"You live in Mid-Toronto, William," said Whimple, jocularly, "and you ought to know what's going on there!" "Well, I know a few things," said William, smilingly. "Such as----" and Whimple paused. "Politics," said William, grinning. "Yes!" "A fight--a fight, and it'll be a loller-palluselar." "A what?" "That's just a word my Pa uses, Mister Whimple--honest, I couldn't say it more'n once a day." "And who's going to fight 'The Big Wind,' pray?" "The People's Party." "The--what--oh! I say, William, what kind of a game is this?" "No yarn--it's straight goods. The People's Party was formed last night, and picked their man." "But, how do you know that? There's nothing in the papers about it this morning." "No, because Tommy Watson's the press agent and secretary, and he says it's time enough to give it to the papers to-night, so he's going to do it." "Tommy Watson! What on earth is he butting in for? He doesn't live in the riding!" "No, but he was at the meetin', him and a few others--about seven altogether--and he says, 'I'll keep the minutes,' he says, 'and load up the papers.' The meetin' was held in our house," William went on, "and my Pa was elected to the chair. Gee! it was an elegant meetin': Pa made a corking speech. He says, '"The Big Wind" ain't to blame much for thinking he's the white-haired darlin',' he says, 'because his friends should put him wise that he ain't.' And Tony Gaston, what drives oner Jimmy Duggan's coal-wagons, he says, 'The Bigga de Wind is an awful mutt,' so he ups and asks why don't Jimmy Duggan run, so Pa says 'Carried,' and Tommy Watson makes 'em do it all reg'lar, and they forms the People's Party and puts Jimmy Duggan up for their man." "It sounds foolish," said Wimple, reflectively. "Well," said William, slowly, "that's what Tommy Watson says. 'It looks foolish,' he says, 'and that's just where a lot of other people's goin' to be made look foolish too. The party men'll be thinking there's no chance for Jimmy, and first thing you know he'll slip in.' So they asked Jimmy is he game, and Jimmy says he's game to buck up against any government anywheres, he says, especially one what'll stand for 'The Big Wind.'" William paused, and then went on slowly, "Say, Mister Whimple, my Pa's a wonder to know what's what, and he says quite solemn to Tommy Watson after the meeting's over, 'Jimmy's the best man in a fight of any kind I ever knew,' he says; 'b'lieve me, Mister Watson,' he says, 'he'll punc-ture "The Big Wind." This part of the city don't have to stand for a gas-bag that ain't even got sense enough to burst when it's too full, and we ain't going to stand for it,' he says." CHAPTER XVII Whimple found the secretary and press agent of the People's Party busily engaged in the back of his store preparing reports of the nomination meeting for the newspapers. "What's this I hear about a fight in Mid-Toronto, Tommy?" he asked.