He felt it to-day as he never had before. He had left no mark；he had done nothing， stood for nothing. Never once had hispersonality made itself felt. He had signed the documents；Harvey Francis had always “suggested”—the term was thatman’s own—the course to be pursued. And the “suggestions”
had ever dictated the policy that would throw the most ofinfluence or money to that splendidly organised machine thatFrancis controlled.
With an effort he shook himself free from his cheerlessretrospect. There was a thing or two he wanted to get from hisdesk， and his time was growing very short. He found what hewanted， and then， just as he was about to close the drawer， hiseye fell on a large yellow envelope.
He closed the drawer； but only to reopen it， take out theenvelope and remove the documents it contained； and then oneby one he spread them out before him on the desk.
He sat there looking down at them， wondering whether aman had ever stepped into office with as many pitfalls laid forhim. During the last month they had been busy about the oldState-house setting traps for the new Governor. The “machine”
was especially jubilant over those contracts the Governornow had spread out before him. The convict labour questionwas being fought out in the State just then—organised labourdemanding its repeal； country taxpayers insisting that it bemaintained. Under the system the penitentiary had becomeself-supporting. In November the contracts had come up forrenewal； but on the request of Harvey Francis the matter hadbeen put off from time to time， and still remained open. Justthe week before， Francis had put it to the Governor somethinglike this：
“Don’t sign those contracts. We can give some reason forholding them off， and save them up for Leyman. Then we cansee that the question is agitated， and whatever he does about itis going to prove a bad thing for him. If he doesn’t sign， he’s inbad with the country fellows， the men who elected him. Don’tyou see？ At the end of his administration the penitentiary，under you self-sustaining， will have cost them a pretty penny.
We’ve got him right square！”
The clock was close to twenty minutes of twelve， and heconcluded that he would go out and join some of his friends hecould hear in the other room. It would never do for him to goupstairs with a long， serious face. He had had his day， and nowLeyman was to have his， and if the new Governor did betterthan the old one， then so much the better for the State. As forthe contracts， Leyman surely must understand that there was agood deal of rough sailing on political waters.
But it was not easy to leave the room. Walking to thewindow he again stood there looking out across the snow， andonce more he went back now at the end of things to that day inthe little red schoolhouse which stood out as the beginning.
He was called back from that dreaming by the sight of threemen coming up the hill. He smiled faintly in anticipation of thethings Francis and the rest of them would say about the newGovernor’s arriving on foot. Leyman had requested that theinaugural parade be done away with—but one would supposehe would at least dignify the occasion by arriving in a carriage.
Francis would see that the opposing papers handled it as agrand-stand play to the country constituents.
And then， forgetful of Francis， and of the approachingceremony， the old man stood there by the window watching theyoung man who was coming up to take his place. How firmlythe new Governor walked！ With what confidence he lookedahead at the State-house. The Governor—not considering theinconsistency therein—felt a thrill of real pride in thought ofthe State’s possessing a man like that.
Standing though he did for the things pitted against him，down in his heart John Morrison had all along cherished astrong admiration for that young man who， as District Attorneyof the State’s metropolis， had aroused the whole country byhis fearlessness and unquestionable sincerity. Many a day hehad sat in that same office reading what the young DistrictAttorney was doing in the city close by—the fight he wasmaking almost single-handed against corruption， how he wasstriking in the high places fast and hard as in the low， theopposition， threats， and time after time there had been thatsame secret thrill at thought of there being a man like that. Andwhen the people of the State， convinced that here was one manwho would serve them， began urging the District Attorneyfor chief executive， Governor Morrison， linked with theopposing forces， doing all he could to bring about Leyman’sdefeat， never lost that secret feeling for the young man， who，unbacked by any organisation， struck blow after blow at themachine that had so long dominated the State， winning in theend that almost incomprehensible victory.