“Heathen! What do you mean?”

“Just what I say! Democrats all are!”

“Benedicta!” laughed Polly. “I never knew a Democrat that was a heathen.”

“Well, I have! I don’t see how anybody can be a Christian and be a Democrat.”

“I know a good many nice Democrats,” smiled Polly.

“May be ‘nice Democrats,’” scorned the woman, “but I guess ther’ ain’t anything else nice about ’em!”

“Oh, yes!—”

“See here, Miss Polly Dudley!”—Benedicta’s eyes gleamed excitedly—“be you a Democrat?”

“No,” Polly laughed, “my people have always been Republicans; but—”

“Well, I’m thankful for that!” Benedicta breathed a big sigh of relief. “For a minute I was scared—clean scared!”