THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN
 
 long as you stay within the law it makes no difference 
 how many hearts you break!" MAKY SHERMAN
 
 The Case of Mary Sherman 
 
 A NOVEL 
 
 $y 
 JASPER EWING BRADY 
 
 Illustrated by 
 CHARLES F. LESTER 
 
 New York 
 Britton Publishing Company
 
 Copyright. 1917 
 
 by 
 Britten Publishing Company. Inc. 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 Made in U. S. A.
 
 To My Wife 
 
 MARJORIE SHOALS BRADY 
 I Affectionately Dedicate This Book 
 
 2134209
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. THE ELECTION OF DR. ANDERSON . . 11 
 
 II. "BiG CHIEF" DUDLEY 19 
 
 III. A MOMENTOUS DECISION 33 
 
 IV. ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BISHOP .... 42 
 V. THE SINEWS OF WAR 50 
 
 VI. NEW TROUBLES ARISE 60 
 
 VII. THE MASS MEETING 74 
 
 VIII. THE APPROACHING STORM 84 
 
 IX. MR. CATON DISAPPEARS 90 
 
 X. THE BISHOP ATTENDS A BALL GAME . 101 
 
 XI. KEARNEY REPORTS TO His CHIEF . . . 107 
 
 XII. THE BISHOP S RECORD 117 
 
 XIII. THE ARRIVAL OF MARY SHERMAN . . . 125 
 
 XIV. MEETING OF THE TITANS 136 
 
 XV. A PLEA THAT FAILED 146 
 
 XVI. CAPTAIN JOHN ANDERSON 156 
 
 XVII. BROTHERS PLAN NEW BATTLES . . . 166 
 
 XVIII. AT THE BISHOP S HOME 176 
 
 XIX. AN ARGUMENT FOR LOVE 181 
 
 XX. A MOTHER S WAY 194 
 
 XXI. BROTHERS CONFIDE 203
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAOE 
 
 XXII. JACK LEAVES FOR PARTS UNKNOWN . . 213 
 
 XXIIL A CERTAIN HOWARD RAYMOND" . . 218 
 
 XXIV. THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL . 230 
 
 XXV. CAPTAIN ANDERSON s REPORT .... 242 
 
 XXVI. THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE .... 251 
 
 XXVII. THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY .... 270 
 
 XXVIII. PELHAM vs. PELHAM 283 
 
 XXIX. MARY SHERMAN TELLS HER STORY . . 295 
 
 XXX. CAPTAIN ANDERSON TO THE RESCUE . . 306 
 
 XXXI. A COMPLETE EXHONERATION .... 316 
 
 XXXII. THE HATCHET BURIED . 327
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 "So long as you stay within the law it makes no 
 difference how many hearts you break!"- 
 Mary Sherman Frontispiece 
 
 Facing Page 
 
 "Very well, gentlemen, I ll consent, but I want it 
 distinctly understood that everything we do 
 must be open and above board." 72 
 
 "Stop it, right now, Hank! or I ll Right 
 here a slight, blue-robed and lace-capped little 
 white-haired woman came between the two 
 strong men 192 
 
 "Suppose I had a daughter," repeated Dudley 
 a tenderness came into his eyes as he gazed at 
 the child-like face in the paper-weight 284
 
 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE ELECTION OF DR. ANDERSON 
 
 "I NOMINATE the Reverend Henry Trumbull 
 Anderson, Doctor of Divinity, and Rector of St. 
 George s Parish, Hillsburg, for Bishop of the 
 Diocese of Presidio." 
 
 The speaker of these words had made a shrewd 
 calculation. He looked around him with utter 
 coolness, smiling, as he witnessed the growing ex 
 citement. The long session was about to end. 
 
 "Who is this Dr. Anderson?" 
 
 The question was practically universal, for 
 Presidio was all of two thousand miles from the 
 Pennsylvania city. The doubt was quickly set 
 tled by the Rev. Julius Schott, rector of St. 
 James Parish, who knew him well. In a jiffy 
 he was on his feet to second the nomination. 
 
 "I know Dr. Anderson personally," said 
 
 ii
 
 12 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 he, "and what my good brother, Mr. Spencer, has 
 said of him, is true. There is no need down East 
 to ask the question who is Dr. Anderson? 
 His magnetic eloquence, his untiring zeal, his 
 broad-mindedness . . . these have made him a 
 great leader of men. He was reared in the 
 boundless West, but was called East a few years 
 ago. He knows our people and their ways. We 
 need him. Let us call him back home, where, 
 under the divine guidance of an Almighty God, 
 he will make the diocese of Presidio one of the 
 foremost in the church." 
 
 When the Rev. Schott took his seat there was 
 a moment s silence then the great room burst 
 into an uproar. The friends of the rival candi 
 date, Dr. Lamb, sprang up, demanding that the 
 convention delay over night in making so mo 
 mentous a decision. Lowe, the floor leader, 
 glanced around for a certain Mr. Kearney, but 
 that astute gentleman was not present at the mo 
 ment, whereupon he made another motion to ad 
 journ. This also was voted down. 
 
 Mr. Spencer had solved the real problem by 
 bringing forth a dark horse, thus easing the ten 
 der feelings of the other candidates. The pre 
 siding officer, the venerable and white-haired 
 Bishop Turnelr, had felt a thrill of joy in his heart
 
 THE ELECTION OF DR. ANDERSON 13 
 
 during the whole of Spencer s speech. He had 
 nodded his head approvingly when Dr. Ander 
 son s name was placed in nomination, watched 
 eagerly for the "second," and, before the ballot 
 ing began, faced the altar and raised his hands 
 in prayer. He fervently implored the Almighty 
 to guide the hearts and minds of the delegates in 
 the way that was right. 
 
 The scene was an impressive one. It created 
 an atmosphere of old-time sincerity long since 
 lacking in the affairs of the good old church. The 
 sun was setting in the stillness of the early spring 
 evening. Through a stained glass window came 
 a brilliant ray, which cast a halo of glory over the 
 patriarchal bishop, as he stood there waiting. 
 One by one the delegates came forward to the 
 chancel rail and cast their ballots. Then came 
 the stirring event the counting of the votes. 
 Even Bishop Turner s voice was surcharged with 
 emotion, as he stepped to the rail and announced 
 the result. 
 
 "Dr. Anderson lay votes, fifty-seven cleri 
 cal, twenty total, seventy-seven," he said im 
 pressively; and, in a lower tone, "Dr. Lamb lay 
 votes, three clerical, three total, six." 
 
 The sigh of relief which followed was most 
 expressive of the strain under which the entire
 
 14 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 convention had worked. Only the upraised hand 
 of the speaker restrained the cheer that was 
 about to burst forth in the church. 
 
 "Gentlemen," he continued, "you have elected 
 Dr. Anderson your bishop, and you have done 
 wisely. Presidio, with its commanding geo 
 graphical position, needs such a man. A woeful 
 lack of interest has been shown for the past few 
 years in the church. Even the ladies have lost 
 heart in the conduct of their auxiliaries and 
 guilds. St. Clement s Cathedral the very build 
 ing we are meeting in is in a deplorable condi 
 tion. The pipe organ needs repairs, and the 
 church fittings are sadly in need of attention. 
 The only redeeming feature is the bishop s resi 
 dence. That building, as you know, is a large, 
 roomy, comfortable place, but do you know that 
 it is mortgaged to the last dollar? The entire dio 
 cese is burdened with a debt that should be lifted 
 immediately, and if there is one man in this coun 
 try capable of doing the work needed here it is 
 Dr. Anderson." 
 
 Again he lifted a restraining hand. 
 
 "Why, gentlemen," he continued, rising to his 
 full height and looking toward the door, which 
 had just opened to admit the Mr. Kearney whom 
 the supporters of Dr. Lamb had looked for "the
 
 THE ELECTION OF DR. ANDERSON 15 
 
 only time this cathedral has housed a congre 
 gation of respectable size during recent years, 
 was at the funeral of the late bishop. To-day a 
 lady remarked to me, The only way Dr. Axtell 
 could get a crowd in his cathedral was to die! 
 
 The bishop paused a moment so that his audi 
 tors could catch their breath, and then proceeded : 
 
 "Now, gentlemen of the convention, you have 
 elected a man who will not suffer such a condition 
 of affairs to continue for long. The new bishop 
 of Presidio is a man of blood and iron, a man of 
 fire totally unafraid. He will mould this dio 
 cese with its conflicting elements, its warring in 
 terests, into a harmonious whole. He will work 
 on Highdays, Weekdays, Holidays, Sundays 
 for the benefit of all. You are, indeed, fortunate, 
 and I congratulate you. There being no further 
 business in order, I declare this convention ad 
 journed without date, but before I pronounce the 
 benediction, I ask you all to join in singing the 
 Doxology." 
 
 Never before in the history of St. Clement s 
 had this old song of praise been sung with such 
 fervor. It sounded more like a long cheer, and, 
 as the church rang with the echoes, Kearney 
 threw his cigar behind him, and rushed over to 
 where Lowe was standing.
 
 16 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "What does this mean?" he asked in an excited 
 whisper, not waiting for the benediction to close. 
 
 "Nothing much," replied Lowe. "They ve 
 just elected a new bishop that is all." 
 
 "Elected a new bishop !" 
 
 Kearney gasped in astonishment. 
 
 "Who? Lamb?" 
 
 "No a chap from Pennsylvania I looked for 
 you a moment ago to tell you that things were 
 going against us, but you were out and I had to 
 let them win the battle." 
 
 "I was talking to Dudley. What is the new 
 bishop s name ?" 
 
 "Anderson. They say he s a fighter, too." 
 
 Lowe outlined all that happened when they 
 reached the open air. Kearney was completely 
 taken by surprise. 
 
 "Well, I ll be " he stopped short. "The 
 
 chief will go crazy. He s set his heart on putting 
 Lamb in, and he isn t used to defeat." 
 
 Shaking his head skeptically, he went to the 
 telephone. 
 
 "Hello is that you, Jim? the convention has 
 just adjourned." 
 
 "Good!" was the answer. "We ll get them to 
 morrow. I ve just wired Lamb to come on." 
 
 "Better send him another to stay where he is."
 
 THE ELECTION OF DR. ANDERSON 17 
 
 "What do you mean? Why, you said a half- 
 hour ago that you were sure Lowe would secure 
 a delay until to-morrow. I m going to bring 
 more pressure to bear. I m " 
 
 Kearney smiled in spite of himself. 
 
 "But the convention will not meet to-morrow. 
 It s finished. They ve elected their bishop 
 locked up the place and skedaddled. Schott and 
 St. Clair both bolted for this new man." 
 
 "Schott and St. Clair. No! But who in blazes 
 is the man they elected?" 
 
 "A Dr. Anderson, of Hillsburg, Pennsyl 
 vania." 
 
 "Who the deuce is Anderson?" 
 
 "Dunno much. Tell you more about him when 
 I get down to the office." 
 
 For a moment there was silence. And then the 
 wires rang with anathemas from the chief. 
 
 "Oh, they have elected their bishop, have they? 
 Well, the fight hasn t begun yet. They may 
 think so, but I m not accustomed to being dic 
 tated to. I ll put Lamb in there or know the rea 
 son why." 
 
 Kearney was used to these outbursts; he 
 waited patiently. 
 
 "Come down to the office immediately," was 
 the command. The sudden clicking of the re-
 
 18 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 ceiver gave a sort of snap to the order, and Kear 
 ney strolled away knowing full well what kind 
 of an interview awaited him.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 "BIG CHIEF" DUDLEY 
 
 JAMES BURCHARD DUDLEY, commonly known 
 as "Big Chief," editor and proprietor of Pre 
 sidio s most powerful newspaper, The Morning 
 Banner, was a man who had risen from the very 
 bottom of the ladder to the top. Twenty-five 
 years before when Presidio was only a small 
 Western town, he had come there to live. He was 
 then about thirty years old, had a few thousands 
 in cash and absolute belief in the future of the 
 great West; likewise, an unbounded confidence 
 in himself. Reared on a West Virginia farm, he 
 tired of the country and started out to conquer 
 the world through the cities. His first qualifica 
 tion was aggressiveness, next to that a peculiar 
 ability to write. 
 
 His first stop Cincinnati gave him his 
 chance, for there he secured a position on a large 
 paper. His progress was rapid. His money was 
 
 19
 
 20 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 as safe as if sewed in his inside pocket. He spent 
 nothing, and foraged upon the community in 
 which he found himself. When other men with 
 more natural ability would have failed, Dudley 
 succeeded. He used the pronoun "I" frequently ; 
 was something of an egotist, but the main thing 
 was that he succeeded. In two years time he had 
 not only made a decent living for himself, but he 
 had added another thousand or two to his savings. 
 
 But the West called him, and the boom in Pre 
 sidio settled the matter of location. He looked it 
 up and found that its geographical position was 
 ideal. It was near the western edge of the coun 
 try. The lands about were rich in soil and min 
 erals. Railroads must necessarily come there. 
 The A. N. & W. was already there with all four 
 of its feet in the trough and others would fol 
 low. With the railroads must come people then 
 civilization then wealth. 
 
 The Banner -, a paper with no politics and less 
 principles, afforded him his first job, but in two 
 years Dudley was its editor, and soon thereafter, 
 its owner. The Banner was the only paper in 
 Presidio having an Associated Press franchise, 
 and Dudley well knew its increasing value. 
 While he did not have all the money necessary to 
 pay for the paper, he was shrewd in placating the
 
 "BIG CHIEF" DUDLEY 21 
 
 banking interests of the city, and they helped him 
 to acquire the plant from cellar to garret. Every 
 dollar of this loan he repaid. He vitalized the 
 paper with his virile personality and fought on all 
 public issues, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, 
 but the main idea is that he fought, and the 
 fighter always gets somewhere. A temporary de 
 feat merely meant further effort to succeed, and 
 thus The Banner grew until, when this story 
 opens, it boasted a circulation equal to one paper 
 for every house in Presidio. 
 
 In addition to developing his paper, Dudley 
 invested in other lines. He knew that real estate 
 as a foundation of a fortune is impregnable, and 
 he also knew that Presidio would grow towards 
 the hills. This was a foregone conclusion, for the 
 flat districts were logically the part to be turned 
 over to business. But at the time he thought of 
 this, very few others had done the same, and he 
 was able to buy three hundred acres of land on 
 the crags and peaks for almost a song. When he 
 purchased the rocky tract it was considered unfit 
 for anything and people called it "Dudley s 
 Folly." Dudley, however, bided his time, built 
 himself a stately home away up on the highest 
 rugged hill top and named it "Rocky Crest." It 
 was a sort of emblem of the man s eternal grit.
 
 22 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Then the town grew, people did begin to climb, 
 as Dudley had predicted. He improved and re 
 stricted the neighborhood, and fixed a consider 
 able sum as a standard building price for the 
 homes in the Rocky Crest section. He was 
 bound to win. In twenty years he had made as 
 many thousands as he had invested hundreds. 
 
 Presidio was at the time the story opens a city 
 of more than a quarter of a million souls and rap 
 idly growing. "Big Chief" Dudley now a mul 
 ti-millionaire was absolutely in control of its 
 political destiny. His newspaper was his most 
 direct means of power, but his personality ex 
 erted a dreaded influence through a hundred 
 other channels. He was the "Boss." Political 
 elections were decided in his office. Valuable 
 franchises were his for the asking. Everyone 
 was afraid of him. Through use of money and 
 bulldog tenacity he had become the dictator of 
 Presidio, brooking no interference and ruling 
 with a rod of iron. 
 
 There were two other papers in Presidio, The 
 Tribune, and The Scimitar, but they were negli 
 gible quantities because of Dudley s control of 
 the Associated Press franchise. 
 
 Dudley, now a man of between fifty- five and 
 sixty years, was very short and stout, with a fat,
 
 "BIG CHIEF" DUDLEY 23 
 
 round face, iron-gray hair, and a bristling, stubby 
 mustache. His chin had tripled itself and his 
 hands were flabby. To see him sitting in the 
 rear seat of his high-powered automobile, as he 
 came dashing downtown, one could not help but 
 remark the opulence reflected from the rear cush 
 ions. The scene represented the very obesity of 
 power. Dudley had few personal friends many 
 sycophantic followers numberless enemies- 
 men, who, while hating him, also feared him. Be 
 ing a widower, he lived in solitary state in his 
 mansion on the hill. 
 
 His enemies he divided into three classes 
 men who opposed him in business ventures poli 
 ticians arrayed against him in campaigns 
 lastly, personal enemies. The first two he could 
 fight, whip, and then let alone. But his personal 
 enemies he never forgot nor forgave. He kept 
 a list of these; people called it his "Index Ex- 
 purgatorius." 
 
 It was a wonder that the citizens of Presidio 
 had not risen in their wrath and destroyed the 
 tyrant. The truth of the matter was that the peo 
 ple were afraid of his power. There had never 
 been a man in Presidio who had either the cour 
 age or the desire to head a healthy opposition to 
 Dudley. Besides, The Banner was a most ex-
 
 24 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 cellent paper barring the personality of its pro 
 prietor. As a disseminator of news it was metro 
 politan in character, and as an advertising me 
 dium it could not be excelled. Another thing, 
 Presidio s citizens were busy making money and 
 developing their city. It was growing by leaps 
 and bounds and already was one of the most ag 
 gressive communities in the country. 
 
 Dudley, in spite of his defects, possessed quali 
 ties that were not to be ignored. For one thing, 
 he loved his city and worked early and late for 
 its betterment. It was due to him that Presidio 
 had great, wide avenues, fine public buildings and 
 many parks. Dudley s dream was a marvelous 
 city of the future, and, although he went about it 
 in a way that was not generally regarded as an 
 ethical one, yet he was convinced he was right, 
 and merely laughed at the men who opposed him. 
 
 His position in Presidio was certain, and re 
 former after reformer "bit the dust," as he 
 phrased it. Under his skin the American citi 
 zen is peace-loving, and Dudley appealed to this 
 sense. Though his iron-bound rule brought many 
 hardships it was good for business, and it steadied 
 the life of the city as nothing else could have 
 done. A leader of this sort may not be all that 
 could be desired, but there is no denying that he is
 
 "BIG CHIEF" DUDLEY 25 
 
 a leader and a powerful one. His fingers are 
 stuck in every pie. His hands reach forth into the 
 outermost edges of political life. He dictates 
 elections. He controls parties. In the case of 
 Dudley his great wealth and his powerful paper 
 were his principal tools, but it is doubtful whether 
 he depended more upon them than on his own 
 strong character. 
 
 One of the things which had interested him 
 from the start was the office of the bishop of Pre 
 sidio. This diocese had been under a certain Dr. 
 Axtell, a fine old man of the old school who 
 lacked initiative and spirit. As the convention 
 had not provided him with assistants, he had al 
 lowed matters to drift until the diocese became 
 weighted with useless debts and its people lost 
 interest. The bishop had been unable to rectify 
 matters and had been forced to see his beloved 
 charge slip into the terrible condition in which 
 it was found after his death. Because of this 
 there had been a universal demand for a bishop 
 who could do things ... a man of vision and 
 power. Several names had been presented to the 
 convention, but it had not become interested until 
 the name of Anderson had been announced. 
 
 Dudley had watched events with close interest. 
 He had selected a certain Dr. Lamb, at this time
 
 26 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 serving as the Missionary Bishop of a far West 
 ern state. Dr. Lamb had once been the rector of 
 St. James parish, Presidio, and was well liked by 
 the social element. But he was not a man of 
 force. Far too convivial for the higher efficiency, 
 he loved society with all its frills, seemingly much 
 better than he loved the work of the church. 
 Dudley knew all this, but had planned to control 
 him, and thus obtain a new means of power over 
 a long-suffering community. But he had reck 
 oned without his host. 
 
 He wanted him for several reasons ; in fact, had 
 promised the position to him, and Jim Dudley 
 always redeemed his promises . . . that is, al 
 most always. But this time the field of opera 
 tions was more difficult. Religion was not the 
 same as politics and it proved a greater problem 
 than he imagined. Of course, the "Big Chief" 
 did not attend the convention; he was far too wise 
 for that. He thought he could handle matters the 
 same as he did in city councils and other 
 bodies . . . just issue orders and let his hench 
 men do the work, himself to be content with the 
 power behind the throne. His chief henchman, 
 Patrick J. Kearney, a thoroughly competent and 
 dependable man, and his confidential agent, had 
 been selected to do the work on the floor.
 
 "BIG CHIEF" DUDLEY 27 
 
 About half way through the day s session, 
 which had resulted in Anderson s election, Kear 
 ney had called his chief to the wire. 
 
 "Things dead-locked out here, Jim. Doesn t 
 seem to be any chance of doing anything. Every 
 one tired out." 
 
 "Never mind, Kearney," came back Dudley s 
 voice in gruff tones. "Tell Lowe to hold fast. If 
 the delegates are tired, now is the chance to stam 
 pede them to Lamb. Have some one get up and 
 make a rip-snorting speech. It s the psychologi 
 cal moment. We ll win, I tell you." 
 
 "All right, Jim. I ll see what I can do. Good 
 bye." 
 
 Dudley had truly spoken it was the psycho 
 logical instant. Five minutes later Anderson 
 was elected. And when Dudley received this 
 news he flew into one of those ungovernable rages 
 for which he was distinguished. 
 
 "True," he said to himself, "I don t give a 
 hang about Lamb or the church, but it is just this 
 idea of being licked. A prairie fire starts from 
 a small blaze. So might Presidio become imbued 
 with the idea they can beat me. And that would 
 never, never do." 
 
 Jim Dudley sat in his richly furnished office 
 always fastidious in his tastes and waited im-
 
 28 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 patiently for Kearney. That worthy took his 
 time returning to the chief. He knew what 
 awaited him, and he decided to let Dudley cool 
 off a bit before he appeared. For years he had 
 been associated with him, and he was the one man 
 who did not fear him. He disliked quarreling, 
 and had bitterly objected to the chief s mixing 
 in religious politics. When he entered the office, 
 Dudley leaped to his feet. 
 
 "Well! you got your licking, eh?" 
 
 "Who, me?" grinned Kearney. "Oh, I don t 
 know. Maybe it was somebody else who got 
 licked huh?" 
 
 Kearney was Irish with a saving sense of 
 humor. Although he was Dudley s right-hand 
 man and in his pay, he preserved that independ 
 ence of thought so typical of his race. He was the 
 one man Dudley could not bluff. 
 
 "No, not you," growled the chief, whose voice, 
 always sharp, was now rasping. "What about 
 this convention? Tell me all you know." 
 
 "Nothing about it," tersely answered Kearney, 
 biting off the end of a cigar and lighting it. "I 
 told you over the phone they had elected a bishop 
 and it wasn t Lamb. That s all." 
 
 Dudley, by this time, had flown into a second 
 rage.
 
 "BIG CHIEF" DUDLEY 29 
 
 "No, it s not all," he thundered. "Who did it 
 and how ? You phoned that the delegates were 
 tired out and ready to quit. A short while later 
 you phoned again saying they elected this . . . 
 this . . . what the deuce is his name?" 
 
 "Anderson." 
 
 "Yes, Anderson." 
 
 "Well, Jim, that s just what they did. After I 
 first phoned you I was having a quiet smoke out 
 side and ruminating on the blamed foolishness of 
 your mixing up in a fight that did not concern 
 you, and from which you could derive no possible 
 benefit, when all at once I heard a big racket in 
 side. It sounded queer, and I went in to see what 
 was going on. It was queer, all right, for they 
 had finished their work and were listening to a 
 talk by the presiding officer. Lowe gave me the 
 details afterwards." 
 
 Kearney then related all he knew, adding: 
 "I m glad it is all over. I don t fancy church 
 work, it s not our game. I m not sorry you re 
 licked." 
 
 "Licked! Who says I m licked?" shouted 
 Dudley. "This Anderson is elected, but he isn t 
 consecrated yet, and he shall not be if I can help 
 it." 
 
 "Cut it out, Jim. We ve got all we can handle
 
 30 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 in this franchise fight. Besides, Anderson may 
 be just the man you want. You don t know him 
 and one can never tell." 
 
 "No . . . and I don t want to know him. He 
 may be a saint, but I said Lamb, and I want 
 Lamb!" Always the eternal "I" with Dudley. 
 
 "All right," answered Kearney. "It s your 
 funeral and not mine. So, go to it." 
 
 "You bet I will," snapped Dudley. 
 
 He knew that before Dr. Anderson could be 
 consecrated in his new position as bishop of Pre 
 sidio, his election must be confirmed by the House 
 of Bishops, and there was a great number in this 
 house, representing, as they did, the general 
 church of America. Dudley would attack him 
 there. He realized that big and powerful as he 
 was, he could not afford to attack Dr. Anderson 
 through The Banner. He was entirely too wise 
 to become embroiled in a church controversy, but 
 he could, and did, use certain methods at which 
 he was the master hand. 
 
 His first procedure was to dictate a letter to 
 every bishop voting in the house, in each of 
 which was stated that Dr. Anderson s elec 
 tion was a mistake; that it was rushed through 
 by highhanded methods; that the real senti 
 ment of the diocese, lay and clerical, was
 
 "BIG CHIEF" DUDLEY 31 
 
 against the bishop-elect ; also that the new bishop^ 
 would never be able to mould the widely sepa 
 rated units of the torn diocese into a good work 
 ing organization, a matter of supreme necessity 
 for the good of the church. On the other hand, 
 Dr. Lamb was well known, had once been a mem 
 ber of the Clericus of Presidio . . . and, besides, 
 he enjoyed great social prestige which would help 
 him in the work. 
 
 Dudley made one tremendous mistake, a not 
 unusual circumstance for men of his calibre. He 
 sent a letter containing his views to Bishop 
 Turner, who had presided over the Presidio con 
 vention, and who, by virtue of his rank, would also 
 preside over the House of Bishops. It so hap 
 pened that Bishop Turner s diocese adjoined 
 Presidio on the south, and the good bishop knew 
 conditions better than most men. Also he knew 
 Dudley, and, likewise, Dr. Anderson. It was 
 under Bishop Turner s tutelage that Dr. Ander 
 son had taken his holy orders, first of the dioco- 
 nate, and then the priesthood. As a matter of 
 fact, Bishop Turner had suggested to the Rev 
 erend Spencer the idea of presenting Dr. Ander 
 son s name. 
 
 Even churchmen must play at politics once in 
 a while, so Bishop Turner, after receiving Dud-
 
 32 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 ley s letter, immediately became a very busy man, 
 and wrote a personal communication to every 
 bishop, setting forth the real facts of the case, and 
 urging confirmation of Dr. Anderson s election. 
 In point of service Bishop Turner was the ablest 
 in the country. His diocese was as good as Pre 
 sidio s was bad, and he knew that Dr. Anderson 
 was the man for Presidio. He could and would 
 redeem the lost prestige something that Dr. 
 Lamb never could have done. The fight waxed 
 to a bitter finish, resulting finally in the complete 
 defeat of the "Big Chief." The House of Bish 
 ops met, and the election of the new bishop was 
 confirmed by unanimous consent.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 A MOMENTOUS DECISION 
 
 ALL during the fight waged against him in Pre 
 sidio, Dr. Anderson, the innocent cause of Dud 
 ley s wrath, pursued the even tenor of his every 
 day life in the rectory at Hillsburg, in far away 
 Pennsylvania. In stature he presented an un 
 usually fine type of physical manhood. Six feet 
 two in his stockings, weight well above two hun 
 dred, muscular, athletic, iron-gray hair, spark 
 ling, bluish eyes, a large mouth, well filled with 
 strong teeth he looked aggressive, and he was. 
 He carried his fifty-two years most gracefully, 
 and was at peace with all the world. 
 
 His church was a magnificent structure, abso 
 lutely free from debt, and his salary was more 
 than satisfactory, considering the comfortable 
 rectory, which he occupied with his wife, and a 
 son aged ten. There were other children, five of 
 them, making six in all; one a civil engineer in 
 
 33
 
 34 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 South America, another an officer of the United 
 States Army, two daughters in a fashionable 
 school in Philadelphia, and one married daughter 
 living in the central West. And, besides, the 
 good doctor was a grandfather, although he 
 didn t look it. All things considered, Dr. Ander 
 son had every reason to be satisfied, since, in ad 
 dition to all of the blessings referred to, he had 
 become a celebrated author, and his novels, stir 
 ring tales of the army, navy and western life, 
 were widely read, and brought in a handsome in 
 come on the side. In every sense of the word his 
 life was a happy one. 
 
 " But life cannot be "all beer and skittles," and 
 one night as the good doctor sat smoking, his 
 mind ruminated over the things with which he 
 came in daily contact, that very day for instance, 
 he had baptized an infant at ten o clock, married 
 a couple at two, and buried an old parishioner at 
 four. 
 
 "The entire gamut of life in one day," thought 
 he, "birth, marriage, and death." Here his 
 thoughts were interrupted by the knock of a 
 neatly dressed maid. 
 
 "A telegram for you, sir." 
 
 "Thank you," said he, breaking the seal and 
 hurriedly glancing over its contents. Then he sat
 
 A MOMENTOUS DECISION 35 
 
 bolt upright and read it over and over again. It 
 was dated at Presidio on the day previous and 
 marked "delayed in transmission." It read as 
 follows : 
 
 "The convention of the diocese of Presidio to 
 day elected you its bishop. I regard it as a divine 
 call and urge you take no action until you receive 
 my letter, which will go forward tonight." 
 
 "(Signed) TURNER, Presiding Bishop." 
 
 Dr. Anderson was astounded. The idea of a 
 bishopric had never entered his mind. Several 
 times he had been approached on the subject by 
 small dioceses, but had always declined. He was 
 a godly man and a thorough churchman, but, 
 somehow, the idea of being a bishop never had ap 
 pealed to him. He loved the good things of life, 
 and his living as rector of St. George s was bet 
 ter than that of many bishops most of them, in 
 fact. Not that Dr. Anderson was a slacker; far 
 from it ! His work in the West during the days 
 of his dioconate and early priesthood had proved 
 his fighting qualities, and now he felt that he had 
 earned the sinecure he held at present, and he was 
 loath to give it up. But here was a condition, not
 
 36 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 a theory confronting him. Bishop Turner s re 
 quest that he should not take action until his let 
 ter was received caused the doctor quite a little 
 uneasiness, because he had more respect and ven 
 eration for Bishop Turner than any other man 
 in the church. He looked up to him as a son 
 would look up to a father. At this juncture his 
 very charming wife returned from a shopping 
 tour and found him so absorbed in his thoughts 
 that he was unaware of her approach. 
 
 "Tired, dear?" she asked sweetly, as she kissed 
 him. 
 
 "No, not tired, Helen, just thinking. This 
 message came a few minutes ago." 
 
 Unused to such worldly matters, Mrs. Ander 
 son took up the telegram wonderingly, and read 
 it through more than once. Amazed at its con 
 tents she finally laid it on his desk. Husband and 
 wife gazed at each other for many long moments 
 before either spoke. 
 
 "But you won t accept it, will you, dear?" 
 Mrs. Anderson s question contained a more than 
 slight tone of protest. 
 
 "I don t know, Helen. If I consulted my own 
 personal feelings and our comfort, I would de 
 cline it instantly, but there s Bishop Turner s re 
 quest to await his letter. Bishop Turner, as you
 
 37 
 
 know, dear, is a leader in the church, and I m a 
 follower. I won t make a snap decision, of that 
 you may be sure." 
 
 "Oh, but I don t want to leave here," she ex 
 postulated. "Everything is so pleasant and com 
 fortable, and the girls are only a short ride from 
 us. And Presidio," Mrs. Anderson shuddered; 
 "ugh! Presidio is away out West the jumping- 
 off place!" 
 
 Dr. Anderson smiled ; his gentle wife was East 
 ern born, and had never been in the glorious 
 West, save on flying trips with him. She could 
 not realize that people were people wherever they 
 were, nor did she know all her good husband knew 
 about the condition of the diocese of Presidio. 
 Dr. Anderson was well informed from church re 
 ports, and from correspondence with brother 
 clergymen. Had she known what he knew, her 
 opposition would have been still stronger. 
 
 "Nonsense, Helen," laughed the doctor; 
 "you re prejudiced against the West. Presidio 
 is a splendid city, and we could be just as happy 
 there as any place. Happiness is not a question 
 of locality, rather of personality of ourselves." 
 
 "Yes, I know, Henry, I could be happy with 
 you any place on earth, but " 
 
 "There, there, dearest, let s not discuss it any
 
 38 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 more. We ll wait until we hear from Bishop 
 Turner." 
 
 "All right, we will;" picking up her gloves, she 
 went downstairs, leaving the doctor alone with his 
 thoughts. That night as Helen Anderson slept 
 she had a dream a bad one and that dream 
 spelled "P R E S I D I O." 
 
 The very next day Bishop Turner s letter came 
 by special delivery. It reviewed the work of the 
 Presidio convention, giving all details leading up 
 to Dr. Anderson s election, and wound up by ad 
 juring him to accept. "The church needs you," 
 was the substance of his powerful appeal. Dr. 
 Anderson, being a churchman first, last, and all 
 the time, was "the real man for the place." But 
 there was no hurry. It would take time for the 
 House of Bishops to act. "Consider! Consider, 
 prayerfully, consider everything!" were the last 
 words contained in the letter. 
 
 On the following day, and every day there 
 after, came more letters from Spencer, Schott, 
 St. Clair, and other members of the Clericus of 
 Presidio ; from lay members, there and elsewhere, 
 praying Dr. Anderson to accept and lead Pre 
 sidio out of the wilderness. Still he hesitated 
 until one day he received a final appeal from 
 Bishop Turner, enclosing the letter he had re-
 
 A MOMENTOUS DECISION 39 
 
 ceived from James Burchard Dudley, who was 
 trying to defeat the action of the Presidio con 
 vention. Dr. Anderson did not know Dudley, 
 except by reputation; but as Bishop Turner put 
 it, "here is an outsider trying to run the church." 
 Dr. Anderson read this with his lips tightly closed 
 into a grim, straight line, and then he went to a 
 ball game, throughout the nine innings of which 
 he turned the matter over in his mind without 
 knowing at any time how the score stood. After 
 the game he went directly to a telegraph office 
 and sent the following message to Bishop 
 Turner : 
 
 "If my election is confirmed, I will accept the 
 post as Bishop of Presidio." 
 
 It was long after the evening meal was over 
 before he could bring himself to the point of tell 
 ing his wife what he had done. He had been so 
 noncommunicative on the subject of late that she 
 had almost hoped herself into the belief that her 
 bad dream was nothing but a nightmare after all. 
 With nearly all of the dread feeling obliterated 
 she was almost ready to believe that her happiness 
 vou T d go on smoothly to the end of her days. 
 Considering this state of mind, the shock, dismay,
 
 40 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 and sorrow, rolled into one bitter pill when she 
 heard her husband say : 
 
 "Helen, I have accepted the call to Presidio." 
 
 Mrs. Anderson s lip quivered. If her life had 
 depended upon it she could not have held back the 
 deep sigh, which she tried to suppress. But she 
 was a bishop s wife now, and she would do her 
 part. She would not be a hold-back. 
 
 "All right, dearest," she replied with all the 
 cheerfulness she could muster, "you know best." 
 
 Of course, the wardens and vestrymen of St. 
 George s were disappointed, and so were all citi 
 zens of Hillsburg, because Dr. Anderson was uni 
 versally liked by everybody, irrespective of race, 
 color or creed. They protested seriously, and 
 even pointed out the fact that his salary in Pre 
 sidio would be a few thousand per year less, and 
 whether or not he would draw his salary each 
 month would depend upon his own ability as col 
 lector, as the diocesan treasury of Presidio was 
 chronically broke. This argument was soon 
 found to be without merit. 
 
 "There are other things besides money," said 
 he, "I must go." All this time "Big Chief" Dud 
 ley s letter reposed in his pocket, and when he 
 thought of it, his jaws came together with a snap.
 
 A MOMENTOUS DECISION 41 
 
 The House of Bishops had unanimously con 
 firmed his election; therefore, in due time, the 
 pretty Hillsburg rectory was dismantled, and a 
 few days later Bishop Anderson, his wife ancj 
 their youngest son, Bud, arrived in Presidio. In 
 driving from the depot to the house of a church 
 man, where, with his family, he would be a guest 
 until his own household goods arrived, the host 
 pointed out many points of interest, among oth 
 ers, a massive four-story building on Main Street, 
 of which he said : 
 
 "That s The Banner Building, owned by 
 James Burchard Dudley." 
 
 Dr. Anderson gazed steadily at the powerful 
 structure, so typical of its owner, a veritable fast 
 ness of strength to behold, and then he replied 
 quietly : 
 
 "Ah, indeed. I m quite sure I have heard of 
 the gentleman. He builds well. I must get ac 
 quainted with him." So calm and collected was 
 the new bishop that his host looked up into his 
 mobile face in perfect wonderment. Had he not 
 heard? Was he aware of what he was saying? 
 If not, a great awakening awaited him.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BISHOP 
 
 SHORTLY after his arrival came the new bish 
 op s consecration, when society and church came 
 out in state. It was a great function and old 
 St. Clement s was crowded to the doors with the 
 best people of Presidio, also many came from 
 other cities. There were a number of prominent 
 churchmen, bishops, and clericals, headed by the 
 venerable Bishop Turner, who conducted the cer 
 emonies. It was he who received Dr. Anderson 
 and consecrated him in his new work, and the new 
 bishop was visibly affected by his tender attitude. 
 He realized full well the tremendous responsi 
 bilities now resting upon his shoulders, and on the 
 following sabbath, when he ascended the pulpit 
 to deliver his first sermon, every eye was focussed 
 upon him. Naturally, his fame as an orator, au 
 thor and man had preceded his arrival, and much 
 
 42
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BISHOP 43 
 
 was expected of him. With this in mind he aban 
 doned the usual sermon and in its stead delivered 
 a real heart-to-heart talk, which his auditors ac 
 cepted as his message. He told them just what 
 he wanted to do, how he wanted to do it, and what 
 part the communicants of the church would have 
 to play in his general scheme of upbuilding the 
 diocese. There must be action, and constant 
 striving for better things. He realized full w r ell 
 his shortcomings, and desired the hearty and ac 
 tive co-operation of every member of the church. 
 
 "Too long," said he, "has the diocese of Pre 
 sidio been at the end of the church procession; 
 the time has now come for it to move forward." 
 
 He welcomed the co-operation of all creeds and 
 classes for anything looking toward the better 
 ment of the city of Presidio as a community. He 
 would have no favorites in church or secular af 
 fairs ; he took things as he found them. Every 
 thing must be open and above board. Healthy 
 opposition he would welcome, because always 
 there were two sides to a question. And dis 
 cussion would bring out the facts. In clos 
 ing he said: "I am aware that there was 
 opposition to my election, but that was to be 
 expected. I am also aware that even after my 
 election, which was legal, churchly, and fair in
 
 44 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 every respect, certain letters were written by one 
 of your most prominent citizens to various bish 
 ops, making statements which were malignant, 
 untrue, and vicious. These letters were sent to 
 prevent my confirmation." 
 
 Every eye was turned to the speaker, as he 
 faced them this man unafraid who had openly 
 dared to rebuke the redoubtable "Big Chief" 
 Dudley in his own home town. 
 
 "I hold in my hand," continued the new bishop 
 in measured tones, "one of those letters, and I de 
 sire to say now so that all may hear and know, J 
 am serving my God, and I shall wear no man s 
 collar" 
 
 Everybody in the congregation knew what 
 Bishop Anderson meant. They also knew ex 
 actly whom he meant, it was his intention that 
 they should know, and that Mr. Dudley should 
 know, just where he stood. There must be no mis 
 understanding, and, as the congregation filed out, 
 there was a rush to congratulate him, but not a 
 few, in their timid hearts, deprecated his attack 
 on the "Big Chief." Why start a fight? They 
 realized that a man had come "to court," but was 
 he really looking for a scrap with Dudley the first 
 thing? Dudley, the boss? Dudley, the "Big 
 Chief?" No, the bishop was not looking for a
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BISHOP 45 
 
 scrap with Dudley, or any one else. He was for 
 peace. But, on the other hand, he wasn t running 
 away from anything. He was merely standing 
 in the middle of the road ready to act offensively 
 or defensively as circumstances decreed that 
 was all. 
 
 Of course, "Big Chief" Dudley heard of this 
 sermon, though he was not present in person. 
 Kearney was there and heard and saw. Secretly, 
 he admired the courage and poise of the man who 
 would "beard the lion" if necessary, but 
 he pitied him for the little knowledge he 
 possessed regarding his adversary. Naturally, 
 Dudley would grind this big bishop into bits 
 when the time came. No one could withstand 
 the onslaught of his chief, bishop or what not. 
 He d "eat em alive and spit em on the ground," 
 that was Kearney s way of thinking. In due 
 course, Kearney met the new bishop. The meet 
 ing took place at the bishop s church, just after 
 service, and Kearney received a hearty welcome. 
 
 "Glad, indeed, to meet you, Mr. Kearney. I 
 hope you will come often." There was no doubt 
 in Kearney s mind of the bishop s sincerity. 
 
 "Dunno, Bishop," smiled Kearney, returning 
 his firm handshake. "I work for Mr. Dudley." 
 
 "Oh, for Mr. Dudley, of The Banner! Good!
 
 46 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 Come out again, and .bring Mr. Dudley with 
 
 you." 
 
 As Kearney walked away he was almost con 
 vulsed the idea of Jim Dudley ever hearing 
 Bishop Anderson preach, especially after he 
 learned of the sermon of this particular morning ! 
 When he reached The Banner office, Dudley was 
 busy with callers, so Kearney bided his time. 
 When, finally, he did get to the "Big Chief," he 
 found some one had preceded him with the news. 
 Kearney wasn t sorry, he disliked the role of tale 
 bearer; it was against his nature. Dudley was 
 roaring mad. 
 
 "Kearney!" he shouted, as his right-hand man 
 came in view, "did you hear what that new bishop 
 said this morning? Gave me the devil from the 
 pulpit." 
 
 "Sure, I heard it," said Kearney. "The pul 
 pit s the proper place to give a man the devil, 
 
 "You heard it! How?" 
 
 "Oh, I was there; had nothing else to do, so 
 just strolled out to see the new bishop." 
 
 "You heard him?" Dudley couldn t compre 
 hend it. 
 
 "That s what I said, Jim; I heard him say he 
 wouldn t hesitate to give it to you or any one else 
 when the occasion demanded. And do you
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BISHOP 47 
 
 know I believe he d do it. Looks to me as if he 
 was a real man, different from most bishops I ve 
 ever met." 
 
 Dudley gazed at Kearney in astonishment. 
 
 "What do you mean?" he growled, "are you 
 sticking up for this bishop?" Dudley s fat face 
 was fast becoming purple. 
 
 "Naw," answered the imperturbable Kearney, 
 "not sticking up for him at all. He doesn t need 
 any one to do that. I m just telling you some 
 thing. You had one coming to you for mixing up 
 in this church scrap. All he did was to read one 
 of those letters you wrote." 
 
 "He did," roared Dudley. "He did, eh? 
 Well, I ll- 
 
 "What ll you do ?" interjected Kearney. "Try 
 to raise a rumpus by bucking a church? You 
 can t do that. No, not even you, Dudley. You 
 only got what was coming to you, and I hope it 
 teaches you a lesson." 
 
 "You talk like you re in love with the man." 
 
 "I dunno, but what I am, Jim; he s the only 
 man in Presidio that ever dared to tell people 
 where he stands without consulting you first. 
 I believe he d fight at the drop of the hat." 
 
 "Well, you keep away from him after this."
 
 48 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 The "Big Chief" gave his head a jerk, as if to 
 emphasize his command. 
 
 "Steady, Dudley, you pay me, and I do your 
 work well." It was Kearney s time to talk now. 
 "I m useful to you or you wouldn t have me 
 around; but you, nor no other man, can pin a 
 badge on me, nor dictate with whom I may as 
 sociate. Where I go Sunday is on my own time. 
 Do you get me?" Kearney showed that he was 
 very much in earnest. 
 
 Dudley did "get him" all right, and he has 
 tened to pull away from such dangerous ground. 
 Kearney was absolutely essential to his plans, 
 especially now. 
 
 "All right, but don t let him hypnotize you." 
 
 "Sure, I won t," replied Kearney, going out 
 nonchalantly, his good nature returning since he 
 had had his say. 
 
