The Singed Cat stood leaning as he had leaned for days, with his eyes upon the desk he had scarred with his gavel. For ten minutes, and it seemed an hour, the men howled, until exhausted by the exertion and the excitement, their voices failed, and they collapsed into their chairs. But Randolph, in the approximate order which the exhaustion brought about, continued to cry, until at last the Singed Cat's voice pierced to all the corners of the court house. "The convention--will be--in order! The convention--has not--yet adjourned. There is--still--work--to be done." But Randolph continued to cry. "Gentlemen--will resume--their seats," Bailey said, "before--they can--be recognized." Randolph hesitated, though still he cried: "Mr. Chairman! Mr. Chairman!" But Bailey's eye forced him backward to his place, and when he had retreated to the midst of the Moultrie County delegation the chairman said: "The gentleman--from Moultrie." "Mr. Chairman," Randolph said, and the convention, supposing he was about to observe custom and move to make the nomination unanimous, listened. "Mr. Chairman," he said, "I challenge the vote of the Polk County delegation." "The gentleman--from Moultrie--is out--of order," the Singed Cat promptly ruled. "None--but a member--of the Polk County delegation--can challenge--its vote." The Sprague men seemed about to gather themselves for another noisy protest, but interest had suddenly veered to the Logan County delegation. There a consultation was in progress, hurried and eager, and out of it Knowlton arose, and his splendid bass voice boomed: "Mr. Chairman!" "The gentleman--from Logan." "Mr. Chairman, I move you, sir, that the nomination of Jerome B. Garwood be made unanimous." He had seized the only little chance that remained of identifying his delegation with the success of the nominee. The band wagon had taken them by surprise and rolled by too swiftly for them to climb in. "The gentleman--from--Logan--moves--to make--the nomination--of the Honorable--Jerome B. Garwood--for candidate--for the office--of Representative--in Congress--unanimous," said the Singed Cat, yielding not a word of all his formula. "Those in favor--will say--'Aye.'"