“It was absurd to connect her with Lucy Rogers,” observed Kenneth, “for there is nothing in her character to remind one of the unhappy girl.”

“Except her looks,” added Beth.  “She’s the living image of Mrs. Rogers.”

“That isn’t important,” replied Louise.  “It is probably a mere coincidence.  None of us have ever seen the real Lucy, and she may not resemble her mother at all.”

“Mrs. Rogers claims she does,” said Beth.  “But anyhow, I have a wish to keep this girl at the house, where I can study her character.”

“Then keep her, my dear,” decided Kenneth.  “I’ll set a couple of men to watch the gates, and if she goes out we’ll know whom she meets.  The most she can do is to report our movements to Mr. Hopkins, and there’s no great harm in that.”

So the matter was left, for the time; and as if to verify Beth’s suspicions Eliza was seen to leave the grounds after dusk and meet Mr. Hopkins in the lane.  They conversed together a few moments, and then the maid calmly returned and went to her room.

The next day Mr. Hopkins scattered flaring hand-bills over the district which were worded in a way designed to offset any advantage his opponent had gained from the lawn fete of the previous day.  They read:  “Hopkins, the Man of the Times, is the Champion of the Signs of the Times.  Forbes, who never earned a dollar in his life, but inherited his money, is trying to take the dollars out of the pockets of the farmers by depriving them of the income derived by selling spaces for advertising signs.  He is robbing the farmers while claiming he wants to beautify their homes.  The farmers can’t eat beauty; they want money.  Therefore they are going to vote for the Honorable Erastus Hopkins for Representative.”  Then followed an estimate of the money paid the farmers of the district by the advertisers during the past five years, amounting to several thousands of dollars in the aggregate.  The circular ended in this way:  “Hopkins challenges Forbes to deny these facts.  Hopkins is willing to meet Forbes before the public at any time and place he may select, to settle this argument in joint debate.”

The girls accepted the challenge at once.  Within two days every farmer had received a notice that Mr. Forbes would meet Mr. Hopkins at the Fairview Opera House on Saturday afternoon to debate the question as to whether advertising signs brought good or evil to the community.

The campaign was now getting hot.  Because of the activity of the opposing candidates every voter in the district had become more or less interested in the fight, and people were taking one side or the other with unusual earnestness.

Mr. Hopkins was not greatly pleased that his challenge had been accepted.  He had imagined that the Forbes party would ignore it and leave him the prestige of crowing over his opponent’s timidity.  But he remembered how easily he had subdued Kenneth at the school-house meeting before the nominations, and had no doubt of his ability to repeat the operation.