 That night Dudley wrote two letters one to 
 the Rev. Schott of St. James parish, and the 
 other to the Rev. St. Clair, of St. Margaret s, in 
 forming them he was sorry he would not be able 
 to continue his annual contributions to their 
 parishes five hundred dollars each. That was 
 all. It was his first "kick-back" because of the 
 election of Dr. Anderson over Dr. Lamb. Dud 
 ley was sore all through. His personal pride had
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BISHOP 49 
 
 been ruffled over that affair, and now he had been 
 attacked from the pulpit by the man who won. 
 To be thwarted was nothing as compared with 
 being flaunted in public, especially by a preacher. 
 That Bishop Anderson had dared was beyond 
 Jim Dudley s comprehension. Long after most 
 people were asleep the "Big Chief" paced up and 
 down his comfortable study, scheming and plan 
 ning just what he would do to this bumptious 
 cleric from the East.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE SINEWS OF WAB 
 
 THINGS moved with amazing rapidity in Pre 
 sidio when Bishop Anderson began his work. 
 Within ten days after his consecration he held a 
 combined meeting of his clericus and a number of 
 prominent and wealthy men and women of the 
 diocese. To them he outlined his plans. First, he 
 demanded that the mortgage on the bishop s resi 
 dence be wiped out. But that would be easy, a 
 matter of sixteen thousand dollars a mere baga 
 telle ! Without giving them time to recover their 
 senses, he calmly announced his plans for a new 
 cathedral to replace the ramshackle St. Clem 
 ent s, in which they were at present sitting and 
 he wanted it as soon as it could be erected not 
 two years hence. Work must start immedi 
 ately ! 
 
 "But, Bishop Anderson, all that will take 
 
 so
 
 THE SINEWS OF WAR 51 
 
 money," expostulated the treasurer of the diocese, 
 "and at the present time we have on hand less 
 than one thousand dollars; and, besides, we owe 
 many times that amount." 
 
 "To be sure, my friends, I know that; but we 
 are going to raise all of the money we need, at 
 once." 
 
 "But how?" 
 
 "How?" The bishop s confident smile broad 
 ened into a good-natured laugh before replying. 
 "Just the same as any business house would do 
 in a similar situation. We are going to assess the 
 stockholders." 
 
 "Stockholders!" gasped one communicant, 
 "but we haven t any stockholders in this church." 
 
 "Oh, yes, we have, my friends. We are all 
 stockholders. Not, perhaps, in a strictly legal 
 sense, but in a business and churchly sense. You 
 see, I take the position that the church has two 
 entities, one spiritual, and the other business. 
 The spiritual end the clergy will attend to, and 
 in the business end every member must do his 
 share. Now, we all know that the diocese of 
 Presidio is in a very bad condition; that must be 
 remedied at once, and the first step is the rebuild 
 ing of the cathedral. We must have a suitable
 
 52 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 headquarters. That will awaken a just pride in 
 our hearts and inspire us accordingly." 
 
 The very audacity of the bishop s proposal had 
 a breath-catching effect upon the clericus, and 
 carried them along in spite of their inward com- 
 bativeness. They found themselves unable to 
 withstand his forceful personality, and were prac 
 tically swept off their feet. 
 
 "And, now, my friends," he concluded, "I will 
 never ask a man or woman to do that which I 
 would not do myself. Within the sound of my 
 voice there is represented enough wealth to build 
 this new cathedral and a magnificent hospital, as 
 well, without inconvenience to any of you. My 
 own purse is not as long as yours, and there is 
 much demand upon it. But I will head the sub 
 scription list with a two-thousand dollar subscrip 
 tion. Here s my check for half of it. As for the 
 balance, I hereby authorize the diocesan treas 
 urer to pay same to the building committee out 
 of my salary, twelve equal installments, all within 
 one year from date. There, my friends, is the be 
 ginning. What are you going to do about it?" 
 
 Do? What must they do, when inspired by 
 such a leader? Their new bishop was evidently a 
 man who directed his campaign from the firing 
 line, where the battle was hardest, rather than
 
 THE SINEWS OF WAR 53 
 
 from a comfortable headquarters miles away in 
 the rear. Here was a general who shouted, "Come 
 on!" not Kio ahead!" The very air inside the 
 old church suddenly became surcharged with the 
 terrific force of the man. His example was in 
 fectious, and subscriptions came forth fast, and 
 generous in amount. The bishop had asked for 
 the mere trifle of one hundred thousand dollars, 
 which, he said, would prove a starter ! and the rest 
 would come later! He expected the whole 
 "plant" would cost a round quarter of a million, 
 and told them so. When the subscriptions were 
 all in and counted, they totalled a good third of 
 the total sum required. 
 
 "Magnificent!" shouted the bishop, "but not 
 enough; we want the rest of that first hundred 
 thousand now!" 
 
 Once again the bishop carried his auditors 
 along, careful himself to be their leader. His own 
 contribution he increased five hundred dollars. 
 He knew his power, and it was not his day to quit 
 with half a victory. One man, "Old Hank" Low 
 ell, as he was known to all Presidio, was a million 
 aire, many times over, and had subscribed a pal 
 try thousand dollars not even a "drop in the 
 bucket" to him. He was reputed to be as close 
 as one second following another, but the bishop
 
 54 
 
 refused to allow him to live up to his reputation 
 on this day. He had determined that now was 
 the time to awaken this miserly man. 
 
 "My friends!" he exclaimed, "you truly have 
 given me a splendid idea of just what the diocese 
 of Presidio is going to be. You have contributed 
 
 freely to this worthy cause ; but " and here he 
 
 paused and allowed his gaze to travel around the 
 room, finally resting it for one tense moment on 
 Lowell. 
 
 "There are several men and women present," 
 he continued, "who have not done their full duty. 
 Once more I call upon them in the name of hu 
 manity, in the name of this diocese, in the name of 
 this entire community, in the name of my God 
 and their God, to do that which is right, and give 
 from their earthly store a sum commensurate with 
 the worthiness of this cause. Come, friends, now 
 is the time to show your calibre." 
 
 "Hank" Lowell knew just what the bishop 
 meant, and also whom he was after. He fidgetted 
 in his seat, and tried to slide down below those in 
 front of him. But the eyes of the bishop 
 followed, and, ever his voice sounded the knell of 
 dollars, he knew Lowell must yield. It was a ter 
 rible situation for Lowell. Moments seemed 
 hours, as he squirmed in his seat. At length
 
 THE SINEWS OF WAR 55 
 
 something within him stirred, a feeling long since 
 dead, but finally revived Mammon gave 
 way to the God of Christianity. He arose in his 
 place and swayed unsteadily on his feet. His 
 face became white and drawn, and his voice 
 quivered, but there was a glitter of determination 
 in his eyes, as he opened his mouth to speak. 
 
 "Bishop Anderson, and you, my friends, I ain t 
 much of a talker and I haven t given this diocese 
 as much as I might in days gone by, but there 
 hasn t been much of a diocese to give anything to. 
 Now things begin to look different, and we have 
 a leader at our head. Bishop," and here his voice 
 arose to a high pitch, "I ll subscribe twenty-five 
 thousand dollars, and I ll write out my check 
 now!" 
 
 There was one great voice of approval when 
 "Old Hank" Lowell "walked the plank." But 
 he did it bravely. Once started he never looked 
 back. Naturally, everybody was astounded. It 
 was an unheard-of thing for the miserly man 
 to loosen his purse strings to such an extent. 
 After the roar of approval died away, all present 
 sat as if stunned, until, led by the bishop, another 
 storm of approbation broke loose. For the first 
 time in all his long life "Old Hank" found him 
 self a hero, and when the meeting broke up
 
 56 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Bishop Anderson had checks and pledges for a 
 good half of his total needs. It was a great day, 
 indeed, for him, and for the church, and for Pre 
 sidio. 
 
 Of course, the news of the bishop s success be 
 came at once the talk of the town. The papers 
 slapped it on their first pages under double-col 
 umn scare heads. Even The Banner gave it 
 prominence, particularly concerning "Hank" 
 Lowell s big contribution, the fact of which was 
 first taken with a large grain of salt. 
 
 "Must have jimmied it out of him," observed 
 Kearney to Dudley. 
 
 "Bah! nothing but hypnotism, and a new 
 broom. He ll play out." 
 
 "Pretty good hyping," grinned Kearney, 
 "when a man can make a bunch come across for 
 a hundred and thirty thousand in one day and 
 to build a church wow! I wish I had his sys 
 tem." 
 
 Next morning bright and early, numerous call 
 ers were on hand to congratulate and cheer the 
 bishop. Among them were the Rev. Schott and 
 St. Clair. They told him that Dudley had with 
 drawn his support from their parishes, and how 
 dreadfully they needed the money. 
 
 "He did, eh?" ejaculated the bishop. "Well,
 
 THE SINEWS OF WAR 57 
 
 I ll call on him soon, and see if I can t bring him 
 back into the fold." 
 
 "Better keep away, Bishop at least until he 
 cools off. You know he hasn t recovered from the 
 fact that you beat Lamb." 
 
 "Nonsense, gentlemen, I am not afraid of 
 Dudley. Maybe a visit will be a good thing for 
 both of us." 
 
 It was not Dudley who worried the bishop on 
 this beautiful morning after the big event of his 
 life. The thing that bothered him was where to 
 find a place to worship in while St. Clement s was 
 being rebuilt. Many parishioners lived near the 
 old church, and it was quite a distance to another 
 of the same denomination. But no such thing as 
 defeat of any project was in the bishop s mind 
 this day. He thought quickly, and, strange as 
 was his final determination, he acted upon it in 
 stantly. As quickly as he could get there he 
 called upon Rabbi Edwin Wise, who presided 
 over Bnai Brith, Congregation of Israel. His 
 beautiful church edifice fronted on Lennox 
 Boulevard, only two blocks away from St. Clem 
 ent s, and he personally was a progressive, high- 
 minded Jew a leader of his race. He had met 
 Bishop Anderson some years before in the East, 
 and admired him greatly. The Rabbi was one of
 
 58 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 the very first to welcome him upon his arrival in 
 Presidio. 
 
 "Rabbi Wise," said the bishop, after greetings 
 had been exchanged, "would you consider allow 
 ing the parish of St. Clement s to use your temple 
 for worship on Sunday mornings during the time 
 the cathedral is being rebuilt?" 
 
 "Would I ? Why, my dear Bishop, I shall be 
 delighted." There could be no halting and fid 
 dling between such high-minded gentlemen, 
 whereupon from his pulpit Sunday morning next 
 Bishop Anderson announced the new place of 
 worship. 
 
 It is easy to imagine the consternation of the 
 parishioners. A gentile parish worshiping in a 
 Jewish Temple! Jew and Gentile under the 
 same roof! It makes your breath come quick to 
 think about it, but the bishop minced no words 
 when he saw that some of his flock seemed in 
 clined to argue the matter. 
 
 "No use, my friends," he told them; "the Jew 
 believes in the Old Testament his God is our 
 God. We go a little further and accept the New 
 Testament, that s the only difference. We will 
 worship in the Temple the next Sunday and 
 every Sunday thereafter until our own church is 
 rebuilt." As usual, the bishop won.
 
 THE SINEWS OF WAR 59 
 
 The following Sunday, for the first time in the 
 history of the Christian world, a Jewish temple 
 sheltered a Christian congregation, and there was 
 spoken the glorious Apostles Creed, handed 
 down through generations of time. That great 
 est and most beautiful reiteration of faith, "I be 
 lieve." 
 
 The temple was crowded, many coming out of 
 curiosity to see the man who dared defy cus 
 tom. It was evident that some meddlers in at 
 tendance expected to witness a big row of some 
 kind. The newspapers had made a sensation of 
 the matter, and no one would have been surprised 
 if a fist fight actually took place. Every move 
 made by the bishop was eagerly watched, but 
 after an hour of orderly, Christian-like behavior, 
 and a splendid sermon in the bargain, the outsid 
 ers opened their eyes to the fact that a powerful 
 leader stood before them. They realized that 
 they w r ere witnessing a wonderful scene and, 
 while they had come to scoff, they remained to 
 worship, along with the rest.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 NEW TROUBLES ARISE 
 
 IT was not very long before Bishop Anderson 
 was one of the best-known men in Presidio. He 
 and his charming wife became great favorites so 
 cially, and among the men folk the bishop came 
 into his own. The younger men liked him be 
 cause he was red-blooded, athletic, a patron of 
 baseball, racing, boxing, wrestling, and all the 
 sports which go to make up a manly man. The 
 older men liked him for his fairness of mind and 
 his unflinching championship of right. As one 
 man put it, "Bishop Anderson stands one hun 
 dred per cent square." The bishop was not 
 preachy. He believed in his church, but not in 
 such a bigoted way that he could not see goodness 
 in all churches. 
 
 "Any clean-living human being can take his 
 
 chances with God without being afraid." That 
 
 60
 
 NEW TROUBLES ARISE 61 
 
 was liis way of looking at man s destiny in the 
 great hereafter. 
 
 Kearney and the bishop became quite friendly, 
 and met on various occasions. Kearney s em 
 ployer, however, held himlself aloof, and the 
 bishop made no overtures. Dudley s spirit 
 rankled in his bosom by reason of the bishop s 
 popularity, and his petty soul failed to rise above 
 such feelings. He merely bided his time, and 
 hoped for an opportunity when he could come out 
 and fight the bishop openly not as a churchman, 
 but as a man. He did not want him around, and 
 he decided to make Presidio too hot to hold him 
 and he wanted to do it in his own way. Bishop 
 Anderson was a thorn in his side, which he would 
 remove in time. Unexpectedly, his opportunity 
 came sooner than he expected. 
 
 When Bishop Anderson had been in Presidio 
 a few months he received a call from three prom 
 inent citizens Michael Flanagan, president of 
 the American Gas Company; Rabbi Wise, and 
 Dr. Arnold, of the First Presbyterian Church. 
 
 "Well, gentlemen!" exclaimed the bishop, as 
 the delegation filed into his study and confronted 
 him, "this is, indeed, a pleasant surprise. I 
 am glad to see you. Sit down and make your 
 selves at home." The easy manner of this hos-
 
 62 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 pitable speech in no way discovered to his guests 
 that the bishop was, indeed, very much surprised 
 at their presence in his home. To further impress 
 them with his perfect peace of mind, he passed 
 around cigars and cigarettes, and lighted his 
 faithful old pipe. This done, he waited several 
 tense moments for some one to state the object 
 of their visit. 
 
 "Bishop Anderson, our mission is a peculiar 
 one," began Mr. Flanagan, with a show of em 
 barrassment. 
 
 "Come right to the point, Mr. Flanagan." 
 
 "Well," said Mr. Flanagan thoughtfully, look 
 ing at the tip of his burning cigar, "since you 
 came to Presidio your actions have stamped you 
 as a man of great force. A natural leader not 
 only of your own church, but of men in all walks 
 of life." 
 
 "You flatter me, Mr. Flanagan," smilingly in 
 terjected the bishop. 
 
 "If the truth is flattery, then I do. But the 
 results you have accomplished speak for them 
 selves." 
 
 Dr. Arnold and Rabbi Wise nodded approv 
 ingly. 
 
 "Now," continued Mr. Flanagan, "upon the 
 occasion of your first sermon here you said you
 
 NEW TROUBLES ARISE 63 
 
 wore no man s collar. Do you know, Bishop, that 
 was the best thing said in Presidio in twenty 
 years." 
 
 "And why, pray?" asked the bishop. 
 
 "Because that was the first time Jim Dudley 
 had been told where he got off." 
 
 "Dudley ! you astonish me. My remark wasn t 
 applicable to Dudley personally, but to a class 
 of men who think they can run everything on 
 earth without consulting the feelings of others." 
 
 "You hit Dudley s character to a dot, Bishop 
 Anderson," interjected Dr. Arnold. "He has 
 been doing just that ever since he came to Pre 
 sidio, and has ridden, rough-shod, over us on 
 every occasion and now the time has come for 
 him to be stopped." 
 
 "And, Bishop," added Rabbi Wise, "you are 
 the man to stop him." 
 
 Bishop Anderson was astounded when these 
 gentlemen, representing, as they did, three differ 
 ent religious faiths Catholic, Presbyterian and 
 Jewish made their statement. 
 
 "But, gentlemen!" he exclaimed, "I do not get 
 your idea. I know from what I have heard since 
 coming here that Mr. Dudley is a power. But he 
 must be an unusually brilliant man a strong one 
 to have done all that is claimed for him."
 
 64 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "He is strong, Bishop," said Flanagan, "and 
 brilliant, but he has become obsessed with the idea 
 that he is impregnable. Through his paper he 
 has built up a machine that pursues its way, 
 crushing all opposition into dust." 
 
 "And you expect me to offer myself to be 
 crushed in the same way?" smiled the bishop. 
 
 "No, not crushed, Bishop," said Flanagan, 
 leaning across the desk and speaking very tensely. 
 "We expect you to lead a movement which will 
 beat him. Beat him at his own game." 
 
 "How?" tersely asked the bishop. He was all 
 attention. 
 
 "Bear with me a moment, and I ll be as brief as 
 possible," replied Flanagan. Dr. Arnold and 
 Rabbi Wise drew their chairs closer that they 
 might catch every word, for the spokesman knew 
 the "Big Chief" as no other in Presidio save 
 Kearney. It was a dramatic scene, and Flanagan 
 continued : 
 
 "Dudley absolutely controls his paper, as you 
 know. He is rich in real estate, has bank stock, 
 and is interested in many other profitable ven 
 tures. He positively dominates the political sit 
 uation. The mayor, Schultz, fawns upon him. 
 The speaker of the council is Patrick J. Kear 
 ney Dudley s right hand and the speaker
 
 NEW TROUBLES ARISE 65 
 
 under our municipal system is even more power 
 ful than the mayor. Kearney puts through the 
 council any measure Dudley asks for, and Schultz 
 signs it. The councilmen are of the usual cali 
 bre found in politics some good, some bad, and 
 some worse. It makes no difference to Dudley 
 whether they are Republicans or Democrats he 
 moulds them all to his will. Our city government 
 is a joke Presidio spells Dudley and Dud 
 ley spells Presidio. 
 
 "That is a deplorable state of affairs, gentle 
 men," gravely interjected the bishop. 
 
 "It truly is," continued Flanagan, "and one, 
 which must not continue, if we are to have inde 
 pendence of thought and individual liberty in our 
 city." Flanagan paused a moment, as if weigh 
 ing his words. "Now I come direct to the point," 
 he continued. "Dudley, not content with what he 
 already possesses, now aspires to own the gas 
 company of Presidio." 
 
 "But, Mr. Flanagan, I understood that your 
 company, the American, owned the gas plant." 
 
 "It does, Bishop Anderson now. But here s 
 the peculiar situation. Our company was formed 
 twenty-five years ago, when Presidio was a vil 
 lage. We didn t have much money, but after we 
 secured our franchise, we began to build what has
 
 66 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 since become a great system. Of course, as the 
 population grew and the city expanded, we had 
 to meet the demand by extending our system. 
 That required a large amount of money, so we in 
 creased our capital stock and put out bond issues, 
 as the exigencies of the case demanded. Con 
 trary to most enterprises of this kind, the bonds 
 and stocks were largely sold right here among our 
 own citizens. These securities were not val 
 uable in the first instance, because all the money 
 we made of necessity must be put back in the 
 plant immediately no chance for dividends 
 whatever. The change from kerosene light to 
 gas, you must know, was very expensive. Still, 
 there was no complaint from our stockholders, 
 and, of course, our bondholders always received 
 their interest. Only during the past ten years 
 have we been paying anything to our stockhold 
 ers. Our treasury just now is prospering to a 
 point where dividends can be increased in the near 
 future. Our financial standing is, at last, first 
 class. Our long struggle to get on our feet is 
 over." 
 
 "You are to be congratulated, my dear Mr. 
 Flanagan, on such a splendid showing," said the 
 bishop. "It s good to know that at last the cor-
 
 NEW TROUBLES ARISE 67 
 
 poration is on its own financial legs, and that the 
 stockholders are to be rewarded." 
 
 "Thank you, Bishop," continued Flanagan, 
 "but I don t claim much credit. My father built 
 the system and I succeeded him when he died ten 
 years ago. The American is different from most 
 corporations. It s clean, and we try to keep it so. 
 But now comes Dudley. He sees the value of 
 our plant and wants it." 
 
 "Yes, but how can he get it, Mr. Flanagan? 
 From your own statement your property is valu 
 able, and the dividends you are paying make 
 your stock worth above par. I don t know much 
 about business, but I do know that. So if Mr. 
 Dudley wants your system, he ll have to pay a 
 goodly sum; so large, in fact, I doubt if even his 
 plethoric purse can stand it." Flanagan arose 
 and paced the floor of the bishop s study. 
 
 "Buy!" he exploded. "Buy the American! 
 Jim Dudley buy it! Huh! You don t know 
 him he doesn t intend to buy it. He s going to 
 take it!" Flanagan paused in front of the bishop. 
 
 "Men of Dudley s type don t buy they take !" 
 he shouted. 
 
 "You mean take it, without aye, yes, or no? 
 What about the law?" 
 
 "Law!" interjected Rabbi Wise, "law is the
 
 68 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 rich man s convenience in a case like this. Wait 
 until you hear the rest of the story. Go on, Mr. 
 Flanagan !" 
 
 "The franchise of any company, Bishop An 
 derson, is its most valuable asset ; take that away, 
 and you cut the ground from under its feet." 
 
 "Yes, but you have a franchise, Mr. Flanagan 
 you ve just said so." 
 
 "True, we have a franchise, but for only 
 twenty-five years and it runs out next Octo 
 ber." 
 
 "But surely a renewal will be granted?" 
 
 "Not if Jim Dudley can stop it, and under 
 present conditions he can probably do so. Listen, 
 Bishop the granting of the franchise is in the 
 hands of the present city council, and Dudley 
 controls that council. Don t forget, his man 
 Kearney is its chairman." 
 
 "But the council would it dare refuse your 
 company a franchise upon the showing you have 
 just made?" 
 
 "Refuse!" cried Flanagan passionately. "Re 
 fuse! Why, that council would crucify their 
 mothers, if Dudley said the word !" 
 
 "What a deplorable state of affairs!" ex 
 claimed the bishop "and in a progressive city 
 like Presidio ! I can t imagine such an outrage."
 
 NEW TROUBLES ARISE 69 
 
 "Wait," again began Flanagan, "wait until 
 you hear the rest of his scheme. If the American 
 fails in renewing its franchise, its most valuable 
 asset becomes worthless ; its stock is dead, the in 
 tegrity of the bonds is guaranteed by the value 
 of the plant, which is more than ample for the 
 purpose. The bondholders won t lose a penny, 
 but the stockholders will lose everything and 
 that would spell financial ruin to thousands of 
 citizens here in Presidio, who have invested their 
 all in this stock. Our stock is widely held, much 
 of it being in the hands of widows and orphans." 
 
 Flanagan, thoroughly worked up, paused a 
 moment, trying to collect himself. Dr. Arnold 
 and Rabbi Wise listened in silence, but their tense 
 expression showed them to be as vitally interested 
 in the recital as Flanagan. They knew every 
 word he said was true. 
 
 "Now, Bishop, here s Dudley s scheme. A new 
 company, called the National, is to be formed. 
 The corporation papers are already drawn up. 
 Dudley is to be the principal backer of this com 
 pany ; the present council will give the new com 
 pany a franchise for fifty years. The American 
 not having a franchise, will, perforce, be out of 
 business. The bondholders will apply for a re 
 ceivership, the new company will buy the plant
 
 70 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 for a song, the bondholders will receive stocks and 
 securities for twice their old value in the new 
 and present stockholders will hold the bag." 
 
 "And you say that can be done legally?" 
 
 "Legally! Why, Bishop Anderson, the law 
 will not only protect them in their scheme, but 
 it will assist them. I tell you, all the financial 
 highbinders are not in Wall Street. We have a 
 few here in Presidio, and Dudley is king." 
 
 "Doesn t Dudley own any American securities, 
 Mr. Flanagan?" 
 
 "Own any!" cried Flanagan sarcastically. "I 
 should say he does. More than a million in our 
 bonds, and a few of his henchmen own as much 
 more. He controls them. He or his man Friday 
 will ask for a receivership. They are not going 
 to lose anything that s not their game. It s the 
 poor investors in the stock the people who 
 helped build the system, and who have waited 
 long years for dividends, who will lose." 
 
 "But, gentlemen," said the bishop, rising; "can 
 not the action of this council be delayed until 
 after the next election? When is that?" 
 
 "November." 
 
 "Well, can t that be done?" 
 
 "No, Bishop, it can t. Our only hope is to 
 work on this council."
 
 NEW TROUBLES ARISE 71 
 
 "How? From what you have told me it seems 
 that such a thing would be well nigh impossible." 
 
 "That brings us down to the main object of our 
 visit to you. We want to form a movement 
 hold a series of meetings and so arouse the pub 
 lic spirit that this council will see the handwriting 
 on the wall, and refuse to do Dudley s bidding. 
 That s our only chance, Bishop." 
 
 "Surely, I am in sympathy with such a move 
 ment, but what specific thing can I do?" As if by 
 common impulse all three visitors arose and con 
 fronted their host, each seeming to be fired with a 
 desire to talk. But it was Flanagan who 
 spoke 
 
 "Bishop Anderson," said he deliberately, 
 "every great movement must have a leader. We 
 want you to lead this movement." 
 
 "Me!" exclaimed the bishop; "you want me to 
 lead it ! Why, gentlemen !" 
 
 "Wait, Bishop," broke in Rabbi Wise; "we 
 want you to lead it for two reasons. First, you 
 have the natural ability and courage we know 
 that. Second, you are new in Presidio. Third, 
 you have no prejudices, save for things which are 
 right. You are the one man who can beat Dud 
 ley!" The bishop started to interrupt, but the 
 Rabbi would not be gainsayed. "What Mr.
 
 72 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Flanagan says about poor people owning this 
 stock is true. Many of my flock hold some of it, 
 and Dudley s scheme would cause untold misery." 
 
 "And I," said Dr. Arnold, "agree with my 
 good brother the Rabbi, and also with Mr. Flana 
 gan. Members of my church are as vitally inter 
 ested as we." 
 
 "Bishop," interjected Flanagan, "I m not 
 much of a churchman, but I am a Catholic in 
 faith, and I can promise you the hearty co-opera 
 tion of my church. It will be a combination 
 wherein religious differences are wiped out and 
 racial prejudices forgotten. We will be fighting 
 each with and for the other. Please do not re 
 fuse. We need your help. You are the man of 
 all men in Presidio to organize the forces to avert 
 this great calamity. Come, Bishop, we can t 
 make it without your help." 
 
 Bishop Anderson slowly refilled and relighted 
 his old briar pipe, and then he paced up and down 
 the room, hands behind his back, puffing so vig 
 orously that he was soon enveloped in a cloud of 
 smoke. The proposition was, indeed, a serious 
 one. He could not neglect his own church, but 
 here were brothers of other creeds calling upon 
 him for help. And, too, another picture came into 
 his mind, that of the general misery which would
 
 "Very well, gentlemen, I ll consent, but I want it distinctly 
 
 understood that everything we do must be open and 
 
 above board" said Bishop Anderson
 
 /o 
 
 ensue if Dudley succeeded. That would be horri 
 ble, indeed. Widows and orphans ! Widows and 
 orphans! For many long minutes he continued 
 his solemn tread about the big room. He was 
 making sure within himself just where his duty 
 lay. There must be no mistake about this. Fi 
 nally he mumbled audibly the words widows 
 and orphans and then abruptly faced the com 
 mittee. 
 
 "Very well, gentlemen," said he, "I ll consent 
 to lead your movement to defeat Dudley, but I 
 want it distinctly understood, everything we do 
 must be open and above board. I am not a poli 
 tician nor a statesman, but I do fight fair" 
 
 Great was the satisfaction of all when the big 
 decision was reached by the bishop. There was a 
 ring of pure joy in the shout that went up from 
 Flanagan, who rushed forward and embraced the 
 prelate. 
 
 "Thank God!" he roared, "with the bishop at 
 the front of us, we ll win. It s Little Chief 
 Dudley he ll be when we get through with him."
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE MASS MEETING 
 
 THE next day The Tribune and The Scimitar, 
 the two opposition papers to Dudley s Banner,, 
 came out with an announcement that there would 
 be a mass meeting that evening in Convention 
 Hall to discuss the gas franchise situation; and 
 that this meeting would be presided over by 
 Bishop Anderson, who had lately arrived in Pre 
 sidio. Ordinarily, The Tribune and The Scimitar 
 did not wield much influence in Presidio, but now, 
 after they had heard Flanagan s story of the in 
 terview that he, Rabbi Wise and Dr. Arnold had 
 had with Bishop Anderson the day previous, they 
 realized something was going to be started in 
 Presidio that would give them plenty of news for 
 some months to come. 
 
 There was a meeting of their two managing ed 
 itors, and for the campaign about to start they 
 agreed, to make a combination and play it strong. 
 
 74
 
 THE MASS MEETING 75 
 
 The Tribune, being a morning paper, had the 
 advantage in priority of announcement, and the 
 next morning its front page carried a double-col 
 umn leader dealing with the American Gas case 
 and the new franchise. It made a vicious attack 
 on Dudley, exposing his hand, all of which the 
 citizens already knew; told of Bishop Anderson s 
 activity since coming to Presidio and of his con 
 senting to lead this fight. At noon, the first edi 
 tion of The Scimitar appeared on the streets, and 
 in a more sensational manner they played up the 
 news. The Scimitar had pictures of the bishop 
 of Dudley of Flanagan, and sketches of de 
 crepit old men wending their way "over the hills 
 to the poor house." It was pathetic, and caused 
 a sensation in a mild way a sensation, not on ac 
 count of the agitation, but because Bishop Ander 
 son had consented to lead the fight against Dud 
 ley. The staggering thing about it all was that 
 any one would dare fight him. They had so long 
 been bullied and bulldozed by this man, that Pre 
 sidio citizens had ceased to believe any one would 
 have the courage to fight him. Older men shook 
 their heads in a deprecatory manner; younger 
 ones grinned and said: "Go to it, Bishop!" 
 
 The Banner had not been giving much atten 
 tion to the franchise matter. Dudley sat en-
 
 76 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 trenched behind the thought that he had things 
 all his own way. The council would grant the 
 new company the franchise he would strangle 
 the old, and add another scalp to his belt. Oppo 
 sition to him pooh! There wasn t any such 
 thing. His contempt for the Tribune and Scim 
 itar was so great that ordinarily he wouldn t even 
 allow copies of them brought into his building. 
 But to-day things were different. 
 
 Kearney was the first to learn the news. He 
 grinned when he bought a Tribune and read the 
 leader. Taking the paper with him he went into 
 Dudley s office. 
 
 "Morning, Dudley, seen to-day s Tribune?" 
 
 "Seen it?" snapped Dudley. "What do I 
 want to see the Tribune for?" 
 
 "It s giving it to you this morning." 
 
 "That s nothing new. It generally does. But 
 what does it amount to?" 
 
 "Nothing, heretofore," replied the laconic 
 Kearney, "but this time it s a wee bit different. 
 Bishop Anderson s heading a movement to fight 
 you on the franchise question. First meeting to 
 night at Presidio Hall. Bet it ll be a hummer! 
 Here s the paper want to see it?" 
 
 "What s that you say?" roared the chief, ris-
 
 THE MASS MEETING 77 
 
 ing from his desk and taking the paper. He read 
 in astonishment. 
 
 "Well, great Scott! what do you know about 
 that!" 
 
 "Wrong name, Jim; my name s Kearney," 
 grinned his henchman. 
 
 Dudley read every word, a grim look settled 
 over his face. 
 
 "Now, Kearney, I ve got him. Now, I can 
 fight him, and fight him I will. Why, the little 
 picayune! The nerve of him to tackle me!" 
 
 "Oh, I dunno, Jim, the bishop isn t such a little 
 cuss. About six feet two I reckon." 
 
 "But mentally, I mean. There s where he s 
 small." 
 
 "You re kidding yourself. And, besides, a lit 
 tle chap named David once bounced a rock off of 
 Goliath s head. You ve heard of that, haven t 
 you?" 
 
 "Shut up," snarled Dudley. Kearney merely 
 shrugged his shoulders. He knew Dudley. 
 "Now," continued Dudley, "he s out in the open 
 and I can smash him. You take a couple of good 
 men to that meeting to-night. Sit in the audience 
 if there is one and hear what s going on. And 
 to-morrow morning s Banner can fire the first
 
 78 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 shot and it ll be a hot one. I ll write it myself 
 after you come back. 
 
 "There ll be a crowd, all right. Bishop Ander 
 son generally draws one." 
 
 "Sure, but they will only come out of curiosity. 
 After I get through with him to-morrow, he 
 won t be able to get out a baker s dozen." 
 
 "Maybe that s true," said Kearney, as he went 
 out, "but I doubt it." 
 
 Presidio sizzled with excitement that after 
 noon. Every one wondered what would be "Big 
 Chief Dudley s" first move. That he would fight 
 the bishop and fight him hard, no one doubted. 
 "Wait until to-morrow," said the people. 
 "Wait." And they did, but in waiting about ten 
 thousand of them wended their way to Presidio 
 Hall to see the fight started. 
 
 "Idle curiosity," perhaps, as Dudley put it. 
 But before that meeting was over, deep down in 
 their hearts, every one in that vast audience knew 
 a fight to the death had been started on Jim Dud 
 ley; knew that either he or Bishop Anderson 
 would have to give in, and most of those who 
 heard the bishop, opined he would not be the 
 one to first cry, "Hold, enough!" 
 
 The great hall, built largely through the 
 enterprise of The Banner, seated 5,000, and the
 
 THE MASS MEETING 79 
 
 building was filled to overflowing, when, at eight 
 o clock, Bishop Anderson ascended the platform, 
 and called the meeting to order. He had with 
 him Rabbi Wise and several other prominent 
 Jews; Dr. Arnold, the Presbyterian; Father 
 Leahy, a Catholic clergyman, and Mr. Flanagan, 
 besides many others of more or less prominence. 
 
 Flanagan was the first speaker, and, in a calm, 
 dispassionate manner, he reviewed the history of 
 the American. Told of its early struggles, of 
 its present prosperity, and of the bright future 
 in store for the company and its stockholders, if 
 they were allowed to proceed. Flanagan was not 
 an orator, just a plain business man an honest 
 one be it said and the facts and figures he pre 
 sented sank home. His hearers knew he spoke 
 the truth. 
 
 Then came Rabbi Wise, Father Leahy, and 
 Dr. Arnold, each of whom delivered his message 
 to the people, and adjured them to be strong in 
 the fight just begun. There was some perfunc 
 tory enthusiasm, but the audience was waiting for 
 the bishop. It was about ten o clock when he 
 arose and faced that vast assemblage the pro 
 letariat of Presidio. The big auditorium was as 
 still as death, as this commanding figure, with 
 tense, drawn face, stood before them at "Arma-
 
 8o THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 geddon battling for the Lord." It was not an 
 oratorical display; just a plain, simple, strong 
 talk of a man unafraid, who was willing to lead 
 them in a fight for their rights, and for some of 
 them the very right to live. 
 
 Every one listened intently as the bishop re 
 viewed events as they had been presented to him 
 since his arrival in Presidio. He spoke feelingly 
 of the natural beauty of the city, of its great re 
 sources, its brilliant future. He wasn t even a 
 voter here yet he knew that but he was a citi 
 zen none the less, and anything affecting the gen 
 eral welfare of the community, affected him. He 
 had been informed that one man was responsible 
 for the deplorable condition of affairs; one man 
 entrenched by the power of money and his paper 
 was endeavoring to wield the sceptre of absolute 
 control over them; one man proposed to take 
 from the people that which was theirs; one man 
 backed by fictitious legal rights, proposed to con 
 trol the lighting situation in Presidio. And why ? 
 Did he need money? No, he had millions of that. 
 No, not money. Power? No, he wielded a tre 
 mendous power through his paper. Why then? 
 The bishop paused a moment, and then said 
 "I ll tell you why, my friends for the simple 
 satisfaction of his inordinate personal ambition,
 
 THE MASS MEETING 81 
 
 and his lust for gain. He has you garotted, and, 
 ogre-like, sits turning the thumbscrew until he 
 knows that with another turn or two the spinal 
 cord of Presidio s backbone will be reached and 
 cracked. Then, he will be absolute. I believe in 
 fighting in the open. I have told you all these 
 things and every word I have spoken you know 
 is the truth. I haven t mentioned this man s name 
 you all know it. But for fear some may think 
 I stand afraid, I hurl it at you. I mean James 
 Burchard Dudley!" There was a gasp from the 
 audience. Applause started. The bishop raised 
 his hands. 
 
 "Wait," he cried, "don t applaud yet. It s not 
 time, and, besides, applause is but an empty ex 
 pression of present enthusiasm, and to be effec 
 tive must needs be backed up by deeds." 
 
 Then the good bishop paid his respects to the 
 members of the present city council, most of 
 whom were in the audience. In no uncertain 
 terms did he call upon them to do their full duty 
 by refusing to do the bidding of this man. He 
 appealed to their honor, their manhood, their 
 sense of right and justice to all mankind. He 
 appealed to them not as a churchman, but as a 
 man, just one of them; yea, even as the humblest
 
 82 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 and poorest citizen might have appealed to do 
 right and follow their conscience. 
 
 In closing, the bishop said: "And now, gentle 
 men, permit me to say I am not fighting Jim 
 Dudley you call him The Big Chief as a 
 single individual, but I am fighting any system of 
 government which will permit one man to wield 
 such an arbitrary power; I am fighting any sys 
 tem of legal procedure, which will throw the pro 
 tection of the law around such nefarious schemes 
 the law which is supposed to be just and right, 
 and the poor man s protection. I call upon you 
 to go for that council, hit them hard blows with 
 the force of the hammer of Thor give them no 
 rest day or night, until you have wrung from 
 them a promise to defeat Dudley s company, and 
 renew the American franchise. See them, phone 
 them, write them; make their very life a bur 
 den of protest, until the light breaks in upon 
 their hide-bound minds. Work up public opin 
 ion, arouse your neighbors, make these men un 
 derstand they must render unto Cassar those 
 things that are Caesar s ; and the result will be a 
 better Presidio, a more enlightened citizenship; 
 our city will be our joy, our comfort and our 
 pride, and God will be with you in this fight." 
 
 There was a moment s silence tense to a de-
 
 THE MASS MEETING 83 
 
 gree and then the applause started. Wave 
 after wave of it rolled back and forth across that 
 great auditorium. Men leaped to their feet, 
 slapped each other on the back, screamed and 
 shrieked. They crowded around the platform 
 shaking the hand of the bishop. 
 
 Rabbi Wise, Dr. Arnold, and Father Leahy 
 congratulated him in warm terms; a photogra 
 pher of The Scimitar secured a flashlight of these 
 four clerics, Episcopalian, Jew, Presbyterian and 
 Catholic with hands clasped. One man, an old 
 soldier, stood up on a chair and began to sing 
 "America." One by one the audience joined in, 
 and, finally, ten thousand human voices were 
 singing from their very hearts "My Country tis 
 of Thee." Of the members of the Council, some 
 stayed, already convinced. The majority 
 sneaked out to await further orders from the "Big 
 Chief," who ruled +hem with a rod of iron. 
 
 Out of idle curiosity had come many but 
 most of them went away firm believers and 
 they would work on their councilmen.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE APPROACHING STORM 
 
 ONE of Bishop Anderson s auditors, who lis 
 tened with more than passing interest, was Kear 
 ney Patrick J. Kearney the one man there 
 representing Dudley in his personal capacity. 
 The two reporters concealed in the audience came 
 to him after the meeting was over for instruc 
 tions. 
 
 "Beat it," he tersely said, "write up your notes, 
 and turn them in to the city editor. Better keep 
 away from the old man. I ll see him when I 
 come over." And they did "beat it," glad of a 
 chance to escape. 
 
 All through Bishop Anderson s masterly ad 
 dress, Kearney sat, one leg crossed over the other, 
 leaning slightly forward, and meditatively chew 
 ing tobacco. Once or twice he thought the bishop 
 saw and recognized him perhaps he did. You 
 may be sure the bishop knew Kearney was there. 
 
 84
 
 THE APPROACHING STORM 85 
 
 Kearney realized every word the bishop said was 
 true. Dudley was an arrogant, over-bearing 
 man. But he held the reins in his hand he was 
 the driver. Kearney also knew that. In his long 
 career with Dudley, he had seen men rise up to 
 fight "The Big Chief" only to be beaten in re 
 turn. But he respected this man, this church 
 man, who was not afraid to stand up in the pres 
 ence of that vast audience, and call a spade a 
 spade. Once Kearney thought, "If that bishop 
 had happened around here about ten years ago, 
 before Jim Dudley got all his power, I m think 
 ing he would have whaled the tar out of him, but 
 he s too late now. 
 
 "Every wave," reasoned Kearney, "that goes 
 up, must come down, and, in coming down, must 
 break into spray and foam, and go back to the 
 ocean from whence it came. 
 
 "Still, I dunno," he further thought, as he 
 walked over to The Banner building, "there may 
 be more back of this movement than we imagine. 
 That bishop certainly is a rip-roarer for stirring 
 things up. No discounting that." 
 
 When he entered Dudley s office he found the 
 chief and Mayor Schultz in conversation. A look 
 at Schultz and one could see just what he was 
 a puppet a mere political tool, subservient to a
 
 86 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 degree. Dudley whirled in his chair, facing 
 Kearney as he came in, the seriousness of the 
 man s face gave him an inkling of what was to 
 come. 
 
 "Howdy, Mayor," said Kearney, shaking 
 Schultz s limp hand. 
 
 Dudley was a man of very few words, and the 
 mayor less when his master was around. 
 
 "Well," snapped Dudley. 
 
 "No Veil about it," retorted Kearney. "Dud 
 ley, I ve been attending political pow-wows and 
 conventions all my life but consarn me if I ever 
 saw one like this meeting to-night. It was more 
 like a religion a new religion." 
 
 "Cut the preaching and get down to facts," 
 snarled Dudley. 
 
 "I m just giving them to you," said Kearney, 
 undisturbed by his chief s irrascibility. He never 
 let that worry him a bit "and I mean what I say, 
 when I say new religion. Here were four men 
 all representing different faiths, Catholic, Jew, 
 Presbyterian and Episcopalian on the same plat 
 form, fighting for the same things. If that isn t 
 brotherhood of man, what is ? Huh ?" 
 
 "Now, will you stop giving me your thoughts 
 on religion, and tell me just what happened?" 
 
 "Sure I will," grinned Kearney. And in his
 
 THE APPROACHING STORM 87 
 
 own plain way he related the incidents of the 
 meeting. Dudley was walking up and down, 
 while Kearney talked, and the mayor sat meekly 
 by, never missing a word. Mayor Schultz, nat 
 urally, wanted another term, and that evening 
 Dudley had promised it to him. When Kearney 
 finished telling of the meeting, he turned to the 
 mayor, and said : 
 
 "Schultz, if I were you, when I went home to 
 night, I d sit down and write an application to 
 some reliable house asking for a job. You re go 
 ing to need it after the November election." 
 
 The mayor was much downcast, and, making a 
 hasty adieu, he did go home, much troubled in 
 mind not in conscience, since he had none. 
 
 Dudley was furious when he heard of the bish 
 op s outspoken attack on him. All semblance of 
 reason fled. He must win now, if only to satisfy 
 his pride in beating this man, who dared to openly 
 flaunt him in Presidio. He had faith in his man, 
 Kearney knew he could control him, as long as 
 he remained in his employ. He knew also, 
 through Kearney, he could control enough votes 
 in the council to put through the franchise, or any 
 other matter, and he also knew Mayor Schultz 
 would sign. 
 
 "Confound him," he roared, "he s got to! *
 
 88 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Sure, I know that, Jim, but better slow up 
 a while." 
 
 "Not for a minute," said Dudley with a sneer 
 ing growl, "if that bishop wants a fight, he can 
 have it." 
 
 "Well, he ain t declining the issue, as I can 
 see," replied Kearney. There was a moment s 
 silence, as Dudley paced up and down. 
 
 "Jim," continued Kearney, "back in October, 
 71, an old Irish lady named O Leary, living in 
 Chicago, owned a cow. She went out to milk it 
 one evening after dark, and took with her an ordi 
 nary coal-oil lamp. Mother O Leary and the cow 
 weren t on very good terms that night, because 
 the cow let go and kicked over the lamp. Re 
 member what happened?" 
 
 "Surely, I remember," answered Dudley, "but 
 what s that got to do with this case?" 
 
 "Just this I somehow feel like that scene is 
 being re-enacted right here in Presidio, and 
 Bishop Anderson is playing the part of the cow 
 and this franchise question is the lamp. Look out 
 for the blaze he starts!" 
 
