"Yours, PERIWING & BUDDBY."
"Hallo!" said General Belch, as the messenger retired, "old Newt's
smashed! However, it's a great while since he has done any thing for
the party.--By Jove!"
The last exclamation was sudden, as if he had been struck by a happy
thought. He took a fresh quid in his mouth, and, putting his hands upon
his knees, sat silently for five minutes, and then said,
"I have the man!"
"You have the man?" said Ele, looking at him with interest.
"Certainly. Look here!"
Mr. Ele did look, as earnestly as if he expected the General to take the
man out of his pocket.
"You know we want to get the grant, at any rate. If we only have men who
see from our point of view, we are sure of it. I think I know a man who
can be persuaded to look at the matter from that point--a man who may be
of very great service to the party, if we can persuade him to see from
our point of view."
"Who is that?" asked Mr. Ele.
"Abel Newt," replied General Belch.
Mr. Ele seemed somewhat surprised.
"Oh--yes--ah--indeed. I did not know he was in political life," said he.
"He isn't," returned General Belch.
Mr. Ele looked for further instructions.
"Every body must begin," said Belch. "Look here. If we don't get this
grant from Congress, what on earth is the use of having worked so long
in this devilish old harness of politics? Haven't we been to primary
meetings, and conventions, and elections, and all the other tomfoolery,
speechifying and plotting and setting things right, and being bled, by
Jupiter!--bled to the tune of more hundreds than I mean to lose; and now,
just as we are where a bold push will save every thing, and make it worth
while to have worked in the nasty mill so long, we must have our wits
about us.
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