"Mr. Chairman," shouted Warrington, "I desire to record my vote on the Cleverly Naval Station bill." There was a tense silence, and then, after a moment's deliberation, the presiding officer said in a hard, cold tone: "I'm very sorry, but the gentleman is too late. The vote has just been taken and the bill is defeated." Barry felt as if he would crumple up and fall on the floor in a heap. Danny Burns made his contribution to the general grief in one sentence. He said: "It's a beastly shame!" But John Carlton evidently had an inspiration. He was on his feet in an instant. "I move that the vote by which the Cleverly bill was defeated be reconsidered." The Chairman looked at him reproachfully. "The gentleman surely knows that a motion to reconsider can only be made by a person who has voted in the negative." "Who voted against your bill, John?" cried Warrington, in fine disregard of parliamentary law. "Curwood, for one." Warrington lurched over to Curwood. He faced him in a menacing attitude. "Move to reconsider," he shouted, hoarsely. Before Curwood realized what he was doing, he had made the motion. The vote to reconsider carried and then the bill was once more placed before the members of the Committee. When Warrington's name was called, his loud "aye" reverberated through the capital. The clerk handed the tally to the Chairman. He put on his glasses and read it to the members: "The new Naval Repair Station for Cleverly carries by a vote of 10 to 9." Amid the applause that followed; John Carlton threw his arms around the lily-bespattered form of Warrington and actually hugged him. Barry, on his part, shook hands hysterically with Conway and then with Danny Burns, and all three seemed to enjoy the performance very much. CHAPTER XXVI THE HOME COMING It was the last day of the session, and everyone at the Capitol was laboring under a great strain. The national legislators, with characteristic unwisdom, were trying to crowd the work of three or four weeks into three or four hours. Several important bills remained to be acted upon. One of these was the General Appropriation bill, which included among its numerous items, a provision to pay for the erection of the Naval Repair Station at Cleverly. As John Carlton was going into the Capitol with Barry Wynn by his side, Felix Conway greeted the man and the boy: "How are you feeling after the battle?" he cried. "Fine," was the genial response of the Congressman. "Do you think your bill will go through all right this morning?" "Sure! It becomes a part of what we call the omnibus bill, and as that measure provides for a dozen different objects, I think there will be a general disposition to let it go through without any further change." Conway shook his head. "That sounds all right, but if I were you I'd keep my eye on Hudson." "Oh, Hudson's all right," declared Carlton, "he assured me a little while ago that he would vote for the bill." Conway looked puzzled.