bunch of steers you happen to be teaming can keep legal voters out of
that hall. As to whether this or that man can vote in the caucus, that
will be settled when we get in there. But these men of mine are going
in. It's up to you to decide whether they shall go in as lions or
lambs."

"Violence shall rest on your own head!" cried the minister. "I'll see
that the world knows about it."

"We'll see whose case shows up best when the report is made," retorted
the Duke. "But I'm done arguing. Pull off those deputies." Sheriff
Niles appeared at that moment. He had left his subalterns to store the
confiscated liquors.

"Niles, pull your men off the door, here," commanded the Duke. "Your
county politics hasn't any business at our caucus here to-day."

"I've been asked to keep this caucus regular, and I'm going to do it,"
insisted the sheriff.

"So am I," agreed Thornton. "So when the story goes out it will have to
be said that you and I were working together to keep politics pure." The
faithful Sylvester was hovering on the outskirts of the crowd. Thornton
beckoned to him and he came. The Duke had probed the scheme and
understood the stubbornness of the opposition. He was ready to act now.

"Sylvester, you're a constable of this town. Take those fifty woodsmen
over there as a special posse. I'm going to stand here at the foot of
these stairs, and see to it that this caucus isn't packed. If you see
hand laid on me or on a respectable voter going up these stairs, you