"Brush Bascom's doin' that work now," said Mr. Tooting, contemptuously, "and he's doin' it with a shovel. Look here! He's got the same squib in three towns within a dozen miles of each other, the one beginning 'Political conditions in this State are as clean as those of any State in the Union, and the United Northeastern Railroads is a corporation which is, fortunately, above calumny. A summer resident who, to satisfy his lust for office, is rolling to defame--'"
"Yes," interrupted Mr. Crewe, "never mind reading any more of that rot."
"It's botched," said Mr. Tooting, whose artistic soul was jarred. "I'd have put that in Avalon County, and Weave, and Marshall. I know men that take all three of those papers in Putnam."
No need of balloonists to see what the enemy is about, when we have a Mr. Tooting.
"They're stung!" he cried, as he ran rapidly through the bundle of papers--Mr. Crewe having subscribed, with characteristic generosity, to the entire press of the State. "Flint gave 'em out all this stuff about the railroad bein' a sacred institution. You've got 'em on the run right now, Mr. Crewe. You'll notice that, Democrats and Republicans, they've dropped everybody else, that they've all been sicked on to you. They're scared."
"I came to that conclusion some time ago," replied Mr. Crewe, who was sorting over his letters.
"And look there!" exclaimed Mr. Tooting, tearing out a paragraph, "there's the best campaign material we've had yet. Say, I'll bet Flint taken that doddering idiot's pass away for writing that."
Mr. Crewe took the extract, and read:--
AstomyTullia,Iagreewithyou,andIhavewrittentoherandtoTerentiagivingmyconsent.Foryouhavealreadysaidina ...
Tocrownthytoilsonlandsandonthedeep.HereinthineabsencehaveweplacedfortheeAnenduponthewar.HereMagnusca ...
Incouncilgiven,shaltthoubetransferredTothineowncity,andthepriestshallbearThysacredashestotheirlastab ...