Candidly, David, I don't believe I'm hardened enough to play
the game as it ought to be played out here in the sage-brush hills. The
young fellow's sincerity came pretty near getting away with me when I
saw how ridiculously in earnest he was."
"Yet you let him go on, putting himself deeper and deeper in the hole
every time he stood up before an audience, and you never said a
word--never gave him a hint that you were not going to back him up in
everything he was saying?"
This time the hard-bitted smile broke into a laugh.
"Let's get down to business, David. You wouldn't expect us to throw the
game away when somebody was trying his best to put the winning card into
our hands. We needn't dig back into the campaign for something to jangle
over, you and I. We can come right down to the present moment. You're
cornered, but I don't deny that you've still got a few votes to dispose
of. How much do you want for them?"
Blount saw his father take a step forward, and for a flitting instant he
thought there would be violence. But apparently nothing was farther from
the senator's intention.
"I'm not selling to-night, Hardwick; I'm buying," he said, with the
good-natured smile wrinkling at the corners of his eyes. "I want to know
how much you'll take to clean up right where you are and make my boy's
word good to the people of this State.
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