 "What s the matter with you? Getting 
 chicken-hearted?" 
 
 "Naw, Jim, just sensible that s all." 
 
 "Well, keep such thoughts to yourself, and
 
 THE APPROACHING STORM 89 
 
 listen to me. I m in this fight and I m going to 
 win. Now, as a starter, we re going to find out 
 all about this bishop. Everything from the cradle 
 to the present time. Every man has a weak spot. 
 I have one you have one Dr. Lamb has one. 
 So has Bishop Anderson. Get his! Comb his 
 record; use wires, letters, telephones, money," 
 and, pausing a moment "use women, if neces 
 sary, to get him, but get him do you under 
 stand?" 
 
 "Sure, I understand," said Kearney, "but look 
 out the bishop doesn t get you !" 
 
 "Bah!" retorted Dudley, "a preacher and a 
 scribbler get me?" The idea was so amusing he 
 burst out laughing. 
 
 "All right, Jim, it s your funeral, not mine ; but 
 I warn you look out! Good-night see you in 
 the morning." 
 
 "Good-night, Kearney," said Dudley, seating 
 himself at his desk. Then he wrote a scathing 
 editorial for the next day s Banner, one calcu 
 lated to shrivel Bishop Anderson s soul after 
 ward he called Dennis, his office boy, to carry it 
 out to the editorial room. This done, he motored 
 home, a prey to his thoughts.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 MR. CATON DISAPPEARS 
 
 THE issues of The Tribune and Scimitar, an 
 nouncing the meeting just described, were tame, 
 indeed, compared to those of the day following, 
 when these papers gave the details of that meet 
 ing. Their front pages and editorial columns 
 fairly sizzled with the news. The Scimitar was 
 particularly bitter in its attack on Dudley. For 
 years this paper had led a hand-to-mouth sort of 
 an existence, just hanging on, as it were, by its 
 eyelashes. Its pages were largely made up of sen 
 sationalism, sports and comics. True, it had at 
 tacked Dudley on more than one occasion, but it 
 was like a flea trying to bite an elephant the hide 
 was too thick to be affected by the bite. Dudley 
 had scorned it; forbade his paper even replying 
 to The Scimitar s attacks. But now things were 
 different. Here was a real, live, vital issue, on 
 
 which to fight him, and on top of that the fight 
 
 90
 
 MR. CATON DISAPPEARS 91 
 
 was to be led by a man different in every way 
 from any other individual who had dared to take 
 up the cudgels against Dudley. A man of intel 
 lect, of learning, of distinguished ability, of un 
 blemished reputation and character, and a leader 
 of a great church, and of undoubted and proven 
 courage. It was a rare situation, indeed, and 
 The Scimitar played it for all it was worth. It 
 was fighting for a good cause an appealing one. 
 The people were concerned. 
 
 On The Scimitar s first page was a fine, half 
 tone reproduction of the flashlight picture of the 
 four clergymen clasping hands on the platform 
 of Presidio Hall. Over this was a flaming cap 
 tion in red "The Millenium Near. A New Re 
 ligion !" It covered half of the page. On the sec 
 ond page was a cartoon, representing Dudley as 
 a Judas, selling the citizens of Presidio for 
 gold. Under this, in type you could read a block 
 away, was a line "The 20th Century Judas Is- 
 cariot, Selling His Soul for Pelf" 
 
 The whole story was printed in lurid colors, 
 and in burning words. The effect was shown im 
 mediately, because street sales of The Scimitar 
 jumped from 2,000 or 3,000 per day to over 
 20,000, and the newsboys reaped a rich harvest. 
 
 But The Tribune and The Scimitar were not
 
 92 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 alone in their glory. The Banner made its ap 
 pearance on the streets, and, while its leaders 
 were less sensational than The Scimitar, and there 
 was a lack of cartoons, they were none the less 
 direct and to the point. Dudley was fighting, 
 and the editorial in The Banner , written by him 
 self, was vitriolic to a degree. There was satire, 
 ridicule and abuse, such as only a man of Dud 
 ley s ability could write. He was at one great 
 disadvantage, however; he was not in a position 
 to give facts. All he could do was to inject his 
 powerful personality and bulldog tenacity into 
 the fray, and hope to win by brute force. He had 
 done all these things before, and had beaten 
 everybody. Why couldn t he do the same thing 
 now, and beat this man? "A preacher! Huh!" 
 he thought, "I ll pulverize him." 
 
 Dudley s thoughts were not pleasant, as he 
 came out of his house to go downtown. The 
 shrill cry of a newsboy greeted his ears, "Extra! 
 Tribune all about franchise fight. First blood 
 for Bishop Anderson!" It was an unusual thing 
 for newsboys to be crying their papers in the resi 
 dential district, save on Sundays, or when some 
 big item of news came out. Evidently, this was 
 a big item. Dudley sent his chauffeur out to buy 
 a copy of the paper, and when the man returned
 
 MR. CATON DISAPPEARS 93 
 
 the chief went into his house, locked himself in 
 his den, and read every word. Then, stuffing it 
 in his pocket, he was driven down to his office. 
 There was a grim look on his face, and when ac 
 quaintances bowed to him, he acknowledged with 
 a very curt nod. 
 
 Bursting into his office like a cyclone, he nearly 
 knocked Dennis, the waiting office boy, off his 
 feet. Throwing his auto cap and gloves at the 
 youngster, he said : 
 
 "Where s Mr. Kearney?" 
 
 "Out in the city room," replied the boy. 
 
 "Get him!" he commanded in gruff tones. 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Dennis, beating a hasty re 
 treat. 
 
 In a few minutes, Kearney, cool and imper 
 turbable, came in the door. He knew why he 
 had been summoned. 
 
 "Morning, Chief!" 
 
 "Morning, Kearney," nodded Dudley; "seen 
 the papers this morning?" 
 
 "Sure. You?" 
 
 "Yes, I have." 
 
 "Where d you get em?" wonderingly asked 
 Kearney. 
 
 "Where d I get em? Where do you suppose? 
 I bought them."
 
 94 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 The idea was amusing to Kearney. "You 
 bought The Tribune!" he exclaimed; "well, by 
 jinks, you are worked up, aren t you, Jim?" 
 
 "No, I m not worked up I m just fighting 
 mad, that s all." 
 
 "You show it, Dudley; and the worst part of 
 it is, for once the opposition have got you hipped. 
 All you can do, is to get personal and that s 
 dangerous. You know that." 
 
 Yes, Dudley did know that all too well, be 
 cause a year previous he had had the pleasure of 
 paying a large judgment for libel. It was ex 
 pensive knowledge, and he didn t want to buy any 
 more. 
 
 "Well, I m not going to libel this this bishop, 
 or anyone else, but I m going to lambast him 
 with ridicule, until he s sick. Now, you beat it, 
 and round up the councilmen. We want to be 
 cocksure of where we stand. See all of them, and 
 impress upon their minds the necessity of not be 
 ing carried away by this popular clamor. Get 
 me?" 
 
 "Sure, I get you, Jim," replied Kearney. "I 
 reckon when it comes to impressing them, I am 
 the original little impresser, eh?" 
 
 "Oh, you know your business, Kearney."
 
 MR. CATON DISAPPEARS 95 
 
 "Sure, and I know yours, too, Jim. Don t for 
 get that." 
 
 "Always joking, aren t you, Kearney," said 
 Dudley, with the semblance of a grin. With all, 
 his gruffness, he liked his Irish- American right 
 bower. Kearney would always stand hitched 
 of that he was sure. 
 
 "Sure, I was born grinning, and when I die, 
 I ll give St. Peter the laugh," quietly said Kear 
 ney. 
 
 "All right, now get busy. As you go out, send 
 in Miss Mason." 
 
 Miss Mason was Dudley s secretary. 
 
 "Can t," said Kearney. 
 
 "Why?" grunted Dudley, "sick?" 
 
 "Sick? No. But next to it married." 
 
 "Holy mackerel, Kearney ! How many secre 
 taries have I lost in the past year through mar 
 riage?" 
 
 "Only three." 
 
 Dudley thought a moment, and then said 
 "Suppose we try to break that hoodoo, Kearney, 
 eret me a secretary from out of town. Girls here 
 
 V 
 
 will be thinking The Banner is a matrimonial 
 agency." 
 
 "All right, Jim," said Kearney, "but where will 
 I get one?"
 
 After a moment s thought, Dudley said: "Oh, 
 send a wire to George Moss, of The Chicago Mer 
 cury. He must know of a lot of them, and he 
 knows my nature and just what I want." 
 
 "All right, Jim. S long," replied Kearney, 
 and, after attending to the matter, he became a 
 very busy man. One by one the councilmen were 
 seen, and before nightfall he knew just where 
 Dudley stood. The "old guard" he could depend 
 on to the last ditch. While they were Dudley s 
 men, Kearney issued all the orders, and they 
 would follow him implicitly. 
 
 But, on the other hand, the opposition led by 
 Bishop Anderson also became very busy. The 
 seed sown at the mass meeting fell on fertile 
 ground and bore fruit. Before nightfall of the 
 succeeding day every councilman began to re 
 ceive a deluge of notes, telephones, and messages 
 from his constituents, and as one of them put it 
 "It s three months before the session, which 
 will act on this danged ordinance, and if this 
 keeps up, we ll all be dead." And you may be 
 sure Bishop Anderson intended it should be kept 
 up to the very limit. He announced it at the next 
 meeting, which was held a week follov/inoj 1 the 
 first. There were to be a series of metin!rs held
 
 MR. CATON DISAPPEARS 97 
 
 once a week all over the city, so, as The Scimitar 
 put it "The people may know." 
 
 In announcing this mode of action, the bishop 
 illustrated his point by saying: "My friends, 
 down in the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, there 
 was a huge, rectangular block of granite, about 
 six by four by four. It seemed as if some mighty 
 hand had fashioned this stone, so even were its 
 proportions. It was located in the middle of a 
 vaulted chamber, over forty feet in height. From 
 the dome of this room fell a drop of water. An 
 other and another, every few seconds with the 
 regularity of a clock. At first this drop of water 
 made no impression, but, as each succeeding drop 
 impinged itself upon the exact spot of its prede 
 cessor, the surface of the stone began to soften, 
 This process kept up for hundreds, nay, perhaps, 
 thousands of years, but, finally, one day just one 
 drop too much fell, and the stone was split asun 
 der. The application of this story to the 
 present situation is just this: Keep everlastingly 
 at it pound pound pound, and the opposi 
 tion will break. It cannot help it." 
 
 And they did keep at it, much to the discom 
 fort of the councilmen. 
 
 That night Kearney said to Dudley: 
 
 "Jim, I ve changed my mind; Bishop Ander-
 
 98 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 son isn t like unto Mother O Leary s cow. He s 
 a drop of water." 
 
 Dudley didn t see the connection, so he 
 grinned, and grunted "Well, we can brush 
 away a drop of water any day." 
 
 "Sure, we can, but another drop will come to 
 take its place, that s what I m afraid of." 
 
 "Well, I m not afraid, if you are. How are the 
 men lining up ?" 
 
 "Just fair," said Kearney, for once looking se 
 rious. "Just fair, that s all. Beyond question, 
 the bishop is making an impression a big one. 
 And some of the councilmen, who have heretofore 
 been with us, have already flopped, bag and bag 
 gage, and others are preparing to do so. Still, I 
 reckon I can hold the necessary twelve." 
 
 "Who s flopped?" retorted Dudley. "Why, 
 Kearney, you know there are men in that coun 
 cil who can t flop. We can put the thumbscrews 
 on them." 
 
 "That s a cinch, Dudley. But the thumbscrew 
 chaps are not the floppers. It s the others. Ca- 
 ton, for instance, is a very uncertain quantity." 
 
 "Who? Caton!" exclaimed Dudley in aston 
 ishment, "Caton of the Sixth?" 
 
 "That s the man." 
 
 "Why, confound him, I ll "
 
 MR. CATON DISAPPEARS 99 
 
 "Steady, Jim, no use getting hot and cursing 
 Caton, because we haven t anything on him. Best 
 thing to do is to get him out of town for awhile. 
 He needs a vacation. If I can keep him away 
 from the influence of Bishop Anderson and his 
 crowd, I can handle him." 
 
 "Well, handle him. Get him out of town 
 keep him there. You ve got funds for that pur 
 pose, if necessary." 
 
 "Dudley, all you rich men think of is money. 
 It s your one weapon. Now, we ve kept within 
 the pale of the law in every fight, but it s been 
 mighty hard to do, sometimes. We won t use any 
 money. We re going to appoint Caton a special 
 correspondent of The Banner, and send him over 
 to let s see," Kearney stopped and thought a 
 moment "to Yuma, Arizona, to write up society 
 news." 
 
 "Yuma!" yelled Dudley, as if doubting Kear 
 ney s sanity. "We don t want news from 
 Yuma." 
 
 "I know that," laughed Kearney. "I just want 
 to bury Caton for the time being. I reckon we ll 
 have to pay him pretty well for his work." 
 
 "How much?" asked Dudley. 
 
 "Oh, about one hundred and fifty bones a week, 
 and expenses," said Kearney, lighting a cigar.
 
 ioo THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Dudley looked at his man for a moment, and 
 said: "Kearney, you re a wonder." 
 
 Kearney did not reply, but thought to himself : 
 "Maybe I am a wonder, but wonders sometimes 
 change and become ordinary men." 
 
 Caton made some protest when the proposition 
 was first put up to him. But Caton was amenable 
 to money and when Kearney mentioned one hun 
 dred and fifty dollars per week and expenses, he 
 capitulated. Caton s sense of duty towards his 
 constituents was measured by what he could get 
 out of them. Therefore, he accepted without de 
 lay, and that night Councilman from the Sixth 
 Ward left for his new post Yuma, Arizona.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE BISHOP ATTENDS A BALL GAME 
 
 BISHOP ANDERSON was, indeed, a very busy 
 man these days. In the first place, the diocese 
 must needs have his attention; the work on the 
 new cathedral was progressing in good shape, 
 and already could be seen the outlines of what 
 some day was to be a magnificent church. He 
 visited all of his parishes regularly ; boosted weak 
 churches, and praised the strong ones, and grad 
 ually the diocese of Presidio began to be a busi 
 ness institution, as well as a church. But outside 
 of all this, the bishop found time to lead the po 
 litical fight against Dudley. The weather be 
 came warm, but the good work went on. There 
 must be no let up until victory was assured. 
 
 It must not be supposed that all the people in 
 Presidio were in favor of the bishop leading this 
 fight. On the contrary, there were many yea, 
 even in his own church who opposed him, be- 
 
 IOI
 
 102 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 cause they thought it was beneath his dignity as a 
 priest beneath him in every way as a man to 
 engage in what they were pleased to term, "a 
 political brawl." Some of them were very out 
 spoken in their denunciation. They wrote letters 
 to The Banner, and you may be sure this journal 
 published them all. They were food for Dudley, 
 especially when he really had so little of merit on 
 his side of the fight. Even in church meetings 
 was the matter discussed ; but the bishop had an 
 nounced he would lead the church, and he did. 
 And it may be said in passing that no less a per 
 sonage than the Rev. Spencer, the man who had 
 presented Dr. Anderson s name to the Presidio 
 convention, wrote a note to good old Bishop 
 Turner, telling him in no uncertain words of the 
 actions of his protege, and wondering if, after all, 
 that convention hadn t made a mistake. 
 
 Bishop Turner was not a little worried when he 
 received Spencer s communication, and wrote 
 Bishop Anderson, who smiled when he read this 
 letter. The bishop s answer, however, must have 
 carried conviction, because Bishop Turner, in re 
 plying to the Rev. Spencer, said: "I think you 
 have a mistaken idea of Bishop Anderson s work 
 in this fight he is leading. Just keep cool and fol 
 low his lead, and you won t go far wrong."
 
 THE BISHOP ATTENDS A GAME 103 
 
 One warm June afternoon, the bishop was 
 somewhat tired. He had had a long, hard day all 
 around, and he felt the need of rest and recre 
 ation. His young son, aged thirteen, happened 
 along about that time, and the bishop said: 
 
 "Bud, let s go to the ball game." 
 
 "Sure thing, Daddy." And they went. 
 
 For years Presidio had trailed in the baseball 
 procession, but this year Charley Kern, a new 
 manager, had gotten together a team of fighters, 
 and the "Reds" were heading their league by a 
 slender margin. Of course, having a winning 
 team increased the attendance it always does 
 and the town was baseball crazy. The bishop and 
 Bud sat in the fifty-cent bleachers, and thor 
 oughly enjoyed the game the man as much so 
 as the boy. It was a close game, and every point 
 counted. The "lucky seventh" came along. 
 "The Reds" were one run behind two were out, 
 and one on one run was needed to tie the score, 
 and two to win, when Carey came to the bat. It 
 was one of those tense moments so often seen at 
 ball games when ten thousand or twenty thousand 
 ordinarily sensible human beings become fren 
 zied, shrieking maniacs; and the crowd in Pre 
 sidio this day was no exception to tfhe rule. 
 
 When Carey approached the plate, swinging
 
 104 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 two big bats, every eye was on him. Dropping 
 one bat, he swung the other carelessly over his 
 shoulder, and nonchalantly stood at the plate 
 waiting. "One ball" "one strike" "foul !" 
 "Two strikes * "two balls," cried the umpire. 
 "Hit er out, Carey!" "Land on it!" "Kill it, 
 man!" shrieked the crowd, and, in the middle of 
 the fifty-cent bleachers, Bishop Anderson was 
 rooting as loudly as any of them. He and Bud 
 joined in that mighty chorus of shouts. And 
 Carey did "hit er out." He caught one of the op 
 posing pitcher s shoots square on the trade mark, 
 and away sailed the sphere, high over the heads 
 of the infield. The three outfielders started like 
 mad toward the soaring ball. The audience for 
 one second held their breath and then a mighty 
 shout arose, because the ball gently dropped over 
 the fence. A home run, and two fleet-footed run 
 ners crossed the home plate! 
 
 "Good work, Carey!" shrieked the crowd. 
 
 Bishop Anderson embraced his son with a bear- 
 like hug, and shouted out, "Some hit, that! Eh, 
 Bud?" 
 
 "Gee, Dad," gleefully replied the boy. "Ca 
 rey knocked that ball a mile !" 
 
 That gave the "Reds" a lead of one run, and 
 they held it safe, and won the game. After the
 
 THE BISHOP ATTENDS A GAME 105 
 
 contest was over the bishop presented a rather 
 sorry sight. His collar was wilted. Perspira 
 tion came through his shirt and his thin coat, and 
 the sun had burned him red. But his mind was 
 rested. He had seen a fine, clean contest, be 
 tween manly men, and his side had won. So why 
 shouldn t he be happy and contented? And he 
 was. The bishop held quite a reception among 
 the bleacherites. Every one knew him, and men 
 like a man who can preach God on a Sunday 
 and root for the home team on a Monday. It 
 represented red American blood. 
 
 There was another interested man among the 
 spectators at this game. "Big Chief" Dudley, 
 who, with two of his personal cronies, occupied a 
 box near first base in front of, and to the left 
 of where Bishop Anderson sat. 
 
 During that wonderful seventh inning, when 
 Carey did his good work, one of the occupants of 
 the chief s box observed: 
 
 "Dudley, just cast your eyes up in those fifty- 
 cent bleachers about the middle and you ll see 
 a sight good for your eyes." 
 
 "Where? * asked Dudley, turning. 
 
 "There," pointing. "See that clerical gentle 
 man rooting like a fiend. Your friend, Bishop 
 Anderson. Some rooter, eh?"
 
 io6 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Rooter, bosh," replied Dudley; "that s noth 
 ing but personal advertising. He s been doing 
 that ever since he came here. But he won t last," 
 and his lips curled in a sarcastic sneer. 
 
 The sight of the bishop, so thoroughly enjoy 
 ing himself, was to Dudley the same as a red rag 
 to an enraged bull. Now he positively hated 
 him. 
 
 "I don t know," said his friend, "he sure has 
 this crowd on the jump." 
 
 Dudley made no audible reply, but to himself 
 he said: "Wait until I get through with that in 
 fernal bishop." He didn t stay for the finish, but 
 left in disgust after the end of the inning. 
 
 One of his friends remarked, as he stamped out 
 of the box : "That bishop certainly has Dudley s 
 goat." He had.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 KEARNEY REPORTS TO HIS CHIEF 
 
 DUDLEY S private office on the second floor of 
 The Banner building was a very fine one. It 
 overlooked Main Street, and was a good-sized, 
 airy and comfortable room. A large fireplace 
 was in the center of the wall, between two win 
 dows, and over the mantel was a life-sized oil 
 painting of Dudley. The furniture was mahog 
 any, the chairs comfortable, and the walls, where 
 soever space permitted, were lined with books. 
 There was an air of sumptuousness, of arrogance, 
 yet of knowledge about the place, in keeping with 
 the character of its occupant. On one side was a 
 door leading to the telegraph office, and on the 
 other, one leading to the reception room and the 
 office of Dudley s private secretary. 
 
 At nine o clock in the morning the day fol 
 lowing the ball game, Kearney came into Dud- 
 
 107
 
 io8 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 ley s office, and found it imtenanted, save for 
 Dennis, the office boy, who was busily engaged 
 arranging the files of newspapers on a rack in the 
 corner. Kearney always was the first man in the 
 morning. Dudley trusted him implicitly, and 
 never a move did the "chief" make but what 
 Kearney knew every detail. Like all rich men, 
 Dudley possessed the idea that money can do 
 anything; and many and many a time Kearney 
 had saved Dudley some very unpleasant moments 
 by his sage counsel, positive action, and sound ad 
 vice. More than once had Dudley, bull-like, 
 taken a run for the hurdle behind which stood 
 the law, but each time he had been brought up 
 short by Kearney. 
 
 Dudley s record, so far as actual violations of 
 the law were concerned, save in libel suits, and 
 every aggressive paper has those was clean, and 
 it was all due to Kearney, who had a wholesome 
 respect for justice aroused. Kearney would do 
 anything to win a point in a game that is, any 
 thing within the law. Sometimes he would strain 
 a point so the applicable law would bend; but 
 never did he break it. 
 
 In this franchise struggle Kearney knew that 
 Dudley, left to himself, would do anything to 
 win. He wouldn t even stop at bribery. But
 
 KEARNEY REPORTS TO HIS CHIEF 109 
 
 Kearney would have none of that. Bishop An 
 derson was raising an awful row, the people were 
 thoroughly aroused at last, and all the ele 
 ments of right and justice were on the side of the 
 American s contention. But Kearney knew the 
 Council he was its speaker and he believed, 
 nay, he knew he could control that. As the fight 
 grew warmer, he watched his chief closely; he 
 realized if one false move were made, the oppo 
 sition would pounce upon it like a hawk. 
 There were many people in Presidio who would 
 have been more than glad to see Dudley 
 standing at the bar of justice, pleading to a 
 criminal indictment. Kearney liked the bishop 
 immensely, but his nature had become so in 
 grained with Dudley s personality, due to long 
 association with him, that he fought the bishop 
 on general principles. It was a great fight- 
 steel against steel and Kearney enjoyed every 
 minute of it. 
 
 The evening following the ball game there had 
 been another rousing mass meeting, and once 
 more Bishop Anderson and the other speakers 
 had aroused the big audience to a perfect frenzy 
 of enthusiasm. Many of the Council had been 
 won over, and, now the American company had 
 a fighting chance, if .a few more recalcitrant mem-
 
 no THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 bers of the Council could be made to see the light 
 of reason. 
 
 Kearney was glancing over Dudley s personal 
 mail he always did that when Dennis ob 
 served : 
 
 "Gee, Mr. Kearney, there s sure some doings 
 around this office these days. I never did see the 
 boss so worked up." 
 
 "Well, Sonny," replied Kearney, smiling, "if 
 you had as much on your mind these days as the 
 boss has, you d be worried, too. But, that s none 
 of our business. You go out and get me the latest 
 copies of The Tribune and Scimitar" Kearney 
 wanted to know just what the opposition had to 
 say of last night s meeting. He knew about what 
 they ought to say, because he had been there. He 
 attended all these meetings it was part of his 
 business. 
 
 "All right, sir," replied Dennis, going out. 
 
 Kearney knew Dudley probably would want 
 to give some advice about to-day s editorial, so he 
 called the editorial room, and told them to hold 
 up all the editorial work until Mr. Dudley came. 
 
 Dennis returned in a few minutes with the de 
 sired papers, and said in boyish enthusiasm: 
 
 "Here they are, Mr. Kearney, and look at that
 
 KEARNEY REPORTS TO HIS CHIEF in 
 
 front page leader in The Tribune. Some hot 
 shot there for Mr. Dudley." 
 
 Kearney did look, and grinned, as he observed, 
 "Yep, Dennis, as you say, some hot shot there, 
 all right!" 
 
 His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion 
 in the outer office. No need to inquire the cause 
 Dudley had arrived. His grumbling voice, as 
 he said, "Tell the chauffeur he needn t wait; I ll 
 send for him when I want him," indicated his 
 mood, as he burst into the room. Throwing his 
 cap, gloves and auto coat to Dennis, he grunted : 
 
 "Good morning, Kearney," going to his desk 
 and sitting down. Kearney stood to one side to 
 allow him to pass. 
 
 "Morning, Chief," he replied. "Some fine 
 day." 
 
 "Sure, what s the news?" 
 
 Kearney handed him the copies of The Tri 
 bune and Scimitar and observed: "Just glance at 
 The Tribune first page, double-column leader. 
 There s enough news for one morning." 
 
 Dudley took the papers and merely looked at 
 them. He threw them to one side in disgust, and 
 said with a snarl: 
 
 "What do you think of that, Kearney? A 
 bishop in politics. Do you know I don t believe
 
 ii2 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 he is sincere in what he is doing. I believe he s 
 only fighting because he doesn t like me." 
 
 "Bosh! Dudley, you re dreaming. That s not 
 the reason; he not only believes he s right, he 
 knows he is and so do you, and so do I. But he 
 surely has reason not to like you. What the 
 dickens you wanted to mix up in a church fight 
 for, I never could see. The paper and politics 
 ought to keep you busy." 
 
 "They do, but I really wanted Lamb elected. 
 He s a good chap and minds his own business. 
 I promised it to him, and I generally keep my 
 promises. That s enough." 
 
 With mock reverence Kearney raised his hands 
 and said: "But you are not even a communicant 
 of that church." Kearney was the only man who 
 dared to take any liberties with Dudley. 
 
 "I know I m not," said Dudley. "I don t be 
 long to any church, but I ve been the biggest con 
 tributor to St. James and St. Margaret s par 
 ishes until this this " here his voice indicated 
 
 scorn, "Anderson came along." 
 
 "You take your religion on the pay-for-what- 
 you-get plan, don t you, Jim? Sort of a-la-carte, 
 eh?" 
 
 Dudley paid not the slightest attention to 
 Kearney s tone of fun.
 
 KEARNEY REPORTS TO HIS CHIEF 113 
 
 "Look what he s done since he s been here got 
 a lot of long-haired men and short-haired women 
 to put up the money; building a new church! 
 what was the matter with the old one? Then 
 worships in the temple. What do you call that 
 huh?" Dudley banged his fat fist on the desk. 
 
 "I call it class," briefly said Kearney. "I don t 
 reckon the Almighty takes cognizance of a build 
 ing, Dudley." 
 
 "Class? Rot!" retorted Dudley, using the 
 same expression he did at the ball game, "per 
 sonal advertising. You ought to have been at the 
 ball game yesterday, and seen this godly bishop 
 standing up in the bleachers, yelling like a fiend 
 to Carey to Hit er out hit er out! Paste it, 
 Carey! Dudley vividly illustrated just what 
 the bishop did. Kearney enjoyed it hugely and 
 grinned from ear to ear, as he said: 
 
 "Well, Carey hit er out, all right. The Reds 
 won." 
 
 "It made me so everlastingly disgusted, I 
 didn t stay for the finish." 
 
 "Dudley, tell me, what s the objection to a 
 bishop s rooting at a ball game? He s got red 
 blood in his body, the same as you and I." 
 
 "Grandstand play, man just grandstand, 
 that s all. And this franchise fight what does
 
 ii4 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 he dabble in that for? Why doesn t he run his 
 church instead of principally denouncing me?" 
 
 "Well, a bishop votes, why shouldn t he speak 
 as he pleases?" 
 
 Dudley paced up and down his office the at 
 titude of Kearney was getting on his nerves. 
 Turning suddenly, he confronted him and said: 
 
 "Look here, Kearney, you talk as if you liked 
 him." 
 
 Kearney, taking his cigar out of his mouth, 
 knocked off the ashes and quietly replied: 
 
 "I do. He s got good style, and he fights 
 straight from the shoulder." 
 
 Dudley gazed a moment in speechless aston 
 ishment at his man, and then said: "Well, cut it 
 out! I would have let him alone when he came 
 here, if he had not mixed up with Flanagan and 
 his gang. But now, he s in too deep, and I m go 
 ing to beat him and the whole Flanagan crowd." 
 
 Kearney seemed to be weighing his words as 
 he replied: "I don t know, Chief. He s stirring 
 up considerable fuss. The people are with him, 
 and if it came to the popular vote right now, 
 they d give the American a new franchise 
 quicker than scat! You know that." 
 
 "Ah! but that s where we ve got em," replied 
 Dudley with glee; "they won t have a chance to
 
 KEARNEY REPORTS TO HIS CHIEF 115 
 
 do that. You and your Council will attend to the 
 franchise in September. You ll give a fifty-year 
 franchise to the new company, we ll get the 
 American cheap, and there you are!" The "Big 
 Chief" rubbed his hands together as if in antici 
 pation of the joy he would experience when this 
 luscious plum fell in his already overfull, strong 
 box. 
 
 "Yep," answered Kearney, "there you are. 
 You ve got it all framed up, Dudley, but it looks 
 kind of hard on Flanagan and his people. They 
 developed their system in the early days, when 
 Presidio wasn t much; spent a lot of their own 
 money ; borrowed more ; and now, when the plant 
 is paying a good return biff! we step in and 
 take it away from them. Pretty rotten sentiment 
 I call it!" 
 
 "Sentiment! There s no sentiment in busi 
 ness. There wouldn t have been a ripple of 
 trouble but for this bishop s butting in. Now 
 now I m going to " Just what he was go 
 ing to do seemed lost in utterance, because, turn 
 ing to Kearney, he said: "See here, Pat, you re 
 getting well paid for what you do." 
 
 Kearney winced slightly and said: "Sure, I am, 
 Dudley, but somehow or other I like clean 
 money."
 
 "Nonsense, Kearney, money is money, no 
 matter how you get it. It will buy anything." 
 
 "Nix, Jim, there s one thing it won t buy." 
 
 "And what s that?" 
 
 "Bishop Anderson." 
 
 Dudley had seated himself at his desk; a pe 
 culiar, grayish look spread over his face. For 
 the first time since he came in his voice was quiet 
 as he slowly said, "No, I don t suppose it will." 
 Immediately, however, he became himself again. 
 "But we are going to find a weakness in him some 
 place." 
 
 "So you said, when you told me to get his rec 
 ord," replied Kearney. "Well, I got it, and here 
 it is. Want to hear it?" 
 
 "Yes," cried Dudley, all eagerness ; "I-do."
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE BISHOP S RECORD 
 
 TAKING a memorandum from his pocket, Kear 
 ney half read, and half talked from his notes : 
 
 "Fine family boyhood spent in Iowa grad 
 uate Naval Academy resigned married set 
 tled in Des Moines took priestly orders was 
 Archdeacon of Utah afterwards had several big 
 churches. First wife died fifteen years ago re 
 married two years later. Writer of note last 
 parish, St. George s, Hillsburg, Pennsylvania. 
 Came from there here, at reduction in salary. 
 Served as chaplain, Eastern Volunteer Regiment 
 during Spanish- American War. His record in 
 Presidio you know. Not a flaw in it, Dudley. 
 As clean as a hound s tooth," Kearney concluded, 
 as if he was glad the bishop s record was so clean. 
 
 Dudley was nonplussed, as he heard this sketch 
 of the man he wanted to crush. 
 
 "No, there isn t a thing there I can use. 
 117
 
 n8 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Served in both Army and Navy, hey! I sup 
 pose that s where he gets his fighting qualities 
 from." 
 
 "Well, Dudley," retorted Kearney, "I call the 
 American Army and Navy two pretty good 
 schools to develop a fighter. They have fighting 
 down to an absolute science." 
 
 "You talk like the Fourth of July," sneered 
 Dudley. He was disappointed. 
 
 "No," continued Kearney, "but an Irishman 
 
 loves a fighter. That s why I like you. Wait 
 
 here s some more which may add to your 
 
 gaiety." Kearney relighted his half -burnt cigar. 
 
 "Bishop Anderson has a brother, also a fighter, 
 because he, too, served in both branches of the 
 service. Eight months enlisted man, Marine 
 Corps of the Navy. Discharged by order, then 
 enlisted in army. Served two years and four 
 months as an enlisted man, finally working his 
 way up to a commission. Is an expert telegra 
 pher, and has a brilliant military record. Medal 
 of honor man for bravery at Santiago in 98 re 
 signed from army when father died was married 
 and wife divorced him two years before resigna 
 tion from service. Don t know whether anything 
 scandalous in divorce or not. Settled in Chicago, 
 living there ever since doing confidential work for
 
 THE BISHOP S RECORD 119 
 
 banks and big corporations sort of refined secret 
 service. Not much on the surface, but might find 
 something hidden the bishop wouldn t care to 
 have known." 
 
 Dudley felt a gleam of hope as he heard of this 
 brother s record. Maybe there was something 
 that he could use. That divorce sounded prom 
 ising. 
 
 "What s his name?" he asked. 
 
 "Captain John Edmond Anderson," replied 
 Kearney, consulting his notes. 
 
 "Blast his title his name is enough." 
 
 "Well, from what we know, I reckon he earned 
 that title," said Kearney. 
 
 "Never mind about that what I want you to 
 do is to find out the brother s record, and that of 
 any one else connected with the bishop. I don t 
 care how you find it just so you get it!" 
 
 "Yes, Jim, I anticipated you on that point as 
 soon as I found out the bishop had a brother. 
 I ve already started the wires and some informa 
 tion is here now, and I expect more every mail." 
 
 "Good, Kearney, good! Keep at it, and some 
 thing is bound to turn up. It must." 
 
 The interview so far as Dudley was concerned 
 was at an end. But Kearney wasn t through. 
 He had something on his mind, and must get it
 
 120 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 off. The chief busied himself with some papers 
 apparently forgetting Kearney, but that made 
 no difference to him. He sat -down by Dudley s 
 desk, and, lighting a fresh cigar, proceeded with 
 what he had to say. 
 
 "Dudley, I ve been with you for many years." 
 
 "Sure, I know that, Kearney, and a faithful 
 friend you have been," replied Dudley, looking 
 up. The expression on Kearney s face caused 
 him to cease work entirely and lean back in his 
 chair. 
 
 "I came here when you bought up the old Ban 
 ner, and I ve helped you make it a great paper. 
 I ve seen you wax rich in money and power, and, 
 in every fight you ve had, I ve been trailing right 
 along, helping." Dudley started to interrupt, 
 but Kearney continued, raising one hand as if in 
 protest : 
 
 "Oh, yes, I know all about pay I ll admit 
 that; and I ve never given you a bum steer yet. 
 Now I want to give you a tip." He leaned back 
 over the desk and looked Dudley squarely in the 
 eyes. 
 
 "I ve got a great, big, fair-sized working hunch 
 you are in wrong on this franchise fight. You 
 might have put it over, probably could, if this 
 bishop hadn t jumped in."
 
 THE BISHOP S RECORD 121 
 
 Quick as a flash Dudley came back at him : 
 
 "What are you doing, preaching me a ser 
 mon?" 
 
 Kearney smiled. The editor s outbursts never 
 caused him a moment s worry. 
 
 "No, Jim, not preaching at all. I said I was 
 giving you a tip. Let that sink in. Bishop An 
 derson has this old town on the jump. We 
 thought the first meeting was a flash in the pan, 
 but see how the interest keeps up. I ve attended 
 every one of them and I ll confess it beats me! 
 The same crowd keeps with the bishop Rabbi 
 Wise, Dr. Arnold and Father Leahy were there, 
 as usual, but the bishop was the big noise. Coun- 
 cilmen are getting a line on how you stand with 
 the public. Even I am getting it. The people, 
 generally, fail to understand my loyalty to you." 
 
 "You!" laughed Dudley "well, it s not a new 
 experience for you. You ve been pounded be 
 fore. So have I, many a time but we ve always 
 come through on top." 
 
 "All true, Chief all true. But it gets on my 
 nerves to have men, yes, and women and children, 
 too, in this old town whisper nasty things about 
 me. And their whispers aren t so quiet but what 
 they can be heard about a block away." 
 
 A peculiar feeling came over Dudley as this
 
 122 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 man stood before him, and, in a quiet voice, de 
 livered his little talk. Evidently, Kearney was 
 weakening, according to Dudley s apprisementj 
 and that would never do. The chief knew full 
 well if the leader dropped the fight the council, 
 as a body, would melt away from his scheme like 
 mist before a summer s sun. 
 
 Dudley leaned over the desk, and placed a 
 heavy hand on Kearney s arm ; then, as kindly as 
 his gruff nature would allow, he began to talk. 
 
 "Come, Pat," said he, with a slight huskiness in 
 his voice. "You know what this fight means to 
 me ; you know my position is impregnable. You 
 also know I ve never been licked, and, by the 
 great horn spoon, I m not going to be now!" 
 The solemnity of his utterance left no doubt but 
 that he meant every word. Kearney eyed his 
 chief carefully, wondering at his intensity. But 
 the mood was on him to speak his mind freely, 
 and he shot back at once : 
 
 "That s what John L. Sullivan said, but there s 
 always a first time, you know. Sullivan realized 
 it after he had been beaten to a pulp. By jim- 
 iny, I never could get it into my head why you 
 went into this franchise fight. What do you want 
 a gas company for? You ve got all the money 
 you need; The Banner gives you an income yon
 
 THE BISHOP S RECORD 123 
 
 can t spend, and you haven t a chick or a child to 
 leave it to." 
 
 Dudley looked in amazement at Kearney, who 
 chewed his cigar nonchalantly, and, suddenly, 
 continued with what he had to say: 
 
 "Dudley, this is the truth. Bishop Anderson is 
 under your hide. It s your pride that s fighting 
 your heart isn t in it." 
 
 Big Chief Dudley sat for a moment as if think 
 ing of what Kearney had said. There was 
 a far-away look in his eyes. Unconsciously, his 
 hand grasped a round glass paper weight, which 
 he raised up until his eyes rested on the picture 
 of a sweet girlish face looking into his own. All 
 at once his shoulders drooped as if years had sud 
 denly been added to his life. Kearney stood still 
 and watched. Also he hoped. But the incident 
 was all over in a second, and the man before him 
 again became the fighting editor. Pushing the 
 weight away from him, he straightened rigidly 
 and went on in his usual harsh voice : 
 
 "Never mind what I m fighting for or with. 
 The simple fact is that I am fighting and you ll 
 fight with me. That s all there is to it!" 
 
 Kearney raised his hands in despair. "All 
 right," said he, "all right, Jim, I get you." He 
 had tried his best to set Dudley right and had
 
 124 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 failed. There was nothing else for him to do but 
 fight along with the Big Chief. At this moment, 
 Dennis, the office boy, came in, and, bowing to 
 Dudley, announced: "A lady to see you, sir," and 
 placed an engraved card before him. 
 
 Big Chief Dudley was not sorry that the inter 
 ruption came. Kearney was in a mood he didn t 
 like, and he wanted the interview terminated. 
 Looking at the card, he read : "Miss Mary Sher 
 man." 
 
 "All right, Dennis, show the lady in. And, 
 Kearney, you go out in the editorial room and see 
 how things are and come back and let me know." 
 
 Kearney moved toward the door, just in time 
 to meet Dennis, showing in Dudley s new caller. 
 He looked at her in amazement, and muttered to 
 himself "Peach!" Meanwhile, Dennis pointed 
 toward the massive man seated at a desk and said : 
 "That s Mr. Dudley, Miss." 
 
 A moment later she stood before the great edi 
 tor, and blushed rosily, as he peered deeply into 
 her eyes.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE ARRIVAL OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 To describe Mary Sherman, one needs must 
 have the pen of a poet, or the brush of an artist 
 tall, slender, dark hair and flashing black eyes 
 eyes which looked like deep pools, through 
 which shone her very soul. Her lashes were long 
 and sweeping. Her face oval mouth rather 
 large, showing, when she smiled, two rows of 
 straight white teeth. Her lips were red and her 
 cheeks glowed with health not rouge. Her cos 
 tume consisted of a plain but soft and pretty 
 shirt waist, and a dark, tailor-made skirt, from 
 under the hem of which peeped two slender feet. 
 On her queenly head was a fetching Panama hat, 
 and, as she stood before the editor, she made a 
 beautiful picture. 
 
 As gruff as he was, Dudley could not help but 
 admire his visitor. He paused, pencil poised, and 
 said: 
 
 125
 
 126 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "You wish to see me, Miss?" 
 
 "Yes, I do. I have a letter for you, sir, from 
 Mr. Moss, of Chicago," at the same time handing 
 him the note. Mary Sherman s voice was as 
 beautiful as her face and figure a pure, rich, nat 
 ural contralto. Her smile was dazzling, and, as 
 Dudley took the proffered letter, he said: "Oh, 
 yes, from George Moss, eh!" Breaking the seal, 
 he read aloud: "This will introduce to you Miss 
 Mary Sherman. You said you wanted a secre 
 tary, and she is as good as they make them etc. 
 etc." Looking up at Mary Sherman the edi 
 tor s stare became almost insolent. Said he, "So 
 you want to be my private secretary, eh? Sit 
 down." His gruff voice and shortness of manner 
 were rather disconcerting, although Mr. Moss 
 had warned her that Dudley was an "old bear," 
 but a good man to work for. She simply smiled, 
 sat down, and replied: 
 
 "Thank you, yes, sir; Mr. Moss was kind 
 enough to write that letter and send me out here." 
 
 "Yes, I know," broke in Dudley, "I asked 
 Moss to send me a new secretary when my last 
 one got married. That s the trouble with you 
 women especially pretty ones. You work for 
 a man until you become useful, well-nigh indis 
 pensable, and then, pst! Some twenty-dollar- a-
 
 THE ARRIVAL OF MARY SHERMAN 127 
 
 week chap comes along, and off you go. You 
 don t know when you are well off." Dudley was 
 attempting to be humorous, but his attempt was 
 rather a grim failure. 
 
 Mary just smiled and said: "But you won t be 
 troubled with me that way, Mr. Dudley." 
 
 "That s what they all say, but it has been my 
 observation, Miss Sherman, that a pretty woman 
 who isn t engaged or married, has been disap 
 pointed in love, or " and here he looked at the 
 
 girl very narrowly "or she has had an experi 
 ence." 
 
 Mary Sherman s eyes never wavered for an in 
 stant as she gazed back at her new employer. 
 Perhaps there was just a faint suspicion of 
 heightening color, as she smiled, and said: 
 
 "Do you think so, Mr. Dudley? * 
 
 "I know so, and sooner or later it comes out. 
 But, that s neither here nor there. George 
 Moss says you re a competent secretary, and I ll 
 take his word for it. You must thoroughly 
 understand one thing, Miss Sherman, my secre 
 tary must be all eyes and ears, and have no mouth. 
 She must see everything, hear everything, and 
 say nothing. There will be lots going on around 
 this office you will see and hear. But you know 
 nothing, save so far as / want you to know."
 
 128 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "I understand you, Mr. Dudley." 
 
 "I am brusque and blunt," continued the edi 
 tor, "and always have a fight on my hands. I ve 
 got one now." 
 
 "Don t you do anything else but fight, Mr. 
 Dudley? Haven t you any time for pleasure?" 
 
 Dudley hadn t fully recovered from his inter 
 view with Kearney and here was this slip of a 
 girl continuing along the same lines. He would 
 show her right off the reel what manner of a man 
 he was. So he roared out : 
 
 "Pleasure! Young lady, what greater pleas 
 ure could I have than winning a fight ? Why, my 
 philosophy of life is fight somebody! fight him 
 in front if I can ; in the flank, if necessary ; smash 
 him in the rear if I must just so I smash him! 
 always, of course, if he needs smashing. Most of 
 em do I" 
 
 There were not many signs of human sympa 
 thy about this man as he faced the young woman 
 and continued: 
 
 "That s the spirit around this office fight. 
 Every one is a fighter, from the office boy up 
 and you ll be one of us." 
 
