"Take a later train."

"My ticket wouldn't be good on it."

Most men Miss De Voe would have snubbed on the spot, but to Peter she
said: "Then get another ticket."

"I don't care to do that," said Peter.

"Oh, please, Mr. Stirling," said Minna. "I want to ask you a lot of
questions about the convention."

"Hush, Minna," said Miss De Voe. She was nettled that Peter should
refuse, and that her niece could stoop to beg of "a criminal lawyer and
ward politician," as she put it mentally. But she was determined not to
show it "We are sorry. Good-evening. Home, Oliver."

So they did not learn from Peter why the convention laughed. The subject
was brought up at dinner, and Dorothy asked the opinion of the voters of
the family.

"Probably he had made a fluke of some kind," one said.

"More probably he had out-sharped the other side," suggested a second.

"It will be in the papers to-morrow," said the first suggestor.

The three women looked in the next day's papers, but the reporters were
as much at sea in regard to the Stirling-sixth-ward incident, as had
been the rank-and-file in the convention. Three took their views from