politics or these rotten old in-goods who can't get employment
with either Kelly or House and, so, have joined us. By Jove, I'd
rather be in with the out and out grafters --the regulars that
make no bones of being in politics for the spoils. There's slimy
hypocrisy over our crowd that revolts me. Not a particle of
sincerity or conviction. Nothing but high moral guff.''

``Oh, but YOU'RE sincere, Davy,'' said Jane with twinkling eyes.

``Am I?'' said Davy angrily. ``I'm not so damn sure of it.''
Hastily, ``I don't mean that. Of course, I'm sincere--as sincere
as a man can be and get anywhere in this world. You've got to
humbug the people, because they haven't sense enough to want the
truth.''

``I guess, Davy,'' said Jane shrewdly, ``if you told them the
whole truth about yourself and your party they'd have sense
enough--to vote for Victor Dorn.''

``He's a demagogue,'' said Davy with an angry jerk at his rein.
``He knows the people aren't fit to rule.''

``Who is?'' said Jane. ``I've yet to see any human creature who
could run anything without making more or less of a mess of it.
And--well, personally, I'd prefer incompetent honest servants to
competent ones who were liars or thieves.''

``Sometimes I think,'' said Davy, ``that the only thing to do is
to burn the world up and start another one.''