"It's a bargain he's always makin'." "Yes," said Dennis.

"It's Kennedy looks out for himself, an' we'll let him do it next time all by himself." It could not be traced to its origin, but in less than a week the consensus of opinion in the ward was that: "Kennedy voted for himself, but Stirling for us." The ward, too, was rather proud of the celebrity it had achieved.

The papers had not merely paragraphed Peter, and the peculiar position of the "district" in the convention, but they had begun now asking questions as to how the ward would behave.

"Would it support Catlin ?" "Was it true that the ward machine had split, and intended to nominate rival tickets ?" "Had one faction made a deal with the Republicans ?" "Begobs," said Dennis, "it's the leaders an' the papers are just afther discoverin' there is a sixth ward, an' it's Misther Stirling's made them do it." The chief party leaders had stayed over at Saratoga, but Peter had a call from Costell before the week was out.
"The papers gave it to you rather rough," Costell said kindly, "but they didn't understand it.

We thought you behaved very square." "They tell me I did Porter harm." "No.