CHAPTER XX
PRICKING A BUBBLE.
When Patsy arrived home she called a council of war and related theconversation she had overheard in the dentist's office.
"It isn't a very nice thing to do--listening to a private conversation,"said the girl, "but when I discovered they were going to play such atrick on Kenneth I couldn't help eavesdropping."
"I think you were justified," declared Mr. Watson, with a grave face;"for this matter is very serious indeed. Tomorrow is election day, andif a toothache hadn't carried you to the dentist's office Kenneth wouldsurely have been defeated."
"And we'd never have known how it happened," declared Uncle John.
"But can the plot be foiled at this late date?" inquired Louise,anxiously.
"I think so," said Mr. Watson. "Dr. Squiers was correct in saying thatsuch a crime was a state's prison offense. Our discovery of it will sendboth Erastus Hopkins and Dr. Squiers to prison. Probably Mr. Marshall,the manager of the mill, will go with them."
"Oh, I don't like that!" exclaimed Patsy.
"Nor do I," added Kenneth. "It would be a sad beginning to my politicalcareer to send three such men to prison. I'd like to avoid it, if Ican."
"Perhaps it may be quietly arranged," said the lawyer. "If they knew youhad discovered the false registration of these men, they would neverdare vote them."
"How would it be to send Mr. Burke, the detective, over to the mill totalk with Mr. Marshall?" suggested Beth.
"That is an excellent plan, and would be very effective in determiningthe manager to abandon the plot."
"I'll go and see Hopkins myself," announced Uncle John. "I know how tomanage men of his sort."
"Very good," approved the lawyer, "and I'll see Squiers."
"If you do," said Patsy, "just ask him to sign a paper saying that LucyRogers was falsely accused of stealing the ring, and that his motherfound it in a vase, where she had forgotten she put it."
"I'll do that," replied Mr. Watson. "And I'll get the sixty dollars backthat Tom Gates paid him. I'll make it a condition of our agreeing not toprosecute the man."
"It looks as if we were going to win the election," said Uncle John in apleased voice. "If Hopkins was driven to such methods as stuffingballot-boxes, he must know very well he's defeated."
"He acknowledged it to Dr. Squiers." said Patsy, gaily. "We haveeighteen sure majority, and perhaps more."
"It's likely to be more," predicted Uncle John.
"I suppose congratulations are in order, Ken," said Louise.
"Not yet, cousin," he replied. "Wait until tomorrow night; and thendon't congratulate me, but the campaign managers--three of the nicestand cleverest girls in existence!"
"You're right, my boy," declared Uncle John. "If you pull through andtake your seat in the Legislature, you'll owe it all to these girls."
"That is true," smiled the lawyer. "Kenneth was badly beaten when youarrived."
Of course our girls were very happy at receiving this praise, but morepleased to realize they had actually been of service to their boyfriend. They believed that Kenneth would prove a good Representative andcarry out his promises to the voters; and if he did, that his politicalcareer was assured.
Mr. Burke appeared in the afternoon with a telegram from Dr. Hoyt, thespecialist, saying that he would be at Elmwood on the noon trainWednesday. His engagements prevented him from coming any sooner, and inthe meantime Mr. Burke advised keeping a close watch on Eliza Parsons,to see that she did not run away.
"I'll attend to that," said Louise, quickly. "Eliza and I are friends,and I'll take care of her."
"Aren't you going to the polls?" asked Patsy.
"No, dear; why should I go? Our work is done now, isn't it?"
"Well, I'm going to the polls and work for every vote," declared Patsy."I shan't be happy unless Kenneth gets more than eighteen majority."
When the Hopkins plot was explained to Mr. Burke, the detective readilyagreed to go to Fairview and see Mr. Marshall. As no time was to be losthe was sent over in an automobile, and arrived at the mill just beforethe hour for closing.
The next day being election day the mill was to be closed, and themanager was very busy in his office when Mr. Burke requested to see him.
"You will have to come around Wednesday," said Marshall, fussily. "Ican't attend to you now."
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir," replied the detective, "but my businesswon't wait until Wednesday."
"What is it about, sir?"
"About the election."
"Then I won't be bothered. The election doesn't interest me," said Mr.Marshall, turning away.
"Very well, I'll call Wednesday, sir, at the jail."
Marshall gave him a quick look.
"Who are you, sir?" he asked.
"John Burke, a detective."
The manager hesitated a moment.
"Come in, Mr. Burke," he said.