 "I ll try, Mr. Dudley. Women do make good 
 fighters sometimes." 
 
 "You are right, Miss Sherman. Once let a
 
 THE ARRIVAL OF MARY SHERMAN 129 
 
 woman become aroused to a point where she real 
 izes she has to fight for what she considers her 
 rights then Heaven help the man ! She can lick 
 a dozen of them." 
 
 A peal of silvery laughter greeted this sally of 
 Dudley s, and it sounded good to him. 
 
 "But in your fighting, Mr. Dudley, do you ever 
 consider the men you smash? What of them?" 
 
 "That s their look out not mine," grimly re 
 plied the chief. "Now, do you understand my 
 nature ? Your hours will be from nine until five, 
 and sometimes in the evening. My evening work 
 I do here and at my house. When you work at 
 my home my housekeeper will care for you for 
 the night. If we work here, I ll send you to your 
 home in my car. Your pay will be a hundred a 
 month, and time and a half for extra work. Sat 
 isfactory?" 
 
 "Perfectly, thank you, and I ll do my best." 
 
 "All right. When did you get here?" 
 
 "Last evening at nine o clock." 
 
 "Find a place to stay yet?" 
 
 "Oh, yes. Mr. Moss wrote to a friend of his 
 Mrs. Fenton by name. She met me at the train, 
 and has very kindly given me a room." 
 
 "Fenton?" said Dudley, musing, "Mrs. Fen- 
 ton where does she live?"
 
 130 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "At the corner of Twenty-ninth and Wind- 
 grove Avenue, I believe. It s just opposite a 
 very pretty park." 
 
 Dudley started. His eyes glittered, as he 
 leaned forward, and said: "Twenty-ninth and 
 Windgrove Avenue that s strange. There s a 
 new church going up out there isn t there?" 
 
 "Yes, I believe there is on the north side, facing 
 the park." 
 
 Dudley arose from his chair, took three or four 
 steps, and then, turning to the astonished girl, 
 said: 
 
 "That s it St. Clement s Cathedral." 
 
 "Oh, an Episcopalian church. I m glad of that 
 it will be convenient for me to attend." 
 
 The editor looked at her very intently, and 
 said: 
 
 "Are you an Episcopalian?" 
 
 "Yes, I am, why? Any objection, Mr. Dud 
 ley?" 
 
 The chief paused a moment before replying, 
 and then, looking at the woman, said: "No, only 
 this the Episcopalian bishop, Dr. Anderson, is 
 the man I am fighting now. He s building that 
 cathedral" 
 
 Mary Sherman started slightly. 
 
 "Fighting a church! Why, Mr. Dudley!"
 
 THE ARRIVAL OF MARY SHERMAN 131 
 
 He interrupted : "No, not fighting a church 
 just the man, Anderson. He s opposing me in 
 matters that don t concern him." 
 
 This was interesting to the girl, who was, in 
 deed, learning many things during her first day 
 in Presidio. 
 
 "And the bishop," she asked; "is he fighting 
 back?" 
 
 Dudley took three steps towards his desk, 
 picked up the copy of that morning s Tribune, 
 and, gritting his teeth, said : 
 
 "Is he fighting back ? I should say he is! That 
 is about all he is doing these days." He threw the 
 paper from him in disgust. 
 
 Miss Sherman watched him coolly. 
 
 "But the bishop is building a church as well. 
 You just told me that." 
 
 Sitting down to his desk, Dudley replied impa 
 tiently: "Yes, he is. But see here, young lady, 
 this isn t a conversatione. It s time we get to 
 work." Touching a button, which called Den 
 nis, he continued: "Dennis, show Miss Sherman 
 her office. And when you get ready, Miss Sher 
 man, come back here and always bring your 
 notebook with you." 
 
 "Yes, sir," was the quick answer of the secre 
 tary, as she followed Dennis out.
 
 132 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 To herself she said: "I think I am going to 
 like this place. With all his gruffness, I believe 
 Mr. Dudley has a heart." 
 
 As she and Dennis left the editor s office, she 
 met Kearney coming in, and once more the Irish 
 man failed to conceal his admiration for the 
 pretty woman. Advancing to Dudley s desk, 
 Kearney waited until the editor had finished sign 
 ing some papers, and then said: 
 
 "Dudley, I just got a letter from Hensen, our 
 New York man, about Bishop Anderson s 
 brother, and I believe we are on a warm trail. It 
 appears this Captain Anderson is mixed up with 
 a Miss Phyllis Carew Miss on suspicion, be 
 cause she is a grass widow ; has a past a pippin 
 at that. Anderson wants to marry her, but the 
 girl disappeared three months ago." 
 
 Dudley s eyes gleamed, as he heard this report. 
 It was the first encouraging thing he had heard 
 in weeks. He fairly shouted: 
 
 "Good, now we are getting somewhere. 
 Here s where I break Bishop Anderson s soul on 
 the rack of public ridicule." 
 
 "Steady, Dudley," said Kearney, raising a 
 warning hand; "not so loud. I hear you." 
 
 "Well, I want you to hear me," said the editor. 
 
 "I can," answered Kearney, "so can every one
 
 THE ARRIVAL OF MARY SHERMAN 133 
 
 else in the building." Dennis, coming in just 
 then, had heard, but he merely handed Dudley 
 a card, with his stereotyped "Gentleman to see 
 you, sir," and was ready to get out as soon as he 
 said it. 
 
 Dudley took the card, looked at it, appeared 
 dazed, tore it up, threw the bits in the waste- 
 basket, and shrieked with anger: 
 
 "Well, I ll be hanged! Tell him I won t see 
 him." 
 
 Kearney wondered, as he moved towards his 
 chief, while the thoroughly affrighted Dennis 
 whispered, "Yes, sir," and started to leave. 
 
 "Oh, yes, you will see me, Mr. Dudley," said 
 another voice, "because I am here now," and 
 there, standing in the doorway, was Bishop An 
 derson, and his voice was pitched in the same 
 tone he would use at a ladies reception. A de 
 cided contrast to the snarl of Dudley. His six 
 feet two of sturdy manhood seemed to fill the 
 doorway, as he stood there for a moment before 
 entering the room. 
 
 "Kearney, throw him out!" shrieked the en 
 raged editor. All semblance of reason had fled. 
 Dennis slipped out, determined not to stick 
 around too close. However, he scented trouble, 
 and, boy-like, he wanted to be near.
 
 I 3 4 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 The bishop slowly approached the irate editor 
 with the measured steps he might have used in 
 following his choir boys as they sang the pro 
 cessional in c mrch. 
 
 "No, Mr. Kearney won t throw me out," look 
 ing towards that gentleman and smiling, "for two 
 good reasons. First, because from his name I 
 take it he s Irish and believes in fair play and, 
 secondly, I don t believe he could." Evidently, 
 Kearney agreed with him, as he made no 
 effort. 
 
 Just then Mary Sherman re-entered the room, 
 notebook in hand. She saw the tenseness of the 
 situation, but going up to the editor s desk, said 
 very quietly: "You wished me to return, Mr. 
 Dudley." 
 
 He looked at her a moment and said: "Well, 
 I don t want you now." Then a thought seemed 
 to strike him. It would be a good chance to show 
 this bishop a thing or two. When his secretary 
 started to go out, he yelled at her : 
 
 "Wait! I do want you. Sit down." The girl 
 obeyed. 
 
 Dudley turned to Kearney. "Hand me that 
 letter you received a while ago." Kearney com 
 plied, wondering. Then he heard his chief say: 
 "Write : To Hensen, care of our New York office
 
 THE ARRIVAL OF MARY SHERMAN 135 
 
 Find out all about the Carew woman." For 
 some unaccountable reason Mary Sherman s pen 
 cil point broke. Quickly taking another one she 
 wrote as dictated "especially about the scandal 
 concerning her," continued Dudley. "Locate 
 husband and other man, also find her, use every 
 effort. Quick work. Important results pend 
 ing on this information." Glaring at the bishop, 
 he shouted: "Now, then, put that on the wire im 
 mediately. There s the telegraph office lo the 
 right." 
 
 Mary Sherman took up the notebook, and 
 started to obey. At the door of the telegraph 
 room she turned and asked: "What was the wo 
 man s name, Mr. Dudley?" 
 
 "C-A-R-E-W!" he cried. "Carew! Hensen 
 will understand." 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied the girl, closing the door 
 with a bang.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 MEETING OF THE TITANS 
 
 THE situation in the editor s private office was 
 tense in the extreme. Here were two strong men 
 fighting on opposite sides of a great, public ques 
 tion and each the leader of his respective fac 
 tion. The only difference was that the bishop 
 fought in the open so that all might hear and 
 know, while the editor fought from behind his 
 barricade of might, money and unscrupulous 
 power moving his men as might an expert chess 
 man. Dudley was versed in every known politi 
 cal trick and would not hesitate to use any of 
 them that suited his purpose. The bishop knew 
 nothing of politics or chicanery, but possessed a 
 sublime faith in the righteousness of his cause. 
 Likewise, he was entirely confident of ultimate 
 success. The editor was strengthened through 
 having as his lieutenant the faithful Kearney 
 
 136
 
 MEETING OF THE TITANS 137 
 
 a man who knew his every whim and could an 
 ticipate his every thought with seeming fidelity. 
 Here was a man whose worldly education had 
 been directly under Dudley and men of his type. 
 Started aright, Kearney might have become a 
 diplomat of high order, but now he had become 
 so thoroughly steeped in Dudley s way of think 
 ing that he moved his men as ordered and did as 
 he was told. Deep down in his heart, however, 
 there was an innate sense of fair play, which 
 made him greatly admire the fighting bishop. 
 Nevertheless, he muttered to himself: "He s got 
 some nerve to come in here and face old Dudley 
 in his own den. He s the first man who ever 
 dared to try it let alone do it.* He started to 
 leave the room, when the bishop spoke : 
 
 "Just a moment, Mr. Kearney I should be 
 more than glad to have you remain." 
 
 Kearney looked at Dudley, who was white 
 and so beside himself with anger that he did not 
 see his companion in the deal. Then the Irish 
 man decided to remain "to see the fun," as he 
 thought. He listened intently while with all the 
 scorn in his gross make-up, the editor snarled : 
 
 "Now, Bishop Anderson, you say Kearney 
 can t or won t throw you out. Well, I ll get 
 some one who will!" With that he leaped to his
 
 138 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 feet and reached for a push-button. Bishop 
 Anderson, alert, anticipated this action, and in 
 stantly grasped the irate editor s wrist in his 
 strong right hand. 
 
 "Wait!" commanded the bishop, eyes glisten 
 ing like steel beads. "You seem to forget, Mr. 
 Dudley, the amenities of polite society. Now, I 
 am a gentleman, and I assume you claim to be a 
 gentleman. So I ask you in all kindness, as a 
 gentleman, to sit down!" There was no mistak 
 ing the bishop s tone. He meant his words. 
 Dudley knew this and it seemed the better part of 
 valor to obey. Not that he was lacking in physi 
 cal courage, but for the reason that he had good 
 sense enough to know that a personal altercation 
 with the bishop could not but turn out to his own 
 disadvantage. He realized that the bishop surely 
 would prove to be his master. Therefore it was 
 with as good grace as possible he dropped in his 
 chair and waited, while his self-appointed guest 
 wiped his hands with his handkerchief as if to 
 destroy his contact with his host s fleshy wrist. 
 Turning toward the amazed Kearney, he said : 
 
 "You, too, be seated, Mr. Kearney, because I 
 feel we just the three of us are going to have 
 a real pleasant little visit." 
 
 "Mur deration!" mentally exclaimed Kearney,
 
 MEETING OF THE TITANS 139 
 
 as he seated himself by the mantel, "Daniel in the 
 lion s den !" 
 
 As the bishop sat down, Dudley snapped out: 
 
 "Well, what do you want?" 
 
 There was a faint suspicion of a smile around 
 the corners of the bishop s mobile mouth, as he 
 replied : 
 
 "Just a moment, Mr. Dudley. In times of 
 great stress men like something to sooth their 
 nerves. Some drink but I smoke." And suit 
 ing the action to his words, he reached in his 
 pocket and brought forth a gun-metal cigarette 
 case. Extracting one, he proffered the case to 
 Dudley, who disdainfully refused. 
 
 "You, Mr. Kearney?" he asked of the big 
 chief s first lieutenant, and was again declined. 
 A bishop smoking a cigarette! What next? 
 thought Kearney. However, said he quite af 
 fably: 
 
 "Thank you, no, Bishop. I never indulge in 
 cigarettes." 
 
 "It isn t a habit I encourage or recommend 
 but once in a while I do use them," said the bishop 
 as he prepared to strike a match. Just then the 
 door of the telegraph room opened and Mary 
 Sherman appeared.
 
 140 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Excuse me, please," said she. "Did you ring, 
 Mr. Dudley?" 
 
 "I did not," replied the editor gruffly, rubbing 
 his wrist and eying it for a possible swelling. 
 
 The bishop made note of the beauty of the 
 young woman and wondered in sympathy how 
 she could work for a man of Dudley s stripe. As 
 she passed out the bishop finished lighting his 
 cigarette, and turning to the glum-looking edi 
 tor, said: 
 
 "Now, Mr. Dudley, I am going to talk in 
 language you can understand. Let s get down 
 to cases." Dudley started as if to interrupt, but 
 the bishop continued: "Ah, don t start again 
 please. I know getting down to cases is a 
 gambler s expression. I learned that in the 
 West. We are all gamblers; you, Mr. Kearney 
 I, all of us. Startling thing to say, isn t it, 
 Mr. Dudley, that I a bishop of the living 
 church am a gambler?" Pausing for a brief 
 moment to exhale a cloud of blue smoke, he fur 
 ther remarked: "Yes, you gamble with politics 
 and public opinion for power. You gamble 
 with the law just as other men gamble for money. 
 Sometimes you win sometimes you lose, but you 
 are always at a disadvantage, because your op 
 ponent keeps his cards concealed, and you never
 
 MEETING OF THE TITANS 141 
 
 know just what he has up his sleeve. When 
 your hand is poor and your opponent timid, you 
 bluff. About right am I not, Mr. Dudley?" 
 
 Dudley was thinking hard while the bishop was 
 speaking. He was a clever fighter and believed 
 that sooner or later the bishop would uncover his 
 plan and exhibit a weak spot. Then he would 
 strike until then he would spar for time, so he 
 simply blurted out: 
 
 "Well, you seem to be a confessed gambler, 
 vou should know. But what of it?" 
 
 Uf 
 
 "Bear with me a moment, please," replied the 
 bishop, in calm, even tones. "When I gamble I 
 am pitted against sin and corruption private 
 and public. Two insidious snakes in the grass, 
 always striving to debase the manhood and 
 womanhood of our cities. I find lots of it right 
 here in Presidio. But the stakes, Mr. Dudley, 
 when I gamble" the bishop was leaning towards 
 the editor, gazing straight into his eyes "the 
 stakes are human lives human hearts human 
 souls! and I always win. Always because I 
 hold two trump cards, Almighty God and my 
 trusty right. My opponents have as their trump 
 the devil and his cohorts and God is to the 
 devil what a royal flush is to a pair of deuces." 
 
 No opening yet for the editor, so he contented
 
 142 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 himself by simply growling: "You seem devilish 
 familiar with poker terms. What has that to do 
 with forcing your way into my office, where you 
 remain, unwelcome?" 
 
 Again the faint smile came upon the bishop s 
 lips as he drew his chair closer until his arm 
 rested on the editor s desk. 
 
 "Yes I am familiar with gambling," said he. 
 "As I observed before, I ve seen plenty of it in 
 the mining camps, and I am thoroughly familiar 
 with men. All kinds and conditions of them 
 even your kind, Mr. Dudley. You re quite a 
 common product in our big cities." 
 
 This shot of the bishop s landed true, and the 
 editor felt its sting. He jumped to his feet in a 
 fury. 
 
 "Now, see here, Anderson " 
 
 "Steady, Mr. Dudley," interrupted the bishop. 
 Doctor or Bishop Anderson to you. I never 
 allow my inferiors to become familiar." 
 
 "Wow!" thought Kearney, who was enjoying 
 every moment of this duel of wits, "that s a home- 
 run for the bishop!" 
 
 Dudley well-nigh lost control of himself and 
 
 fairly shouted: "Well, I ll be damned " and 
 
 then he sat down again.
 
 MEETING OF THE TITANS 143 
 
 Again the cool and collected bishop inter 
 rupted: 
 
 "I am glad you realize that, Mr. Dudley, be- 
 caused damned you will be eternally if you don t 
 change your ways. Now let s cut out all this 
 banter. Of course I knew all about your opposi 
 tion to my election and consecration as bishop of 
 the diocese. But that never did worry me a bit. 
 On the contrary, I admire a good, healthy, hard 
 working, honest enemy, because he keeps me con 
 stantly keyed up to a high pitch of endeavor to 
 do that which is right. But I do not admire your 
 methods. They were not honest ones." 
 
 "You mean to say I lied?" asked Dudley, lean 
 ing forward, eyes a-glitter. 
 
 "Well," answered the churchman, speaking 
 very distinctly, "put it that way if you wish. 
 After my election you wrote, or caused to be 
 written, letters not only to Bishop Turner, but to 
 every other bishop, stating that the sentiment 
 was all for Dr. Lamb. It wasn t. I know Dr. 
 Lamb, and he is a good, easy-going sort, in a 
 way; but he s about as fit to build up this dio 
 cese as you are to to well, lead in prayer, 
 which is not saying very much in his behalf at 
 the present time. You ve done him a great harm, 
 a grave injustice by your ill-advised action."
 
 144 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Pausing a moment to let his words sink in, "Now, 
 when I came to Presidio I determined to call 
 upon you and see if I could not enlist your 
 mighty aid on the side of right. I wanted to be 
 friends with you, not only because of your 
 brilliant ability and power, but because of the 
 great good you could do for the betterment of 
 Presidio. Oh, yes, I knew of your substantial 
 contributions to St. James and St. Margaret s, 
 and I also know, since my election, you have with 
 drawn them as a penalty for their rectors having 
 voted for me." 
 
 "Well, that s my business," interjected Dud 
 ley, as Kearney wondered how long it would be 
 before the editor put in a blow. Just now the 
 tide was all in favor of the bishop. 
 
 "Certainly," retorted Dr. Anderson, "that s 
 between you and your conscience, if you have one. 
 But the church will live and grow in spite of you, 
 or any other man. In my first sermon I stated I 
 would wear no man s collar! Yes, and I meant 
 you. I wanted my position to be so plain every 
 one would know just where I stood. Since com 
 ing here I ve been a very busy man with the new 
 cathedral and other work. So I didn t call 
 upon you until now. But yesterday afternoon, I 
 was at the ball game. You were there, too, Mr.
 
 MEETING OF THE TITANS 145 
 
 Dudley. I saw you. Wasn t it a corker didn t 
 Carey land on that ball?" 
 
 "Cut out the ball talk," shot back the chief. 
 "I ve got a sporting editor." 
 
 "And a good one, too. I enjoy reading his 
 stuff. But you can t cut out baseball. It s too 
 big a game, and I like it so do you so does 
 every other American if he likes clean sport. 
 Well, that game made me feel pretty good, and 
 I determined to make my long deferred call. 
 Something prevented it yesterday evening and 
 last night I had a meeting I surmise that you 
 know that. Now I realize just how you feel to 
 wards me your paper shows that, but isn t there 
 some middle ground upon which we can meet? 
 Can t we get together? Come, Mr. Dudley." 
 The bishop arose, and held out his hand. Many 
 moments elapsed before another word was ut 
 tered in the editor s sanctum.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 A PLEA THAT FAILED 
 
 "Bio CHIEF" DUDLEY gazed at the extended 
 hand of the giant churchman standing in front 
 of him. Suddenly a feeling of joy crept into his 
 heart. This bishop was suing for peace! Why 
 hadn t he thought of it before ! Of course, Bishop 
 Anderson had raised a goodly sum to start the 
 rebuilding of St. Clement s, but he was going to 
 need more money, and, of course, he must know 
 his (Dudley s) wealth. Most likely he went into 
 this franchise fight just to stir up a big noise; to 
 show him he could do things ; then he would come 
 along some time and fix matters up withdraw 
 from the fight, which would lag without a leader. 
 And then after it was all over Bishop Ander 
 son would strike him for a big contribution 
 
 "Fine, fine!" thought he; "and I ll be liberal- 
 it s a very cleverly thought out scheme. What a 
 
 politician the bishop would have made !" 
 
 146
 
 A PLEA THAT FAILED 147 
 
 All this, thought Dudley, as he gently rubbed 
 his hands. Inwardly he cursed himself for not 
 seeing through the scheme before. Well, he 
 would be friends with the bishop, but like the 
 angler with the fish, he d play with him, before 
 getting out his landing net which, in this case, 
 was a check book. But the surrender must be 
 complete before anything else would be done. It 
 wouldn t do to allow the bishop to get off too 
 easily. He must be taught his place and stay 
 there. 
 
 In Dudley s mind the bishop s game was a 
 hold-up, pure and simple. All his life he had 
 been dealing with "artistic" hold-up men, but 
 this bishop was the king of them all. In 
 his case Dudley was perfectly willing to be 
 held up, because the granting of, a fifty- 
 year franchise to his new company would 
 mean the addition of more millions to his 
 already swollen fortune. He not only would give 
 a big sum toward completing St. Clement s, but 
 he d later give it a substantial endowment as well. 
 He d tie the bishop to the tail of his chariot with 
 strands of gold no man would try to break that 
 kind of a halter. After holding out his hand for 
 an awkward period, the bishop s face became 
 stern and set. Perhaps he was gifted with sec-
 
 148 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 ond sight and divined what was going on in the 
 editor s mind. Kearney did, but it wasn t divina 
 tion on his part. It was a mental cinch. He had 
 seen Dudley at work before and knew his every 
 move. But he didn t share the chief s opinion of 
 the bishop. That gentleman didn t have the 
 right look for the artistic grafter Dudley took 
 him to be; therefore, he waited watching every 
 move. 
 
 "Bishop Anderson," said Dudley at last, lean 
 ing over the desk, "there is one way we can be 
 friends, and only one." 
 
 "And that is?" quietly asked the bishop. 
 
 "Drop this franchise fight. You are a church 
 man," Dudley s voice was almost soft, as he gave 
 utterance to his thought. He was angling ho 
 ping that the fish would bite. 
 
 But the fish didn t bite. On the contrary, the 
 bishop resumed his seat, and, leaning back, 
 crossed one leg over the other. He smiled, and 
 his smile was not particularly pleasant. 
 
 "That s funny. That s what I was about to 
 propose to you to drop the franchise fight be 
 cause you re in dead wrong" Uncrossing his 
 legs, he continued: "It s true, I am a churchman 
 but none the less a man. You ask what is im 
 possible, for two reasons: first because I know
 
 A PLEA THAT FAILED 149 
 
 I m right; and second because I would be false 
 to my duty both as preacher and citizen, did I 
 not keep up this fight. It s you who are wrong, 
 Mr. Dudley. You are fighting for personal ag 
 grandizement, and you don t need it. I am fight 
 ing to conserve the interests of the community as 
 a whole for the savings of widows and orphans. 
 You know that thousands of people in this city 
 have invested their money in American stock; 
 they did this because they believed in the future 
 of Presidio and their faith has been justified. 
 But now the franchise is about to run out and a 
 failure to renew it will cause the American to 
 lose its most valuable asset, and these stockhold 
 ers will lose everything. You bondholders yes, 
 I know you have over a million in them men of 
 your calibre, only buy securities with the mini 
 mum of risk will take the property and turn it 
 over to the new company your company, Mr. 
 Dudley oh, yes, I know you are behind it all; 
 you are the new company. Come, man, where is 
 your spirit of fair play?" 
 
 Dudley was dumbfounded at this attack it 
 was absolutely unexpected. This bishop was sin 
 cere didn t want money wanted to fight! 
 Well, he d give it to him ! 
 
 "It is not a question of fair play!" the editor
 
 150 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 cried. Every man must look out for himself. 
 That s what I am doing." 
 
 The bishop s lips curved with a faint suspicion 
 of scorn, as he rasped back : 
 
 "So that s your motto, is it? Every man for 
 himself, and the devil take the hindmost!" 
 Then, as his eyes glanced around the room, he 
 continued : "I take it you are an admirer of fight 
 ing men, because here in your office I see fine 
 statues of Hannibal, Caesar and here is Napo 
 leon. Perhaps you fancy you are a reincarnation 
 of them and maybe you are! They were all 
 fighters and good ones. They won many hard- 
 fought victories. But, Mr. Dudley, Hannibal had 
 his Scipio Caesar his Brutus, and Napoleon his 
 Wellington and Blucher. However, in such 
 cases, the defeat of these great fighting men was 
 not caused by man, but by Almighty God." 
 Pointing a warning finger at the irate editor the 
 bishop concluded: "And you, too, Mr. Dudley 
 you, too, will some day be defeated." 
 
 Seeing that his estimate of the man was wrong, 
 the "Big Chief" sought at once a way to end this 
 interview. They were not getting anywhere. 
 
 "Aw, cut out this Patrick Henry stuff. That 
 doesn t go these days, and you re making a big 
 mistake, Bishop Anderson, because I have you
 
 A PLEA THAT FAILED 151 
 
 pulverized already you can t budge an inch 
 without my permission. Get onto yourself." 
 
 The bishop was not in the least astounded by 
 this bluff. His face was serious, and his voice re 
 mained calm, as he rejoined: 
 
 "Perhaps I am making mistakes we all do, 
 Mr. Dudley. The one Man who never made a 
 mistake in this world was crucified. And, by the 
 memory of that Man, I am going to fight you, 
 and I am going to win. Now, if it is to be a con 
 tinued fight, let s make it a fair one if you can." 
 
 "Never mind how I fight, Bishop Anderson!" 
 exclaimed Dudley, rising; (f l am going to fight 
 you, and I ll break you. I ll " 
 
 The bishop arose, and, with intense earnest 
 ness, said: 
 
 "Steady, Dudley! Just consider that when 
 you fight me you fight a church you fight an 
 army of God s people, and neither you nor any 
 other man can do that." 
 
 "God hasn t anything to do with this," said 
 Dudley. 
 
 "Hasn t he? Considering you from your own 
 estimate of yourself perhaps you ll concede your 
 defeat to God later on." 
 
 "No, sir it s you that I m fighting," shouted
 
 152 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 the editor, red with rage. "God has nothing to 
 do with it. More likely it s the devil." 
 
 Right here the bishop came very near to los 
 ing his temper. He had done everything he could 
 to make this man see the error of his position, and 
 all efforts had been in vain. Now it was time to 
 drop all pretenses and take up the gauge of bat 
 tle in earnest. Moving a pace nearer to Dudley, 
 so that he confronted him, the bishop slammed 
 forth: 
 
 "All right, Mr. Dudley all right! We ll 
 drop the church and have it out man to man. 
 Now, you listen to me : lately your paper has been 
 getting personal regarding me and my family. 
 Nothing wrong so far, but sneaking insinuations 
 such only as a virile pen, backed by a perverted 
 mind, could concoct. That stops now! Do you 
 hear me? Stops once and for all, or I ll settle 
 with you personally, as a man would whose fam 
 ily and honor are his dearest possessions." 
 
 "What are you trying to do?" interrupted 
 Dudley, eyes ablaze with anger "intimidate me! 
 I publish a newspaper and whatever is news I 
 print, regardless of whom it may hit." 
 
 "No, I m not intimidating you in the least. 
 I m just warning you keep off the grass re 
 garding my personal affairs. As to the public
 
 A PLEA THAT FAILED 153 
 
 questions, go ahead, use your money use your 
 power use anything, and I ll fight you with your 
 own weapons. I ll get your record, and woe be 
 tide you, if I find anything in it to your discredit 
 and I doubt not, I will. I came here for peace 
 not war ; but you wanlt war. Well, you are go 
 ing to get it, and you are going to get it good and 
 strong you poor, miserable Pharisee" 
 
 His effort was over. After gazing for a brief 
 moment at Dudley he turned, picked up his hat, 
 and started for the door. Kearney had moved to 
 within a few feet of the editor s desk, and, as he 
 passed him, the bishop put out his hand and smil 
 ingly said : 
 
 "I am glad to have met you again, Mr. Kear 
 ney, though I must confess I do not like the com 
 pany you keep. I ve seen you at service several 
 Sundays. Come out next Sunday morning at 
 St. James . I m going to preach about the Phar 
 isee." 
 
 "Sure, I ll be there, Bishop," replied the Irish 
 man, heartily returning the handclasp. As the 
 bishop approached the door, Mary Sherman came 
 in with a paper in her hand. The bishop stopped 
 in front of her, and said pleasantly : 
 
 "When you came in a few moments ago I no 
 ticed that very pretty little cross you are wear-
 
 154 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 ing." Extending his hand, he continued: "Per 
 mit me, I am Bishop Anderson, and I am glad to 
 know you." 
 
 "Thank you, Bishop," she replied simply; "I 
 am Miss Sherman." 
 
 "I hope I shall have the pleasure of meeting 
 you again." 
 
 The young woman looked the bishop squarely 
 in the eyes, with a peculiar smile : 
 
 "You will, Bishop," and passed on. 
 
 The bishop gazed at the girl, as she passed him, 
 and then left the office. 
 
 Dudley was still standing at his desk as if in a 
 daze, when his secretary approached him. She 
 laid a piece of pink paper before him, and said: 
 
 "This message just came from Mr. Hensen." 
 Immediately she turned and left the room, stop 
 ping just outside the door. 
 
 The editor picked up the telegram in an ab 
 sent-minded way. He was thinking of the lash 
 ing just given him by the bishop ; and then, as he 
 read, his big frame straightened up, his eyes glis 
 tened, and his teeth showed big and white through 
 parted, thick lips. This was what he read : 
 
 "Am on trail of Carew woman. Went West 
 former husband and man here in New York
 
 A PLEA THAT FAILED 155 
 
 can put hands on them any day. Captain An 
 derson in Chicago." 
 
 Now Dudley smiled really grinned with 
 joy, because right at the moment he most needed 
 ammunition this telegram came to hand. 
 
 "Good," he cried, handing the message to 
 Kearney, "good! Things beginning to come 
 our way." Kearney read and nodded his head. 
 Then he abruptly asked: 
 
 "Dudley, what s a Pharisee?" 
 
 "Well, from the way the bishop spoke it s what 
 a Republican thinks of a backslider." Then, 
 taking up the telephone, he jerked out: "Give 
 me the editorial room quick. That you, Crowell? 
 Don t mention Bishop Anderson personally in 
 any further issues until I direct otherwise. I m 
 after some new dope." 
 
 That was all. The "new dope" would be the 
 bishop s brother, and the Carew woman.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN ANDERSON 
 
 WHEN Bishop Anderson left The Banner 
 building, he stood for a moment on the curb 
 watching the busy scene before him. Main Street 
 was full of activity. Clanging trolley cars passed 
 and repassed. Honking, sputtering automobiles 
 wormed their way in and out; loaded trucks 
 crawled along, while the sidewalks were lined 
 with hosts of hustling humanity, bent on getting 
 somewhere, and as soon as possible. 
 
 "Truly a wonderful scene all these people 
 scurrying along," thought the bishop. What a 
 tremendous power for good there must be in 
 such a bustling multitude if only its energies 
 could be guided in the right direction. The 
 bishop believed such a thing could be accom 
 plished, but the place to start seemed to be back 
 there in the office he had just left. "It s worth 
 the effort," he muttered to himself. 
 
 156
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN ANDERSON 157 
 
 It was noon and being a member of the Uni 
 versity Club, the bishop wended his way there 
 for luncheon, and then home. He had tackled 
 a hard problem calling for equally hard thinking. 
 He knew from his interview with Dudley that 
 henceforth it was to be war to the knife between 
 them. Like the editor, he knew either one or the 
 other must in time give way, and the bishop was 
 not in the mood to acknowledge himself a quitter. 
 Early Western experiences had taught him to hit 
 hard when to hit was necessary, and now was the 
 time. The city council must and should be made 
 to turn down Dudley and his gang. It was to be 
 a finish fight and no quarter asked or given on 
 either side. 
 
 The bishop related to his wife all details of 
 his interview with Dudley. It was his habit to 
 confide in her, and what he had to say filled her 
 heart with dismay. Her mind travelled back to 
 Hillsburg, to the pretty, vine-covered rectory 
 nestling beside a beautiful church. There all 
 was peace and harmony, and she had had her 
 husband much to herself. In Presidio it was 
 work, work, work and fight, fight, fight! 
 
 Helen Anderson, however, well knew that the 
 way to help her husband was not to oppose him, 
 lest she might weaken his purpose.
 
 158 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Keep it up, Henry!" she encouraged. "I 
 know you will win." And that she really believed, 
 for she had absolute faith in the stamina of her 
 stalwart preacher husband. 
 
 The bishop worked that afternoon on diocesan 
 matters, and then went out to make some calls, 
 saying he would return in time for dinner at 
 seven. At six o clock his wife was in the large 
 living room, arranging some flowers and put 
 ting things in order for the evening, when she 
 heard a step on the porch, and there, in the double 
 doorway, stood Captain John Anderson, the bish 
 op s brother, and beside him Mrs. Henriette 
 Eleanore Anderson, mother of himself and the 
 bishop. A broad smile overspread Jack s face, 
 as he called out: 
 
 "Hello, Helen!" 
 
 "Bless my soul!" cried the bishop s wife, as she 
 ran, with hands outstretched in greeting. She 
 kissed Mother Anderson tenderly, and shook the 
 captain s hand. "Where on earth did you come 
 from?" 
 
 "From back home, of course," laughed the cap 
 tain. "I had some business out this way, and as I 
 hadn t seen the old Doc since he became a bishop 
 and neither had mother, I packed up my bag,
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN ANDERSON 159 
 
 picked up mother, and here we are. Glad to see 
 us?" 
 
 "Am I glad? Indeed, I am glad! And 
 Henry, the old Doc, as you call him, will be 
 so glad. You are well, I hope, Mother Ander 
 son? Let me take your bonnet and wrap." 
 
 "Well! Don t I look it?" cried the little old 
 lady joyously, as she handed her daughter the 
 old-fashioned bonnet and shawl. Then, looking 
 at Jack with fond eyes, she said: "I wish this boy 
 would stop calling his brother Doc. It s irreve 
 rent he s a bishop, now." 
 
 "Sure, he s a bishop," replied Captain Jack, 
 with a semblance of seriousness, "but he s still my 
 brother. Do you know, every time I see him in 
 his robes and hear him say, The Lord is in His 
 holy temple, I feel like laughing out loud, be 
 cause I think if the good Lord knew as much 
 about him as I do, well he 
 
 "Jack Anderson!" exclaimed Helen, half chid- 
 ingly. Then "Little Mother" came towards him 
 and playfully said: "Now, sir, you stop that rail 
 lery this instant, or I ll be tempted to take you 
 over my knee just as I used to do." 
 
 "Nonsense, Mother," cried Jack merrily, 
 "you re not big enough now." 
 
 "Oh, yes I am, dear, if I tried."
 
 160 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Mother Anderson was small and well preserved 
 for a woman of seventy-six. Her hair was silvery 
 white and dressed in a becoming, wavy fashion. 
 Her eyes were still bright, and she was much 
 more active than many women years her junior. 
 She was of the self-reliant type, independent in 
 spirit, and now lived in contentment, proud, in 
 deed, of her "two boys," as she termed the cap 
 tain and the bishop. 
 
 The captain, her second son, stood five feet ten, 
 and weighed the correct hundred and eighty 
 pounds. He carried himself erect, presenting a 
 decided military bearing. His hair was a reddish 
 brown, sprinkled with a very few gray threads, 
 and his eyes green, gray or blue, depending 
 upon his moods. Jack Anderson had never ex 
 actly been a stray sheep, but when he was a boy 
 of twelve and had learned telegraphy, the "travel 
 bug" got into his blood and he started out to see 
 the world. Sometimes, when in funds, he saw it 
 from a plate-glass Pullman window; and, again, 
 when "broke," from the side door of a box car. 
 Such capers had caused his parents many un 
 pleasant hours, their ever-present fear being that 
 "something was sure to happen some day." 
 One day they would hear of him as being in the 
 far West next week in New York. Once he
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN ANDERSON 161 
 
 turned up in Panama as spike-carrier on the 
 Isthmian Railroad. At twenty-two, he enlisted 
 in the United States Marine Corps saw service 
 on the Atlantic Coast, and was finally ordered to 
 the Boston Navy Yard. When Mother Ander 
 son heard her boy was in the Navy as a marine, 
 she was sorely oppressed. But her husband, 
 Major Anderson, being a veteran of the Civil 
 War, was reconciled. "Don t you worry, my 
 dear," said he; "Jack s in the right place at last. 
 We ll know where he is for the next five years 
 anyway, and that will be a consolation hitherto 
 denied us." 
 
 But Jack did not stay in the navy five years 
 nor one year. Seven months after he enlisted, he 
 became disgusted with that branch of the service, 
 wrote to United States Senator John James In- 
 graham, who represented his home state, and 
 asked for a discharge. The fact that Jack An 
 derson s father was Department Commander of 
 the G. A. R., and the old soldiers vote was a big 
 element in his state, the discharge was easily 
 forthcoming. The next legislature would either 
 re-elect Senator Ingraham, or elect some one to 
 succeed him, and in doing Major Anderson a 
 favor he would be helping his own cause along. 
 Thus figured the senator, but had he really known
 
 1 62 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 the facts, Private Anderson would have stayed 
 out his full five years in the navy. Be that as it 
 may, the young man came home to a rejoicing 
 mother, and a doubting father. Six months af 
 terwards, he enlisted in the army at Fort Hays 
 a western Kansas post and there he stuck. 
 He had sown a goodly crop of wild oats and he 
 was ready to quit. Coming of a long line of mili 
 tary ancestors the service appealed to him, and 
 at once he became a good soldier. Two years and 
 four months after the enlistment, he doffed the 
 chevrons of a corporal and donned the straps of 
 a second lieutenant, now becoming an officer and 
 a gentleman. Then it was that the mother re 
 joiced and the father became proud; their boy 
 had come into his own at last. Indeed, it would 
 seem that pride in him was quite justified, when, 
 in due course, their youngest boy was promoted 
 to a captaincy. 
 
 By this time Jack Anderson should have ac 
 quired a reasonable amount of common sense, 
 but alas! two months after he was commis 
 sioned, he eloped with Veronica White, a 
 school girl sweetheart. There is no gainsaying 
 the fact that Veronica was a sweet, beautiful girl, 
 but the pair were totally unsuited to each other. 
 There was a year of seeming happiness, one of
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN ANDERSON 163 
 
 uneasiness, one of doubt, one of musing and 
 then came the inevitable divorce. Veronica got 
 the decree on the ground of incompatibility 
 Jack not defending the case. 
 
 During Captain Anderson s early army career 
 he developed an abnormal sense of deduction 
 and investigation, and this led to his detail 
 in the Bureau of Information the secret service 
 of the army. At thirty-two he was in charge of 
 this important branch, and rendered splendid 
 service. His work took him all over the world, 
 and gave him a broad insight into men and af 
 fairs. 
 
 During the Spanish- American War, the cap 
 tain became the President s confidential man with 
 the army in the field. At Santiago he rendered 
 most conspicuous service, for which he received 
 the coveted Congressional Medal of Honor. At 
 the close of that war he held an enviable position 
 in the army and was one of its most distinguished 
 young officers. 
 
 The trend of our lives is sometimes changed in 
 a most sudden and startling manner. After the 
 Spanish- American War, Jack Anderson had re 
 joined his regiment, which was fitting out for 
 Philippine service, when he received a telegram 
 from his clerical brother, saying their father, Ma-
 
 164 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 jor Anderson, was seriously ill "Come at once!" 
 An hour later came another message telling of 
 the major s death. 
 
 While Major Anderson had always earned a 
 a handsome salary, he had spent every cent as he 
 went along, so when they laid their gallant father 
 away in beautiful Woody Glen Cemetery it was 
 found there was nothing left to "Little Mother," 
 save her two boys, and an invalid daughter. Ex 
 penses were heavy ; debts had to be paid, and two 
 helpless women mother and daughter must be 
 cared for. The older brother had not at this time 
 achieved fame and competence as an author 
 his clerical pay was none too big and, besides, 
 he had a large and growing family. So it came 
 about that the burden fell upon the army son, 
 and his pay would not meet it. The army being 
 long on glory and work, but a trifle shy on com 
 pensation, Jack Anderson well knew that sooner 
 or later he would have to resign the service, in 
 order to make more money. 
 
 Three months after Major Anderson s death, 
 the little invalid daughter joined him on the other 
 side, and immediately afterward Captain Ander 
 son resigned the service. It was a hard blow to 
 the army man, because he had loved the service 
 better than he did his life. He settled in Chicago ;
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN ANDERSON 165 
 
 became a confidential man for banks and big cor 
 porations and made a very handsome income. 
 The little mother came to live with him, and he 
 was a great comfort to her in her hour of great 
 sorrow. Her son s first matrimonial experience 
 had somewhat embittered him toward society, and 
 he had never married again, though deep down in 
 his heart he cherished the hope that some day he 
 would meet the woman who would make him 
 happy. Like all army men he was a fatalist 
 but that did not prevent him from keeping his 
 eyes open to see that one woman when she ap 
 peared. His mother, as he said, was his pal, and 
 that little lady more than once said to him : 
 
 "Jackie, boy, if I could see you happily mar 
 ried, I would be content to go on to your father 
 and my other babies." 
 
 "I may marry again some day, Mother dear," 
 said he, "but you and I are both young yet. Let s 
 take our time."
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 BROTHERS PLAN NEW BATTLES 
 
 JACK was the first to see the bishop as he en 
 tered the comfortable living room, and, with mock 
 solemnity, he bowed low and said: 
 
 "His reverence, the Bishop of Presidio." 
 
 "Why, bless my soul, Mother!" exclaimed the 
 bishop in joyous tones. "And you, Jack! 
 Where did you drop from heaven?" 
 
 He tenderly kissed his mother, and shook 
 hands with Jack, who replied : 
 
 "No, not heaven, Doc; but the next place to it 
 Chicago." 
 
 The little mother was beside herself with joy. 
 She was with "her boys." 
 
 "What brought you here?" asked the bishop. 
 
 "Business and the South West Limited," re 
 plied his brother. 
 
 "What business?" 
 
 166
 
 BROTHERS PLAN NEW BATTLES 167 
 
 "Oh, personal and otherwise." 
 
 "Personal?" 
 
 "Sure," laughed Jack, "and the personal part 
 you and I will talk over later. Then, you know, 
 mother has never seen you as a bishop, and she 
 thinks that as a preacher you have Henry Ward 
 Beecher and Philip Brooks beaten a mile. Had 
 an awful time persuading her to come, though, 
 Doc. She was at my office two hours before train 
 time, for fear we d get left." 
 
 "What a torment you are, Jack," interjected 
 Helen. 
 
 Mother Anderson spoke up and said: "I ve 
 tried to break him of it since I ve been living with 
 him, but it s a hopeless case. He was just as 
 anxious to come as I was more so, perhaps." 
 
 Jack looked happily at his blessed mother, and, 
 thinking of her advancing years, for a half -mo 
 ment his eyes were grave. Then they danced 
 again as he said: 
 
 "Nonsense, Mother. Now, didn t you say you 
 wanted to see your four hundred pounds of sons 
 together? Didn t you? Well, here we are." 
 And, standing beside his clerical brother, Jack 
 struck an attitude, while Mother Anderson 
 looked upon the two with beaming eyes. 
 
 "Well," said the bishop, looking down upon
 
 i68 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 his mother, and placing a hand upon his brother s 
 shoulder, "we are going to keep you both for a 
 long visit. Great place, Presidio. Diocese hasn t 
 been much heretofore, but it s going to be. I 
 raised one hundred and thirty thousand dol 
 lars for the church during my first ten days stay 
 here, and we re building a new cathedral. You 
 saw it as you came in. As you would say, Jack, 
 Some class to that work eh?" 
 
 "How much did you say, Doc?" exclaimed his 
 brother, with astonishment "A fortune, in ten 
 days! Jiminy crickets! What a promoter you 
 would have made! Give up the ministry and 
 come with me and we ll make our fortune!" 
 
 The bishop s face became serious as he started 
 to reply: 
 
 "I am a promoter, Jack. I promote 
 
 "Sure," interrupted that worthy, waving his 
 hand, "I know all about that. But just save that 
 sermon you are ready to fire at me for next Sun 
 day. You must remember, Doc, I m a Presby 
 terian. I am true to the faith of my fathers. 
 You are the backslider in this family." 
 
