influence with the Legislature," he began.

"That's all right," said Price, grimly. "We'll furnish the
influence."

Here spoke Davenant. "It seems to me," he said, "that we can just as
well arrange this matter without mentioning the Northern Mississippi
Railroad at all. If the Steel people get wind of this, we are liable
to have all sorts of trouble; the Governor is their man, as you
know. The thing to do is to pass a blanket bill, providing that any
public-service corporation whose charter antedates a certain period
may extend its line within certain limits and under certain
conditions, and so on. I think that I can draw a bill that will go
through before anybody has an idea what it's about."

"Very good," said Price. "Do it that way."

And so they went, from point to point. Price laid down Montague's
own course of procedure in a few brief sentences. They had just two
weeks before the stockholders' meeting, and it was arranged that he
should start for Mississippi upon the following day.

When the conference was over, Montague rode up town with Harry
Curtiss.

"What was that Davenant said about the Governor?" he asked, when
they were seated in the train.

"Governor Hannis, you mean?" said the other. "I don't know so very
much about it, but there's been some agitation down there against