“He's all right behind a tree, though, an' there's lots of 'em round.”
But “Mexico” only spat out his contempt for anything that “Peachy” could do, and went calmly on his way, “keeping the boys in line.” But he began to be painfully conscious of an undercurrent of feeling over which he could exercise no control. Not that there was any lack of readiness on the part of the boys to “line up” at the word, but there was no corresponding readiness in pledging their support to the “same old party.” There was, on the contrary, a very marked reserve on the part of the men who formerly, especially after the lining up process had been several times repeated, had been distinguished for unlimited enthusiasm for all “Mexico” represented. They “lined up” still, but beyond this they did not go.
The editor of The Pioneer, too, became conscious of this change in the attitude of the men he had always counted upon to do his bidding at the polls. “It's that cursed doctor!” he exclaimed to McKenty, the Member for the district. “He's been working a deep game. Of course, his brother's putting up all kinds of a fight, but we expect that and we know how to handle him. But this fellow is different. I tell you I'm afraid of him.”
“Pshaw! He hasn't got any backing,” said McKenty.
“How?”
“Well, he hasn't got any grease, and you can't make anything go without grease.” McKenty spoke out of considerable experience.
“That's all right as an ordinary thing, but the doctor has grease of another kind. This library and clubroom business is catching the boys all round.”
“I've heard about it,” said McKenty. “I guess the Government could take a hand in libraries and institutes and that sort of thing, too.”
“That's all right,” replied the editor. “Might do some good. But you can't beat him at that game. It isn't his libraries and his clubs altogether or chiefly, it's himself and his work. He's a number one doctor, and night and day he's on the road. By Jove! he's everywhere. He's got no end of stay, confound him! I tell you he's a winner. He can get a thousand men in a week to back him for anything he says.”
McKenty thought deeply for some moments. “Well,” he said, finally, “something has got to be done. We can't afford, you and I, at this stage to get out of the game. What about 'Mexico'?”