“It wouldn’t,” said Lafe.

“Um!...  Railroads is more liberal, hain’t they, when there’s a good chance of their gittin’ licked?  Suppose this come to a fight, and it looked like they was goin’ to git the worst of it.  Supposin’ the outcome hung on two or three votes, eh?  And them votes looked dubious.”

Lafe pressed his thin lips together.

“I guess I kin account for near half of the boys, Lafe, and I guess you kin line up clost to half with the railroads, can’t you?  Well, you don’t stand to lose nothin’, do you?  All we got to do is keep them decidin’ votes where we want ’em.”  Then he leaned over and whispered in Lafe’s ear briefly.

Lafe’s thin lips curved upward a trifle at the ends.  “Scattergood,” said he, “this here’s an idee.  Never recollect nothin’ resemblin’ it since I been in politics.  What you after?”

“Jest pleasure, Lafe....  Jest pleasure.  Is it a deal?”

“It’s a deal.”

“Amri outside?”

“Standin’ guard, Scattergood.”

“When you go out send him in.”

Amri opened the door that Lafe closed behind him.

“All fixed,” said Scattergood.  “I want to see these boys to-night.”  Scattergood handed Amri a list of names.  “And say, Amri, here’s a leetle bill you might jest slip along quick.  Don’t amount to nothin’, but it might help me some.  Like to git the Governor’s signature to it as soon as it kin be done.”

Amri read it cautiously.  It was just a harmless little measure having to do with stage lines.  “All right,” he said, carelessly.

Crane was in President Castle’s office, and his demeanor was that of a man who has heard disquieting news.

“I told you,” he said, in tones of reproach, “that he wasn’t safe to monkey with.  Keith and I thought he was just a fat, backwoods rube, but we got burnt, and burnt good.  We were going to let him alone, but you got us into this—­and now you’ve got to get us out again.  Know what he’s done?  Nothing much but start condemnation proceedings against us to take our mill yards down on the railroad for a site for a depot and freight sheds.  That’s all.  And us with close to a hundred thousand tied up in that mill.  If he puts it through ...”

“He won’t,” snapped Castle.

“He’s started to build his railroad.  Actually laying rails.”

“So I heard.  That’s to hold his charter....  Don’t you worry.  He can’t build that road, and you men will.  As soon as I found out he had that charter, and saw the possibilities of that valley, I made up my mind he had to be eliminated.  And he will be.”

“Keith and I tried that.”

“I saw him,” said Castle.  “He’s no fool.  You thought he was.  I’m not making any such mistake.  Going after you the way he has proves it.”

“And he’ll be going after you, too.  You want to mind your eye.”

“It’s a little different tackling the G. and B., don’t you think?  And I doubt if he figures we’re really backing you.”