The Spider's Web

interview, had walked out of Leighton's office and the cit

tion by the author of the Rollins letter and certainly corrupted the entire body of the nation, and his political work had discovered to him what he came to consider the inherent rottenness of the organized political parties. The effect of all this was made acute by the horror a

the charges recently formulated by the group of municipal reformers who were clamoring for a fusion of the best elements of all parties to elect, by honest methods, honest men that would purge New York of its civic shame. He recalled how this Municipal Reform League, growing steadil

d with him until long past midnight, themselves telephoning inquiries and ins

of reform was correct, enough to have weight with the voters should he speak to them in the new cause. His public record, it appeared, had long impressed the ref

ellent as might prove the salutary example of a prison term for America's chief financiers, the airing might be lessened by those financiers' subtle influences upon popular opinion, the prison term might be escaped through similar influences, and all good results would in any case be long delayed. On t

t before, came to his apartments at the Arapahoe in Thirty-ninth Street. They had been in all-night consultation, and they told him that their organization had determined to

ivic betterment, meeting defeat at the polls and, what is harder to bear, disappointment in elected candidates, and again and again emerging to hope and fight on; Nelson, a successful wholesale druggist, whose business

?" he asked slowly. "Do you thin

lf as assistant district-attorney, won influential friends in his daily life, and secure

to ask men of your standing that there shan't b

ssed his h

a guarantee of

"No outside interests coming in to

said

ave an absolut

ured him

nted to shout his war-cry, to go out and fight at once. Would he be worthy? The wing of that doubt brushed the farthest edges of his conscie

sillusionment flung over him, had left him despairing of her, kept her beyond his reach. But now

ore that he had not: questions about purpose, ways-and-means, finances, organization, headquarters, distr

he Mayor? Comptroller? President of the Boa

e names of known

r was the languid air tha

I'm pleased that you think of

n to himself. However much he might want to start his campaign, he must ma

had not looked forward to speedy surrender, so he was satisfied with the conviction that he affected the three financiers more than they cared to show. If

room to change his clothes before seeking Betty. He had completed the change and was about

arcus F.

rges were never proved-with being a "hospital runner": that is, with employing men to hurry to the hospital, or the scenes of accidents, and induce victims to retain Stein to press their claims for damages against the railroad on which they had been injured. By devoting his best efforts against the N. Y. & N. J., he tried to make the corporation realize that it would be cheap

omposed of men and women from private detective agencies, whose duty it was to discover discreditable secrets in the lives of such claimants as refused to compromise, or, failing in discovery, to manufacture or invent such incidents. One married woman from Syracuse, who had been injured in a wreck in New York and came there to press her suit, was inveigled into a friendship with a woman detective commissioned to engage a neighboring room in the house where the plaintiff took temporary lodgings.

trolling the N. Y. & N. J. controlled many other corporations and saw to it that Stein received a regular annual retainer as a consulting lawyer from each of these. His business was not to win cases, but so to aid in directing his clients' plans that they would avoid litigation; he,

there might be a strategic value in refusing to negotiate with any emissary. Curiosity, however, proved

said Luke int

ful and white, his face clean-shaven. He had a strong nose and a wide, firm mouth, and his eyes were large and benevolent. His air w

d courteously, smiled politely, and settled into the most comfortable of Luke's chairs, which he deliberately tur

. He sat down, extended his legs, and lowered his eyes. He made no inquiry con

quired n

e watched your career with a great deal of interest-a very great deal. It reminded me so much of my own early struggles." He was looking steadily at Luke, whose

you, indeed,"

Huber, you showed promise. There has been a great deal of promise in your professional work, and I thought I detected the same promise in the reports of your pol

you," s

ning papers you may be offered the candidacy for

e is some talk

vement: we need it badly. With proper backing, y

earing this. Quite out

e about those lett

y, or that he expected rain. When his eyes at this question were raised to meet the Judge's, t

member, it is an old man who tells you so-you are still rather young. But because I know you are an able young man, I have told them I was sure you would see your haste and unreasonablenes

s were clasped in his lap. To a less astute

tein, "if I can help you out o

friends, Judge

smiled t

ay-is that I don't come from them in my professional capacity. They haven't retained me to do this. They haven't even asked me to do it. I a

prepared to pl

s the right one, as I am sure you will end by seeing.

ether they would go into

any purpose-unless their burden of good nature is rendered intolerable. They

orth Brid

ly an expression of opinion from persons with many grades of rails to sell and naturally anxious to sell their most expensive and most profitable grade. As for the other letter, it is in

he acciden

n other words, it was something unforeseen and contrar

or a reply but, as Luke gav

understand-is honorable, harmless, and in the best int

it?" as

e not admissible evidence in a court of law. That is all I would grant them. On their part, I should ex

eyes

asked them t

public confession of guilt-and my friends are not g

rel

e said. "I'm

reetly, and meanwhile we must protect the public b

"instruct the road not to fight the d

es, and the big appetites of their attorneys, too, I'm afraid-exaggerate their losses on the one hand and the riches of the company on the other. No, no; the most w

I'm afraid you don't

ould promis

months ago, and the additional track-walkers

do," he concluded. "And all we want is the letters--. By the way, Mr. Huber, I congratul

gri

on an apple tree in Ma

dded a smili

ill not mind telling me if any othe

t, and he's in no position to mention them." Luke rose as if to end the interview. "I've told nobody because I keep my ba

" Stein suav

ven them one month. If they

raised a h

n 'ordered,' Mr.

by one month from to-day, and do it in a way that convinces everybody of their intentio

looked at Luke sadly, and hi

y the dangers, but the difficulties and annoyances you

ke shortly. "

have all failed. I tried it once myself. None has succeeded; not one. Some of th

," said Luk

luable political movement in your hands. You are responsible f

stand

e men in the movement

me myself for

the faction at the polls-a faction that you believe in a

e his caller, his hand

drawled, "are you by an

s hot-headed; but I believe your hot-headedness can ruin you at the bar, can ruin you socially and financially, and can put a stop to your political career forever. I knew one man that attempted something such as you are

smi

ted, "disappeared alt

oked him ful

al. I am quite sure you must see how very right I am and how very well disposed my friends are toward you, Mr. Huber. Think what t

le broke i

t hire you, and let those men go free on the strength of a promise already broken, they would make me rich, elect me District-Attorney to do their work for them, advance me in their own social set and maybe, if I kept on doing all they asked, turn me into a Judge or a Governor or a millionaire! And you've been saying if I

o well to give way to anger: he never lost his

d, "your final dec

lows don't do what I've ordered, I'll show them up-the whole bunch of them. I'll do it-why, I'd do it if they were the