 "Will nothing ever stop you, Jackie?" cried 
 the mother. 
 
 "Sure, this will," replied the captain, as he 
 kissed her cheek. He was simply bubbling over
 
 BROTHERS PLAN NEW BATTLES 169 
 
 with good nature. Just then the telephone rang. 
 Helen moved as if to answer it, but the bishop 
 said: 
 
 "I ll answer it, my dear," taking the receiver 
 from the hook. "Hello! this is Bishop Anderson 
 who? Oh, Mr. Flanagan a matter of import 
 ance you say? Certainly, I ll see you gladly. 
 When? Now very well, in a few minutes. 
 Come over." 
 
 "That s Bernard Flanagan, President of the 
 American Gas Company," he continued, hanging 
 up the receiver. 
 
 Jack laughed, as he said: "Probably wants you 
 to preach a sermon to his employees. They gen 
 erally need it at least in Chicago." 
 
 "Well, he ll be here in a minute. Helen, dear, 
 will you show mother and Jack their rooms? 
 You needn t dress for dinner." 
 
 "Needn t dress, huh?" retorted Jack. "What 
 do you think I ve brought along my Tuxedo for, 
 Doc? You bet I ll dress, and you, too, although 
 all you clerics have to do to dress is to turn your 
 collar around." 
 
 "All right, youngster," laughed the brother. 
 
 "Cut that youngster business, Doc. I m past 
 forty, you know." 
 
 "Well, young man," broke in Mother Ander-
 
 170 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 son, "your actions would indicate you were about 
 fifteen. Now come with me!" and, seizing him 
 by the right ear, she continued: "lead on, Helen." 
 
 Jack loosened his mother s hand, and, picking 
 her up in his strong arms, said: "I ll follow you, 
 Helen." The little mother put her arms around 
 his neck and kissed his cheeks, while the bishop 
 and his wife looked on with delight. As they 
 went upstairs the bishop yelled after him : 
 
 "You re nothing but a forty-year-old boy! 
 You ll never grow old." 
 
 Answering a ring at the door the bishop ad 
 mitted Mr. Flanagan. 
 
 "I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I 
 thought I d run in and see you for a moment, 
 said the president of the American Gas Com 
 pany. 
 
 "And I am glad you did. Anything particular 
 since I last saw you? Won t you smoke?" 
 
 "Thank you, Bishop, not now. I think the 
 time is here when we can pretty nearly tell where 
 we are going to stand in the present council. 
 There are twenty-four councilmen, you know 
 two from each ward." 
 
 "Yes, I know that." 
 
 "Well, from all reports we have at hand we are 
 sure of eleven, while Dudley has twelve sewed up
 
 BROTHERS PLAN NEW BATTLES 171 
 
 tighter than a drum. That leaves one Caton 
 and Caton is a slippery one. He s on the fence. 
 I think he s waiting." 
 
 "Waiting for what?" 
 
 "For one side or the other to come across." 
 
 "You mean money?" 
 
 "That s about it, Bishop." 
 
 Bishop Anderson arose, took a turn across the 
 room and back, and then said: 
 
 "None of that, Mr. Flanagan. Not a hint of 
 it. This is an appeal to their honor and sense of 
 reason. I only consented to go into this fight 
 with the understanding everything would be open 
 and above board and it s got to be ! You know 
 I ve always told you I wasn t a politician." 
 
 "That s the saving grace of the whole situation, 
 Bishop," replied Flanagan, "that you are not a 
 politician. Because, if you were, Dudley could 
 beat the heads off of all of us. He s used to fight 
 ing politicians, but you re a bishop and it s a new 
 situation for him; he s completely flabbergasted." 
 
 "But this Caton, Mr. Flanagan, who and what 
 is he?" 
 
 "Oh, he s a decent chap enough, but vacillat 
 ing. He s one of the many men who go into poli 
 tics for what there is in it." 
 
 "Honest?"
 
 172 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Up to a certain point yes. Beyond that 
 doubtful." 
 
 "Well, I ll see Mr. Caton, personally, and see 
 what can be done. Maybe I can win him over. 
 Anyway, I ll try." 
 
 "You ll have to hunt him up, Bishop, because 
 I am informed he has gone away for the summer. 
 But suppose we should win Caton that will 
 bring up a peculiar situation. Each side will 
 have twelve votes a tie." 
 
 "Well, I am not very well versed in parlia 
 mentary law, Mr. Flanagan, but I believe a tie 
 is no vote and, as the question will be on the 
 granting of the franchise to the new company as 
 against the American, the motion would be lost. 
 The whole matter \vould then go over until after 
 next election when the new council would pass 
 upon it. And surely we can win that election. 
 We have several months yet to work on that line, 
 you know." 
 
 "That s very well put, Bishop, and, ordinarily, 
 a tie vote would be no vote, but not in Presidio. 
 You see when our city forefathers drew up our 
 charter, in our council organization, they fol 
 lowed the lines laid down by the United States 
 Senate, where in case of a tie the presiding officer 
 has the deciding vote."
 
 BROTHERS PLAN NEW BATTLES 173 
 
 "Well, go on." 
 
 "In our council, in case of a tie, the speaker 
 votes, and his vote decides it. The speaker is an 
 elective office." 
 
 "And the speaker is?" 
 
 "Why, Patrick J. Kearney, Dudley s right- 
 hand man." 
 
 "Yes, I remember Kearney." 
 
 "And, Bishop, the very air Kearney breathes, 
 the ground he walks on belongs to Dudley, who 
 made him. Kearney would do as Dudley 
 dictated until hell froze over I beg your par 
 don, Bishop." 
 
 "That s all right, Mr. Flanagan," replied the 
 bishop with a smile. "Hell is a very expressive 
 word. I refer to it frequently myself in my ser 
 mons." 
 
 "But, don t you see, Bishop, Kearney s vote 
 would be recorded for the ordinance, and then- 
 good-bye American." 
 
 "Still, Kearney is a good Irish name, Mr. 
 Flanagan ; that ought to be easy for the Catholic 
 influence." 
 
 "Catholic nothing, Bishop. Kearney s from 
 the North of Ireland Belfast. He s a Pres 
 byterian, if anything, but a church wouldn t have
 
 174 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 any more influence on Pat Kearney than water 
 on a duck. Looks pretty bad." 
 
 "I m not so sure of that, Mr. Flanagan. I ve 
 met Kearney once or twice, and I don t regard 
 him as hopeless by any means." 
 
 "You ve met Kearney?" said Flanagan, won- 
 deringly; "where, when?" 
 
 "Well, this morning, for instance, in The Ban 
 ner office. And I met Dudley, too." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed the gas president; "well, 
 I ll be- 
 
 "Steady, Mr. Flanagan no, you won t!" 
 smiled the bishop, interrupting. "I made a so 
 cial call upon my friends, the enemy that s all." 
 
 "Called on Dudley, socially! You! Jehosa- 
 phat! And was it social, Bishop?" 
 
 "Just about as social as two cats with their tails 
 tied together, and hanging over a clothes-line. 
 But I had it out with Dudley, Kearney was 
 there, and I am in a better position to fight now 
 than ever. As I said, I think Kearney might be 
 won." 
 
 "Did he say anything?" 
 
 "Who? Kearney? No, not much. Dudley 
 and I did most of the talking. But it wasn t so 
 much what Kearney said rather what he didn t 
 say. It s the man he s Irish, and, as you know,
 
 BROTHERS PLAN NEW BATTLES 175 
 
 the Irish have hearts; this battle is of the 
 heart not the head." Flanagan was almost too 
 amazed to speak, but he did reply : 
 
 "Well, what s coming off next! You called on 
 Jim Dudley! It beats me!" 
 
 "But why shouldn t I call upon him, Mr. Flan 
 agan? He s a public man, a great editor, and 
 proprietor of a powerful paper. Do you know, 
 I admire the man in many ways? He s a fighter, 
 you can t get away from that." 
 
 "But an unscrupulous one, Bishop." 
 
 "True, that s because you citizens of Presidio 
 always have allowed him to rule you with an iron 
 rod. You are all afraid of him, and a man afraid 
 is half licked before a blow is struck. I am not 
 afraid of him, and I am going to fight on, and 
 I m going to beat him! And then win him over 
 to my way of thinking." 
 
 "If you do, Bishop," said Flanagan incredu 
 lously, "I m ready to believe the age of miracles 
 has returned." 
 
 "No, not miracles, Mr. Flanagan. Just rea 
 son that s all."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 AT THE BISHOP S HOME 
 
 MOTHER ANDERSON, at this moment, came into 
 the room, and both men instantly arose. 
 
 "Do I interrupt, Henry?" 
 
 "Not at all, Mother. I want you to meet my 
 good friend, Mr. Flanagan." 
 
 "I am, indeed, glad to meet you, Mrs. Ander 
 son. You are to be congratulated on being the 
 mother of such a son." 
 
 Her heart glowed with pride, as she heard these 
 words. She looked at the big bishop with loving 
 eyes. 
 
 "I am glad to hear you say that, Mr. Flana 
 gan. He is a good boy. But I have another son, 
 my baby. I want you to know him," and, going 
 to the stairway, Mother Anderson called: 
 
 "Jackie! Oh, Jackie boy!" 
 
 "Coming, Mother dear," answered the cap- 
 176
 
 AT THE BISHOP S HOME 177 
 
 tain, coming down two steps at a time. He was 
 immaculately dressed for dinner. "Well, what 
 now?" he inquired. 
 
 The proud mother, taking Kim by the hand, 
 said: 
 
 "Mr. Flanagan, this is my baby, Captain John 
 Anderson." Then, glancing up at "her baby s" 
 hair, and noticing it was most carefully parted 
 and brushed, she cried: "There, your hair is too 
 smooth. Stand still, sir!" and she proceeded to 
 rumple it up "I never like him with his hair 
 plastered down that way he doesn t look nat 
 ural. It brings out his Irish ancestry to muss it 
 up a little." 
 
 Mr. Flanagan enjoyed the little domestic 
 scene, and laughingly said: "I am more than glad 
 to meet you, Captain Anderson; and you, 
 Madame, are doubly blessed with two such boys. 
 A militant bishop and a captain!" 
 
 The bishop interjected, pointing to Jack. 
 "This is mother s favorite, Mr. Flanagan you 
 can see that." 
 
 "Nonsense, Henry," said the little mother, 
 "Jack is not my favorite he s my baby. You 
 are my man-child." 
 
 There was a world of pathos in her voice, and 
 sweetness in her looks, as Mother Anderson
 
 1 78 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 gazed fondly at "her boys." She was proud of 
 them, and with good reason, too. 
 
 "Well, I see this is a family party," remarked 
 Mr. Flanagan, "and I ll be going, Bishop. Of 
 course, you ll be staying home this evening?" 
 
 "Yes," replied the bishop ; "this is the first time 
 we have been together in some time, and I guess 
 I ll let things run to-night. We should be glad 
 to have you dine with us." 
 
 "Thank you, no, Bishop ; I won t intrude," and 
 making his adieus Mr. Flanagan left. 
 
 The bishop stood before his mother, and said: 
 "Well, well, Mother, how nice you look." 
 
 "You like my costume, Henry?" 
 
 "Like it? Certainly I do. You look like a girl 
 of thirty." 
 
 "And I am a girl of seventy-six." 
 
 Jack came forward and tenderly said: "Still, 
 the best little girl in all the world, Mother dear. 
 Why, Doc, up in Chicago mother is the belle of 
 the ball." 
 
 "Yes, young man, and you are the bellows. 
 Now stop this minute." 
 
 "All right," grinned the captain, seating him 
 self at the piano, which he proceeded to play with 
 one finger. 
 
 Mother Anderson sat in the bishop s big chair,
 
 AT THE BISHOP S HOME 179 
 
 while he leaned against the desk, looking down 
 upon her. 
 
 "Henry, do you like your work out here as well 
 as in Hillsburg?" 
 
 "Better, in some ways, Mother. In Hillsburg 
 I only had a parish one church. Here I have 
 a diocese thirty churches and Presidio is a 
 coming city. My work has started well ; the new 
 cathedral is being rushed will be finished in No 
 vember. And each day I see this great church 
 going up, I realize it is a monument to God. 
 Why, Mother, the sound of the masons and car 
 penters at their work is music to me. It is the an 
 them of my soul, while the smell of burning lime 
 is like incense to my nostrils. It s intensely in 
 spiring. You know I made a sacrifice in coming 
 here three thousand less a year than at Hills 
 burg, so I haven t gained anything financially by 
 making the change." 
 
 Jack stopped playing, turned, and laughingly 
 broke in: 
 
 "That s the funny thing about the whole busi 
 ness, Doc. Generally when a preacher chap re 
 ceives a call to a new field, the first question he 
 asks is: What salary do I get? His answer to 
 the call will depend on the amount. If it is an 
 increase he prayerfully considers the offer and
 
 i8o THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 then accepts. But if it is less, he can t hear the 
 call. I think you hold the record in that line." 
 
 "There you go again, Jackie!" chided the little 
 mother, shaking her finger at him. "Have you 
 no respect for the cloth?" 
 
 "Not when worn by my own brother. I know 
 him. This preaching is one, great, big snap. 
 Half -rates on railroads, ten per cent off in stores, 
 no doctor s bills. Just get up once or twice on 
 Sundays and preach to the faithful. I ll bet a 
 nickel, Doc, you haven t prepared a new sermon 
 since you came here. You just reach down in a 
 barrel and pull out an old one. Pretty classy 
 job, I call it!" 
 
 "Now, stop it, Jack 
 
 "Don t mind him, Mother. I don t," laughed 
 the bishop. 
 
 "All the same what I say is true. You preach 
 ers are after the money, same as we all are." 
 
 "Well, in this case you can see I wasn t. I do 
 believe you re mercenary, Jack." 
 
 "Nay, Doc, just practical that s all."
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 AN ARGUMENT FOE LOVE 
 
 AFTER the ladies had retired for the night, 
 Jack Anderson took a turn or two up and down 
 the porch, after which he came in and slowly ad 
 vanced towards his brother, who sat with hands 
 clasped behind his head, silently smoking. Both 
 men were thinking deeply each on subjects 
 widely apart. Placing his hand on the bishop s 
 shoulder, the captain finally broke the long 
 silence. 
 
 "Pretty well fagged out, old man, aren t you?" 
 
 "Yes, but not too tired to talk to you, boy. 
 What is it?" 
 
 Jack hesitated a moment. 
 
 "Pretty hard to start," said he hoarsely. 
 
 "The way to begin is to start. Have a fresh ci 
 garette?" 
 
 "Thanks," said the captain, "I will." Plainly 
 
 he was worried, but after he had dropped the 
 
 181
 
 1 82 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 burnt match, he continued: "All right, Doc, I mil 
 start. I am in love" 
 
 The bishop looked at his brother with a kindly 
 smile, and said: 
 
 "What again?" 
 
 "But this time it is very serious," and his face 
 showed that the captain meant every word of it. 
 The bishop divined the situation. 
 
 "Well, sit down and let s talk about it. Who 
 is she?" 
 
 Jack sat down opposite his brother, speaking 
 slowly, as if weighing every word : 
 
 "New York girl Phyllis is her first name- 
 never mind her last yet. And I want to get 
 married." 
 
 The younger man was having a hard time. 
 The bishop realized that this "youngster" brother 
 of his was past forty, and if he ever was going 
 to have any sense, he would have it now. 
 
 "Well, why don t you?" queried the bishop. 
 "If your mind is fully made up, and the girl is 
 willing " 
 
 "Want you to perform the ceremony. * 
 
 "That certainly isn t an impossibility I can, 
 you know." 
 
 "Yes, but will you? That s the question." 
 
 "Question? Why, Jack?"
 
 AN ARGUMENT FOR LOVE 183 
 
 "There s an obstacle." 
 
 "What obstacle? That you were divorced? 
 But your former wife has since died. So that re 
 moves any obstacle so far as you are concerned." 
 
 "I know that," replied the captain, leaning 
 over the desk, "but the obstacle is on the other 
 side." 
 
 "How?" asked the bishop, looking at his 
 brother intently. 
 
 "She is a divorcee" 
 
 "She? Where? When?" 
 
 "New York six years ago." 
 
 The bishop s voice showed his relief, as he 
 said: 
 
 "Well, even that can t be so bad. In New 
 York State divorce is granted for only one cause, 
 and the innocent party is privileged to re-marry. 
 Even my church recognizes that. Of course," he 
 added, very slowly, "she got the divorce?" 
 
 Captain Anderson arose, and, walking to the 
 open fireplace, dropped his cigarette in the grate 
 and stood looking at its glowing end for a brief 
 moment. Then, coming back with a drawn, white 
 face, said : 
 
 "That s just it, old man! She didn t get the 
 divorce. Her husband got it. The presump 
 tion is that she is the guilty party."
 
 1 84 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Presumption!" cried the bishop, astounded. 
 
 "Yes, you heard me say it," replied his brother, 
 "presumption. The law ofttimes proves but lit 
 tle, and presumes much. Especially in divorce 
 cases in New York; That s just what it did in 
 this case." 
 
 "But, Jack on your own statement, there must 
 have been a trial before a competent court the 
 case decided against her and she stood convicted 
 of infidelity to her marriage vows. And you ask 
 me to marry you to such a woman? Preposter 
 ous!" 
 
 The captain s choler was rising, and he cried 
 out: 
 
 "No, 7 don t ask it Phyllis does. Nay she 
 demands it ! She says she won t marry me unless 
 you agree to perform the ceremony." His voice 
 softened a little he placed his hand on the bish 
 op s arm, and concluded: "Maj^be you will, after 
 you hear the story." 
 
 The bishop moved back in his chair and said 
 with some degree of heat: 
 
 "I don t want to hear it, nor will I. I accept 
 the facts as stated by you. You must be crazy!" 
 
 "No, Doc, I m not crazy. I am truly and hon 
 orably in love at last and with a good woman. 
 Don t miss that!" cried the captain, noticing the
 
 AN ARGUMENT FOR LOVE 185 
 
 scornful look on his brother s face. "A good 
 woman. I ve always wanted a home and chil 
 dren, but I ve never had either. I lived a mis 
 erable existence for six years, as you know. But 
 that s all past and gone, and now I appeal to you 
 to help me. I d marry Phyllis to-morrow, if she 
 would let me. But she s a churchwoman she 
 knows of you, has read your books, heard you 
 preach once when you visited New York. You 
 took as your text that day: Aye, stone the wo 
 man, but let him who is without sin among you 
 cast the first stone/ It s a peach of a sermon, 
 Doc, I know, because I ve heard you preach it 
 several times myself. That inspired her to take 
 the stand she did." Once more he pleaded, "Bet 
 ter let me tell you her story." 
 
 "No, Jack, don t, please! It wouldn t make 
 any difference. I admire her for the stand she 
 has taken that is in her favor, and also your de 
 fense but I never will perform the cere 
 mony." 
 
 Never is a long time, Doc." 
 
 "Perhaps, but that goes. Outside of your love 
 for this woman, have you stopped to consider? 
 You say you want children that s natural. But 
 when those children grow up, would you want 
 some one to point the finger of scorn at their
 
 186 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 mother?" Here the bishop s voice softened as he 
 continued, "And what of our mother that 
 blessed little woman sleeping upstairs now? 
 What of her? She lives with you now, but what 
 then?" 
 
 "Yes, I ve thought of all that. Phyllis heart 
 brims over with mother love, and her innocence is 
 so firmly established in my mind, I am not afraid. 
 As for our mother well she would still live 
 with me. Phyllis is willing." 
 
 "Jack !" cried the bishop, rising. "Do you real 
 ize just what you are saying? Our mother to live 
 with a woman without a " 
 
 "Don t say it, Hank don t say it!" exclaimed 
 Jack, advancing to within a pace or two of his 
 brother, "you, nor no other man can attack that 
 woman ! I won t stand it ! You are bigoted and 
 narrow-minded. What do you preachers mean 
 when you get up on Sunday and proclaim the 
 Gospel of Christ? What do you mean when you 
 say there is not a sin for which atonement cannot 
 be made? All the time you are saying it, you 
 must have your fingers crossed!" 
 
 "Jack, Jack ! What are you saying?" 
 
 "Oh, I m not through yet ! What do you mean 
 when you invite all those that are pure in heart 
 and in mind to come up to your communion table?
 
 AN ARGUMENT FOR LOVE 187 
 
 There is no apparent reservation in your invi 
 tation but supposing Phyllis should come, and 
 you knew what I had just told you now what 
 would you say to her? Why, you d refuse her 
 this blessed sacrament. You d say, You re an 
 unclean thing you ve sinned beyond reparation 
 giving the lie to your words from the pulpit! 
 Why don t you be consistent?" 
 
 "I am consistent. Your knowledge of church 
 affairs is very limited." 
 
 "Bah ! I can confound you in a hundred places 
 in the Bible and in your own prayer book!" 
 
 "Now, see here, Jack I am not going to enter 
 into a religious or an ethical discussion with you. 
 And as for our mother living with you after such 
 a marriage why, that s out of the question. / 
 wouldn t permit it" 
 
 "You!" exclaimed Jack. 
 
 "Yes, I." 
 
 "Well, perhaps mother might have something 
 to say about that." 
 
 "Nonsense, mother has good sense." 
 
 "That s just what I am counting on, Doc 
 mother s good sense, and her great big heart." 
 
 "Does she know of your infatuation your 
 love?" 
 
 "In a general way, yes ; and she knows you and
 
 1 88 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 I are talking it over, but not all the details. 
 Those I shall tell her later." 
 
 "I am glad she is asleep. Now, boy, listen to 
 me," said the bishop, placing both hands on his 
 brother s shoulders. "I am older than you, and 
 since our father died I have been the head of the 
 house. You always were a headstrong boy, rush 
 ing in where angels / eared to tread. Your army 
 career was a most creditable one brilliant, in 
 fact. Your work in the secret service stamped 
 you as a man of genius. Your marriage to Ve 
 ronica White was a colossal mistake. Neither 
 was suited to the other. But you were married. 
 Your six years of life together, as you say, were 
 miserable ones. Then came the divorce. You 
 will remember I fought you on that, and for a 
 number of years we didn t speak. But that s all 
 past and gone and things are peaceful. Don t 
 change them." 
 
 "Are you still condemning me for my mis 
 take?" 
 
 "No, Jack, I m not condemning you I pity 
 you. But I don t want you to repeat it that s 
 all." 
 
 The captain was angry. His clerical brother 
 was treating him as a child. Shaking off the 
 bishop s hand, he cried:
 
 AN ARGUMENT FOR LOVE 189 
 
 "I don t want your pity. My love for this 
 woman is my religion. It is good and beautiful 
 it s inspiring it s divine! You are the one to 
 be pitied you with your narrow-minded views. 
 You who preach beautiful sermons about the 
 spiritual uplift of mankind; you who fail to 
 realize that times have changed; you blame wo 
 men for their cardinal sins but what of the 
 men? How many of your congregation, sitting 
 there smug and proper as words of wisdom flow 
 from your lips, could afford to have the glaring 
 light of searching publicity turned on their 
 past lives? But if the men did confess all 
 their rottenness and then reformed, you and your 
 churches would call them brothers and sing halle- 
 lujahs, because they were saved. But women, 
 poor erring women, let one of them sin let even 
 so much as a breath come against them and in one 
 blast name, reputation and character all are 
 gone." 
 
 The bishop started to interrupt, but the cap 
 tain refused to be stopped. 
 
 "Oh, yes, I know you d take these women and 
 put them in some benevolent home to reform 
 them but they don t want to go there because 
 you might as well write the word Scarlet over 
 the portals of these homes. Failing in this, you
 
 190 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 literally send them out in the streets objects of 
 scorn and ridicule. Why, you won t even hear 
 Phyllis story. You won t give the girl the 
 chance you would give a burglar caught in the 
 act; that of defense." 
 
 Bishop Anderson looked admiringly, but with 
 pitying eyes, at his brother. He admired the 
 manhood that would stick up for a girl with such 
 force. The plea was eloquent. 
 
 "Now, see here, Jack, it is not for me to judge 
 the woman. The courts did that. She had her 
 chance for defense before a competent court of 
 law, and failed. Your own words are proof 
 of that. And as for your love for her being your 
 religion that s the trouble with you twentieth 
 century business men. Your love for women is 
 personal physical." 
 
 "Your statement is wrong, Doc. My love for 
 her is personal physical as you term it in a 
 way. I do love Phyllis personality her body- 
 it s sweet and beautiful. Every man s love starts 
 that way yours did for Helen. But I also love 
 her heart her spirit her great, white soul her 
 character her desire to do good and her pur 
 ity. Get that her purity. If I had only the 
 love of person, I d be a beast; if only the love of 
 spirit and soul, I d be an effeminate thing, which
 
 AN ARGUMENT FOR LOVE 191 
 
 long-haired poets and crazy women call a soul- 
 mate. It s the combination of the two loves which 
 makes it perfect." 
 
 Bishop Anderson slowly arose, walked to the 
 mantel, and, taking down an old sabre, turned 
 to his brother and said : 
 
 "Boy, boy, you don t know what you are say 
 ing Jack, here is the sword our father carried 
 during the great Civil War from Sumter to 
 Appomatox he carried it with honor." 
 
 Drawing the blade from its sheath and holding 
 it towards the captain, he cried: "Look at that in 
 scription, Never draw me without cause, nor 
 sheathe me with dishonor. Would you dishonor 
 it now? Would you?" 
 
 "That sword," replied Captain Anderson, "has 
 nothing to do with it. You are a preacher. You 
 do the praying for this family, and I ll do the 
 fighting." 
 
 "Steady, Jack, you are beside yourself, and 
 there is no reason in you. We ll talk this over 
 again." 
 
 "No! We ll finish it now!" 
 
 "I m trying hard not to lose my temper." 
 
 "I wish with all my heart you would lose it! 
 Forget for a moment you are a preacher be a 
 man!"
 
 IQ2 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 But the captain was not through he had one 
 more charge to fire. 
 
 "Wait! You say we had a quarrel over my 
 divorce. True, we did. You railed and ranted 
 against it condemned me up one side and down 
 the other when all the time you admitted the ut 
 ter impossibility of Veronica and me living to 
 gether. But what of your case? Wherein was 
 the difference? If I was a fool to rush in, so, too, 
 were you. Just after you graduated from col 
 lege you broke into matrimony by marrying 
 Cynthia Perrin. What kind of a life did you 
 lead? Any different from mine? No! worse, if 
 anything. There were petty bickerings, insane 
 jealousies, and you led a regular cat-and-dog ex 
 istence. Oh, I know it, and so do you. Then 
 Cynthia died. Later you married Helen and 
 now you are happy. The only difference be 
 tween your case and mine is your divorce was 
 written on a tombstone while mine was a legal 
 document. The means were different, but the 
 end the same. What have you to say to that?" 
 The bishop did not forget his clerical calling, and, 
 advancing toward his irate brother, exclaimed : 
 
 "Why, you idiot! you re crazy!" 
 
 The brother never flinched but, facing the 
 bishop, raised his hand and said :
 
 it, right now, Hank! or / // 
 
 Right here 
 
 a slight, blue-robed and lace-capped little white-haired 
 woman came between the two strong men
 
 AN ARGUMENT FOR LOVE 193 
 
 "Stop it, right now, Hank! or I ll " 
 
 Right here a slight, blue-robed and lace-cap 
 ped, white-haired little woman came between the 
 two strong men and gently said : 
 
 "Boys!" 
 
 The bishop and the captain recoiled and si 
 multaneously exclaiming: 
 
 "Mother!"
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 A MOTHER S WAY 
 
 THE bishop was first to recover. 
 
 "You heard?" he exclaimed, dropping back a 
 pace or two, and peering into his mother s eyes. 
 
 "Yes, I heard. I knew some such talk was 
 taking place between you boys, so I couldn t 
 sleep. I put on the wrapper and stood at the 
 head of the stairs and listened. No, I wasn t 
 eavesdropping, because a mother has a right to 
 hear her boys. Now, come here, both of you." 
 
 Slowly these two strong men advanced to 
 wards the little mother. 
 
 "I ll take that sword, Henry." 
 
 Mother Anderson seated herself on the settee, 
 and continued: 
 
 "You sit there, Henry, on my right, and you, 
 Jackie, on my left." 
 
 These two big boys of hers were like super 
 heated steam boilers. They needed quick hand- 
 
 194
 
 A MOTHER S WAY 195 
 
 ling, or an explosion would occur. There she sat 
 a delicate, frail, beautiful little creature, with 
 a son on either side of her. Tenderly kissing the 
 old sword, she laid it down in her lap, and, taking 
 each boy by the hand, she said : 
 
 "Do you know, boys, I can well remember the 
 day your father went away to the war, years and 
 years ago. I gave this sword to him, and 
 buckled it around his waist. He looked so brave 
 and handsome as he marched at the head of his 
 company, and I was proud of him my soldier 
 laddie! As I stood there with aching heart, I 
 held a baby in my arms; his two chubby arms 
 crept round my neck and his sweet voice cooed 
 
 in my ears: Muver Mother Anderson s 
 
 voice was very tender now, as she continued: 
 "For four years your father was away, boys 
 righting; while I like thousands of other 
 women was at home watching waiting 
 praying. And all of my comfort in those trying 
 days was that baby." She paused a moment, 
 and, looking fondly at the bishop, said: "You 
 were that baby, Henry, and, oh, how glad your 
 father was when he came back from the war and 
 saw how sturdy and strong you had grown !" 
 Then, turning to Jack, she continued : 
 "A few years after the war you came, Jackie,
 
 196 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 boy. You were fair of skin, blue of eye, and had 
 beautiful golden curls. You looked like your 
 father how proud he was when I presented him 
 with his namesake!" A gentle pat of the hand 
 accompanied this pretty little speech. 
 
 "You know, boys," the mother continued, "six 
 babies came to us and our hearts were glad, be 
 cause there was room for all. But, one by one, 
 four of them have gone home your father, too, 
 was taken away. That left me all alone save 
 for you two big boys; still my babies." 
 
 Under the influence of this voice, the same one 
 that had sung them the lullabies of babyhood, the 
 spirit of these two strong men softened. They 
 realized Mother was talking to them. They were 
 "blood of her blood, flesh of her flesh, and bone 
 of her bone." All else was forgotten. Jack s 
 voice was trembling as he gently said : 
 
 "Sweet little Mother!" 
 
 The bishop placed his arm affectionately over 
 the shoulder of the little woman, who continued, 
 looking first at one and then the other : 
 
 "I ve tried to bring you up right, and I ve suc 
 ceeded. The pain of bearing you was as nothing 
 compared to my joy in realizing you both are 
 splendid men." Here she broke into a silvery 
 laugh, and said:
 
 A MOTHER S WAY 197 
 
 "Henry, do you remember the time I cut down 
 a pair of your father s trousers for you? They 
 were blue velvet and you rebelled against wear 
 ing them. Well, you went out and deliberately 
 rolled in the mud. You bad boy!" 
 
 "I certainly do remember it, Mother," laughed 
 the bishop, "as well as if it were yesterday." 
 
 "Yes," broke in Jack, "I remember it, too, 
 Mother. I got those same trousers later." Then, 
 leaning across to the bishop, the brother said: 
 "Remember Duffy s pond, Doc? the old swim 
 ming hole and remember the night you and 
 Billy Durham went to see the Black Crook, and 
 I saw you going in ? I had you then, because you 
 were afraid I d tell dad and mother." 
 
 Get two strong men talking over boyhood s 
 happy days especially with their mother sitting 
 between them and all rancor and ill-feeling will 
 soon be forgotten. The bishop was smiling as he 
 replied : 
 
 "I happily do remember it all, Jack. Great 
 days, those!" 
 
 Again the mother laughed heartily, as she 
 said: 
 
 "And Henry, the day you went to the Naval 
 Academy do you remember? I presented you 
 with an umbrella and you spurned it!"
 
 198 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Well, Mother, who ever heard of a naval of 
 ficer with an umbrella?" 
 
 "That s so, Henry, but I didn t realize it then, 
 and I didn t want you to get wet." 
 
 Mother Anderson knew the time had come to 
 make her plea for peace. 
 
 "No mother," she continued, "ever had better 
 sons, and I am proud of you. You have made 
 mistakes, both of you, but I pray you, don t 
 blight my last few years; they will be but few, 
 because nature will soon play out and I ll join 
 your father and the little ones on the other side. 
 Don t let these last years be embittered by a quar 
 rel between you two. Don t, I beg of you !" 
 
 The bishop was not completely at ease yet. 
 He remembered the drubbing Jack had given 
 him. 
 
 "But, Mother, don t you see," he cried, "I am 
 worried to death with my diocesan troubles, then 
 Jack comes along with his love affairs." 
 
 Jack remained silent, but his mother replied 
 very gently: 
 
 "Maybe Jack has more in his case than you 
 think." 
 
 "Are you taking his part?" 
 
 "No, Henry, I am not taking any one s part. 
 [You are both men, and will have to fight your
 
 A MOTHER S WAY 199 
 
 own battles. Do you remember in our old dining 
 room what was over the door leading into the 
 parlor that motto?" 
 
 "Yes," replied the older boy, "I remember it." 
 
 "What was it?" 
 
 " Let brotherly love continue. 
 
 "That s it. Now, let it both of you. Drop 
 any rancorous subject now my boys." There 
 was a world of pathos in her voice a plea. 
 
 "I am perfectly willing, Mother. But I ve 
 wanted Jack to help me in this outside fight I 
 am in. I was about to write him, but to-night he 
 came. You know, Mother, Jack has the keenest 
 deductive sense of any man I ever knew. He 
 can find out something from nothing any time, 
 and now I need that sense." 
 
 "Whom are you fighting?" asked Jack quietly. 
 
 "Dudley," laconically replied the bishop. 
 
 Jack started, arose to his feet, took a step or 
 two and turned. "You mean James Burchard 
 Dudley, editor and proprietor of the Presidio 
 Banner?" 
 
 "Yes, do you know him?" 
 
 "Only by reputation." A peculiar smile over 
 spread Jack s countenance. He was thinking 
 hard. "So you are fighting him, are you? And 
 you want my help." Again he paused, thought,
 
 200 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 f 
 
 and then said: "All right, I ll give you my help 
 on one condition." 
 
 The mother was looking intently at the bishop, 
 as he asked : 
 
 "And that is?" 
 
 "Well, we ll declare a truce on my affairs until 
 your fight with Dudley is over. Then you give 
 Phyllis a chance to tell her story." 
 
 "That is perfectly fair, Henry!" exclaimed the 
 mother. 
 
 The bishop tried to fathom just what was in 
 his brother s mind, but gave it up. But here 
 was the help he most needed must have. And 
 Jack s request was not unreasonable. He would 
 hear the girl s story. He wouldn t be commit 
 ting himself in any way in doing that. 
 
 "All right," said he, "I ll do it." 
 
 "Good!" cried the little mother, rising; "shake 
 hands on it there," clasping her boys hands in 
 hers. "Now I feel better. My two boys are 
 fighting for and with, not against, each other, 
 and the outcome cannot help but be victorious. I 
 do not know this man, Dudley, nor what his con 
 tention is but I pity him!" Her confidence in 
 her boys was supreme. 
 
 "What is the fight about?" asked Jack. 
 
 "Too long a story now, old man. I ll tell you
 
 A MOTHER S WAY 201 
 
 in the morning. It s late and I m going to 
 bed." 
 
 The little mother had accomplished her mis 
 sion. Her two boys were friends. So she gaily 
 said: 
 
 "Now that you two have finished cutting 
 up didoes, I am going to get my sleep." Going 
 up to Jack she put her arms around his neck 
 and, kissing him, said: 
 
 "Good night, Jackie boy you are still my 
 baby." 
 
 "Good night, little Mother." 
 
 "Coming, Jack?" asked the bishop, as he and 
 his mother moved arm in arm towards the stair 
 way. 
 
 "No, not yet, Doc; I ll take another smoke be 
 fore I retire." Lighting a cigarette, he seated 
 himself at the piano, and again, with one finger, 
 began to play taps. 
 
 "All right, Jack. Turn out the lights and lock 
 up, will you?" 
 
 "Sure thing, good night." 
 
 Perhaps his encounter with his brother had 
 ended in a drawn battle. But somehow or other 
 Jack Anderson felt that the coign of vantage was 
 his own. He had played taps half through when
 
 202 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 he turned towards the stairway, and called to the 
 bishop : 
 
 "Oh, Doc, where is Twenty-ninth and Wind- 
 grove Avenue?" 
 
 "Just over at the corner of the park a block 
 from here. Why?" 
 
 "Oh, nothing just wanted to know." 
 
 Once more Jack Anderson smiled then stole 
 softly up to bed.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 BROTHERS CONFIDE 
 
 NEXT morning when the family met at break 
 fast all signs of the conflict of the night before 
 had passed away. The little mother was serenely 
 happy. Helen Anderson was graciousness per 
 sonified ; the bishop ready for a hard day s work, 
 and Jack anxious to get busy. 
 
 After breakfast the brothers retired to the den, 
 closed and locked the door, and then the bishop 
 unburdened himself to the captain on the fran 
 chise fight. He told him everything from the day 
 he received Bishop Turner s letter, showing 
 Dudley s antipathy, until the events of the pre 
 vious day. 
 
 Jack listened very intently, and, when the 
 bishop had concluded, said: 
 
 "I gather Kearney and Caton are the two men 
 you have to win." 
 
 203
 
 204 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Yes, that s about it. I was going to try and 
 see Caton to-day and have an interview with him, 
 but I hear he can t be found." 
 
 "From what you have told me of the man, I 
 fancy it would only be trying." 
 
 "Why?" asked the astonished bishop. 
 
 "Unless I miss my guess, you will find Caton 
 will stay out of town until he is needed." 
 
 "What makes you think that?" 
 
 "From the character of Dudley. If Caton is a 
 wavering cuss, waiting for something, Dudley 
 isn t going to let him stick around where you can 
 reach him. You re a magnetic chap, Doc, and 
 I reckon Dudley knows that. But this Kearney, 
 what of him?" 
 
 "I ll tell you, Jack, Kearney is a queer com 
 bination. Of course, being Dudley s right-hand 
 man and speaker of the council, one would nat 
 urally think Kearney would follow Dudley s de 
 sires without question. And, in ordinary cases, 
 I believe he would. But in this franchise ques 
 tion there are so many people involved, whose 
 money would be lost did Dudley win, that I have 
 hopes before the fight is over that Kearney will 
 come our way." 
 
 "Turn down his boss? You are unsophisti 
 cated, Doc."
 
 BROTHERS CONFIDE 205 
 
 "Perhaps, but I am convinced Kearney has a 
 heart, and I am going to work on that. I don t 
 believe he would stand for ingratitude on Dud 
 ley s part, and if we could get what you would 
 term the goods on Dudley, I think Kearney 
 might be won." 
 
 "In other words, bite the hand that feeds him. 
 Do you know Kearney?" 
 
 "Sure," laughed the bishop, "I ve met him sev 
 eral times. He comes to church frequently, and 
 we have had several pleasant little chats. He s 
 quaint and jolly." 
 
 "Joshes you, eh, Doc? Well, it s been my ex 
 perience that an Irishman who does that is dan 
 gerous. There may be a good-sized brick be 
 hind every grin." 
 
 "Nonsense, Jack! I want you to meet him." 
 
 "I m going to don t fear. But this Dudley 
 you know he s immensely wealthy, and it may 
 not be so easy to get the goods on him. These 
 rich cusses generally have a large and experi 
 enced staff of lawyers to cover up their tracks, 
 and keep them out of trouble." 
 
 The bishop then described in minute detail the 
 stormy interview he had had with Dudley the day 
 before, and, in closing, said: "I met a Miss Sher 
 man in Dudley s office, his secretary, I take it,
 
 and a very pretty girl ; she is a churchwoman, and 
 I hope to see her at service." 
 
 When the bishop mentioned Mary Sherman s 
 name, Jack Anderson yawned and said : 
 
 "Cut out the women, Doc, they re not mixed 
 up in this fight." 
 
 "I merely mentioned it as an incident. Miss 
 Sherman is a very sweet, pretty girl, and I can t 
 conceive of her working for a man like Dudley." 
 
 "Women are queer creatures. You say she is 
 pretty?" 
 
 "Yes beautiful." 
 
 Jack arose and laughingly said: "Guess I d 
 better tell Helen to keep her eyes on you, Doc." 
 
 "Nonsense, Jack," pleasantly replied his 
 brother, "being a bishop doesn t preclude my ad 
 miring female beauty does it?" 
 
 "Not on your life, Doc. That s the man of 
 it." 
 
 They talked a short while longer, and the cap 
 tain said: 
 
 "Now, I ve got all the details and here s where 
 I begin. You tell Flanagan to have Rabbi Wise, 
 Father Leahy and Dr. Arnold keep a tight rein 
 on the eleven councilmen on our side. Don t let 
 any of them get away. You can t get to Caton, 
 but I ll find him. You also get your work in on
 
 BROTHERS CONFIDE 207 
 
 Kearney, and I ll start to find out what I can 
 about Dudley. I want to know every move he 
 makes in his office." 
 
 "How are you going to do that?" 
 
 "Never mind how, Doc I m going to do it, 
 that s all. Just remember this : I am in this fight 
 to help you but I must work in my own way 
 without any interference. Don t forget, old man, 
 what my interest is in the whole matter. It s not 
 unselfish, you know, because I m fighting for the 
 girl." 
 
 "Yes, I know," said the bishop softly. He did 
 know, and it was a sore spot in his heart. But 
 much could happen in three months, and maybe 
 in the excitement Jack would forget this woman. 
 New York was over twenty-five hundred miles 
 away. 
 
 The brothers went downtown together, and 
 after luncheon, separated. Mother Anderson 
 and Helen spent the day shopping and driv 
 ing about the parks. Both were tired when they 
 returned and after dinner the mother and Jack 
 took a little walk. They were gone about an 
 hour, and when they returned the ladies retired, 
 leaving the bishop and captain together. 
 
 "Well, Doc what luck?" 
 
 "Not much. I called at Caton s office and also
 
 208 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 at his residence, and in both instances was in 
 formed he was out of town for a few days." 
 
 "Excuse my laughing! Now, let me tell you 
 something. He won t be back for three months. 
 He s in Yuma, Arizona." 
 
 "Yuma! Where s that?" 
 
 "That s the place the Lord didn t finish when 
 He made the world." 
 
 "What s Caton doing in that out-of-the-way 
 place?" 
 
 "Oh, he s special correspondent of The Banner. 
 Of course, that s a subterfuge. Dudley s keep- 
 ing.him out of the way." 
 
 "Jack, where did you get this information?" 
 
 The captain grinned, as he replied : "Well, you 
 see, Doc, when mother and I were walking in the 
 park this evening, a little bird came and sat down 
 beside me, and whispered it in my ear that s 
 how." 
 
 "But " 
 
 "No buts about it, Doc; I got it, and it s au 
 thentic, and that s all there is to it. You are not 
 to ask questions and I ll give you facts. Now, 
 I m going to get Caton. Within a few days I m 
 going to disappear for a while, but I ll keep you 
 posted."
 
 BROTHERS CONFIDE 209 
 
 "Where are you going?" 
 
 "New England, New York, and then maybe 
 Arizona." 
 
 "New York?" 
 
 "Yes, New York. I know what s going 
 through your mind right now, Doc, and I ll 
 promise you I won t see the girl in New York, 
 not until after your fight is over." 
 
 The bishop was relieved. He wanted to keep 
 his brother away from the woman as long as pos 
 sible. And he knew Jack s promise was as good 
 as his bond and would be kept. 
 
 There was nothing very exciting during the 
 remainder of the week, and Sunday morning the 
 entire family went to service in the temple. The 
 bishop preached, taking as his text as he had 
 told Kearney he would "Lord, I thank Thee I 
 am not like other men," the Pharisee. Kearney 
 was there, and so was Mary Sherman. There 
 was no mistaking the tone of the bishop s dis 
 course, and the Irishman enjoyed every word of 
 it. 
 
 After service Mary Sherman stepped out with 
 out being seen. But the bishop caught Kearney, 
 and introduced him to Jack.
 
 210 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "I am glad to meet you, Captain Anderson 
 I ve heard of you." 
 
 "Pleasantly, I hope, Mr. Kearney," replied the 
 captain, smiling, but looking straight at Dudley s 
 right-hand man. 
 
 Kearney returned the look. Here was the man 
 in the "Carew woman s case!" He sized him up, 
 and replied : 
 
 "Nothing otherwise, Captain." 
 
 At dinner that day Jack said: "Doc, I like 
 Kearney. You go for him for all you re worth. 
 Only be diplomatic. You can t drive that 
 man any place, but you may lead him." 
 
