“The people of the whole state will commend that,” replied Dan warmly.  “And if you want to go to the Senate—­”

“I don’t want anything from my party that it doesn’t want me to have,” interrupted Bassett.

He rose and paced the floor.  An unusual color had come into his face, but otherwise he betrayed no agitation.  He crossed from the door to the window and resumed his seat.

“They’ve said of me that I fight in the dark; that I’m a man of secret and malign methods.  The ‘Advertiser’ said only this morning that I have no courage; that I never make an attack where it costs me anything.  I’ve already proved that to be a lie.  My attack on Thatcher is likely to cost me a good deal.  You may be sure he won’t scruple to make the bill as heavy as he can.  I’m talking to you freely, and I’ll say to you that I expect the better element of the party to rally to my support.  You see, I’m going to give you idealists a chance to do something that will count.  Thatcher is not a foe to be despised.  Here’s his reply to my ‘Stop, Look, Listen,’ editorial.  The sheriff served it on me just as I stepped into the elevator to come up here.”

The paper Harwood took wonderingly was a writ citing Bassett to appear as defendant in a suit brought in the circuit court by Edward G. Thatcher against the Courier Publishing Company, Morton Bassett, and Sarah Owen.

Bassett stretched himself at ease in his chair and explained.

“I wanted a newspaper and he was indifferent about it at the time; but we went in together, and he consented that I should have a controlling interest.  As I was tied up tight right then I had to get Mrs. Owen to help me out.  It wasn’t the kind of deal you want to hawk about town, and neither Thatcher nor I cared to have it known for a while that we had bought the paper.  But it’s hardly a secret now, of course.  Mrs. Owen and I together own one hundred and fifty-one shares of the total of three hundred; Thatcher owns the rest and he was satisfied to let it go that way.  He signed an agreement that I should manage the paper, and said he didn’t want anything but dividends.”

“Mrs. Owen’s interest is subject to your wishes, of course; that goes without saying.”

“Well, I guaranteed eight per cent on her investment, but we’ve made it lately, easily.  I’ve now got to devise some means of getting rid of Thatcher; but we’ll let him cool till after the convention.  Mrs. Owen won’t be back for several weeks, I suppose?”

“No; she and Miss Garrison will return immediately after the commencement exercises.”

“Well, Thatcher brought that suit, thinking that if he could throw the paper into a receivership he’d run up the price when it came to be sold and shake me out.  He knew, too, that it would annoy Mrs. Owen to be involved in litigation.  It’s surprising that he would incur her wrath himself; she’s always been mighty decent to Ed and kind to his boy.  But I’ll have to buy her stock and let her out; it’s a delicate business, and for Mrs. Bassett’s sake I’ve got to get her aunt out as quickly as possible.”