“I love it and I hate it. I wish I’d never gone into it, and I couldn’t be happy out of it. It’s got into my blood, I suppose. They say it always does if you stay in it long enough. I--Oh, hello, Harlowe! Well, how goes it? Any returns down there? We haven’t heard a word for an hour. Pretty quiet? Yes, this is just the time! What district? 235? Good! Funny we don’t hear. Oh, yes; just come in. We’ll get it by messenger, I suppose. We’re ahead by 235 in the Ninth District, Guy. What’s that?” Farley listened intently. “Well, I can tell you this--you’ll waste your time if you send a man up here. Congressman Briggs is asleep at this minute, and we don’t propose to wake him up. He’s nearly dead. He’s been rushing it without a break since the campaign opened. Seven speeches last night! Think of that! Eh? No, we don’t propose to deny the story. We’ve had a string of reporters here all day long, and we’ve steered them all off. They haven’t even seen Briggs.” He burst out laughing. Then he suddenly became serious. “All right. That’s the way to talk to ’em. Call me up if you get anything important.” “What story?” Guy asked, when Farley had rung off. “That nasty lie published in the _Chronicle_ this morning,” Farley replied, dropping into a big chair near the desk. “Mrs. Briggs hasn’t seen it yet,” said Guy. “I hope she won’t hear anything while she’s dining down at the hotel. I told Fanny and her father to be careful.” Farley sighed. “Well, I suppose she must find out some time. You know, down in Washington they’ve connected her name with that fellow West’s for a long time. The idiots!” “You could see from the way she acted whenever he was around that she hated him,” said Guy, with disgust in his voice. “Oh, they’ll say anything about a woman as soon as she becomes conspicuous,” Farley replied, with the older man’s philosophy. “But weren’t they clever to spring that story on the very day of the election?” Guy went on. “Look here. See what the _Evening Signal_ says: “There is no doubt that the sensational story published in the morning papers that Congressman Briggs has had a split with his former backer because of an alleged insult to his wife, and was using the Citizens’ Club as a catspaw, has cost him thousands of votes. The reference to Mrs. Briggs may be set down as pure falsehood, introduced to give romantic color to the story. But there is no doubt that personal reasons of considerable interest led Congressman Briggs to seek support of the very men who, till the present campaign, had been his bitterest opponents.” Farley’s eyes flashed. “That’s a damn lie!” “Of course it is,” Guy exclaimed. “But I only hope all the men at the Citizens’ Club will think so.” The door was thrown open, and Briggs entered. His face was pale; his eyes looked inflamed. “Well, boys, how are things going?” “You got up too soon,” Farley replied. “Everything’s quiet.” “No news?” “The Ninth District has gone for you by 235,” said Farley.