 Later, while sitting on the porch, the bishop 
 observed : 
 
 "There s Miss Sherman, Jack Dudley s sec 
 retary." 
 
 "Who, that tall girl walking through the park? 
 And you call her good looking?" 
 
 "Surely, don t you?" 
 
 "I m not much of a judge, Doc what do you 
 think of her, Mother?" 
 
 "She s too far away for me to see her face, 
 but she carries herself well." 
 
 The little mother gave Jack s arm a squeeze, 
 but that worthy only grinned.
 
 BROTHERS CONFIDE 211 
 
 That evening Kearney had supper with Dud 
 ley. He always did on Sunday evenings. While 
 they were having their cigars out on the lawn, he 
 said: 
 
 "I found out this morning what a Pharisee is, 
 Jim. Bishop Anderson preached on the gent. 
 He s a mean, ornery cuss that thinks he s better 
 than any one else on earth. Pretty nifty talk." 
 
 "Giving me hell again, was he?" 
 
 "Naw, he gave you hell the first Sunday he was 
 here. To-day he just shoved you in it that s 
 all." 
 
 Dudley just grunted he would bide his time 
 allow the bishop to "run down," as he called it. 
 
 "I also met the bishop s brother, the captain." 
 
 "You did! What s he doing here?" 
 
 "Just visiting, I guess. He s a pretty smart- 
 looking chap, too. Looks more like a fighter than 
 his brother though we will admit the bishop can 
 go some." 
 
 "Bah!" 
 
 "This captain looks like he might fight in a dif 
 ferent way from his brother. More activity and 
 less words as it were." 
 
 "Both tarred with the same stick, Kearney, and 
 I ll crush em. Wait till I find the Carew woman. 
 She ll turn up and I ll see her."
 
 212 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Well, she hasn t turned up yet, Jim." 
 
 "No, but she will." 
 
 "Maybe."
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 JACK LEAVES FOR PARTS UNKNOWN 
 
 MONDAY and Tuesday were very busy days for 
 the bishop. His two daughters returned from 
 school and he and Helen were happy. So was the 
 little mother who doted on her grandchildren. 
 Jack was left pretty much to his own resources 
 and spent the time, as he said, "nosing around." 
 Tuesday evening, just after dark the mother and 
 Jack took another walk in the park, and that 
 night, when the brothers were alone, the captain 
 said: 
 
 "I m going to beat it out of town to-morrow, 
 Doc." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "I ll tell you frankly. I m on Caton s trail 
 don t ask me any more. I expect to be back in a 
 week or ten days, and then I hope to arrange my 
 own affairs. This thing evidently is going to take 
 
 all summer." 
 
 213
 
 214 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 The next night at nine he bade them all good 
 bye and left. They heard from him once from 
 Chicago again a card dated New York, and, fi 
 nally, a telegram from Vermont, simply saying, 
 "Trip successful starting west." 
 
 In due time he arrived, and when he and the 
 bishop were alone, he said: 
 
 "Well, I think we can count on Caton s vote." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "Oh, I believe I will have him where he ll have 
 to vote the way I say, or be run out of town, or 
 worse." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Well, you see, Doc, I got a tip on Caton. 
 Found out where he came from up in Vermont 
 and went there. There I learned some things 
 which made me want to know more, and Caton 
 is the only man who can give me the information." 
 Jack stopped for a moment and then continued : 
 "Caton isn t a hard man to trace; by the way, 
 his real name isn t Caton." 
 
 "No," asked the bishop; "what is it then?" 
 
 "That I shall tell you later, and then we shall 
 see what we shall see." 
 
 "Are you going to Yuma to see Caton?" in 
 quired the bishop. 
 
 "No," grinned his brother, "I m not going, but
 
 JACK LEAVES 215 
 
 my man Raymond will be here to-night and he 
 is." 
 
 "Yes, and then- 
 
 "Wait a minute, Doc, I m doing this my way. 
 Now let up with your questions and watch the 
 results. I can land Caton. Can you land Kear 
 ney?" 
 
 "I don t know," answered the bishop, with a 
 deprecatory shake of the head and here the 
 conversation ended. 
 
 Both sides settled down to a long, hard siege. 
 Dudley s dozen were secure. Caton was away, 
 and Kearney was always on deck. The weather 
 grew very warm, but the bishop and his associates 
 never lagged. They were always pounding, but 
 each day they realized the stone wall they were up 
 against twelve to eleven and Kearney and 
 Caton. Caton voting against the American 
 would mean thirteen to eleven ; voting with them 
 the vote would be twelve to twelve and then 
 came Kearney. 
 
 The bishop met Kearney several times in a very 
 casual manner, but never could corner him. 
 Kearney knew what was in the bishop s mind, 
 and avoided having any private and personal in 
 terview with this magnetic man. Kearney knew 
 the bishop was right, but he was working for
 
 Dudley. It was his living and, anyway, he 
 had been too long in the traces to break over 
 now. 
 
 "Jack," said the bishop one warm August 
 evening, "we ve got to get something on Dud 
 ley." 
 
 "Sure, I know that, Doc and I have a clue 
 which may lead some place. I got it last night. 
 Don t ask me what it is." 
 
 The next day, however, Jack said to his 
 brother, "Doc, I ve got something on Dudley 
 and if we can prove it, I believe we not only can 
 swing Kearney, but the whole push." 
 
 "What is it, Jack?" 
 
 For an hour the brothers talked, and at the 
 end the bishop said: "You re a wonder, Jack 
 if the story can be proven. But where have you 
 been getting all this information from?" 
 
 "The birds in the park, Doc. You ll know 
 some time but not yet," Jack grinned. 
 
 "I ve a wire from Raymond. He has located 
 Caton, and he ll never leave him for one instant 
 until the fight is over. He will deliver Caton to 
 you and Flanagan, and I m going to handle this 
 Dudley lead myself." 
 
 "Certainly, I wouldn t want any one else to 
 handle it."
 
 JACK LEAVES 217 
 
 Dudley hadn t been idle all summer, though 
 there wasn t much for him to do. His bunch were 
 lined up, and Caton was out of the way until he 
 came back to vote. The Tribune and Scimitar 
 kept up their pounding, but Dudley just grinned. 
 The plum was ripening in the summer sun, and 
 in a few days he would pluck it.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 A CERTAIN "HOWARD RAYMOND" 
 
 YUMA, Arizona, as Captain Anderson so viv 
 idly described it, was the jumping off place of the 
 world, and when Robert Caton landed there, 
 after having been employed by Kearney as a 
 "special correspondent" for The Presidio Banner, 
 he was far from being in a very agreeable frame 
 of mind. When Kearney put him aboard "The 
 Limited," bound East, he gave Caton two hun 
 dred dollars expense money and his first week s 
 salary, or three hundred and fifty dollars in all. 
 With this amount Caton felt reasonably pleasant 
 until he struck the great American desert. Here 
 the heat almost shriveled him, and he made fre 
 quent trips to the buffet car to alleviate his feel 
 ings. He did not succeed to any great extent, 
 and when he landed in Yuma he was not pos 
 sessed of a lucid idea. 
 
 Two days later he came to his senses in the 
 218
 
 A CERTAIN "HOWARD RAYMOND" 219 
 
 best room of Yuma s leading hostelry, about as 
 woebegone a specimen of humanity as could be 
 found in a day s travel. He pushed a button and 
 presently a Mexican bellboy appeared. 
 
 "Where in creation am I?" growled Caton. 
 
 The brown-skinned boy grinned and replied: 
 
 "In Yuma, Arizona, los estados, unidos, 
 senor" 
 
 "Yuma," gasped Caton; "oh, yes," and then he 
 remembered. He was a special correspondent of 
 The Presidio Banner and Yuma was to be his 
 field of endeavor for the remainder of the sum 
 mer. A glance out of the window over the tops 
 of the adobe houses caused Caton to gasp: 
 
 "Good Heavens! what a dump to throw a man 
 into sand, sand, sand, as far as you can see ! A 
 bunch of half breed greasers, a few slab-sided cat 
 tle, and a million fleas. I won t stay here 
 danged if I will. I ll wire Dudley." 
 
 Right here he ceased growling. What would 
 he wire Dudley ? What could he wire him ? He 
 had accepted his money and was on his payroll. 
 One hundred and fifty dollars weekly! Not so 
 bad, even for Yuma. Caton knew Dudley s 
 power; knew he could break him the minute he 
 made one false move. He gave up in disgust, 
 determined to make the best of a bad bargain.
 
 220 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 A few days later, under the influence of mescal 
 and pulque, he did think of Pat Kearney. He 
 had engineered this deal, and to Kearney Caton 
 wouldappeal for relief. Accordingly, he wired: 
 
 "Yuma is a perfect hole. How long must I 
 stay?" 
 
 That afternoon his answer came : 
 
 "So long as Yuma is a hole, what do you care, 
 since you say it s a perfect one. You stay there 
 until September 21st, then come here. Salary 
 check for current week mailed to-day. 
 
 "(Signed) KEARNEY." 
 
 "That s what I call a rotten joke," grumbled 
 Caton, as he tore the message to bits, and cast 
 them adrift on the dry Arizona breeze. 
 
 The summer wore away, and Caton had good 
 sense enough to keep to himself. No one in 
 Yuma cared a rap about who he was or what he 
 was doing there, so long as he paid his way and 
 minded his own business. And these things he 
 did. 
 
 One hot afternoon in late August, Caton was 
 down at the Southern Pacific depot when the 
 Limited rolled in, and saw among the motley
 
 A CERTAIN "HOWARD RAYMOND" 221 
 
 crowd of passengers a dapper-looking six-footer 
 get off the train. Civilization was written all 
 over the man s appearance, and he assuredly did 
 look good to Caton. The stranger had a pleas 
 ant face and looked like a man who would be able 
 to take care of himself under any circumstances. 
 A short while later Caton saw him enter the prin 
 cipal hotel, register and go to a room. The regis 
 ter revealed his name "Howard Raymond, Chi 
 cago." 
 
 "Chicago!" ruminated Caton, "the big city up 
 by the great cool lake. What in blazes would 
 bring a man from Chicago to Yuma, and in Aug 
 ust. Phew! Must be mighty important." 
 
 And, right there, Caton determined to find out 
 all about Mr. Raymond. It would be a digres 
 sion from the daily grind of doing nothing. 
 
 That evening Caton waited until Raymond 
 had entered the dining room, and then followed. 
 He seated himself at the same table with the Chi- 
 cagoan. 
 
 A frontier hotel dining table just naturally 
 promotes acquaintance between men and Ray 
 mond made the first advance. 
 
 "Fine evening, eh?" 
 
 "Fine evening!" exclaimed Caton. "You 
 think so?"
 
 222 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Sure," smiled Raymond, "fine for me. But 
 permit me to introduce myself. I m Mr. How 
 ard Raymond, of Chicago. Out here for my 
 health," tapping his chest significantly. 
 
 "Oh," thought Raymond, "a busted lunger." 
 Then aloud : 
 
 "You don t look it, Mr. Raymond. My name 
 is Caton from " then he stopped. Ray 
 mond did not appear to notice Caton s hesitation, 
 and the two men shook hands. 
 
 "No," continued Raymond, "I know I do not 
 look it, but I just caught it in time. This climate 
 ought to help me." 
 
 "If you want dryness, it sure will," answered 
 Caton. "I ve been here nearly two months, and 
 there hasn t been enough moisture to rust a tack." 
 
 Raymond laughed. "Suppose we have some 
 moisture now?" 
 
 "Sure," acquiesced Caton. 
 
 Thus a feeling of camaraderie was formed, and 
 the time passed more pleasantly for Caton. His 
 weekly check from Dudley enabled him to do his 
 part, and Raymond appeared to be in funds. 
 
 September came along and about the fifteenth 
 Raymond announced he would shortly be leav 
 ing. 
 
 "Going away?" queried Caton. "Where to?"
 
 A CERTAIN "HOWARD RAYMOND" 223 
 
 "Oh, I guess I ll take a run up to Phoenix. 
 Want to go long?" 
 
 "I d like to, but I can t now." Caton remem 
 bered Kearney s instructions. 
 
 Raymond expressed his regret, and, as this was 
 to be their last evening together, proposed a quiet 
 little jollification, to which Caton willingly 
 agreed. They made the rounds of the various re 
 sorts, and at each place had a drink or two. That 
 is, Caton did most of the drinking, while Ray 
 mond fed him up. 
 
 Caton was quite a rounder, but could stand up 
 under a load a bit better than most men. A cer 
 tain amount of liquor made him sing; a little 
 more made him garrulous, and the third stage 
 made him want to fight. Raymond endured the 
 singing stage until Caton sang about "The Old 
 Green Mountain State." Three times Caton 
 bawled out this chorus, and each time Raymond 
 ordered up another round. 
 
 Finally, when the time appeared ripe, Ray 
 mond steered Caton to their hotel, and took him 
 to his room. One more drink and Raymond cas 
 ually observed: 
 
 "You re fond of the Old Green Mountain 
 State, eh, Caton?" 
 
 "Fond of it," bubbled Caton, "fond of it.
 
 224 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Why, confound it, man, I love it was born and 
 brought up there." 
 
 "Sure, you lived in Burnham, didn t you?" 
 Raymond leaned forward and looked Caton 
 straight in the eye. 
 
 "Burnham!" exclaimed Caton, "who said any 
 thing about Burnham?" 
 
 "Why, I did," Raymond answered. -"I was up 
 there last summer, and met a pleasant-faced 
 woman named let me see" and pausing a mo 
 ment while through Caton s befuddled brain be 
 gan to crowd memories of other days "oh, yes, 
 Nellie Brant that s her name and, Caton, she 
 had a boy nine years old a nameless boy. She 
 called him Robert Carroll, after his father. I 
 wonder if you knew them?" 
 
 Raymond stopped and Caton stared as if in 
 a trance. His brain cleared slightly, he real 
 ized there was something beneath the exterior 
 of this cool and collected man opposite, which 
 boded ill for him. 
 
 "Nellie Brant! A boy Robert Carroll!" 
 Caton gasped. 
 
 "Yes, Caton," coldly replied Raymond, "and, 
 come to think of it, the boy resembled you. 
 Strange, wasn t it?" 
 
 Caton got up and paced the room. His brain
 
 A CERTAIN "HOWARD RAYMOND" 225 
 
 was running riot. What did this smooth Chi- 
 cagoan know? Well, he wouldn t give in. All 
 that had been said might have been pure bluff. 
 Anyway, he wouldn t let Raymond get away 
 with it. He d beat him at his own game. Re 
 suming his seat, he said : 
 
 "Your story is interesting, Raymond, ex 
 tremely interesting, but it doesn t concern me, 
 not in the least." 
 
 "Doesn t it?" snapped Raymond; "well, then, 
 perhaps this will," and suddenly he held a photo 
 graph of a sweet faced woman and a sturdy boy 
 in front of Caton. 
 
 Caton was dumbfounded at the likeness of the 
 woman and boy. A flood of memories rushed 
 over him. He placed his hands in front of his 
 eyes as if to shut out the scenes, his body rocked 
 to and fro. 
 
 "God help me!" he groaned. Then suddenly 
 collecting himself he looked up and in a hopeless, 
 hollow voice said : 
 
 "Well, Raymond, what do you want? You ve 
 got the goods on me." 
 
 A gleam of triumph flashed from Raymond s 
 eyes, as he replied: 
 
 "Restitution for that woman and that boy."
 
 226 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Yes, all right," answered the now subdued 
 Caton. 
 
 "But, before that, there is something else." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "You are down here on the payroll of James 
 Burchard Dudley, of Presidio. You are sup 
 posed to be a correspondent of The Presidio Ban 
 ner, but, in reality, you were sent down here to 
 get you out from under the influence of Bishop 
 Anderson in the Presidio franchise fight, and you 
 are to return in time to record your vote against 
 the American company. Now you re going back 
 to Presidio with me, and you re going to vote 
 against Dudley and his crowd; then you re go 
 ing back to Vermont and play the man." 
 
 Every word uttered by Raymond sank in Ca- 
 ton s soul like fire, but he feared Dudley. 
 
 "Not vote against Jim Dudley, "The Big 
 Chief! " he exclaimed. "If I do, he ll break 
 me." 
 
 "Break you, eh?" sneered Raymond. "Well, 
 which would you rather do be broken by Dud 
 ley, or arrested by Vermont?" He paused a mo 
 ment, then continued: 
 
 "Come, Caton, be a man. You have a chance 
 to do two good things, and then start all over
 
 A CERTAIN "HOWARD RAYMOND" 227 
 
 again. Beat Dudley, who is wrong, then go back 
 to Vermont, and " 
 
 "Stop," interrupted the now thoroughly cowed 
 Caton, "I ll do as you say. I m licked, and I 
 know it." 
 
 "No, you re not licked, Caton, you ve won a 
 big, decent victory." 
 
 That morning the telegraph wires bore this 
 message to Bishop Anderson: 
 
 "Man penitent. Will act as you desire. Hid 
 ing until we come north. 
 
 "RAYMOND." 
 
 The council was to meet September 25th, and 
 ten days previous Jack Anderson disappeared 
 from view. On the 22nd, Kearney wired Caton 
 to come home. The telegraph company reported 
 Non-delivery. Party left town yesterday." 
 Here was a shock for Dudley. Where was Ca 
 ton? Kearney, too, was doing some thinking. 
 Neither of them could reason it out. But on the 
 evening of the 24th, Caton appeared in Presidio. 
 
 Of course, Kearney heard of it, and going to 
 Caton s house met that gentleman. He also met 
 Raymond, who stuck as close to Caton as a 
 brother. Kearney wanted some private conver-
 
 228 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 sation with Caton, who well knew just what 
 would be said. But Raymond didn t move. Fi 
 nally Caton blurted out: 
 
 "No use, Pat I m against you on the fran 
 chise. My vote will be counted for the Ameri 
 can." 
 
 Kearney looked at Caton and then at Ray 
 mond, the game was up. Some influence had 
 been at work on Caton. But what what ? For 
 once Kearney had missed a trick and he wasn t in 
 a very pleasant frame of mind when he made his 
 report to Dudley. 
 
 "I told you, Jim, that bishop would jolt you. 
 He s got Caton sewed up and a great big guy 
 over there watching him, so he won t get 
 away." 
 
 Dudley was furious. "Wait until I get Ca 
 ton he won t be able to live in this town, but 
 even yet we have our twelve, and you re in the 
 chair." 
 
 "Sure, I know that! I was in hopes, however, 
 I would not have to vote on this bloomin fran 
 chise." 
 
 "But you will vote, Kearney?" anxiously in 
 quired Dudley. He couldn t lose now. 
 
 "Sure, I ll vote all right, Dudley." 
 
 That evening Bishop Anderson received a wire
 
 A CERTAIN "HOWARD RAYMOND" 229 
 
 from his brother Jack, dated Wheeling, West 
 Virginia, saying: 
 
 "Arrive ten to-morrow morning. Witness 
 with me a peach." 
 
 "Glorious!" shouted the bishop, and that night 
 he retired early, to be ready for to-morrow s bat 
 tle. He had the ammunition with which to at 
 tack not Dudley not the council but could 
 he get Kearney? That was his man, and, while 
 the bishop well knew Kearney s loyalty to Dud 
 ley, he was hoping and praying for the miracle 
 to happen.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 
 
 SEPTEMBER 25th dawned bright and clear; 
 there was just a suspicion of the tang of fall in 
 the air. The Tribune and the early editions of 
 The Scimitar were filled with a resume of the 
 bitter fight, and they made one last plea to the 
 council. They were really hoping against hope ; 
 they knew the "twelve to twelve with Kearney 
 in the chair situation," and believed the battle 
 lost. So did Rabbi Wise, Dr. Arnold, Father 
 Leahy and Flanagan. They admitted the bishop 
 had made a good fight, but, as usual, Dudley 
 would win. 
 
 The bishop hadn t informed them of his latest 
 news. He wanted to be sure, before he did. 
 He made up his mind before the council voted 
 he would make one last plea to their manhood 
 and honor. If he did go down, his colors would 
 
 be flying. 
 
 230
 
 MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 231 
 
 The council was scheduled to meet at twelve 
 o clock, noon, and long before that hour, the 
 space reserved for the general public was filled to 
 overflowing with people, anxious to see the last 
 act of the franchise fight. It was an heteroge 
 neous crowd of all sorts and conditions. Some 
 came out of idle curiosity but to many of them, 
 stockholders of the old American, the result of 
 this meeting meant everything. If Dudley s 
 franchise ordinance was adopted, their beauti 
 fully engraved stock certificates would not be 
 worth the paper upon which they were printed 
 and they were hoping against hope for some 
 thing to turn apparent defeat of their interests 
 into victory. 
 
 Mother Anderson and Helen were there. So 
 were Flanagan, Rabbi Wise, Dr. Arnold, Father 
 Leahy, and a score of others, who had been as 
 sisting Bishop Anderson all through the hot sum 
 mer campaign just drawing to a close. The 
 gloom of uncertainty was on their faces. The 
 only person in the audience who seemed the least 
 bit happy was Mother Anderson. She nodded 
 and smiled, greeting her acquaintances in her 
 pleasant manner. 
 
 The members of the council slowly assembled, 
 and, as each man moved to his desk, a hundred
 
 pairs of eyes were focussed upon him, in hopes 
 that thought waves might either hold him fast, 
 or make him change his mind, be he for or against 
 their interests. Caton came shambling in, fol 
 lowed by Raymond ; Caton the uncertain. But 
 there was no uncertainty in his own mind he 
 would vote as the man Raymond told him to 
 and that evening his berth was reserved on a train 
 which would bear him back to the "woman and 
 child in Vermont." His term as councilman 
 would expire next month, and well did he know 
 what Dudley would do to him after this fight was 
 over. 
 
 Was Dudley there? Surely but not out 
 among the crowd. He entered the speaker s pri 
 vate office, and found Kearney sitting in his big 
 chair, feet cocked up on the desk, smoking his 
 usual black cigar. Kearney was simply waiting 
 for the time when he would set the wheels in mo 
 tion to do Dudley s bidding. In his heart he was 
 sick of the whole business. 
 
 "Well, Kearney," said Dudley, rubbing his 
 hands in a gleeful manner, "to-day sees the finish 
 of this fight." 
 
 "Yes, it does, Dudley," replied the speaker, 
 dropping his feet and biting his cigar, "council 
 meets in a few minutes and about all we have to
 
 MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 233 
 
 do is to pass the ordinance. Mayor Schultz is 
 waiting to sign it. Then it s all over." He 
 paused a moment and then concluded: "Satisfied, 
 Jim?" 
 
 "Satisfied? Certainly," Dudley replied grim 
 ly. "I said I d beat that bishop, and I guess I 
 have." There was joy in his gruff tones an 
 other victory another scalp and Presidio more 
 securely in his power than ever. 
 
 "Well, it s been a merry old fight, Jim. 
 You ve got to give the bishop credit for that. 
 He s fought hard and stirred this old town up. 
 There won t be enough left of the present admin 
 istration to sweep up when the election comes off 
 in November. " 
 
 "Bah! What do we care for that? The trick 
 will be turned, and, besides, Kearney, the reform 
 wave won t last. Two years from now the peo 
 ple will have forgotten it, and then we ll all go 
 back in power. You know even New York has 
 a reform wave once in a while. Strong and Seth 
 Low both beat Tammany but what did it 
 amount to? One term, and the tiger came right 
 back to the public crib." 
 
 Dudley was sure of his statements he was 
 an adept in politics and couldn t be mistaken. 
 
 "Sure, I know that, Chief. But remember
 
 234 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 what that man said?" pointing to a large paint 
 ing of Abraham Lincoln over the desk. " You 
 can t fool all the people all the time, and this 
 bunch of Scandinavian Jew Irish Russian 
 German-American citizens of Presidio is 
 pretty well worked up. All they needed was a 
 leader. Well, they got one in this Bishop Ander 
 son, and as long as he sticks around he s going 
 to keep you up nights." 
 
 But Dudley thought different. "Nothing to 
 it, Kearney he s going to be the worst licked 
 man in Presidio to-day, and then he ll quit." 
 
 "Quit! Huh! You fool yourself! I heard 
 him lecture once on a chap named John Paul 
 Jones, and I reckon the bishop and John Paul 
 are some kin. He s just begun to fight. 
 
 Dudley eyed his man closely. Was Kearney 
 beginning to hedge? Impossible thought! 
 "You re dreaming, Kearney. Got all the men 
 lined up? Sure?" 
 
 "Twelve of them are roped branded and tied 
 like yearling calves, and I am the thirteenth. 
 Lucky little guy, ain t I?" 
 
 Dudley laughed loudly. "Good!" 
 
 Kearney rose to his feet tossed away his cigar, 
 saying : 
 
 "Do you ever forgive an enemy, Dudley?"
 
 MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 235 
 
 "No, Kearney, I haven t time. I ll tell you 
 what you do the forgiving and I ll do the fight 
 ing." Dudley was in rare good humor. 
 
 There was almost a feeling of disgust in the 
 speaker s mind as he heard his employer s words. 
 What manner of man was he ? After twenty-five 
 years in his service Kearney still wondered. 
 
 "Oh, very well," he quietly said, glancing at 
 his watch. "Going to stick around and see the 
 obsequies?" 
 
 "No," replied the chief, dra ving on his auto 
 gloves, "I don t care to be around to gloat. I ll 
 do that in my office. You can get me there on 
 the phone, if you want me. So long," and left. 
 He paid no attention to the scowls of people he 
 saw what did he care ? He had beaten them all 
 once again. Some day they would learn how 
 useless it was to fight him. 
 
 Kearney watched this confident, cock-sure edi 
 tor depart and, shaking his head, slowly went 
 out into the council chamber. He spoke to coun- 
 cilmen, pausing here and there for a moment for 
 a word with some political shyster, masquerading 
 under the garb of decency. His twelve were 
 there he would count them and then and then 
 he d vote and good-bye. 
 
 Kearney was standing by the railing talking to
 
 236 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Rowell, of The Tribune, when Bishop Anderson 
 came in, with a stern, set face but not yet look 
 ing like a beaten man. He saw Kearney, and 
 came towards him with outstretched hand. 
 
 "Good morning, Mr. Kearney," he said, smil 
 ing. 
 
 Kearney returned the handshake, and said : 
 
 "Morning, Bishop." He marvelled that this 
 man would shake hands with him, when in a few 
 minutes, his Kearney s vote would beat him. 
 He continued: 
 
 "Do you know, Bishop, you re the best loser I 
 ever saw in my life." 
 
 "Loser?" replied the bishop with a peculiar 
 smile. "We haven t lost yet." 
 
 "No, but it ll be all over in a few minutes. 
 Just a little formality of counting the votes, you 
 know." 
 
 Again the smile. Kearney wondered what it 
 meant. 
 
 "Well, we will wait until they are counted," 
 then, putting one hand on the speaker s shoulder, 
 the bishop continued in a very earnest voice: 
 "Kearney, haven t you a conscience?" 
 
 Kearney was uneasy. This bishop was most 
 magnetic, and there was an irresistible sincerity 
 about him hard to evade.
 
 MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 237 
 
 "Conscience, Bishop!" he exclaimed "a news 
 paper man and a politician with a conscience! 
 Never heard of it. I had one of those things 
 when I first came here, but this game has killed 
 it." 
 
 "Kearney, I once officiated at a funeral, and in 
 the midst of the ceremony the supposed corpse 
 came to life. It was just a case of suspended ani 
 mation. Perhaps that is the case with your con 
 science." 
 
 "Nothing to it," and Kearney laughed as he 
 spoke, "my conscience is deader than a door-nail, 
 but, Bishop Anderson, I want to say this : you ve 
 put up a dandy fight, and you re the best man 
 that ever came to Presidio. You re beaten, 
 though; Dudley always wins. I like you per 
 sonally, and only fought you because I had to 
 when this fight is over, I ll back you in anything 
 you undertake. But keep out of politics. It s 
 not your game. You re too honest!" 
 
 The bishop smiled at the explosive tribute. 
 
 "Thank you, Kearney, I appreciate what you 
 say. But don t forget, the worst is yet to come." 
 
 What did the bishop mean? Why that ever 
 lasting, enigmatical smile? 
 
 "All right, Bishop, I won t. Going to stay for 
 the pow-wow?"
 
 238 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Yes, I think I ll see it through." 
 
 Kearney went to the speaker s desk, wishing 
 it was all over. The bishop was on his nerves. 
 
 Mother Anderson had been watching her son, 
 as he conversed with Kearney. When the bishop 
 joined the ladies she inquired: 
 
 "Who is that man, Henry? * 
 
 "That is Mr. Kearney, Mother, the one man 
 who can win this right for us." 
 
 "Will he, do you think, dear?" anxiously in 
 quired his wife. 
 
 "I don t know, Helen, I am going to give him 
 a chance." The bishop glanced at his watch and 
 anxiously said: "I wonder where Jack is. He 
 wired he would reach Presidio this morning, and 
 here it is nearly noon." 
 
 Mother Anderson smiled. "Don t you worry 
 about Jack. If he said he would be here, he will. 
 Where has he been, anyway? Ever since you 
 boys have been in this fight I haven t seen much 
 of Jack. He s been in New York, Chicago, 
 Ohio, and a dozen other places. At least, that is 
 what you tell me. I haven t heard from him." 
 
 Helen Anderson smiled, and said: "Well, 
 you ve been having a good time, haven t you, 
 Mother Anderson?" 
 
 "Certainly I have that s my business in life
 
 MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 239 
 
 having a good time. But I don t like this being 
 kept in the dark. What is it all about?" 
 
 "You wouldn t understand, Mother," impa 
 tiently replied the bishop. "Later I will tell 
 you." The little mother just smiled. 
 
 Mr. Flanagan came in at this time, and, after 
 greeting the ladies, said : 
 
 "Good morning, Bishop." 
 
 "Well, Flanagan, here we are at the last hur 
 dle." 
 
 "Yes, Doctor, and it looks bad." 
 
 Plainly, Flanagan was worried. His face 
 showed that. Here he was up against a situation 
 wherein the labor of a lifetime must come to 
 naught all on account of the ruthless ambition 
 of one man. Flanagan had a right to be worried. 
 It was no wonder that he scanned the bishop s 
 face for one ray of hope. But the bishop gave no 
 sign. 
 
 "What about Caton?" asked the bishop; "are 
 we sure of him?" 
 
 "Caton? Oh, he ll stand hitched your broth 
 er s man, Raymond, has him so he must vote our 
 way. And that brings us up against the proposi 
 tion I outlined to you some months back. A tie 
 vote with Kearney in the chair.
 
 240 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "And that means well, Bishop that 
 means 
 
 Dr. Anderson thought a moment and then 
 broke in: 
 
 "I ve been talking to Kearney, and he seems 
 obdurate, but Mr. Flanagan, there is one chance 
 yet. That brother of mine started off on a still 
 hunt ten days ago. He will return this morning 
 with an important witness." 
 
 Flanagan looked startled. Like a drowning 
 man he grasped at the straw. 
 
 "Witness!" he exclaimed, "what witness? Do 
 you know?" 
 
 "Yes, Flanagan, I know," gently replied the 
 bishop, "but I can t tell even you just now." 
 
 "Was there still a chance?" thought Flan 
 agan. "Can this powerful preacher and man 
 win a fight, which seems so hopelessly lost? I 
 hope to goodness he can !" and, shaking his head, 
 he went over and sat with the ladies first speak 
 ing a word with Rabbi Wise, Dr. Arnold and 
 Father Leahy, who had come in. 
 
 At this point Jack Anderson entered the room. 
 The bishop saw him, and, going quickly to his 
 side, shook his hand. "I thought you were never 
 coming," he whispered.
 
 MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL 241 
 
 "Train late," laconically replied the captain. 
 "I just got in." 
 
 Mother Anderson, at this time, caught sight of 
 her youngest son, and started towards him. Jack 
 tried to stop her by saying, "Hello, Mother. I ve 
 no time for kissing now" but the little mother 
 would not be denied. Her boy had been away for 
 a long time, so it seemed to her. She came to him 
 and exclaimed: 
 
 "It s a great pity you haven t time to kiss your 
 mother after ten days absence! Now, sir, give 
 an account of yourself." And, without any more 
 ado, she threw her arms round his neck and kissed 
 him, while a number of the spectators broadly 
 smiled. 
 
 Jack returned the kiss, and, with mock sever 
 ity, said: "Here s where I exercise my authority." 
 Taking her gently by the arm, he led her over to 
 her seat and continued: "Now, you sit there until 
 I come for you. The old Doc and I have some 
 business together. Howdy, Mr. Flanagan you 
 and Mrs. Bishop watch this kittenish mother of 
 mine, will you?" 
 
 "Well, I never!" laughed Mother Anderson. 
 "Under guard!"
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 CAPTAIN ANDERSON S REPORT 
 
 MOTIONING the bishop to follow him, Captain 
 Anderson led the way into an ante-room. 
 
 "Well, what luck?" anxiously inquired the 
 bishop. 
 
 Jack handed him a slip of paper, saying, 
 "There s the note, and" pointing to the corner 
 -"there s your man." 
 
 The bishop eagerly scanned the paper, and 
 then allowed his eyes to move towards the corner. 
 There, huddled up in a chair, he observed the 
 pitiful wreck of a once powerful man, now old, 
 feeble, ragged, and unkempt. Evidently he 
 labored under some sort of stress of mind, for his 
 lips moved as if in speech. 
 
 "Good heavens !" exclaimed the bishop, "where 
 did you get him?" 
 
 "At the county poor farm at Wheeling, West 
 Virginia. They were glad enough to get rid of 
 him."
 
 CAPTAIN ANDERSON S REPORT 243 
 
 "But the proof, Jack! Where is the proof? 
 What effect will that miserable fellow s word 
 have against a man like Dudley? Look at him!" 
 
 "I ve been looking at him for a week and he 
 has not been a pleasing sight. I offered him new 
 clothes, but he refused said he wanted Jim Dud 
 ley to see him as he is, and I don t know but what 
 it s better that he does. He will make more of an 
 impression." 
 
 "But don t you see, Jack, we must have some 
 other evidence documentary proof that will 
 stand, and back up our assertions. You ve kept 
 me posted on every move Dudley has made since 
 you came here. What has gone on in his office 
 has been like an open book you haven t missed a 
 trick. But now you are going to fail us at the 
 last moment, at the most important time of all. 
 We must have the letters" 
 
 "Well, I m after them, Doc. I just arrived in 
 town, and haven t had a chance to see my man 
 yet. I ll go and phone now. Back in a minute 
 say a word to Alberts." And with that the 
 captain was gone. 
 
 The bishop went over to the old man and in 
 troduced himself. "Mr. Alberts, I am Bishop 
 Anderson the captain s brother." 
 
 Slowly the old man raised his weary eyes and
 
 244 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 gazed at the man before him. His head nodded 
 as he looked and said : 
 
 "Howdy, your reverence. The captain told me 
 all about you. Fine man, that captain." 
 
 "Yes, he is. Now, Mr. Alberts, are you certain 
 the man you knew as a boy back in Crescent and 
 James Burchard Dudley are one and the same?" 
 
 "Am I sure?" the old man cried shrilly "you 
 bet I am sure. The captain showed me his pic 
 ture, an I d know that face in the darkness of a 
 dungeon." 
 
 "Steady, man, you won t have to go into a dun 
 geon to see it. You ll see it here to-day." 
 
 " Sail right, your reverence; I ll be on hand, 
 don t you forget it." The old man was almost 
 beside himself with anger, as his clenched fist fell 
 feebly upon his knee. 
 
 "There, there," said the bishop soothingly, in 
 an effort to calm him. 
 
 Meanwhile, Jack Anderson went directly to a 
 telephone booth was in there a half minute, and 
 then made a bee line for a taxicab. 
 
 "Eleven- twenty, Presidio quick," he ordered, 
 as he slammed the door. Arriving there the 
 chauffeur was told to wait and hurriedly the cap 
 tain entered a well-known confectionary store, 
 taking a seat far back in a corner. Only a few
 
 CAPTAIN ANDERSON S REPORT 245 
 
 minutes elapsed before Mary Sherman Dud 
 ley s secretary hurriedly entered, and, spying 
 the captain, approached and seated herself di 
 rectly opposite him at the same table. 
 
 "Hardly a minute to spare," she whispered 
 "I am supposed to be shopping. Here" slip 
 ping him a large, plain envelope, "are the letters 
 and copies you wanted." The captain took them 
 eagerly, without opening the envelope. 
 
 "You are a wonder, dear!" said he, pressing 
 his palm to her tiny gloved hand. 
 
 "No, Jack I m just a woman fighting for my 
 happiness." 
 
 "And mine," he added tenderly, as he watched 
 her rise and go her way. 
 
 Finishing his seltzer quickly, he then, with 
 seeming leisure, paid his bill and left the shop. 
 Once in the waiting cab, he shouted "City Hall" 
 and away sped the vehicle, turning the corner 
 on two wheels. As he flew along his thoughts re 
 verted to the beautiful woman who had, but a 
 moment before, sat before him. Knowing her 
 great sorrow, he pitied her from the bottom of his 
 heart and loved her all the more. At City Hall 
 he found the bishop, with his mother, and wife, 
 awaiting him. He merely nodded toward the la 
 dies, then calling the bishop to one side, handed
 
 246 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 him an envelope. Quickly breaking the seal, the 
 bishop scanned the contents eagerly. 
 
 "Well, Jack, you are a brick! Where did you 
 get them?" 
 
 "From a little bird in the park," grinned the 
 captain. "They make the case so strong, even 
 Dudley can t get around what they say." 
 
 "Indeed not here s where we beat him into 
 pulp. Now you go out and stay with old man 
 Alberts until I want you. Then bring him in." 
 
 "Fine job, I get," laughed the captain. Im 
 mediately the bishop summoned into counsel 
 Flanagan, Rabbi Wise, Dr. Arnold and Father 
 Lealty, the five gentlemen entering into an earn 
 est conference in the ante-room. 
 
 "Bully for us!" exclaimed Flanagan on hear 
 ing the good news. "We may not win this fran 
 chise fight to-day, but Bishop, we ll show Jim 
 Dudley up in such a way he can t put anything 
 over on us hereafter." 
 
 "He won t try to, Flanagan," responded the 
 bishop emphatically. "I told you I was going to 
 beat him and then win him over to our side. Now 
 I know I ve got Kearney won or will have, 
 rather, when he knows what we know and then, 
 mark my words, Dudley will come over." There 
 was no uncertainty in the bishop s tone. But the
 
 CAPTAIN ANDERSON S REPORT 247 
 
 other gentlemen were not so sure, and, shaking 
 their heads, they returned to the council chamber. 
 
 Kearney saw them go and come, and wondered 
 what was in the wind. However, he felt sure 
 that their case was hopeless. One poll of the 
 council members and "American Gas" would 
 pass on to Dudley. 
 
 The hands of the large clock pointed to twelve 
 noon when the speaker brought his gavel down 
 with a resounding whack on the mahogany be 
 fore him. President Kearney looked very sol 
 emn as he glanced about the chamber. "The 
 council will be in order!" said he gravely, and 
 took his seat. The curtain was up and the drama 
 about to begin. 
 
 The formalities of roll call were quickly over ; 
 the reading of the minutes of the last meeting 
 dispensed with by unanimous consent and Kear 
 ney was now ready to play Dudley s last card 
 the trump an ace, as he thought. When the 
 regular order was called for he asked most cas 
 ually : 
 
 "Mr. Clerk, what comes first on the regular 
 order?" 
 
 "An ordinance granting a fifty-year franchise 
 to The National Gas Company of Presidio. The
 
 248 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 ordinance has gone through its third reading. A 
 vote on its passage is now in order." 
 
 "Gentlemen, are you ready for the vote?" 
 asked the speaker. An awful stillness came over 
 the assemblage as this question was put. Then 
 there came loud cries of "Vote," "Vote," "Vote," 
 and, strange to say, no voice was heard in protest. 
 Kearney gave a sigh of relief. The opposition 
 had "given up the ship," thought he. Neverthe 
 less, the silence was puzzling. He did not know 
 that just before he had called the council to or 
 der, word had been passed along by the bishop 
 to "sit quiet" and "vote" when the time came. 
 While Kearney cogitated, Bishop Anderson ad 
 vanced to the rail, and said: 
 
 "Mr. Speaker, before this question is put to a 
 vote, may I say a few words?" 
 
 Instantly Dudley s "dozen" broke into action 
 and there were cries of "Aw, cut it out"- -"Reg 
 ular order" "We ve heard your story for 
 months." To the captain outside there seemed a 
 possibility of "rough house," and his eyes danced 
 in anticipation. 
 
 However, Kearney, with the spirit of fair play 
 uppermost in his mind, again brought down the 
 gavel with a bang. "Why shouldn t the bishop 
 speak?" was his thought. It would be his swan
 
 CAPTAIN ANDERSON S REPORT 249 
 
 song, after all of that he was sure. Therefore, 
 it was good politics to allow the bishop to "say his 
 little say." 
 
 "I can see no objection to hearing what the 
 reverend gentleman desires to put before the 
 council. He is a citizen, and all citizens have a 
 right to be heard." A hum of protest was quieted 
 with another bang of the gavel. 
 
 "But, Mr. Speaker," cried Councilman Allen, 
 of the Eighth Ward, and one of Dudley s most 
 ardent supporters, "I do object. The reverend 
 gentleman is not a member of this body, and has 
 no right to speak." 
 
 "The reverend gentleman has the right of free 
 speech, and so has any other citizen," replied the 
 speaker. "The gentleman from the Eighth Ward 
 is out of order and will please sit down." Bang 
 went the gavel once more. 
 
 "But, Mr. Speaker," protested Allen. He 
 got no further. 
 
 "The gentleman will take his seat, and this 
 council will be in order and remain so, or I ll call 
 the sergeant-at-arms and instruct him to do his 
 duty. Do I make myself clear?" Silence 
 reigned supreme over the chamber. Looking to 
 ward the bishop he continued: 
 
 "Now, Bishop Anderson, you may proceed.
 
 250 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Come forward, please, to the secretary s plat 
 form, so that all may hear what you have to say." 
 At all hazards the speaker would give the bishop 
 his last chance to be heard. 
 
 Bishop Anderson opened the railing gate and 
 walked forward with dignified ease. Bowing to 
 Speaker Kearney, he turned and faced the coun 
 cil and the audience. A breathless silence fol 
 lowed, but the suspense was soon a thing of the 
 past.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 
 
 BISHOP ANDERSON was at no loss for words 
 with which to begin. 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and you, gentlemen 
 of the council," said he affably, "for the privilege 
 you have so graciously accorded me, I shall 
 not long trespass upon your time." The bishop s 
 voice was full, round and resonant. Upon this 
 occasion it seemed exactly the same as if he were 
 reading the glorious Litany from his own pulpit 
 and his strong face lighted up as he proceeded. 
 No one could deny this man the right of speech 
 not even Dudley s iron-clad dozen. Kearney 
 leaned over his desk with his ear turned toward 
 the speaker, that he might not miss a single word. 
 
 "As one of the gentlemen has said," continued 
 the bishop, "you have heard from me pretty reg 
 ularly of late, from every public platform in 
 Presidio. I have, time and again, proclaimed 
 
 251
 
 252 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 just where we stand on this franchise question, 
 there need be no repetition here. I do de 
 sire to say, however, that I know I am represent 
 ing the great mass of people in what I shall tell 
 you this morning. Many of these people have 
 their financial existence jeopardized by the ordi 
 nance which is now before your honorable body. 
 You know, each one of you, who is back of the 
 fight against the American. You know that one 
 man is the brain and brawn of the National, 
 and that he has furnished the sinews with which 
 to put over the National Company franchise. 
 You know his objects his desires and his meth 
 ods of fighting. Long years of experience some 
 of them bitter ones have familiarized you with 
 these things. But before you do cast the vote 
 which will mean weal or woe to thousands indi 
 vidually, and honor or dishonor to Presidio as a 
 community, I desire to relate a little incident, 
 which has but lately come to my knowledge." 
 
 The bishop paused a second, wiping his lips 
 with his handkerchief, and thus gave Council 
 man Allen a chance to cry out : 
 
 "This isn t a church we don t want a ser 
 mon." 
 
 Speaker Kearney raised his gavel, but before 
 he could bring it down the bishop said:
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 253 
 
 "You may not want a sermon, but some of you 
 need one." 
 