"I represent the Forbes interests," said the detective, seating himselfin the private office, "and it has come to our notice that Dr. Squiershas permitted sixty-six fraudulent registrations to be entered on thebooks. These sixty-six men are supposed to have been imported by you andare now working at this mill."
"This is all nonsense!" protested the manager, growing pale.
"Forty men are sleeping in a near-by barn, and twenty-six in thestock-room of the mill," added Mr. Burke.
"That isn't criminal, sir."
"No, indeed. The criminal act is their false registration, so far," saidthe detective, blandly.
"But mark you, sir; if an attempt is made to vote those men tomorrow, Ishall arrest you, as well as Mr. Hopkins and Dr. Squiers."
"This is preposterous, sir!" blustered the manager. "There will be noattempt made to vote them."
"I am quite sure of it," was the reply. "You may thank Mr. Forbes forwarning you in time. He wished to save you, and so sent me here."
"Oh, he did!" Mr. Marshall was evidently surprised. "May I ask how youdiscovered all this?" he added.
"I am not at liberty to give you the details. But I may say the exposureof the plot occurred through Mr. Hopkins's own carelessness. I've seenlots of crooked politicians, Mr. Marshall, but this man is too recklessand foolish ever to be a success. He deserves to be defeated and he willbe."
The manager was thoughtful.
"This is all news to me," he declared. "I needed these extra men to helpme fill a contract on time, and so employed them. I had no idea Hopkinsand Squiers would try to vote them tomorrow."
This was a palpable falsehood, but Mr. Burke accepted the lame excusewithout question.
"You are a valuable man in this community, Mr. Marshall, and Mr. Forbesseemed to think the Hopkins people were trying to get you into trouble.Of course it would have caused trouble had these men voted."
"Of course, Mr. Burke. I'm much obliged to Mr. Forbes for warning me."
"You'll find the next Representative a very agreeable man to get alongwith, Mr. Marshall. Good day, sir."
"Good day, Mr. Burke."
When the detective had gone Mr. Marshall sat in a brown study for a fewmoments. Then he summoned his superintendent and said:
"Please ask the men to assemble in the yard before they go home. I wantto have a word with them."
The request came just in time, for the men were already beginning tostream out of the mill. They waited good-naturedly, however, groupingthemselves in the big yard.
Then Marshall mounted a lumber pile and addressed them briefly.
"Boys," he said, "I told you all, a week or so ago, I'd like you to votefor Hopkins for Representative, as I believed his election would resultin more work for the mill and better wages for the employees. But I'vebeen watching matters pretty closely, and I've changed my mind. Forbesis a coming man, and he'll do more for us all than Hopkins could. Soevery man who is entitled to vote will please me best by voting forKenneth Forbes."
There was a cheer at this, and when it subsided, the manager continued:
"Of course none of the new men, who were not properly registered, have aright to vote at this election, and I command them to keep away from thepolls. Anyone who attempts to vote illegally will be promptly arrested."
This caused more cheering, for the workmen had suspected that the newhands would be voted illegally, and they were relieved to find that itwas a "square deal all 'round," as one of them remarked withsatisfaction.
Meantime, Uncle John was having a "barrel of fun" with Mr. Hopkins.
The little millionaire, although a man of simple and unobtrusive ways,was a shrewd judge of human nature. Moreover he had acquired a fund ofexperience in dealing with all sorts of people, and was delighted tomeet Mr. Hopkins under the present circumstances.
So he drove over to Elmwood and was fortunate to find Mr. Hopkins in his"office" at home where he was busily engaged instructing his "workers"in their duties at the polls.
At sight of Mr. Merrick, whom he knew by this time to be a friend ofKenneth Forbes, staying at Elmhurst, the politician scented some pendingdifficulty, or at least an argument, and was sufficiently interested todismiss his men without delay.
"Ah, this is Mr. Merrick, I believe," began Mr. Hopkins, suavely. "Whatcan I do for you, sir?"
"Considerable, if you're disposed," answered the other. "For one thingI'd like to hire Eliza Parsons away from you."
"Eliza Parsons!" gasped the Representative.
"Yes, your spy. Election's about over and you won't need her any longer,will you?"
"Sir, do you mean to insult me?" asked the Honorable Erastus,indignantly.
"By no means. I thought you were through with the girl," said Uncle Johnwith a chuckle.
Mr. Hopkins was distinctly relieved. With a full recollection of hiswicked schemes in his mind, he had feared some more important attackthan this; so he assumed a virtuous look, and replied:
"Sir, you wrong me. Eliza Parsons was no spy of mine. I was merelytrying to encourage her to a higher spiritual life. She is ratherflighty and irresponsible, sir, and I was sorry for the poor girl. Thatis all. If she has been telling tales, they are untrue. I have foundher, I regret to say, inclined at times to be--ah--inventive."
