“Mrs. Briggs hasn’t seen it yet,” said Guy. “I hope she won’t hear anything while she’s dining down at the hotel. I told Fanny and her father to be careful.”
Farley sighed. “Well, I suppose she must find out some time. You know, down in Washington they’ve connected her name with that fellow West’s for a long time. The idiots!”
“You could see from the way she acted whenever he was around that she hated him,” said Guy, with disgust in his voice.
“Oh, they’ll say anything about a woman as soon as she becomes conspicuous,” Farley replied, with the older man’s philosophy.
“But weren’t they clever to spring that story on the very day of the election?” Guy went on. “Look here. See what the Evening Signal says:
“There is no doubt that the sensational story published in the morning papers that Congressman Briggs has had a split with his former backer because of an alleged insult to his wife, and was using the Citizens’ Club as a catspaw, has cost him thousands of votes. The reference to Mrs. Briggs may be set down as pure falsehood, introduced to give romantic color to the story. But there is no doubt that personal reasons of considerable interest led Congressman Briggs to seek support of the very men who, till the present campaign, had been his bitterest opponents.”
Farley’s eyes flashed. “That’s a damn lie!”
“Of course it is,” Guy exclaimed. “But I only hope all the men at the Citizens’ Club will think so.”
The door was thrown open, and Briggs entered. His face was pale; his eyes looked inflamed. “Well, boys, how are things going?”
“You got up too soon,” Farley replied. “Everything’s quiet.”