He wheeled, crossed the floor, went out of the room and left the door
open behind him. Simmons could hear his step on the stairs. Then Simmons
sat down again, drew a big red bandanna handkerchief from a hip pocket
and wiped some big beads of perspiration from his forehead. He was
breathing fast, and his face was mottled with purple spots. He got up,
ran to a side window, and watched Lawler until the latter vanished
behind a building opposite Gary Warden's office.

Again Simmons mopped his brow. And now he drew a breath of relief.

"Whew!" he said, aloud; "I'm glad that's over. I've been dreadin' it.
He's the only one in the whole bunch that I was afraid of. An' he's
wise. There'll be hell in this section, now--pure, unadulterated hell,
an' no mistake!"




CHAPTER VII

THE COALITION


When Lawler reached Willets' one street he saw a buckboard drawn by two
gray horses. The vehicle was headed west, away from him, and the horses
were walking. The distance between himself and the buckboard was not
great, and he saw that it was occupied by two women--one of them the
woman whom he had met at the foot of the stairs leading to Warden's
office. The other was elderly, and was looking straight ahead, but the
young woman's head was turned toward Lawler at the instant Lawler caught