“I gave him three notes--one for ten, two for five thousand each.” “Well, you’re a bigger damn fool than I gave you credit fer bein’.” The attorney-general, clutching his fingers into his hair, rested his elbows on his short knees, and bowed his head. “And with the governorship just in plain sight, too,” he groaned. “Well, it wasn’t so damn plain,” said Jennings. Then as his eye rested on the man bowed beside him, the sweat trickling down his tallow face, something in the droop of the figure touched a chord of pity in his heart, and the tall Egyptian laid a hand on Grigsby’s shoulder, saying in another tone: “Don’t take on that way. Let’s see what can be done.” “Yes, let’s,” assented Grigsby. The Egyptian knitted the brows over his long, narrow nose. “Hev you got any money?” he asked. “I!” exclaimed Grigsby, with a sardonic grunt. “Any property?” “Only my house up home.” “Hain’t you any friends up there, any bankers that’ll take care o’ this thing fer you?” Grigsby laughed ironically. “Cain’t you lay down on somebody fer it?” Grigsby shook his head. “How’s your quo ’arranto proceedin’s ’gainst the Chicago Consolidated?” “It isn’t ripe yet,” said Grigsby, “and, anyhow, there isn’t time. Damn it, man,” he said, raising his voice, and striking his knee with his fist, “it’s got to be done now, to-night, or I’m lost. The governor, under the law, must seal the treasury at once, and you know just how long John Chatham’ll wait. We’ve got to take care of this thing to-night, to-night, I tell you. That’s why I sent for you.” The attorney-general spoke angrily, and with a puffed face that flushed an unhealthy red, and then added, stretching forth his hand and laying it on Jennings’ knee, “You’re my friend, ain’t you?” “Sure,” said the secretary of state carelessly, and then knitted his brows again. After a few minutes he said: “Say, Bill, you and the governor used to be friends, and he hain’t a bad feller, no-way. He got you your nomination, you know--why don’t you go to him--” “Go to the governor?” cried Grigsby; “and tell him--tell _him_!” “Bill,” said the secretary of state, “you don’t know the governor. He hain’t my kind, ner I his’n, but I’ll tell you one thing--he hain’t the man to take advantage of a feller. You’d be as safe in his hands as you would in mine--safer, maybe,” Jennings concluded, with a good-humored chuckle. Grigsby emphatically, doggedly, shook his head. “It never would do in this world,” he said, “never.” “Why, you could get him to hold off till you could take care of it. You and him used to be such friends--tell him you’ll lay down fer the sake of old times--that’s the thing--tell him an’thin’ to get him to hold off fer a few days. Then you’ll have time to turn ’round.”