"Then you approve?" asked Keating.
"Yes, I think I do!"
The Amo man shook hands with him. "We'll swim out," he exclaimed. "It will
be the same everywhere. A lot of the old crowd themselves will be swept
along with us when we make our nomination. People feel that that Cross-
Roads business ought never to have been allowed to happen, and they'd like
to make it up to him some way. There are just two difficulties, Halloway
and Mr. Harkless himself. It's a sure thing that he wouldn't come out
against Kedge and that he'd refuse to let his name be used against him.
Therefore, we've got to keep it quiet from him; the whole thing has to be
worked quietly. The McCune folks were quiet until they thought they were
sure; we've got to be quieter still. Well, we've made out a plan."
"And a plan that will operate," added Mr. Bence. "For the name of Harkless
shall--" Mr. Keating interrupted him energetically:
"We explain it to all the Halloway delegates, you see, and to all the
shaky McCune people, and interview all the undecided ones. The McCune
crowd may see them afterwards, but they can't fix men in this district
against John Harkless. All we've got to do is to pass the word. It's all
kept quiet, you understand. We go into the convention, and the names of
Halloway and McCune are placed before it. Then will come a speech naming
Harkless--and you want to stuff your ears with cotton! On the first ballot
Harkless gets the scattering vote that was going to nominate McCune if
we'd let things run, and Halloway is given every vote he'd have got if
he'd run against McCune alone; it's as a compliment; it will help him see
how things were, afterwards; and on the second ballot his vote goes to
Harkless. There won't be any hitch if we get down to work right off; it's
a mighty short campaign, but we've got big chances. Of course, it can't be
helped that Halloway has to be kept in the dark; he won't spend any money,
anyway."
"It looks a little underhanded at first glance," said Warren Smith; "but,
as Miss Sherwood said, you've got to be a little underhanded sometimes,
especially when you're dealing with as scrupulous a man as John Harkless.
But it's a perfectly honest deal, and it will be all right with him when
he finds it's all over and he's nominated."
"It's a plain case," added Boswell. "We want him, and we've got to have
him."