showdown, sir! And you can't make much of a showdown in the dark." He left General Totten on the stairs, leaped down the remaining steps, and ran to a group of watchmen and night employees of the State House who were bulwarking the soldiers. "I'm beginning to see that it's some advantage, after all, to be the mayor of this city," Stewart informed himself. One of Marion's aldermen was chief electrician of the Capitol building and was in the group, very much on duty on a night like that. "Torrey has always backed me in the city government meetings, at any rate!" The alderman came out of the ranks, obeying the mayor's gesture. "Alderman, I'm in the minority here, right now, but I hope you're going to vote with me for more light on the subject." Torrey did not understand what this quick shift in all plans signified, and said so, showing deference to the mayor at the same time. "If we've got to fight that gang we need these soldiers, Mayor Morrison!" "Our kind of men, Alderman, fight best in the light; the cowards like the dark so that they can get in their dirty work. Do you get me? Yes! Thanks! Excuse me for hurrying you. But get to that switchboard! We need quick action. You and I represent the city of Marion right now. Must keep her name clean! I'll explain later. But give 'er the juice! Jam on every switch. Dome to cellar! Lots of it! Put their night-beetle eyes out with it." He was hustling along with Torrey toward the electrician's room. He was clapping his hand on the alderman's shoulder. "I'm going outside there, Torrey! Touch up the old dome and give me all the front lights. If the bricks begin to whiz I want to see who's throwing 'em!" XVIII THE CAPITOL ALIGHT First of all, within the State House, there was burgeoning of the separate lights of the wall brackets and then the great chandeliers burst into bloom. Electrician Torrey possessed a quick understanding and was in the habit of doing a thorough job whenever he tackled anything. He threw in the switches as rapidly as he could operate them.