"Perhaps that's so," remarked Uncle John, carelessly. "You're said to bea good man, Mr. Hopkins; a leetle too honest and straightforward for apolitician; but that's an excusable fault."
"I hope I deserve my reputation, Mr. Merrick," said Erastus,straightening up at this praise. "I do, indeed, try to live an uprightlife."
"I guess so, Mr. Hopkins, I guess so. You wouldn't try, for instance, toencourage false registration."
"Sir!"
"Anything wrong, Mr. Hopkins?" asked Uncle John, innocently.
Erastus looked at his visitor tremblingly, although he tried to controlhis nerves. Of course Mr. Merrick couldn't mean anything by this chanceshot, so he must be thrown off the scent.
"You have a disagreeable way of making remarks, sir, and I have no timeto listen to foolish speeches. Tomorrow is election day and I've a goodmany details yet to arrange."
"No chance of you're getting in jail, is there?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I only thought that if you'd done anything liable to make trouble,you'd have to arrange your affairs for a long spell in jail. Politicianssometimes make mistakes. But you're such an honest man, Mr. Hopkins, youcouldn't possibly go crooked."
Mr. Hopkins felt shaky again, and looked at his tormentor earnestly,trying to discern whether there was any real knowledge beneath thisinnuendo. But Uncle John met his gaze with a cheerful smile andcontinued:
"I guess you've got a hard fight ahead of you. My young friend Forbes istrying to get elected himself, and you can't both win."
"Oh, yes; Forbes," said Erastus, trying to regain his accustomed ease."A worthy young man, sir; but I'm afraid his chances are slim."
"Are they, now?" asked Uncle John, pretending a mild interest.
"Pretty thin, Mr. Merrick. Our majority is too great to overcome."
"What do you think your majority will be? About sixty-six?"
Mr. Hopkins gave a start and turned red.
"About sixty-six," he repeated, vacantly, trying to decide if this wasanother chance shot.
"Yes; about sixty-six mill hands."
The cat was out of the bag now. Hopkins realized that Merrick had someknowledge or at least suspicion of this plot. He tried to think what todo, and it occurred to him that if his visitor positively knew anythinghe would not act in this absurd manner, but come straight to the point.So he ignored the speech, merely saying:
"Anything else, sir?"
"No," replied Uncle John; "I'll go home, I guess. Folks'll be expectingme. Sorry Forbes hasn't got that sixty-six mill hands; but Doc. Squiersprobably registered 'em all right, and they'll probably vote forHopkins."
"Wait a moment, sir!" cried Erastus, as Uncle John was turning away."That speech demands an explanation, and I mean to have it."
"Oh, you do? Well, I don't object. You may not know it, but Squiers hasregistered sixty-six non-voters, and I want to know whether you'reprepared to give half of them to Forbes, or mean to keep them all foryourself."
"If Squiers has made false registrations he must stand the consequences.I want you to understand, sir, that I do not countenance any underhanddealing."
"Then it's all off? You won't vote the mill hands?"
"Not a man shall vote who is not properly registered."
"I'm glad to hear it, Mr. Hopkins. Perhaps you can get that twenty-fivehundred back. I don't think Squiers has cashed the check yet."
The Honorable Erastus gave a roar like a wild bull, but Uncle John hadwalked quietly out and climbed into his buggy. He looked back, andseeing Mr. Hopkins's scowling face at the window returned a pleasantsmile as he drove away.
Mr. Watson had just finished his interview with the dentist when UncleJohn picked him up at the corner. The lawyer had accomplished more thanthe other two, for he had secured a paper exonerating Lucy Rogers andanother incriminating the Honorable Erastus Hopkins, as well as thesixty dollars paid by Tom Gates. The dentist was thoroughly frightened,but determined, now that the conspiracy was defeated, that the man whohad led him to the crime should not escape in case he was himselfarrested. So he made a plain statement of the whole matter and signedit, and Mr. Watson assured Squiers immunity from arrest, pending goodbehavior. The man had already cashed Hopkins's check, and he knew theRepresentative could not get the money away from him, so after all thedentist lost nothing by the exposure.
It was a jolly party that assembled at the dinner-table in Elmhurst thatevening.
"You see," explained Uncle John, "the thing looked as big as a balloonto us at first; but it was only a bubble, after all, and as soon as wepricked it--it disappeared."