be treated with such liberality by the State and never realized that
he and his colleagues were treating themselves to all these things at
the expense of the people, and so, although he bore off as much
note-paper as he could carry, now and then, to send to his son, Henry,
he was horrified and dumbfounded when the bill was proposed
appropriating $135,000 for the expenses of the seventy days' session
of the legislature.

He was surprised to find that among his "perquisites" were passes
(good during the session) on all the railroads that entered the State,
and others for use on many inter-urban trolley lines. These, he
thought, might be gratifying to Henry, who was fond of travel, and had
often been unhappy when his father failed to scrape up enough money to
send him to a circus in the next county. It was "very accommodating
of the railroads," Uncle Billy thought, to maintain this pleasant
custom, because the members' travelling expenses were paid by the
State just the same; hence the economical could "draw their mileage"
at the Treasurer's office, and add it to their salaries. He
heard--only vaguely understanding--many joking references to other
ways of adding to salaries.

Most of the members of his party had taken rooms at one of the hotels,
whither those who had sought cheaper apartments repaired in the
evening, when the place became a noisy and crowded club, admission to
which was not by card. Most of the rougher man-to-man lobbying was
done here; and at times it was Babel.

Through the crowds Uncle Billy wandered shyly, stroking his beard and
saying, "Howdy-do, sir," in his gentle voice, getting out of the way
of people who hurried, and in great trouble of mind if any one asked