The General smiled, and smoked, and looked blandly at his companion.
“You’re not elected yet, hey?” asked the General, with an amused laugh.
“Not that I am aware of,” said Abel.
“Why, my dear fellow, who on earth do you suppose does the electing?”
“I thought the people were the source of power,” replied Abel, gravely.
The General looked for a moment doubtfully at his companion.
“Hallo! I see you’re gumming. However, there’s one thing. You know you’ll have to speak after the election. Did you ever speak?”
“Not since school,” replied Abel.
“Well, you know the cue. I gave it to you to-night. The next thing is, how strong can you come down?”
“You know I’ve failed.”