Page:The gold brick (1910).djvu/149

 speaker's red lounge leaned forward with pained expressions. Mr. Meredith was striding down the center aisle, his hat in his hand, his face red, his eyes on fire.

Half-way down the aisle he halted, and once more shouted in that fearless note:

"I object! A million people in Chicago to-night are waiting to hear from this house on this franchise bill—I dare you to take it up in this star-chamber session!"

Mr. Meredith's hand swept a wide arc that included the whole house as he flung his defiance, and then he stood glaring at them all. The eyes that met Mr. Meredith's eyes quailed; the house was still. No one rose, no one replied to him.

Then after a long minute of this painful silence the speaker, lowering his head until Jamie could not see his face, said in a low voice:

"Objections are heard."

And so the franchise grab bill was not taken up that day after all.

The session was very short after that, and when the house adjourned Mr. Meredith went down to the speaker's dais. The speaker looked up as if he