 There was an outburst of laughter, and the 
 discomfited Allen lapsed back into sullen silence. 
 The bishop then continued : 
 
 "Go with me, if you please back thirty years, 
 to a little West Virginia town, where peace and 
 plenty reigned supreme. Three miles out was a 
 farm owned by one Charles Alberts, aged at the 
 time about forty years. Alberts was blessed with 
 plenty so far as the needs of himself and fam 
 ily were concerned. A farmer born, a farmer he 
 would remain until he died. Living on an ad 
 jacent farm was a young man, twenty years his 
 junior. This boy, too, was farmer born, but his 
 ambitions turned him citywards. He wanted to 
 go out in the great, big world and fight a sad 
 mistake made by many farmer boys. But his 
 family was poor they had no money to spare for 
 the venture. He talked over his hopes and 
 desires with his neighbor, Mr. Alberts, who 
 had no sons of his own but he did have a daugh 
 ter, for whom the young man had shown a spe 
 cial fondness. Mr. Alberts thought so much of 
 this bright young fellow that, but for the deli 
 cacy of the matter, he would have proposed a 
 gift of a goodly sum as a wedding present.
 
 254 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 There was nothing to be done, however, until the 
 matter could be properly arranged after a pro 
 posal in marriage, which he was sure would come 
 to pass. Alas for the joys of the day that never 
 dawns! Alack for the sorrows that come in the 
 black of night!" 
 
 "Mr. Speaker!" yelled Councilman Allen, 
 springing to his feet. "Enough of this tale of 
 woe! I move you, sir " 
 
 "Bishop Anderson has the floor," responded 
 Kearney with a cold gleam in his eye and a mean 
 ing tone in his voice, whereat the irate Allen sat 
 back into his chair and gazed sheepishly about 
 the chamber. 
 
 "One bright spring morning," resumed the 
 bishop in a clear-cut, even tone of voice, "Farmer 
 Alberts awoke to find himself alone in his little 
 home and also a brief note pinned to the chest 
 where he had kept his savings. The signature 
 read: Your loving daughter, Bertha/ Then 
 came the confession. 
 
 f Jim and I love each other and we are going 
 away to get married. He was afraid to ask you, 
 for you knew he had nothing. But I love him, 
 and believe he is going to be a big man some day. 
 I told him I had enough to pay our way to a big
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 255 
 
 city and keep us a few months, and he finally 
 agreed. I took the money from your chest, a 
 thousand dollars exactly. Jim doesn t know this, 
 but in time I ll tell him, and I know he is 
 the kind of a man who will pay it back with 
 interest. Don t look for us. We are both tired 
 of farms. We belong in the big world outside. 
 Good-bye, Pa think of me kindly. Jim will 
 pay you back when I tell him to and that ll be 
 when he has got the money. Forgive me, Pa : 
 and accept my best love. 
 
 "This note is signed Bertha, " continued the 
 bishop soberly, "and for two years no further 
 word came. Mr. Alberts longed for his daugh 
 ter, and prayed for her return; he did not seek 
 her, as he felt he might handicap her future 
 thereby. As for the money she took from his 
 little hoard he cared nothing, and if it was an 
 act that required forgiveness it long since had 
 been forgiven." The bishop took time to look 
 into the faces of the men before continuing. He 
 found that his words were taking hold, as he 
 hastened on before Councilman Allen took it 
 upon himself to make further protest. 
 
 "The rest is soon told," said he impressively. 
 "One day a letter came postmarked Cincinnati.
 
 256 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 It was from a firm of attorneys I have it here 
 as testimony of the truth I am telling you. It 
 reads: 
 
 c Mr. Jonathan Alberts, 
 
 Wheeling, West Virginia. 
 " Dear Sir: 
 
 Our client, Mr. J. B. Dudley, desires us to 
 inform you that his wife, your daughter Ber 
 tha, died on the night of July 8th and was 
 buried in a local cemetery. A tombstone has 
 been ordered to mark the location and should you 
 at any time desire to visit the grave kindly call 
 at this office for full information. Our client 
 asks us to enclose the sealed envelope you will 
 find herein addressed to yourself. 
 
 At this point the bishop proceeded to unfold 
 the enclosure, and as he did so absolute quiet 
 prevailed in the council chamber. 
 
 "This second note," said he, in a much modified 
 tone, "is from Bertha. It was evidently written 
 only a few hours before her death. It reads : 
 
 " Dear, dear Father: 
 
 I am dying the end is near. My baby died 
 yesterday a few minutes after its birth. Forgive 
 me, Father, for the worry I have given you. Jim
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 257 
 
 has been good to me and last night, for the first 
 time, I told him about my taking your money. 
 I told him I wrote you that he would repay every 
 cent in time, and Jim says he will do it, right 
 away. He is doing well here, but he says the 
 West is calling him. Good-bye, good-bye, good 
 bye forever. " BERTHA. 
 
 "Mr? Speaker," shouted Allen, springing to his 
 feet. "I rise to a point of order. What s all this 
 rigmarole got to " 
 
 "The gentleman from the Eighth Ward will 
 please sit down. Enough has been said to make 
 desirable the relating of all Bishop Anderson has 
 to say. Time enough then to act in accordance 
 with the will of this body." Again the gavel de 
 scended amid the clapping and cheering of citi 
 zens seated in the rear and in the gallery. Mean 
 while, Kearney beckoned a Banner reporter to 
 his side and whispered : 
 
 Phone Dudley he d better get over here 
 quick." 
 
 The bishop resumed : 
 
 "This matter has a great deal to do with the 
 franchise question, my friends more, perhaps, 
 than you think. Let us pass over the twenty- 
 eight years since the death of Bertha. Alberts
 
 258 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 grew old and helpless; sickness came; his second 
 daughter died, and a little later his faithful wife 
 joined the great, silent majority. Her last illness 
 was very expensive and there had been a succes 
 sion of bad crops. The Alberts farm was mort 
 gaged. Everything seemed to go against this 
 honest son of toil. The mortgage was coming due 
 and Alberts was at his wits end. Finally he re 
 membered the thousand dollars that his eldest 
 daughter had taken and turned over to her hus 
 band years before. Alberts never had expected 
 to demand payment, but now, in his hour of dire 
 need, surely the boy whom his money had be 
 friended and put in the way of fortune, would 
 come to his assistance. Anyway, he still had the 
 note from his dying daughter mute evidence of 
 the obligation, and since then the man who had 
 benefitted by the money had grown very rich. In 
 his crude, country way Alberts wrote and told of 
 his trouble, reminding the rich man of his obliga 
 tion, and giving him the credit of having over 
 looked it. Would he please pay now? Anx 
 iously this poverty-stricken old man waited and 
 watched and hoped and prayed. What answer 
 did he receive? Absolute silence! Then, taking 
 his daughter s deathbed note from an old, cow 
 hide trunk, he gave it unto a firm of lawyers.
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 259 
 
 Not until then did the rich man answer and then 
 only to say that the facts as stated were in the 
 main true that the account was over twenty 
 years old and payment had never been demanded, 
 as required by law. Therefore,, it was now out 
 lawed, and never would be paid. Gentlemen, can 
 you picture the misery of Alberts when his farm 
 was sold under the mortgage? Imagine him as 
 he went his lonely way, with faltering steps, to 
 the county poor-farm an object of charity." 
 
 There was almost the stillness of death over the 
 council chamber, as the bishop, in simple words, 
 told this powerful story. But the irrepressible 
 Allen could not get through his head just what 
 the bishop was driving at. He cried : 
 
 "But, Mr. Speaker, once more I ask what this 
 touchingly pitiful story has got to do with the 
 franchise? I move a vote." Several of the rock- 
 ribbed dozen echoed his wish, but the bishop was 
 not quite through. 
 
 "Wait! Just a moment, please," the door at 
 the rear of the council chamber opened, and in 
 came Captain Anderson, leading his charge an 
 aged man with stumbling steps, his gnarled hands 
 grasping an old hickory cane, himself upheld on 
 one side by the strong grip of Jack Anderson. 
 This woe-begone wreck of what had once been a
 
 26o THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 happy, prosperous man now shambled forward 
 to the railing, and stood there, palsied from his 
 effort. 
 
 "Gentlemen," cried the bishop, "there stands 
 Bertha Alberts father." Instantly, every eye 
 was turned on the man. The audience gasped; 
 men started forward as if to assist the old man 
 who seemed so helpless. Even the councilmen 
 were visibly affected. Pausing a moment to al 
 low the terrible picture to sink in, the bishop con 
 tinued : 
 
 "The other man, gentlemen, the boy who, 
 to all intents and purposes, borrowed one thou 
 sand dollars from Alberts, and who has now 
 grown rich and powerful, the man who refused 
 to repay the one thousand dollars on account of 
 the shallow fiction of law which protected him, 
 that man is James Burchard Dudley, the power 
 behind the National Gas Company nay, he is 
 the National Company, and expects to swallow 
 the American, hide, tail and tallow." 
 
 Allen was instantly on his feet. As "Dudley s 
 man," it was his duty to defend his chief from the 
 floor of the council on all occasions. It was plain 
 that even he was becoming fearful of the effect 
 of the bishop s story. With biting sarcasm, he 
 sneered :
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 261 
 
 "Mr. Speaker, are we expected to believe 
 this cock-and-bull story? Where is the proof? 
 Send for Honorable James Burchard Dudley 
 and let him confront this bishop," whereat 
 Speaker Kearney quietly replied: "I have sent 
 for him. I expect him momentarily." 
 
 "The dozen" looked to Kearney for their or 
 ders. A glance of the eye would tell them what 
 to do, but he avoided their gaze. 
 
 "I am glad you did send for Mr. Dudley, Mr. 
 Speaker. I want to confront him," remarked the 
 bishop quietly. "You want proofs? Well, you 
 shall have them. There is Alberts, here is the let 
 ter from the Cincinnati lawyers, his dying daugh 
 ter s last words telling of Dudley s promise to 
 pay and here," the bishop s voice arose to a high 
 pitch "here is Alberts pitiful letter and the 
 one the lawyers wrote Dudley s answer!" 
 Turning to the speaker s desk, he tossed the 
 papers in front of Kearney. 
 
 "You know that signature, Mr. Kearney?" 
 
 Fascinated, Kearney gazed at the documents. 
 He saw he knew. 
 
 "Yes," he said, "but where did you get them?" 
 
 The bishop smiled and replied : "I merely used 
 Dudley s own methods, Mr. Kearney. There 
 are the indisputable proofs. Now, gentlemen,
 
 262 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 just a few more words and I am done. Dudley s 
 greed and selfish spirit condemned this man Al 
 berts to the poor-house. Will you allow that same 
 grasping greed to make paupers of numberless 
 citizens of Presidio men, women and children 
 of your own fair city? You will vote as your con 
 science dictates, but remember, some day you will 
 stand before your God and be required to make 
 answer to the terrible question What hast thou 
 done with thy talents? I thank you, gentlemen, 
 for your indulgence." The bishop s case was in. 
 There was nothing to do now but await events, so 
 he took the empty seat between his mother and 
 his wife. Meanwhile, Jack Anderson assisted the 
 aged Mr. Alberts to a seat near the door. 
 Mother Anderson patted the bishop s hand af 
 fectionately; Rabbi Wise, Dr. Arnold, and 
 Father Leahy quietly congratulated him; but 
 Flanagan leaned over and in a loud voice said: 
 
 "Fine, Bishop! Wonderful! But do you 
 think it will change any of them?" 
 
 "No, Flanagan, I don t not any of the dozen ! 
 But that man in the speaker s chair Kearney 
 he s the one I am counting on. In a few moments 
 we shall know." 
 
 The vote was loudly called for by the Dudley- 
 ites; Speaker Kearney looked up hesitatingly.
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 263 
 
 "If there are no further remarks the clerk will 
 call the roll. The question is: Shall the ordi 
 nance pass? Members will vote yes or no," after 
 which he placed his elbows on the desk, and, rest 
 ing his head in his hands, listened while the sing 
 song voice of the clerk called forth the names. 
 When Caton s name was called, that member 
 
 arose in his place and said, "Mr. Speaker, I " 
 
 Right here he heard a peculiar cough, and, turn 
 ing around, he saw Raymond and Captain An 
 derson half standing. 
 
 "Mr. Speaker, I vote no." 
 
 A sigh of relief went up from Flanagan. Ca- 
 ton had stood "hitched." 
 
 Finally the roll call was complete. Flanagan 
 had been keeping tab, and, handing it to the 
 bishop, said: 
 
 "There you are, Bishop twelve twelve." 
 
 "Wait," replied the bishop, not looking at the 
 paper. His eyes were upon the bowed head of 
 the speaker. 
 
 "Twelve for, and twelve against, Mr. Speaker 
 a tie vote," whispered the clerk, and then all 
 eyes were turned on Kearney. His was to be 
 the deciding voice. There was very little hope 
 in the breasts of many in that audience. Kear 
 ney had been known to them for years, and every
 
 264 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 time he voted he had done Dudley s bidding. He 
 would do it now. There were many dubious 
 hearts beating with sickening dread, as Patrick J. 
 Kearney raised his eyes and gazed about him. 
 He was face to face with the crisis of his life, and 
 how would he meet it? Wherever he looked he 
 could feel Bishop Anderson s gaze glued upon 
 him. Slowly the speaker arose and in a calm, 
 even voice, though tempered with emotion, he 
 said: 
 
 "Gentlemen, under the charter of the city of 
 Presidio, in case of a tie vote upon any question, 
 the speaker casts the deciding vote. Only upon 
 very rare occasions has this been necessary. But 
 to-day it is." . . . Here he paused, as if to col 
 lect himself, then continued: "Before casting 
 my vote, however, I desire to make a few remarks 
 and I want them to be taken in shorthand and 
 appear in the record." Another slight pause. 
 
 "Gentlemen, for many years you have known 
 me as Jim Dudley s right-hand man, and my loy 
 alty to him never has been questioned. But there 
 is something we must exact of men upon whom 
 we lavish our loyalties something which must 
 appeal to our finer natures gratitude ! And the 
 lack of it in any one s makeup must cause a real 
 man s blood to boil with indignation especially
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 265 
 
 that of an Irishman. Bishop Anderson has pro 
 duced proof which cannot be doubted, and, as I 
 gaze at Alberts, I cannot bring myself to do a 
 thing which will create many paupers of his kind 
 here in Presidio. In the last analysis I cannot 
 allow myself to further serve the thoroughly sel 
 fish purposes of an already too rich man. Right 
 here I throw off Dudley s collar. Gentlemen, 
 I vote no!" Kearney was through, and the last 
 bang of his gavel broke off its handle. 
 
 For a moment the audience sat stunned, and 
 then the realization of what Kearney had done 
 burst upon them. Their savings of a lifetime had 
 been saved! Hurrah everybody! Then broke 
 forth a delirious storm of joyful yells strong 
 men trembled with excitement and women cried 
 with the maddened intoxication of victory. Flan 
 agan couldn t speak so great was his emotion. 
 
 The gavelless speaker secured order. Then 
 came a queer scene inside the railing. The leader 
 of the gang had quit, and the gang was ready to 
 iop with him. It is always so in such cases 
 the king was dead long live the king the 
 people! 
 
 There was one continuous yell of triumph as 
 some of the councilmen jumped to their feet and 
 cried: "Mr. Speaker, I desire to change my vote
 
 266 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 to No. They were preparing for the next 
 campaign! and they would lose no time. The 
 rout was complete. When order was restored, 
 the excited clerk announced: 
 
 "Six votes for the ordinance, nineteen against." 
 Only Allen and five of the original dozen stood 
 by their sinking ship. Survive or perish they 
 would stick to Dudley. But there was gall and 
 wormwood yet to swallow. The victory needs 
 must be scotched against further attack. A new 
 ordinance granting the American a franchise 
 renewal for a period of fifty years was introduced 
 and rushed through on a viva voce vote. Then, 
 with a wild whoop, the council adjourned, and, 
 by way of approval, the bishop was seized and 
 slapped on the back until the women folk came to 
 his rescue. He was, indeed, the people s leader 
 he had served them! The exuberance of their 
 joy knew no bounds. There were two hundred 
 and fifty in the audience and twice as many out 
 side who became quickly apprised of the news. 
 The City Hall rang with cheers, shouts, and songs 
 of praise. 
 
 Mother Anderson was beside herself with joy. 
 She became separated from her son, and, moving 
 hither and thither, she finally succeeded in arriv 
 ing at his side.
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 267 
 
 "Here, you crazy men," she cried, "get out of 
 the way that s my son, please don t hug him 
 to death;" then, throwing her arms around his 
 neck she joyously exclaimed: "My boy, my boy 
 I knew you d do it I knew it ! I knew it !" 
 
 "Jack did the work, Mother good old Jack. 
 Where is he?" asked the bishop anxiously. The 
 captain was outside busy with Raymond in try 
 ing to protect Alberts from the mob who wanted 
 to do something for him. 
 
 Slowly the crowd was filing out when Kear 
 ney came down from his desk and advanced to the 
 rail. The bishop saw him coming, and, with out 
 stretched hands, cried : 
 
 "Kearney, Kearney, I thank you! Your con 
 science wasn t dead, was it?" 
 
 "I dunno what you d call it, Bishop, but while 
 
 you were speaking, something down under my 
 
 fourth rib on the left side began pounding, and 
 
 when you were through it was hitting pretty hard 
 
 -that s all." 
 
 Just then there was a commotion in the hall, 
 and Dudley burst into the room like a cyclone 
 eyes blazing. He had heard the news outside, but 
 couldn t believe it. 
 
 "What s all this fuss about, Kearney? You 
 sent for me?"
 
 268 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Kearney eyed him from head to foot. There 
 was contempt in his glance. 
 
 "Yes, I did. Your ordinance has been de 
 feated, and for the first time you ve been licked. 
 You set a trap and I shoved you in it. That s 
 all, Dudley." 
 
 "You mean " 
 
 "I mean I voted against you and I m glad 
 of it!" 
 
 Dudley stood dumbfounded. He wouldn t 
 have been surprised to learn that some one else 
 had flopped but Kearney! Kearney! he 
 couldn t realize it! When he did, he glared for 
 a moment, and then, fairly frothing at the mouth 
 with rage, snarled out: 
 
 "Y-o-u i-n-f-e-r-n-a-l traitor you!" 
 
 Bishop Anderson had advanced with out 
 stretched hand, but Dudley disdained it. Turn 
 ing on his heel, he started for the door. Captain 
 Anderson interrupted him. 
 
 "Just one moment, please, Mr. Dudley! I 
 want you to greet an old friend of yours Mr. 
 Charles Alberts, of Wheeling, West Virginia." 
 
 Dudley paused, and, with wide, staring eyes, 
 gazed at the wretched man. He saw he recog 
 nized him and cried : 
 
 "Alberts!"
 
 THE COUNCIL TAKES A VOTE 269 
 
 With that he went out into the noonday sun 
 light. 
 
 He was a beaten man and he knew it.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY 
 
 WITHIN thirty minutes half of the city had 
 heard the news. From mouth to mouth it flew 
 with the amazing rapidity of a prairie fire. Men 
 discussed it at luncheon; in their offices, and at 
 their clubs. 
 
 Dudley was beaten ! 
 
 Extras of The Tribune and The Scimitar ap 
 peared on the streets ; copies were eagerly bought 
 up, and the newsboys reaped a harvest. A great 
 battle had been fought for the rights of the com 
 moner. The people had won, and this fight was 
 led by a bishop a preacher a churchman! 
 
 The Tribune then and there nominated Bishop 
 Anderson to be next mayor. The Scimitar went 
 its contemporary one better and gave him the title 
 of "governor," and even hinted in time that it 
 
 might be president; all of which was simply the 
 
 270
 
 THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY 271 
 
 froth of enthusiasm, because the bishop was a 
 churchman and churchman he would remain to 
 the end of his days. 
 
 There was plenty of opportunity for fighting 
 men in the church. The bishop realized a great 
 victory had been won, and he knew the part he 
 had played in it. He also knew that but for the 
 splendid assistance of his brilliant, militant 
 brother, Captain Anderson, the fight would have 
 been hopelessly lost. Jack Anderson had un 
 earthed Caton s past and caused him to vote 
 against the ordinance. So, too, had the captain 
 dug up the Alberts case, and run it down to a 
 successful conclusion. He had prepared the am 
 munition and the bishop had fired the charge, and 
 Captain Anderson had used up his own time in 
 the fight and spent money freely simply because 
 as the bishop now remembered "he wanted 
 a certain young woman to have a chance to de 
 fend herself." Well, the boy should have his 
 wish. The bishop promised himself that, and 
 he would keep his word, if Jack still held out 
 for it. 
 
 In his heart Bishop Anderson hoped the ex 
 citing events of the past summer had effaced the 
 girl from his brother s mind. She had never been 
 mentioned ; in fact, he didn t even know her name,
 
 272 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 but that night after dinner he would hear Jack s 
 story. He was to hear it sooner than that, as 
 the fates decided. 
 
 Kearney requested the bishop to allow him to 
 care for Alberts until some disposition could be 
 made of his case. Certain it was Alberts never 
 would be allowed to return to the poor-farm. 
 Gladly did the bishop accede to the Irishman s 
 request, and then the bishop, his wife, Jack and 
 the little mother went to luncheon in a fashion 
 able cafe. Eating was difficult, because every one 
 wanted a word with the fighting bishop. Mother 
 Anderson and the bishop s wife were also the re 
 cipients of many congratulations, but Captain 
 Anderson kept in the background as much as 
 possible such was his modesty. Then, too, he 
 was thinking of a certain girl that he was to de 
 fend before the bishop. "Forget her!" There 
 never had been a moment all through the fight 
 that he hadn t thought of her. He was fighting 
 for her alone, and now his chance had come. The 
 bishop must be convinced. 
 
 After luncheon Helen Anderson said she had 
 some shopping to do, and the little mother volun 
 teered to join her, which left the brothers alone 
 together. 
 
 "Jack," said the bishop when the ladies had
 
 THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY 273 
 
 departed, "I m going over to Dudley s office. 
 Want to go along?" 
 
 "Dudley s office! For the love of Pete ! Why, 
 
 D> 
 oc 
 
 "Well, I said we d beat him we have! I 
 also said I d win him over, and I m going to make 
 the attempt to-day." 
 
 A queer look came into Captain Anderson s 
 face. A smile played around his lips. In amaze 
 ment he gazed at his brother for a long moment 
 before replying. 
 
 "No, Doc, I won t go over there now, but I 
 may run in while you are there. You know my 
 time is almost up and I shall soon have to return 
 to work in Chicago. I have a little private busi 
 ness to attend to first." 
 
 There was a subtle something in the captain s 
 manner, which made the bishop wonder. Per 
 haps he caught the quizzical smile playing around 
 the corner of his brother s lips, but he gave it up, 
 and the two separated. 
 
 When Dudley left the council chamber he was 
 in a perfect blaze of wrath likewise dazed. He 
 couldn t realize he had been defeated. Why, 
 only last night nay, this morning he and 
 Kearney had agreed that the situation was a
 
 274 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 cinch. He couldn t lose. But he had lost and 
 Kearney! were his wits deserting him? No, 
 Kearney had told him to his own face that he had 
 voted against him. Then, as he left the council 
 chamber, that ex-army captain had confronted 
 him with Alberts. He remembered it all now 
 he was beaten! beaten! beaten! 
 
 "Drive me any place out of the city for an 
 hour," he cried to his waiting chauffeur, as he 
 bounced into his big car. 
 
 "Where?" asked the man. 
 
 "I don t care where; only drive fast!" 
 
 The chauffeur did as he was directed, and the 
 >ong, white, ribbon-like strip of road slipped 
 under the smooth-running car as it flew along. 
 In the back seat Dudley tried to collect himself 
 and figure on his next move. The franchise, so 
 far as he was concerned, was irretrievably lost. 
 That he knew, and the two men who had beaten 
 him, the bishop and Kearney, they were impreg 
 nable that he also knew. He couldn t attack 
 them. Like a flash there came into his mind the 
 question of how the Alberts story had "leaked." 
 Who had furnished the data for that? Who had 
 tricked him? That, he must find out. While the 
 bishop could not be attacked directly, he could 
 be indirectly through his brother. Dudley s
 
 THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY 275 
 
 lips closed into a grim, straight line he clenched 
 his fat hands convulsively and snapped out to 
 the chauffeur : 
 
 "Back to the office!" His mind was made up. 
 He would strike swift, and sure. 
 
 Meanwhile, at work at her desk, Mary Sher 
 man, secretary to "Big Chief" Dudley, was 
 doing some very hard thinking on her own ac 
 count. The cries of the newsboys apprised her 
 of the fact that Dudley had been defeated, and 
 Kearney had come in and told her of the council 
 meeting. The young woman was much inter 
 ested ; indeed, she missed not a word of Kearney s 
 brief recital, but her heart was sore afraid, for 
 she knew Dudley would suspect every one in the 
 office of treachery. What the result would be she 
 hardly dared to think, but the situation must be 
 met and she decided to meet it bravely. She ex 
 pressed surprise when Kearney informed her his 
 vote had been the final blow to Dudley s cause. 
 
 "I beat him," he said, "and I am glad of it. 
 For the first time in years, Miss Sherman, my 
 conscience is clear. And now I am going out in 
 the plant, pick up a few of my traps and get 
 ready to leave." 
 
 "You are going to quit Mr. Dudley s service?" 
 
 "Quit! humph! There won t be any chance of
 
 276 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 quitting. Technically, I m as good as fired al 
 ready, and right now Jim Dudley is planning 
 how he can pulverize me. But I am coming back 
 in here before I go and have it out with him." 
 
 Kearney started to leave the room, but as he 
 reached the door he turned and said: 
 
 "Miss Sherman, I wonder where Captain An 
 derson got all his information?" He looked at 
 the girl narrowly and smiled, as he saw his shot 
 had struck home. Mary Sherman was confused, 
 her color came and went from red to white. 
 
 "Why, Mr. Kearney, I am" she stammered; 
 "I don t- 
 
 But Kearney didn t allow her to finish. 
 
 "Sure, you don t. I was just wondering," and, 
 shaking his head, he smilingly went his way. 
 
 A second later, Dennis, the ubiquitous office 
 boy, came in. He, too, was all excitement, and, 
 with dancing eyes, he cried : 
 
 "Miss Sherman, where is the chief?" 
 
 "You mean Mr. Dudley? I don t know. I m 
 expecting him back every minute. Why?" 
 
 "Collins, of the city room, wants to know. 
 Things are in an awful shape out there. JSTo one 
 seems to know what to do. All they can do is to 
 sit and mutter, The Big Chief s licked. "
 
 THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY 277 
 
 "Is The Banner going to get out an extra this 
 afternoon, Dennis?" 
 
 "Extra, nothin . The Banner will do well to 
 get out its regular edition to-morrow morning 
 let alone any extras. They are all noddle-pated 
 out there, I tell you." 
 
 Just at this moment Dudley burst into the of 
 fice. Dennis tried to get out of his way, but 
 failed, and his employer s rush all but knocked 
 him over. The boy was completely at a loss for 
 words, and all he could say was "Gee!" as he 
 scampered out of the room. 
 
 Dudley tossed his cap and coat on a chair near 
 the hat rack, and then, with hands behind him, 
 paced up and down the office, muttering between 
 his clenched teeth: 
 
 "Beaten, by the great horn spoon I m beaten! 
 and by a preacher, too!" 
 
 His secretary stood by the window waiting 
 for Dudley to subside. He apparently did not 
 see her, but when she softly called out, "Mr. Dud 
 ley," he stopped and looked at her with lowering 
 eyes. Just then came the cries of newsboys out 
 side: "Extra, Tribune! All about Dudley s de 
 feat." Even the little news merchants had an 
 exultant ring in their voices, as they proclaimed 
 the downfall of "the big boss."
 
 278 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Close those windows," he snarled, going to his 
 desk. The secretary did as she was told and 
 waited. Dudley seemed lost in thought, and fi 
 nally the girl asked : 
 
 "Do you need me now, Mr. Dudley?" 
 
 Again that narrow look. 
 
 "Yes, sit down!" 
 
 It was not a request, but a peremptory com 
 mand. 
 
 Tremblingly the girl obeyed, and waited for 
 the blow, which she was sure was to follow. 
 
 For a moment not a word was spoken Dud 
 ley looking the girl waiting. There was an un 
 usual hardness in his voice, as he finally said : 
 
 "Miss Sherman, do you know I have lost my 
 first fight?" 
 
 "Yes, I heard the newsboys crying it!" 
 
 Again a pause as if carefully weighing the 
 words she knew he was about to fire at her. 
 Slowly he said : 
 
 "My defeat was caused by some one in my 
 confidence. I have been betrayed. Some one in 
 this office has been keeping Bishop Anderson in 
 formed, and to-day or some day, that some one 
 has taken papers out of my private files and 
 given them to my enemies. And now I must 
 know who that some one is."
 
 THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY 279 
 
 Mary Sherman felt faint. The blow was com- 
 t ng she could feel it so, closing her eyes, she 
 waited for it to fall. Never for one second did 
 the editor take his eyes off of the girl. He leaned 
 across his desk, pointed a threatening finger, and 
 said: 
 
 "Yes, I know. Only three people have access 
 to this desk and by a process of elimination it was 
 easy to see it was not I" a pause, a deadly one 
 to the girl "it was not you it was Kearney! 
 Kearney the traitor!" and the enraged editor 
 brought his fist down with a bang. 
 
 Mary Sherman opened her eyes in amazement. 
 The expected blow had not fallen and a grateful 
 sigh went up from her heart. She was too be 
 wildered to make any reply save to exclaim: 
 
 "Mr. Kearney!" 
 
 "Yes, Kearney," shot back the irate editor. 
 "He has as good as confessed it. Told me to my 
 face in the council room that the franchise had 
 been defeated and that he did it. There s guilt 
 for you!" 
 
 There was almost a ring of triumph in Dud 
 ley s voice, as he gave utterance to his charge. 
 It was Kearney he suspected. Nay, he knew it 
 was Kearney, and, for a moment, Mary Sherman 
 felt that the floor was giving way beneath her.
 
 280 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "No, Mr. Dudley, what Mr. Kearney said was 
 not indicative of guilt. You are judging only 
 on circumstantial evidence, and sometimes nay, 
 many times that is wrong." 
 
 "But not in this case, Miss Sherman. Oh, the 
 bishop can gloat to-day, but to-morrow just 
 wait until to-morrow. I ve got him! I ve got 
 him!" 
 
 Once more the editor was pacing the room and 
 speaking between gritting teeth. 
 
 "Who? the bishop?" asked the girl. 
 
 "Well, the next thing to it. His brother, that 
 ex-army captain. I ve got the goods on him." 
 
 A dread fear seized the girl s heart. The blow 
 she had expected a moment before was now com 
 ing only in a more direct way. 
 
 "What do you mean, Mr. Dudley?" she asked. 
 Her backbone stiffened; her heart beat faster as 
 she looked towards the editor. 
 
 Without looking at her the chief went to the 
 safe in the wall, and, while working the combina 
 tion, said: 
 
 "His connection with that Carew woman. I ve 
 got all the facts in the case ; the record of the di 
 vorce everything! and here they are." He 
 turned with the papers in his hands and sat down 
 at his desk. "I haven t trusted even Kearney or
 
 THE REVOLT OF A SECRETARY 281 
 
 you with them. Hensen sent them to me direct 
 and now I can use them" 
 
 Instantly all timidity left Mary Sherman s 
 heart. She was in thorough command of herself 
 now, and ready to fight as only a woman can 
 fight, but she determined to give this editor a 
 chance to play the man. If he did not do that 
 then she would play her card. 
 
 "Use them, Mr. Dudley?" she asked. "For 
 what purpose? To satisfy a personal grudge 
 against the man who has beaten you ? Have you 
 no charity?" 
 
 "Charity? For whom?" sneered Dudley. 
 
 "For that Carew woman, perhaps." 
 
 "Why for her? She is guilty! There was evi 
 dence enough against her to convince the court." 
 
 "Circumstantially, perhaps, yes. But there 
 may have been other facts not revealed at the 
 trial; facts a court will not allow to be brought 
 out." 
 
 "What! are you defending this woman?" in 
 terrogated Dudley, with a show of astonish 
 ment. 
 
 "No," she softly said, "I m not defending the 
 woman. Probably she has been terribly pun 
 ished, if she has sinned. Perhaps, now, she is off 
 in some corner of this little world working hard
 
 282 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 to make a living and striving for happiness. The 
 Banner has a wide circulation, Mr. Dudley. 
 That story might reach the girl and her employ 
 ers and ruin her chances. You know the world 
 does not forgive women it does forgive men."
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 PELHAM VS. PELHAM 
 
 HERE was more opposition for Dudley. This 
 girl his secretary an employee, standing be 
 fore him pleading for a woman without a char 
 acter a woman who had been held up to scorn 
 in a court of law. Ordinarily, he would have dis 
 missed such opposition by a wave of the hand and 
 gone on about his work, but something within 
 him a shred of remaining conscience, perhaps, 
 bade him reason with her, to show how untenable 
 was her position. And, anyway, his newspaper 
 was not run on sentiment. This was in the day s 
 work, so he tersely said : 
 
 "Miss Sherman, this Carew woman is a means 
 to an end, and I am going to use her." 
 
 Poor Mary Sherman. Quickly she made up 
 her mind that he should not use this "Carew 
 woman" until she had exhausted every effort to 
 
 283
 
 284 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 stop him, and if worst came to worst well, then, 
 she- 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Dudley," cried the girl, "don t you 
 love any one save yourself? Is your heart so 
 completely encysted with venom and hate? Sup 
 pose you had a daughter." 
 
 This shot struck home. 
 
 "Suppose I had a daughter," repeated Dudley, 
 his voice vibrant with the softness which only 
 comes from a tender heart and now his heart 
 was tender. His glance stole over to the glass 
 paper weight on his desk, a tenderness came into 
 his eyes as he gazed at the childlike face shining 
 there. 
 
 "I did have a daughter once," he said gently, 
 as he shoved the picture to his secretary, who 
 looked and nodded her head. 
 
 "That is her picture," said the editor. "She 
 was fair, sweet, and winsome to look upon. But," 
 and here there was a catch in his voice ; it trembled 
 as he continued, "at four she died, and something 
 within me died with her." 
 
 He did not tell her of the babe that had died at 
 birth, nor of the mother who followed on before 
 the close of another day for lack of proper 
 nourishment and care. He did not tell her of his 
 second marriage to a woman of refinement for
 
 Suppose I had a daughter 9 repeated Dudley a tender 
 ness came into his eyes as he gazed at the 
 child-like face in the paper-weight
 
 PELHAM VS. PELHAM 285 
 
 whom he had built the great castle on the hill 
 nor of the beautiful child she had borne him. 
 Xor did he speak of the death of the child s 
 mother, which came as a final blow to his chance 
 for happiness on this earth. He simply paused 
 a few moments and buried his face in his hand. 
 
 "Do you know, Miss Sherman," said he finally, 
 "since you ve been here I ve often thought my 
 Mary would have looked like you by now. Oth 
 ers, too, have remarked it. She would have been 
 twenty-three now." 
 
 A great big hope sprang up in Mary Sher 
 man s heart. A man who could have such tender 
 memories of his dead child surely would not be 
 so cruel as to condemn a woman without hearing 
 and only for revenge. She knew his mind was 
 sore over his defeat, but he would recover from 
 that. 
 
 "And twenty-three is just my age, Mr. Dud 
 ley." 
 
 Then came that recovery so certain in men of 
 Dudley s calibre. A revulsion, as it were. What 
 was he doing? Mooning? Getting sentimental? 
 That would never do. The fighting man re 
 gained mastery over the tender father and he 
 curtly said : 
 
 "But that s nothing to do with this case, Miss
 
 286 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Sherman. That story goes in to-morrow morn 
 ing s Banner!" 
 
 Again the cold fear gripped her heart. Hold 
 ing out one slender hand she said : 
 
 "But, Mr. Dudley please- 
 Right here the editor determined for once and 
 all to convince this girl she was wrong and her 
 efforts futile. 
 
 "Here, Miss Sherman, is a certified copy of 
 that woman s divorce case." Opening the record, 
 all bound in ribbons and seals, he read: 
 
 "Pelham vs. Pelham. Now listen to some of 
 this testimony." 
 
 Rapidly turning over the sheets to the place he 
 desired, he paused, and, adjusting his glasses, 
 continued reading: 
 
 "Questions to the woman s husband: 
 
 "Q. Did you on June 16th, visit the Hotel 
 Gilmore ? 
 
 "A. I did. 
 
 "Q. Please state to the court exactly what 
 transpired there. 
 
 "A. I had received information my wife was 
 at that hotel with another man. I went there 
 about nine-thirty in the evening, and, examining 
 the register, found thereon the name of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Edward Cullen assigned to room 613. Cul-
 
 PELHAM VS. PELHAM 287 
 
 len was the man I had suspected. Taking two 
 witnesses with me I went to room 613 and 
 knocked on the door, but received no answer. 
 Waiting a moment I knocked again and there 
 stood Cullen. The room was in a state of disor 
 der, and, standing by the window was my wife. 
 Cullen was much agitated. I was shocked be 
 yond measure, upbraided her and threatened to 
 shoot Cullen, but my witnesses interfered and 
 took me away. That was all. 
 
 During the reading of the record Mary stood 
 as if transfixed with horror, much like the timid 
 hare before the gleaming eyes of a fox-hound. 
 
 Dudley continued : 
 
 "That evidence was corroborated by two repu 
 table witnesses and the divorce granted. Isn t 
 that enough for you? And" reaching out, he 
 touched a button, "and that s the woman Captain 
 Anderson wants to marry." 
 
 "Einough? My God!" gasped the young wo 
 man. The whole building seemed to be falling 
 about her. 
 
 Without waiting to see the effect of his dra 
 matic recital, Dudley further said: 
 
 "The story is all prepared and in type, and it
 
 288 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 goes in on the front page of to-morrow morning s 
 Banner" 
 
 Responding to the summons, Dennis came in 
 and Dudley handed him the prepared article 
 along with the papers in the case, and said : 
 
 "Take these to the city editor." Then, rub 
 bing his hands, as if in great glee over his pros 
 pective revenge, he concluded : 
 
 "There it is, Miss Sherman, full and complete, 
 and it does not contravene the libel law." 
 
 According to his belief Editor Dudley had con 
 vinced this girl of the justness of his position, 
 the righteousness of his attitude ; anyway, he was 
 "within the law" so what should he care? To 
 morrow Bishop Anderson s proud family name 
 would be exposed, pilloried by public scandal 
 thus, in a measure, Dudley would be avenged for 
 his defeat in the council chamber. He had lost 
 millions to which he had not a shadow of right, 
 but his personal vanity, his egotism would be 
 restored by this muddy attack on Captain Ander 
 son, who, seemingly, had been mixed up with a 
 guilty v.r.man. 
 
 Swiftiy and surely Mary Sherman divined that 
 which v?s in Dudley s mind. She well knew that 
 nothiii" /ould stop him nothing short of a cata 
 clysm, mething terrible in its consequences.
 
 PELHAM VS. PELHAM 289 
 
 But what could she do a defenseless girl? Al 
 most beside herself she cried : 
 
 "That s just it with you men. It s always the 
 law. So long as you stay within that, it makes 
 no difference how many hearts you break, or 
 homes you wreck. Just law, law, law!" 
 
 There was a strong temerity in her voice, a ring 
 of defiance and Dudley was about to end the 
 interview, when, hearing a commotion at the door, 
 he looked up, and there stood Bishop Anderson, 
 unannounced, and seemingly quite calm and col 
 lected. Mary Sherman also saw with consterna 
 tion the bishop s presence. There was a faint 
 suspicion of a look of triumph on the bishop s 
 face, which, under the circumstances, might be 
 pardoned. We are all conscious of triumph when 
 a hard-earned victory has been won. So far as 
 Dudley was concerned the interview would be of 
 very short duration. 
 
 "Well, what s the meaning of this intrusion?" 
 he almost snarled "what do you want now? 
 Aren t you satisfied?" 
 
 Bishop Anderson slowly advanced, and Mary 
 Sherman retired to a position near the mantel 
 piece. She felt that she ought to leave the room, 
 but something within determined her to remain. 
 There was still a chance that she might influence
 
 2QO THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Dudley further. In his anger Dudley forgot her 
 presence and the bishop merely bowed, and, hold 
 ing out his hand to Dudley, said : 
 
 "I want what I have always wanted, Mr. Dud 
 ley peace. I want to be friends with you." 
 
 The editor ignored the outstretched hand, and 
 scornfully replied: 
 
 "Friends with you, Bishop Anderson! The 
 one man who in all my life has ever beaten me! 
 You tricked me . . . you tricked me! But I 
 have one card yet to play." 
 
 Bishop Anderson had expected some such out 
 burst of passion. It was but natural. However, 
 he would be careful not to give way to a similar 
 feeling. 
 
 "No, I didn t trick you. I merely fought fire 
 with fire that is all. I told you in the begin 
 ning you would lose, and you did. I now come 
 to extend the olive branch." 
 
 There was no exultant ring in the bishop s 
 voice, as he delivered his message. On the con 
 trary, it was earnest and conciliatory, but it did 
 not appeal to the editor. 
 
 "Rot!" he exclaimed, "there can be no peace 
 between you and me. I ll admit my defeat on 
 
 the franchise, but " and here his voice became 
 
 metallic, "you read to-morrow morning s Ban-
 
 PELHAM VS. PELHAM 291 
 
 ner. Just read it !" A thrust like this was not to 
 tally unexpected. The bishop smiled, and stood 
 up proudly. 
 
 "A personal attack on me, I presume?" 
 
 Dudley had intended his attack on Captain 
 Anderson to be a surprise to the bishop, but here 
 was a chance to give it to him now. It would give 
 the bishop something to worry about pending the 
 detailed story in the morning Banner. 
 
 "No, not you, Bishop Anderson. I can t at 
 tack you personally. I have had you looked up 
 and you are one of the few public men who could 
 stand such a search. I ll give you credit for that 
 but," he continued, narrowly watching his un 
 invited guest to see the effect of his words : 
 
 "But, there is a member of your family who is 
 not immune" and Dudley sat back serenely and 
 scanned the bishop s face. 
 
 Into Bishop Anderson s mind there came the 
 first faint suspicion of doubt. His own family 
 was above reproach but his brother, Captain 
 Anderson ! Did the editor have a story concern 
 ing him? Coolly, he replied, "I suppose you 
 mean my brother?" 
 
 Dudley s first shot had told; he would follow 
 up his seeming advantage.
 
 292 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Yes, your brother. I ve got his record, too, 
 and it s somewhat shady." 
 
 Bishop Anderson s mind worked very rapidly. 
 In a way he knew of his brother s life from his 
 birth to now. There was nothing radically 
 wrong with this record else the army would not 
 have retained him. The army is jealous of the 
 private character of its officers, but newspapers 
 have a way of finding a shred and building a 
 cable. Maybe Jack had been guilty of some boy 
 ish indiscretion and this editor had found it out. 
 Perhaps it was Jack s divorce, and, while that 
 was unpleasant, there was nothing wrong in it. 
 The bishop leaned slightly forward: 
 
 "You mean his unfortunate divorce. That was 
 regular and lawful. Mr. Dudley, I d advise you 
 to go slow with Captain Anderson." 
 
 The bishop knew any unwarranted attack on 
 his brother would cause Mr. Dudley trouble- 
 physically, to say the least. The bishop was 
 playing for time, but Dudley wouldn t wait. 
 While the iron was hot he would strike again. 
 
 "No, not his divorce," he replied, "but the 
 woman s divorce he now wants to marry." 
 
 This blow struck the bishop squarely. How 
 did Dudley know that? Jack had told him no 
 one knew it. Did the long arm of newsgathering
 
 PELHAM VS. PELHAM 293 
 
 pry into every nook and cranny? Mary Sher 
 man, from her place near the mantelpiece, stood 
 pale and panting, drinking in every word. 
 Where would this conflict end? Both men had 
 forgotten her very existence, and she was not 
 sorry. By all means, she should be there. She 
 would stay at all hazards. 
 
 Recovering himself, Bishop Anderson leaned 
 forward and said : 
 
 "Do you know that?" 
 
 Was the bishop again acting a part? Dudley 
 looked at him and sneered. 
 
 "Sure I know it, don t you?" 
 
 "No, I don t" replied the bishop, "but I ex 
 pected to learn of it to-night." 
 
 Here was a chance for a master stroke for 
 Dudley. Taking the court record from his desk, 
 he literally flung it at the bishop with: 
 
 "Well, learn it now. Read that court record, 
 especially the husband s testimony on page twen 
 ty-six, and see what a fine specimen of woman 
 hood your distinguished ex-army brother wants 
 to marry." 
 
