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 his whiskers with his fingers, then advanced his scheme.

"Seems to me," he said, "that we'd ought to have a campaign committee, with a treasur' and a finance committee, and let the treasur' pay out only on warrants drawed by the finance committee—then there'd be no question."

"No, there'd be no question," said Bassett cynically, "there'd be no question. And the finance committee could draw warrants for their own arrest, while they're about it."

The ring gasped, and though the captain tried to say something about business methods, they were all silent for a long time, chewing their tobacco gravely and thoughtfully, until the squire nervously ventured to ask:

"But what do you think we'd best spend it fer?"

"Votes," said Bassett laconically.

"That's surely what we want," said Judge Ernest, speaking for the first time. The old men in the circle wheeled toward the probate judge. They had not been surprised at what Bassett said, for he never attended service, and was reputed to be a free-*thinker, but Judge Ernest was a pillar in the church.