"You want your man, Hoskins, to go to the Senate when the Legislature meets this winter?"
"Why—not exactly—my political plans are rather indefinite. Hoskins is an acceptable man"——
"Oh, chop it," said the gambler sharply. "There's no use for us to try to fool each other. You want to put Hoskins over and you know you're going to have a deuce of a time crowding him through."
"Admitting that to be the case, what then?"
"I think I can push it over for you," the gambler said easily. "Up home I've got four members of the Legislature where they will do what I say—and perhaps can handle two others. With those four your man would go over—if you've lined up as many members as the papers say you have."
"Rather early to count noses," Baldwin started to protest. "We may line up several others"——
"Nothing doing!" exclaimed Edwards sharply. "You've got all you can—the others are lined up either with the high brows or against you under Mullins. I can deliver four, possibly six, of Mullin's votes that he counts as sure."
"What do you want out of it?" The politician was interested at last.
"Does it make any difference to you whether the Bears or the Panthers win?" Edwards put the question as if casually.
"It don't make any difference to me," Baldwin retorted curtly. "I'm not a bit interested in baseball—except to make money out of the teams. I bought the stock as part of a political deal—to help someone out—and it turned out a good investment. What has that to do with it?"