 Wonderingly, the bishop turned to the page 
 designated and read the words, which burned and 
 seared themselves into his brain. What a pre 
 cious fool his brother had been to mix himself up
 
 294 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 with such a woman ! The bishop was cornered 
 he must make terms, any kind of terms of peace 
 with the editor. His victory over Dudley in the 
 franchise fight was forgotten. He must sue for 
 peace, to protect himself, Helen, Jack, and the 
 unsuspecting little mother. Surely Mr. Dudley 
 would be amenable to reason. 
 
 "But you won t publish such a story," he cried; 
 "this is horrible!" 
 
 "Won t I ?" replied Dudley. "It s news." 
 
 Right here Mary Sherman realized the time for 
 her to act had arrived, and, quietly approaching 
 Dudley s desk, she asked: 
 
 "May I say a word, please?"
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 MARY SHERMAN TELLS HER STORY 
 
 So absorbed had been the editor and the bishop 
 m their conflict that they had forgotten the pres 
 ence of this slender girl who now stood before 
 them. But Dudley would brook no interference. 
 His voice, when he spoke, was a peremptory com 
 mand: 
 
 "Miss Sherman, leave the room!" 
 
 "But, Mr. Dudley," pleaded the girl. 
 
 "You are my secretary, Miss Sherman, and 
 this does not concern you." 
 
 Prompt action was necessary, and, looking at 
 her employer with unwavering eyes, she replied 
 in an even, modulated voice: 
 
 "Yes, Mr. Dudley, it does concern me more 
 than you think." 
 
 Dudley was thoroughly angry. How could 
 any such story concern his secretary? 
 
 "Miss Sherman " 
 
 295
 
 296 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Raising one slender hand and closing her eyes, 
 as if to shut out the blow which she knew was 
 about to come, the young woman quietly said: 
 "Mr. Dudley, and you, Bishop Anderson I am 
 the woman in that divorce case. 
 
 Profound silence followed this statement, in 
 terrupted only by the hard breathing of two men, 
 as they sensed this confession and realized its full 
 import. The bishop could not believe his ears. 
 
 "Who are you?" he cried. 
 
 Dudley was much too dumbfounded to speak 
 for a moment. He had liked this girl and 
 
 now ! His thoughts were interrupted by 
 
 the girl s voice saying : 
 
 "I am Mrs. Pelham my maiden name is 
 Phyllis Carew. I am the woman, Mr. Dudley, 
 you propose excoriating in your paper to-morrow 
 morning. I, Bishop Anderson, am the woman 
 your brother wants to marry." 
 
 The cleric was beside himself with enraged 
 emotion when he realized that at last he was face 
 to face with the woman in the case. 
 
 "Marry you!" he cried. "You can t mean it. 
 And you would have him do this and thus ruin 
 his life disgrace his name and that of his fam 
 ily!" 
 
 There was a certain tone in Mary Sherman s
 
 MARY TELLS HER STORY 297 
 
 voice, as she replied, that made the bishop pause. 
 She said: 
 
 "Stop, sir! Stop right now, Bishop Ander 
 son ! You have no right to say that ! You do not 
 know the facts. Are you to judge me unheard?" 
 
 "I know what Captain Anderson has told me. 
 I also know what this record says" and he held 
 out the document towards the sorely tried girl. 
 Dudley leaned back in his chair and watched, 
 with glee, the bishop s discomfiture; he would 
 bide his time. His secretary did not seem to no 
 tice the record, as she replied: 
 
 "Yes, but you do not know what that record 
 does not show" 
 
 "What do you mean?" cried the editor. Now 
 was the time for Mary Sherman to tell all 
 everything, and the whole truth. 
 
 "That I was inveigled into that hotel room 
 613; that I walked into a trap that was set for me 
 by my legal husband. I 
 
 The bishop in his church work had in his day 
 dealt with many erring women, and he knew that 
 their tendency when confronted was to deny. 
 
 "A likely story," said he, with a semblance of 
 a sneer. 
 
 "Where s your proof of this?" asked Dudley. 
 Truly, Mary Sherman was on the rack.
 
 298 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "I haven t any now. Nothing save my word" 
 
 Then the bishop asked : 
 
 "Why didn t you defend yourself in court? * 
 
 Taking a step forward until she confronted 
 both men, she spoke sharply : 
 
 "Defend myself! Would any judge have be 
 lieved me any more than you two do right now? 
 What chance had I against my husband s state 
 ments, the hotel register and two witnesses, who 
 were telling the truth, as they saw it. Witnesses 
 for such purposes are cheap in any large city. 
 You both know that." 
 
 There was an air of bitterness in her voice, 
 and she paused for a moment as if to collect her 
 self. 
 
 "What do you know about my unhappy child 
 hood?" she continued "father and mother both 
 dying when I was a babe and I being brought up 
 by a maiden aunt? What do you know about my 
 meeting Pelham, a fascinating, good-looking 
 man, and eloping with him when I was but six 
 teen ? What do you know about his tiring of me 
 and wanting to divorce me? He gave me 
 grounds a plenty, but I refused to take action. 
 My church your church, Bishop Anderson 
 your church t I say, forbade that and I am a 
 churchwoman. What do you know of my feel-
 
 MARY TELLS HER STORY 299 
 
 ings when at seventeen I became a mother only 
 to have my husband sneeringly say, he doubted 
 whether he was the father of that brat? 
 
 The young woman covered her face, as if to 
 shut out the awful picture, and her voice became 
 hard, as she continued: 
 
 "I wish I could have killed him!" said she bit 
 terly. Then her voice softened to almost a sob 
 as she said: "Three months later my baby died 
 died oh!" 
 
 The bishop and the editor listened, but in their 
 hearts they believed the story was only a well- 
 acted fabrication but she was allowed to con 
 tinue without interruption. 
 
 "After this my husband became more cruel 
 than ever. He drank, beat me left me alone for 
 days, and when he did come home it was one 
 quarrel after another. Finally, I couldn t stand 
 it any longer and went to my aunt s home in 
 Brooklyn. Three days later came a phone mes 
 sage that my husband had suddenly taken ill at 
 the Hotel Gilmore and wanted me to come to 
 him. Once again my churchly duty called upon 
 me and I went and was caught like a rat in a 
 trap. Can I ever forget it? You know what 
 happened ! That divorce record shows that. The 
 man Cullen, after my husband deserted me, leav-
 
 ing me with this man, proposed that I take up 
 life with him. I struck him and then swooned. 
 A gentleman and lady who happened to be in 
 the same hotel found me and cared for me. They 
 believed me and furnished me with money for a 
 business education, and I ve been a self-respect 
 ing, self-sustaining woman ever since, and my 
 soul is clean and it will stay clean." 
 
 Almost exhausted, Mary Sherman paused and 
 looked pleadingly at her auditors. Her recital 
 had been dramatic, but Dudley, the flint-hearted, 
 fighting editor was not convinced. Neither was 
 the churchly bishop. 
 
 Dudley observed, in what he considered a gen 
 tle voice : 
 
 "I am sorry for you, young lady, but such 
 statements are not necessarily facts, upon whicli 
 your innocence can be proved." 
 
 "Don t I know it?" cried the girl, and then, 
 holding out her hands in a helpless manner, she 
 said: "Oh, why isn t he here?" 
 
 "Who?" asked the bishop, almost divining 
 what her answer would be. 
 
 "Your brother Captain Anderson." 
 
 How far would this convicted woman carry her 
 effrontery, wondered Dr. Anderson. Now he
 
 MARY TELLS HER STORY 301 
 
 became angry, and, for the first time, forgot his 
 churchly calling. 
 
 "I am glad he isn t; he might be foolish enough 
 to believe you." 
 
 The girl made no reply, and, becoming impa 
 tient, Dudley arose from his chair. 
 
 "You must realize after this your connection 
 with this office must cease," said he. "I cannot 
 retain such a woman in a confidential capacity." 
 
 "I expected that, Mr. Dudley. It is in thor 
 ough keeping with your generosity. But I did 
 hope for at least charity from a bishop" 
 
 Bishop Anderson, quite taken aback by this 
 remark, moved uneasily in the chair into which 
 he had fallen. 
 
 "I am charitable, Miss Miss he stam 
 mered, not knowing what name to address her by. 
 
 "Carew, Bishop Anderson that s a clean 
 name/ 1 
 
 "Well, I advise you to keep it, and if I can 
 serve you in any way, why 
 
 The mockery of his words stung the girl into a 
 fury. She had been dishonored and discredited 
 by both these men. Like an enraged tigress she 
 turned and said : 
 
 "You cannot serve me, Bishop Anderson. 
 Your offer is genuine hypocrisy, and it is just
 
 302 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 such narrow-minded men as you and Mr. Dud 
 ley that drive women to the streets. Sin in the 
 form of brightly lighted saloons and dance halls 
 holds out a warm welcome to the downcast. They 
 ask no questions. But your churches solemn 
 old buildings hidden behind the garb of respec 
 tability demand the pedigree of every woman 
 before she dares to hold her head up within their 
 portals. That s your twentieth century religion." 
 
 Bishop Anderson interrupted. "Young lady," 
 he admonished^, "you are beside yourself." 
 
 "No, I m not beside myself. I am speaking 
 the truth and you know it" Pausing for a 
 brief moment as if to collect herself for a final 
 effort, she turned towards the editor and said : 
 
 "And to you, Mr. Dudley I just want to say 
 one word before I go. You have been defeated 
 in your franchise fight, and it wasn t Bishop An 
 derson who beat you; it wasn t Kearney; it was 
 I. Do you hear? I did it! I beat you! I fur 
 nished all the information to Bishop Anderson, 
 although he did not know it. I am the one who 
 unearthed Alberts. I am the one who took the 
 papers from your desk. I knew from your corre 
 spondence with Hensen you were after me, and 
 I determined if you were going to wreck me and 
 my chance of happiness, I d pull down one house
 
 MARY TELLS HER STORY 303 
 
 around your head before I went. And I did I 
 did I, a poor, defenseless woman! I did it 
 I did it, I tell you ! Now I am going, but not to 
 the streets as you would send me. I am clean 
 I always have been and I am going to keep that 
 way, and all of the editors and bishops in the 
 world cannot make me different." 
 
 She stopped, her task was over. She had told 
 her story; the truth she knew it to be, and it was 
 not believed. There was nothing more to do. 
 Both men sat quiet transfixed as she slowly 
 turned away from them and started to leave the 
 office. At the doorway she paused a moment, 
 and, looking at Bishop Anderson, quietly said: 
 
 "Bishop Anderson, you have called Mr. Dud 
 ley a Pharisee. Shake hands with him you 
 and he are of the same sect." 
 
 With that she was gone. 
 
 Neither man spoke for a moment. Both were 
 tremendously affected by her recital. Dudley, 
 because he knew he had the bishop by the throat, 
 and Dr. Anderson, because he feared the expos 
 ure of his brother s connection with such a 
 woman. 
 
 Dudley gloated. "And now, Bishop Ander 
 son, how will you feel when this story comes out 
 to-morrow?"
 
 304 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "Mr. Dudley, won t you wait until I see my 
 brother. I am sure I can convince him of the 
 error of his ways." The bishop s independence 
 was gone; his fighting spirit broken. 
 
 "No, I won t wait a minute." 
 
 "But my church, my family this is awful!" 
 
 "You should have thought of all this during the 
 past summer when you were lambasting me on 
 the franchise fight, Bishop Anderson. You have 
 had your hour of triumph, now I ll have mine. 
 People who live in glass houses you know the 
 rest." 
 
 "Just a day, Mr. Dudley," pleaded the bishop. 
 
 "Not a second to-morrow morning the story 
 will be printed." 
 
 There was a silence broken by the reappear 
 ance of the girl. Advancing quickly toward the 
 editor s desk she laid a bunch of keys in front 
 of him and said : 
 
 "I forgot to give you these, Mr. Dudley. I 
 would advise you to keep your desk securely 
 locked. There are other papers in it which might 
 incriminate you." 
 
 As she turned to go, Dudley said "Wait," and, 
 taking his pen, wrote and, handing her the pa 
 per, said:
 
 MARY TELLS HER STORY 305 
 
 "Here s an order on the cashier for one month s 
 extra salary. You may need it." 
 
 Without looking at the order, Mary Sherman 
 tore it in bits and threw the pieces on his desk. 
 "I do not need your charity, Mr. Dudley," she 
 scornfully replied, and, without another word, 
 turned toward the door and there stood Cap 
 tain Jack Anderson, smiling happily upon those 
 present.
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 CAPTAIN ANDERSON TO THE RESCUE 
 
 WHEN the brothers parted immediately after 
 luncheon, Captain Anderson had gone to the 
 Hotel Ashland and sent his card to a certain 
 room. Then he went to the hotel parlor where he 
 held an interview, which, to judge from his face, 
 was satisfactory. This done, he hastened to The 
 Banner Building, there expecting to meet the 
 bishop and go home. 
 
 "Perhaps the old Doc might need me," said he 
 thoughtfully unto himself. "He s a pretty hot 
 headed chap, and Dudley might hand him some 
 thing he couldn t stand." 
 
 Entering the building, the captain inquired 
 the way to Dudley s office, and, going up, found 
 no one in the ante-room. The outer door was 
 open and he heard the voice of Mary Sherman, 
 or, rather, that of Phyllis Carew, as she scorned 
 
 Dudley s check. Quietly entering the door, he 
 
 306
 
 CAPT. ANDERSON TO THE RESCUE 307 
 
 waited until she saw him and then advanced 
 slowly into the room. A glad light came into the 
 girl s eyes at the sight of the stalwart figure com 
 ing toward her. At once she knew that she had 
 a friend in court. She almost sobbed as she mur 
 mured: "Oh, Jack!" 
 
 Taking one of her hands in his he inquired: 
 "Where are you going?" Then, looking at the 
 two men, he added, "why, what is the matter?" 
 
 Neither the editor nor bishop spoke. Both 
 were busy with their thoughts. The projection 
 of Captain Anderson into the "jury room" at this 
 time bode no good for either of them. 
 
 Then to Phyllis he continued: "When I saw 
 you a short while ago you were bright and cheer 
 ful now you look worried." 
 
 Phyllis started to go out of the room, but the 
 captain took her hand and held her back. Then 
 he spoke to his brother, "Come, Doc what is it? 
 What s the trouble?" 
 
 No answer came from the bishop. His mind 
 was befuddled over the dramatic events which 
 had just taken place, and he wished his brother 
 was in Labrador, or some other equally distant 
 place. His coming, especially at this time, was 
 most unfortunate. 
 
 It occurred to Captain Anderson he had never
 
 3o8 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 met the editor personally, so he bowed and said: 
 
 "Mr. Dudley, I presume you know who I am?" 
 
 This gave the chief an opening. He had one 
 brother completely at his mercy; why not finish 
 the job? 
 
 "Certainly I do, Captain Anderson, and you 
 come at a most opportune moment." 
 
 "Why, may I ask?" 
 
 Dudley sneered, "Ask the bishop." 
 
 A feeling was creeping in the ex-army man s 
 mind that something was coming off and quickly, 
 too. He would parley no longer, and, turning 
 to the bishop : 
 
 "Well, Hank, what is it?" The use of "Hank" 
 meant formalities were over, and the bishop real 
 ized it. He might as well get through with the 
 matter as soon as possible, and be done with it. 
 
 "Jack, I know the story you you wanted to 
 tell me." The bishop s voice was husky and un 
 certain. 
 
 "And now that you do know it, Hank, what do 
 you make of it?" 
 
 The bishop couldn t understand his brother s 
 attitude. By rights the captain should have re 
 coiled at the information, but, instead of that, he 
 stood there calm and quiet as if he were on pa 
 rade.
 
 CAPT. ANDERSON TO THE RESCUE 309 
 
 "Well, Jack, Mr. Dudley is going to publish 
 it in to-morrow morning s Banner. Give her up 
 and stop it." 
 
 Phyllis Carew s heart almost ceased to beat, 
 as she watched Captain Anderson turn and ad 
 vance to the desk, behind which sat Dudley. 
 There was a hard, metallic ring in his voice, as he 
 said: 
 
 "Mr. Dudley, if you publish that story in to 
 morrow s or any other morning s paper, I will 
 kill you! You understand kill you as I would 
 a mad dog!" 
 
 The editor found himself gazing into eyes, 
 which, ordinarily, were blue, but now looked like 
 bullets. Dudley knew this man meant every 
 word he said, but he was not a physical coward; 
 he had often been threatened before. 
 
 "You can t bluff me, Captain Anderson. I am 
 running a newspaper, and neither you nor any 
 other man can dictate my policy. Your brother 
 tried that." 
 
 "I am not trying to bluff you, Mr. Dudley. 
 I am simply stating what will happen." 
 
 The bishop interrupted: "But, Jack, the story 
 is true," and Dudley, thinking to convince the 
 army man once and for all, added : "And I have 
 the court records of her divorce."
 
 310 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 The bishop picked up the record and held it 
 out to his brother, who did not deign to even 
 look at it. He knocked it out of his brother s 
 hand, and said : 
 
 "Court records be hanged! If I had a dollar 
 for every court record that was not fair or just 
 under our rotten judicial system I could buy 
 Dudley s paper and the American Gas Light 
 Company to boot." 
 
 Phyllis heart sang with praises at these words. 
 The bishop s heart sank within him. He knew his 
 brother would keep his word and kill the editor 
 if the story was published. Dudley s heart didn t 
 sing at all. It just beat. 
 
 "Miss Miss " faltered the editor. 
 
 "Carew," said the captain "don t forget the 
 name, Mr. Dudley." 
 
 "Well, Miss Carew, then, has stated that she 
 was trapped." 
 
 "And so she was, Mr. Dudley." 
 
 "How do you know this, Jack?" cried the 
 bishop. 
 
 "How do I know? Why, I was in the Hotel 
 Gilmore in New York the night it happened. So 
 was mother." 
 
 "You and mother!" exclaimed the bishop, his
 
 CAPT. ANDERSON TO THE RESCUE 31 1 
 
 voice ringing with disgust. "Mother in a hotel 
 like that! What will you do next?" 
 
 The army man looked at the churchman with 
 a pitying glance. 
 
 "For a man of your years and learning, Doc, 
 you know less than any man I ve ever met. Such 
 a scene could be staged in any respectable hotel 
 in Presidio, New York, or any other city." 
 
 Dudley, naturally, put the wrong interpreta 
 tion on Captain Anderson s statement. 
 
 "Oh," he sneered, "so you were in the Hotel 
 Gilmore that night. Well, maybe 
 
 Captain Anderson knew of what the editor was 
 thinking, and once more gazing at him with un 
 flinching eyes, interrupted and said: 
 
 "Stop right there, Mr. Dudley, or I may not 
 wait for the publication of to-morrow s paper 
 to carry out my threat. I can prove my state 
 ments." 
 
 "Huh, what can you prove?" 
 
 The bishop leaned forward to catch his broth 
 er s answer. 
 
 "That this girl was trapped by a gang and that 
 she is as innocent as as well, my mother/ 
 
 "Leave mother out of this, I beg of you," test 
 ily cried the bishop. 
 
 "I will not I mean what I say." The cap-
 
 312 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 tain s dander was rising to the danger point. 
 
 "How can you prove this?" doubtingly asked 
 the editor. 
 
 "By producing the leader of the gang." 
 
 Something within the bishop told him the cap 
 tain was not firing wildly. His manner, his ac 
 tions, his words. 
 
 "Where is this leader, Jack?" 
 
 "Over at the Hotel Ashland. May I use your 
 phone, Mr. Dudley?" 
 
 "Yes, go ahead," replied the chief. He would 
 give the captain a chance to make his bluff good. 
 
 Jack called the Ashland and paused a mo 
 ment. Presently the answer came. 
 
 "Hello . . . Room 1018 . . . Are you able 
 to come out now? . . . Thank you. Come to 
 The Banner Building, please. . . . It s very im 
 portant. . . . Yes, I know, but circumstances 
 have changed and I want you now. Just a few 
 blocks down the street. Take a taxi. Thank 
 you. Come right up to Mr. Dudley s private of 
 fice on the second floor." 
 
 While he was talking both men were wonder 
 ing just what he was up to. Who was this per 
 son at the other end of the wire? Phyllis, too, 
 was in a wondering mood but she trusted the 
 captain implicitly.
 
 CAPT. ANDERSON TO THE RESCUE 313 
 
 Turning away from the telephone, Jack An 
 derson scornfully looked into the eyes of each 
 man alternately. 
 
 "Now I am going to make you two pulpit 
 and press thoroughly ashamed of yourselves." 
 
 "Well, it s up to you to show me," said Dud 
 ley. 
 
 "Men of your stripe generally have to be shown 
 with a club," retorted the captain. 
 
 The editor writhed uneasily, but waited. If 
 this confident man could, as he said, prove Miss 
 Carew s story, Dudley felt that he would be in a 
 very unpleasant position. There was nothing to 
 do but wait. 
 
 "Jack, if this divorce record is false, how long 
 have you known it?" 
 
 "From the minute Miss Carew told her hor 
 rible experiences to mother and me." 
 
 "Mother!" ejaculated the astonished bishop. 
 
 "Yes, to mother and me the day after it hap 
 pened. Mother and I found her in that room in 
 a dead faint after the conspirators had succeeded 
 in compromising her name." 
 
 The bishop couldn t realize all this. It was 
 getting mighty close to home. 
 
 "You found her there?" he stammered.
 
 314 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 "I just said so. Mother cared for her that 
 night." 
 
 Phyllis couldn t resist the temptation to inter 
 ject. "And Mrs. Anderson has been a mother 
 to me ever since." 
 
 Shaking his head, the bishop heard his brother 
 say, "and mother gave Phyllis the money for her 
 business education every cent of which has been 
 paid back." 
 
 Then a pleasant thought seemed to strike the 
 army man ; he smiled and continued : 
 
 "Doc, you furnished that money." 
 
 "I did? How?" gasped the astonished bishop. 
 
 "You had just published that book wherein 
 your hero and heroine, two unmarried people, 
 were shipwrecked on a lonely, uninhabited island 
 in the South Pacific, and had to live there twenty 
 years. Their clothing wasn t saved with them. 
 That fact made the book a great seller, and from 
 your royalties you sent mother a check for five 
 hundred dollars. That s the money she used." 
 
 Even Dudley was amused at this incident and 
 grimly smiled at the bishop s discomfiture. 
 
 "And after that, what did you do?" asked the 
 bishop. He wanted the whole story. 
 
 "I started to find the proof. Of course, Pel-
 
 CAPT. ANDERSON TO THE RESCUE 315 
 
 ham and his gang left their accustomed haunts 
 and I only had a slender clew. 
 
 "This," continued the captain, producing a 
 piece of paper, "is a charge slip from Smith s de 
 partment store, dated June 16th, 1908, and made 
 out to Miss Rose Melton one suit of silk paja 
 mas, five dollars." 
 
 "What in the world has that to do with it?" 
 
 "They constitute a part of the properties and 
 exhibits in Miss Carew s tragedy." 
 
 "Well, go on." 
 
 "I am glad, in a way, Doc, you would not 
 hear this story the night mother and I came here, 
 because then I did not have any proof save Phyl 
 lis unsupported word, and my unbounded faith 
 in her innocence. But now it s different, and I 
 have the proof." 
 
 Dudley broke in, "Where is it?" 
 
 "You want me to come in, Captain Ander 
 son?" asked a husky voice at the door.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 A COMPLETE EXHONERATION 
 
 THE four occupants turned and looked, and 
 there stood what had once been a beautiful 
 woman, but now weak, emaciated and pale, with 
 great rings under her eyes. Her cheeks were 
 hollow and her breathing difficult. One hand 
 was held to her breast, and it was plain to be 
 seen she was consumptive. Instinctively the 
 bishop and editor arose, while Phyllis Carew 
 looked on in wonderment. 
 
 Captain Anderson crossed the office, and, with 
 that innate breeding of a gentleman, quietly said : 
 
 "Yes, thank you, come in," and, giving her his 
 arm, assisted her slowly across the room. 
 
 "Sit down, won t you?" 
 
 "Thank you," came the gasping reply, "I am 
 a little winded." 
 
 Slowly sinking in the proffered chair, the 
 
 woman waited. 
 
 316
 
 A COMPLETE EXHONERATION 317 
 
 "Is this the proof?" thought Dudley, but he 
 said: 
 
 "Miss Sherman I beg your pardon Miss 
 Carew do you know this woman?" 
 
 Phyllis shook her head and slowly answered: 
 
 "No, I do not. I never saw her before in my 
 life." 
 
 A wan smile overspread the sick woman s face. 
 She coughed and looked at Phyllis and said: 
 
 "Sure you don t know me. But, in a way, we 
 are related." 
 
 Phyllis Carew wonderingly asked : 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "We have both been married to the same 
 skate." 
 
 For a minute Phyllis did not realize what the 
 woman meant; then, with a sudden rush, came 
 the knowledge that this was the other woman. 
 Advancing toward her, Phyllis gasped: 
 
 "Then you are ?" 
 
 "Yes," interrupted the poor creature, "yes, I 
 am the woman who took your husband away from 
 you, and I wish to God I never had !" There was 
 a world of bitterness in her husky voice, and she 
 clenched her hands as she spoke. 
 
 For a second all the scorn of Phyllis nature 
 came to the surface as she cried, "Oh vou
 
 318 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 you!" Then, recovering herself, her gentle soul 
 and sweet nature arose to the occasion, and she 
 continued : 
 
 "Oh, I pity you ! I pity you 1" 
 
 Bishop Anderson and Dudley heard the 
 woman with mingled feelings of doubt. Captain 
 Anderson merely bided his time. He knew, but 
 the facts were not yet forthcoming. 
 
 "You say," questioned the bishop, "you took 
 her husband? How?" 
 
 "You want all the facts? Well, I ll give 
 them, only please don t interrupt me. I want 
 to get this over as soon as possible. I took 
 this woman s husband through a job that was put 
 up on her by a lawyer named Snodgrass, whereby 
 we got her to come to room 613 of the Hotel Gil- 
 more, New York, with a man named Cullen. We 
 did this by having her phoned that her husband 
 was ill and wanted her. She came and I reckon 
 you know the rest." 
 
 Dudley said: "We have the divorce record here 
 telling of a disordered room." 
 
 "Sure you have that. We arranged all that." 
 
 "We?" cried the bishop. 
 
 "Sure, we. Ain t I telling you, Snodgrass, the 
 lawyer; Pelham, the man; Cullen, the co-re 
 spondent, and little me. But if you want to
 
 A COMPLETE EXHONERATION 319 
 
 know, I paid for the whole thing . . . and how 
 I did pay!" 
 
 The memory of her payment was bitter, in 
 deed. Phyllis Carew could scarcely believe her 
 ears. 
 
 The woman continued : 
 
 "Snodgrass, the lawyer, set the stage. The 
 phone brought the woman, the two witnesses 
 planted by Snodgrass came and saw; the pre 
 sumption of guilt was established. The rest was 
 easy. It cost me about fifteen hundred dollars, 
 and my reward was the man and this girlie s 
 penalty disgrace." 
 
 Both Dudley and the bishop were astounded; 
 they could hardly believe their ears. A moment 
 ago Phyllis Carew stood before them, as she had 
 before the bar of justice, convicted, stripped of 
 the last shred of character. Here was indispu 
 table evidence that they were wrong. 
 
 "How could you!" cried the bishop. "How 
 could you wreck an innocent woman s life?" 
 
 "Bishop," replied the woman slowly, "women 
 of my class don t stop to consider these things. 
 I used to be a member of the "Sunshine Chorus." 
 I had face and figure. A rich old gink fell in 
 love with me; he had coin I wanted it, so I 
 married him and went to Frisco to live. A year
 
 320 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 afterwards he died, leaving me a bunch of money 
 and the call of Broadway was too strong. I am 
 a product of the bright lights I have many 
 sisters. Well, I went back and I met Pelham. 
 He s a Forty-second and Broadway chap. He 
 was a good-looking pup. Gave me a song and 
 dance about his unhappy married life I fell for 
 it. He fitted into my scheme of life and I bought 
 him like I would a horse. Women of my class 
 don t count the cost in such things. We just 
 pay! pay! pay!" 
 
 A blaze of wrath swept over Dudley. He 
 cried: "And you call yourself a woman?" 
 
 Imperturbably, the woman replied: 
 
 "Sure. There are two classes of women in the 
 world. This girlie is in one class and I m in the 
 other. She was too good for Pelham. I did her 
 a favor only the method was rather raw." 
 
 Jack Anderson s spirits were high when he 
 realized "Mary Sherman" was winning. Stand 
 ing beside Phyllis, holding her hand in his, he 
 said to the woman : 
 
 "Tell them, please, what became of Cullen and 
 Pelham." 
 
 "They won t bother any one any more. When 
 I got Pelham, he and Cullen had a high old time 
 while my money lasted. Oh, yes, I let them have
 
 A COMPLETE EXHONERATION 321 
 
 it all right. Then they went crooked. I had 
 some looks left at that time and they persuaded 
 me to join them in a badger game against a rich 
 old guy. But we got caught with the goods." 
 
 "That," said Captain Anderson, "is how I 
 finally got hold of this woman, from an article in 
 the paper, which said her name was formerly 
 Melton. That charge slip I just showed you 
 gave me the clue." 
 
 The woman continued: 
 
 "Well, in the Tombs the medico said I had a 
 punctured lung and couldn t live long in that 
 joint." 
 
 Impulsively, Phyllis put out her hand in sym 
 pathy. All rancor had faded from her heart. A 
 sister was in distress. 
 
 "You poor thing!" she cried. 
 
 "Thank you, child. So I sent for the district 
 attorney and came through made a deal." 
 
 "You mean you turned state s evidence?" 
 asked the captain. 
 
 "Something like that. I got out of jail. Pel- 
 ham and Cullen got fifteen years up the river, 
 and I hope they serve every day of it!" 
 
 "So do I," said Dudley. 
 
 "Fifteen years, horrible!" exclaimed Phyllis. 
 
 "Yes," continued the woman, with an attempt
 
 322 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 at humor in her voice, "their previous good char 
 acters prevented their getting thirty." 
 
 "And you?" softly inquired the bishop. 
 
 "I, oh, I hocked the few remaining jewels I 
 had and beat it out to Denver, the Mecca of rich 
 tourists and busted lungers. You can see I am 
 not a tourist, and I won t be there long. Cap 
 tain Anderson found me and asked me to come 
 here. It wasn t hard, because I wanted to right 
 the wrong I had done before I went away 
 for good." A violent spell of coughing pre 
 vented further utterance for the moment. 
 
 When she had recovered herself Jack Ander 
 son asked : 
 
 "You will swear to all this?" 
 
 "On a stack of bibles ten feet high." 
 
 But Dudley was satisfied. In his heart came a 
 feeling to which he had been a stranger for many 
 years one of softness. Mayhap it was the spirit 
 of his own lost Mary moving him. Be that as it 
 may, he turned to the army man and said : 
 
 "That will not be necessary, not for me. Will 
 it for you, Bishop?" 
 
 "No the truth is before us I m satisfied. I 
 only wonder such things can be. Is it possible, 
 Madam, that such things are done?" 
 
 "Done! Huh, Bishop, that s not a circum-
 
 A COMPLETE EXHONERATION 323 
 
 stance to some stunts pulled off in the name of 
 the law. I guess the editor knows." 
 
 Uneasily, Dudley shifted in his seat, because 
 he remembered only too well the "ill-legal" trick 
 he had been trying to put over all summer in his 
 franchise fight. 
 
 "Where is this Snodgrass?" he asked. 
 
 "Snodgrass? Oh, he s prosperous. Opened a 
 branch office in Chicago, and some day you may 
 see his shingle hanging out here in Presidio. He 
 has a few relatives in every large city." 
 
 "I hope he does come here," gritted Dudley, 
 "I d like to get at him." 
 
 The woman smiled sadly and looked at her 
 auditors. Her work was done. She had made 
 all the amends possible now it was over. Her 
 spirit was lighter. 
 
 "Well," she said, "I guess I ll go back to the 
 hotel and lie down, and to-night I ll beat it back 
 to Denver. I am glad I have made this state 
 ment." 
 
 She started to rise, and Captain Anderson im 
 mediately went to her assistance. Pausing a mo 
 ment in front of Phyllis, she said: 
 
 "Something tells me, girlie, you are going to 
 be very happy. You deserve it and I am glad. 
 Good-bye."
 
 324 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Phyllis bowed her head in sympathy and tears 
 filled her eyes. "Oh, I wish I could do something 
 for you," she whispered. 
 
 "You can, girlie give me a kind thought once 
 in a while and forgive me for the wrong I did 
 you. Good-bye." Turning to Captain Ander 
 son, she said: 
 
 "You needn t come with me. My taxi is out 
 side." 
 
 Then came the remnants of the old chorus girl 
 spirit of raillery, and, as she slowly went out, she 
 slammed back at the army man : 
 
 "If you ever get tired of your present job, 
 Captain Anderson, write the Police Commis 
 sioner of New York; he needs you on the force. 
 Good-bye." 
 
 The woman was gone. 
 
 Turning to the editor and his brother, the cap 
 tain put the questions fair and square: 
 
 "Now are you gentlemen satisfied?" 
 
 Both men were beaten, and they knew it. For 
 an answer Dudley took up the telephone and 
 said : 
 
 "Give me the city room." After a short wait, 
 he continued: "That you, Bradford? Kill that 
 C are w- Anderson story and return all copy and 
 proofs to me at once." Slowly he hung up the
 
 A COMPLETE EXHONERATION 325 
 
 receiver, and, looking at his guests for such the) 
 now were, he said : 
 
 "I am beaten beaten two ways. It is galling 
 to be beaten by a man, but to be beaten by this 
 slip of a girl, fighting alone in the dark, for her 
 honor that is sublime, and I bow my head. 
 Bishop Anderson, you ve won; Miss Carew, 
 you ve won, and, Captain Anderson, permit me 
 to say, yours is the greatest victory, because you 
 have won a prize beyond price a good woman." 
 
 The whole world brightened for Jack and 
 Phyllis. This great, strong man, this indomi 
 table fighter, this representative of mighty 
 power admitted his error, and, admitting it, 
 James Burchard Dudley, for the first time in his 
 life, became a real man. He had regained his 
 self-respect and he would keep it. 
 
 Bradford brought in the proofs and copy, and, 
 laying them before the editor, said : 
 
 Here s that stuff, Mr. Dudley. What shall 
 I run in its place ?" 
 
 Smilingly the editor replied : 
 
 "Run a biographical sketch of Captain Ander 
 son. Get your information from the army regis 
 ter, and I ll write a personal note. Use the half 
 tone you had for the other article." 
 
 "Yes, sir," and Bradford bowed his way out.
 
 326 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 Impulsively Captain Anderson came forward, 
 and grasped the editor s hand. 
 
 "Mr. Dudley, you re a brick!" 
 
 "Thank you," replied the editor, biting off the 
 end of a big black cigar.
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 THE HATCHET BURIED 
 
 INTO the bishop s mind there came a maze of 
 conjecture. He was proud of his brother; he 
 admired the girl for the spirited defense she had 
 made he felt that he was under many obliga 
 tions to her for the part she had played in the 
 franchise matter. All the ammunition he had 
 used in his broadsides at Dudley had been fur 
 nished by Phyllis Carew erstwhile Mary Sher 
 man. Without her assistance the fight would 
 surely have been lost, and to-day there would 
 have been in the making, many counterparts of 
 the man Alberts in Presidio. What if the stock 
 holders, whose very existence had been saved by 
 this girl, should find out how very, very much 
 they were in her debt? What would they do? 
 But the truth would never be known. It would 
 be better so. Otherwise, her story might become 
 public property and not perfectly understood. 
 
 327
 
 328 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 This would result greatly to her injury. On the 
 other hand, the public might make a tremendous 
 heroine of her and that would never do. 
 
 Dudley, the domineering editor, the Big Chief, 
 the man, who, in days gone by, would stop at 
 nothing, now seemed literally born again out of 
 the happiness that had come to him by reason of 
 his having done the right thing at last. With a 
 feeling of grim satisfaction in his mind, he jok 
 ingly observed : 
 
 "Bishop Anderson, I fancy that even in your 
 victory you have been defeated. You ll be hav 
 ing a ceremony on your hands that you had made 
 up your mind not to perform." 
 
 "Yes, I have been defeated," slowly replied 
 
 the bishop. "But " here the bishop buried 
 
 his face in his hands and became lost in thought. 
 "The church, the church," thought he. "What of 
 my church? What will become of me if I go be 
 yond its rules in such matters? My church say- 
 eth: Thou shalt not, therefore, how can I dis 
 obey her commands? Here am I, faced with the 
 problem of uniting this divorced woman to my 
 brother, and, as yet, the records of the courts are 
 against her. What am I to do? I know not 
 what to do!" The bishop was at the point of de 
 spair. Then, suddenly, the still, small voice of
 
 THE HATCHER BURIED 329 
 
 reason whispered within him. It seemed to ask 
 the vital question: ff ls the church always right? 3 
 As if to answer its own question the voice from 
 within went on to say: "The foundation of the 
 Christian church no matter what the denomina 
 tion is God. None but the atheist denies that. 
 But upon that foundation, man mere, mortal, 
 erring man has builded numerous superstruc 
 tures, and the result has been that many differ 
 ent denominations have sprung into being. And 
 in these man-made edifices, could not mistakes 
 have been made ? Were not certain laws made to 
 fit conditions of other days than these? Had not 
 he the bishop said to Dudley, the only Man 
 who never made a mistake was crucified? What 
 would that Man have done had He been on earth 
 to hear this woman s story? Would He have 
 condemned her? Would He have turned His 
 back upon her and said: "You are unclean! 
 the law makes you so?" Would the Man whom 
 the bishop had quoted as saying : "Let him who is 
 without sin among you cast the first stone" fur 
 ther torture this woman s soul by reason of a 
 man-made law? The answer came it came 
 straight from Calvary s Cross. He would not. 
 The bishop again viewed the scene he had so beau 
 tifully described in his sermons many, many
 
 330 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 times. He could see the three figures impaled, 
 crucified on the three rude crosses. He could see 
 the lowering clouds, the hostile legions; he could 
 see the Roman soldiers stab the central figure, 
 from whose riven side gushed forth the life blood 
 of the world. Also he saw the crown of thorns, 
 and just as the mortality of Him the carpenter 
 of Nazareth took on immortality, he could hear 
 the gentle, quivering voice from a parched throat 
 murmur: "Father, forgive them, for they know 
 not what they do" 
 
 There was a tremendous question for this 
 Godly worldly bishop to answer, but it came 
 at last, and in no uncertain terms. It came 
 like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds 
 after a rain ; when every iridescent drop becomes 
 a scintillating gem of purest ray serene. It il 
 lumined his soul; it warmed his heart as he saw 
 the light. The man-made laws of the church 
 might be wrong. In this case the benefit of the 
 doubt must be given to the woman. 
 
 But the bishop was a fighting Anderson of 
 the same species as his brother. One thing would 
 yet would save his face. His church regarded 
 this woman as outside of the pale, so far as mar 
 riage or communion were concerned. One more
 
 THE HATCHET BURIED 331 
 
 little effort he would make to save the tenets of 
 the church. 
 
 "Miss Carew," queried the bishop. "Would it 
 not be possible for you to return to New York, 
 reopen this case, and get another trial?" 
 
 Jack Anderson answered this question for 
 Phyllis Carew and he wasn t slow in doing it. 
 
 "Great Caesar s ghost, Doc! Are you utterly 
 mad? Go back there? Kick up all this fuss 
 again? Spread the news broadcast again in or 
 der that she shall ask for freedom from a crook? 
 Come where s that sense of fair play you preach 
 about ? No, sir, not in a thousand years. Phyllis 
 is free and she stays so until the time you or 
 some other preacher make her mine" 
 
 Phyllis stood by the captain s side waiting for 
 the bishop s reply. She did want to be married 
 in her own church, but if the bishop remained ob 
 durate she would not hold out any longer against 
 the captain. He had fought hard, proved her in 
 nocence she would go with him hereafter. 
 
 "But the church!" faltered the bishop. 
 
 "Any church that refuses to sanction this mar 
 riage, Bishop Anderson, is no church at all. Left 
 to your members they would vote for it en 
 masse." This from the domineering editor. 
 
 Then came the thought to the bishop, "What
 
 332 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 right have I to judge? There has been no sin 
 on the woman s part, and the church would be 
 wrong not to consummate this union." 
 
 The sudden appearance of Pat Kearney saved 
 the bishop from an immediate reply. Kearney 
 stopped on the threshold. 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Chief I thought you 
 were alone." He turned to go. 
 
 "Come here, my boy," commanded Dudley, 
 and the tone of the editor s voice made Kearney 
 pause. Slowly he advanced, and, placing a sealed 
 letter on the desk, said : 
 
 "I came to quit. I am sick of the whole job." 
 
 "What is this?" asked Dudley, picking up the 
 letter. 
 
 "My resignation." 
 
 Without breaking its seal, Big Chief Dudley 
 tore the letter into bits. 
 
 "Your resignation is not accepted, Pat," said 
 he calmly, "I need you more than ever. Bishop 
 Anderson and I both need you" 
 
 "Both need me! You mean to say that you 
 have quit fighting the church?" Kearney could 
 not comprehend such a flop in so short a time. 
 
 "I have !" Editor and cleric were now smiling 
 into his surprised face. 
 
 "The millenium has arrived!" snorted Kear-
 
 THE HATCHET BURIED 333 
 
 ney. "Roaring lions all summer, and now meek 
 lambs. What next, I wonder?" 
 
 "This," continued Dudley, "I want you to 
 find Mr. Alberts." 
 
 "I ve got him already, Jim." 
 
 "Good! I don t suppose he will want to see 
 me, and I don t blame him. You care for him 
 while he s here, and when he is rested up, go with 
 him to his old home. Buy back his farm and 
 hire a good man to run it. Put him in a sani- 
 torium for a while ; you may draw on me for any 
 amount. Whatever it requires will not repay him 
 for his years of misery but it s all I can do. I 
 made a mistake. I ve been a hard man in my 
 time but I m through!" A gorgeous smile 
 spread over Kearney s face. 
 
 "Jim, when it comes down to brass tacks you 
 are white through and through. I am going 
 out in the plant" and, shaking hands with every 
 body he left the room too near unto tears of 
 joy to say more. 
 
 Jack and Phyllis stood before the bishop. 
 
 "Now, Doc," asked the brother, "what is the 
 ecclesiastical verdict? Will you assist Phyllis in 
 joining the Anderson family? Now s the time to 
 say!"
 
 334 THE CASE OF MARY SHERMAN 
 
 The bishop arose to his feet, and, bowing low 
 before Phyllis, replied : 
 
 "Miss Carew, will you allow me the honor of 
 performing the marriage ceremony between you 
 and my fighting brother?" 
 
 Jack Anderson s hand came down with a re 
 sounding whack on the bishop s shoulder. 
 
 "Good boy, Doc!" he cried, "I knew you would 
 do it." Phyllis answered by throwing her arms 
 about the bishop s neck. 
 
 "Wait a moment," broke in Dudley, "I want 
 to be in on this. Miss Sherman I beg your 
 pardon Miss er Miss Carew is my secretary. 
 I claim the privilege of giving the bride away." 
 
 "And you shall have it, Mr. Dudley," replied 
 the now happy girl, planting a kiss upon the 
 broad, upturned forehead of the editor, who 
 blushed red to the roots of his scanty hair. But 
 he was mightily pleased even though abashed to 
 the point of wanting to run away. Jumping to 
 his feet he looked at his watch hurriedly. 
 
 "Why, bless my soul, it s nearly three o clock," 
 said he, and grabbing his hat, shouted, "come on, 
 Bishop, let s go to the ball game." 
 
 "I ll just go you for luck, Dudley," replied the 
 bishop, and, arm in arm, they left the office wise 
 old boys, they!
 
 THE HATCHET BUklED 335 
 
 Left alone, two lovers looked into each other s 
 eyes. Two soft arms stole around the army 
 man s neck, two lips were raised to his. 
 
 "I love you, Jack." 
 
 "And I love you, Phyllis." Jack Anderson 
 did not wait a second with his reply. A new day 
 had dawned in his life and that of the charming 
 girl before him. 
 
 Two days later Phyllis Carew became Mrs. 
 John Edmond Anderson, and when Bishop An 
 derson said: "Whom God hath joined, let not 
 man put asunder," he knew that here was one 
 marriage which God had joined after many, 
 many trials and tribulations. 
 
 Mother Anderson, through her tears, ex 
 claimed: "Just think, I am seventy-six and once 
 again a mother!" 
 
 THE END
 
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