Page:Stewart Edward White--The Rose Dawn.djvu/217

Rh for a scenic attraction. Just suggest it to these old mossbacks and see what they say to you. They'd think you were crazy. Were you ever up there?"

"Yes," said Boyd.

"Can you imagine any one not seeing it? Gosh! They haven't got one single solitary blessed thing here they've done themselves to cultivate the best paying crop in the world—the tourist. What there is, old California has done by herself."

"The Fremont," suggested Boyd.

"Yes, that's a good hotel," agreed Spinner, "and it's running behind. What we need is public improvements. And about the first of 'em is a dozen or so first class funerals!"

With this completely altruistic interest to start from, Boyd gradually worked his way into the political life of the place. He had made his fortune through traction organization. The 'eighties did not understand political purity as we are just beginning to understand it to-day. As soon as Boyd found that he could not get things done by direct appeal, he turned naturally to manipulation. Dan Mitchell was right in his guess that the Easterner would need publicity—and would pay for it. Others received pay also for other services. It was all a sort of play for Boyd, activity undertaken at first in idleness, but later with increasing interest. Opposition aroused his combative spirit. He found it would be necessary to follow, in a modified way, Spinner's advice as to the first class funerals, only the funerals were political. It seemed desirable to replace certain sturdy, short visioned, uncompromising aldermen or supervisors. In politics, too, Boyd was past master. He had not much difficulty in electing his own council, nor in passing the ordinance to pave and curb Main Street—his first great objective. But he had to acknowledge that the resultant distrust and uneasiness among the shellbacks was going to make the next election more of a job. In short, he saw a good fight ahead; and he rejoiced; and he began quietly to build a machine that would function.

"If these mossbacks don't know what is good for them we'll make 'em take it," he observed to the exultant Spinner. "There's more than one way to skin a cat."