and little bugs, if you will excuse the expression.
And you can't influence the big ones without knowing how they feel.
A fellow can't be poking in the dark in a speech or anywhere else.
Now, these fellows here, they go into politics, sometimes; and there,
I tell you, we come the nearest to a fair field and no favor!
It is the best fellow gets the prize there--the sharpest-witted,
the nerviest, and stanchest. Oh, talk of machine politics! all
the soft chaps who ain't willing to get up early in the morning,
or to go out in the wet, THEY howl about the primaries and corruption;
let them get up and clean the primaries instead of holding their noses!
Those fellows, I'm not nice enough for them, but I can beat them
every time. They make a monstrous racket in the newspapers,
but when election comes on they can't touch side, edge, or bottom!"

Discoursing in this fashion, with digressions to Harry
in regard to the machines, the furniture, and the sales,
that showed Mrs. Carriswood that he meant to keep an eye
on his twenty odd thousand dollars, he strolled at her side.
To Miss Van Harlem he scarcely said three words. In fact,
he said exactly three words, uttered as Miss Margaret's
silken skirts swung too near a pot of varnish.
They were "Look out, miss!" and at the same second, Tommy
(who was in advance, with really no call to know of the danger),
turned on his heel and whisked the skirts away, turning back
to pick up the sentence he had dropped.

Tommy told Harry that Miss Van Harlem was a very handsome lady,
but haughty-looking. Then he talked for half an hour about
the cleverness of Mrs. Carriswood.