"But you, Dick, you have--"

"Of course, old man, I have denied the truth of this. I knew you too
well to doubt you. Still, the yarn is hurting you. Remember that
Western Senator who was 'delivered' twice, both ways, on a graft
bill?" he laughingly asked the secretary.

"Should say I did, Dick. That is the record for that game. It was a
corporation measure. One railroad wanted it; another opposed it. The
Senator innocently told an Eastern Senator that he was going to vote
for the bill. Then the Easterner went to the railroad wanting the
bill passed and got $7,000 on his absolute promise that he would get
Senator X. to vote for it, who, of course, did vote for it."

"Yes," said Cullen, "and later, when Senator X. heard that Senator Z.
had got money for his vote, he was wild. Then when another effort
was made to pass the bill (which had been defeated) the 'delivered'
Senator said to Z. as he met him unexpectedly: 'You scoundrel, here's
where I get square with you to some extent. Anyway, I'm going to vote
against that bill this time and make a long speech against it, too.'
Senator Z. then hustled to the lobbyist of the railroad that wanted
the bill killed and guaranteed him that for $10,000 he could get
Senator X. to change his vote, to vote against the bill."

"And he got the money, too, both ways," added Haines, as Cullen
concluded, "and both railroads to this day think that X. received the
money from Z."

"Of course," said Cullen, "but X. was to blame, though. He didn't know