sub-companies cheaply.  The community was pressed for ready money, and many men who would be slow in prosperous times to extract gas shares from their tin boxes and stockings would be glad to avail themselves of a reasonable cash offer.  Elton was a Republican on national issues.  His experience had been that the Republican Party was fundamentally friendly to corporations, in spite of occasional pious ejaculations in party platforms to the contrary.  He had a Republican candidate for Governor in mind who would be faithful to his interests; but this candidate was put aside in the convention in deference to the sentiment that only a man of first-rate mental and moral calibre could command the allegiance of independent voters, whose co-operation seemed essential to party success.  The Republican state convention was held three weeks prior to the date fixed for that of their opponents.  Within twenty-four hours subsequent to the nomination of Hon. John Patterson as the Republican candidate for Governor, while the party organs were congratulating the public on his selection, and the leaders of the party were endeavoring to suppress the murmurs of the disappointed lower order of politicians who, in metaphorical phrase, felt that they were sewed up in a sack for another two years by the choice of this strong citizen, one of the most widely circulated democratic newspapers announced in large type on its front page that Hon. James O. Lyons was the only Democrat who could defeat him in the gubernatorial contest.  Behind the ledger sheet of this newspaper—­which was no other than the Benham Sentinel—­lurked the keen intelligence of Horace Elton.  He knew that the candidate of his own party would never consent to indicate in advance what his action on the gas bill would be, and that he would only prejudice his chances of obtaining favorable action when the time arrived by any attempt to forestall a decision.  This did not suit Horace Elton.  He was accustomed to be able to obtain an inkling before election that legislation in which he was interested would not encounter a veto.  His measures were never dishonest.  That is, he never sought to foist bogus or fraudulent undertakings upon the community.  He was seeking, to be sure, eventual emolument for himself, but he believed that the franchise which he was anxious to obtain would result in more progressive and more effectual public service.  He had never before felt obliged to refrain from asking direct or indirect assurance that his plans would be respected by the Governor.  Yet he had foreseen the possibility of just such an occurrence.  The one chance in a hundred had happened and he was ready for it.  He intended to contribute to the Republican national campaign fund, but he did not feel that the interests of his State would suffer if he used all the influences at his command to secure a Governor who would be friendly to his scheme, and Congressman Lyons appeared to him the most available man for his purpose.