"I think you are very stupid," said Alice, "and I wish you wouldn't take liberties with other people's names."
The man in the bathing suit immediately broke into tears. "I was only fooling," he sobbed. "But you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Can you now?" he said, turning to the Red Knight.
"You don't have to," said the Red Knight, to himself. "A good many Progressives expect to be elected to the United States Senate."
CHAPTER XV
The train pulled into the station, and the Red Knight looked at his watch. "Forty minutes late," he said; "another infamous trick." He seized a telegraph blank, and wrote: "Congressman McKinley, Taft Headquarters—Brigand! Assassin! Polygamist! Collect." He turned to Alice. "I feel much better now," he said. "Let us go."
Opposite them in the car sat a young lady who was reading "Thus Spake Zarathustra," and chewing gum. So they knew they were in Chicago. They came to a hotel that was taller than any building Alice had ever seen. It was so tall that millionaires living on the top floor were in the habit of swearing off their taxes, on the plea of non-residence in the State of Illinois. They entered the elevator, and by and by they reached the floor on which their rooms were situated. As they opened the door, the first thing they saw was George the Harvester and Ormsby the Barrister weeping in each other's arms, and wiping each other's eyes with bundles of rejected credentials.
At the sight of the Barrister the Red Knight showed no anger. He merely took off his helmet and threw it at the bellboy. Then he pressed his forehead against the window-pane, and the glass cracked. Then he turned to the Barrister. "You must have had a very pleasant trip down South," he said, quietly gnashing his teeth.
"I did," said the Barrister, brightening up wonderfully.