“When you’re ready to turn your chunks of right of way over to Crane and Keith, let them know,” said Castle.  “I guess the G. and B. loses interest in you from this on—­or it will presently.”

“Jest a jiffy,” said Scattergood, as the trio turned away.  “Seems like you was goin’ to do a favor for me.  Well, you hain’t done it yet....  Guess I need a favor perty bad at this minute, eh?  Wa-al, ’tain’t a big one.  Jest sort of cast your eye over this here.”  Scattergood handed Castle a folded paper of documentary appearance.

Castle snatched it and read it.  It was brief.  Not more than fifty words.  It was a copy of a bill having to do with stage lines, passed by both Houses and signed by the Governor.  It provided that wherever any stage line or other transportation company of whatsoever nature intersected the line of a railroad or terminated on such line, the railroad should be compelled to establish a regular station on demand, for the handling of passengers and freight, and should stop all trains except through trains, and should establish sidetracks for the handling and transfer of freight.

A few formal words, backed by the authority of the state, compelling the G. & B. to do all, and more than all, that Scattergood had requested of them!  A few words making possible Scattergood’s railroad more surely than agreement with President Castle could have made it!

“While you folks was busy with the Transient Car bill,” Scattergood said, amiably, “the boys sort of tended to this for me.  If I’d thought Hammond was int’rested I might have called it to his attention.  But I figgered he was paid to watch out for sich things, and I didn’t want to interfere none.  Jest as well, I take it.”

Castle was scowling at Hammond, momentarily at a loss for words.  Siggins was gazing at Scattergood with thin lips parted a trifle.  His joy was blanketed.

“Somethin’ else,” said Scattergood, looking from one to another, and finally at Lafe.  “Siggins figgered that my gittin’ a beatin’ on this bill would sort of make him boss of the state.  You see, Mr. President, this here bill wasn’t meant to pass.  It was fixed up for a couple of reasons.  One was to git something which I’ll tell you about in a second.  Another was to make the boys in the House sort of prosperous like, and grateful to me for gittin’ ’em the prosperity—­with the railroads payin’ for it.  The last was to settle things between Lafe and me.  I sort of wanted Lafe and the boys in politics to understand which was which....  And they’ll understand....  Now, Mr. President, the thing I wanted to git was in two parts.  First one was to git your attention on this here bill so’s you wouldn’t notice my little stage-line thing.  The other was pretty nigh as valuable.  I got it.  It’s a list of every man in this legislature that took money for a vote on this thing, with how much money he took and the hour and minute it was paid him—­and who by.  Seems like I managed to git your name, Mr. President, connected with them last six votes that you took over body and britches this noon.  And I kin prove every item of it....  With the folks around the state feelin’ like they do, I shouldn’t be s’prised if I could make a heap of trouble.”