his thermometer. She'd ate it on her way up, and it stood at eleven
hundred degrees, so old--"

"No thermometer ever stood at such a figure as that," exclaimed Mrs.
Fogg.

"Oh, well," shouted Mr. Fogg, indignantly, "if you think you can tell
the story better than I can, why don't you tell it? You're enough to
worry the life out of a man."

Then Fogg slammed the door and went out, and I left. I don't know
whether Bradley got the stakes or not.




CHAPTER XVII.

_HOW WE CONDUCT A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN_.


The people of Millburg feel a very intense interest in politics, and
during a campaign there is always a good deal of excitement. The
bitterest struggle that the town has had for a long while was that
which preceded the election of a couple of years ago, when I was not a
resident of the place. One incident particularly attracted a good
deal of attention. Mr. Potts related the facts to me in the following
language:

"You know we nominated Bill Slocum for burgess. He was the most