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The
following
morning
brought
a
letter
to
Magnus
from
Gethings
,
of
the
San
Pueblo
ranch
,
which
was
situated
very
close
to
Visalia
.
The
letter
was
to
the
effect
that
all
around
Visalia
,
upon
the
ranches
affected
by
the
regrade
of
the
Railroad
,
men
were
arming
and
drilling
,
and
that
the
strength
of
the
League
in
that
quarter
was
undoubted
.
“
But
to
refer
,
”
continued
the
letter
,
“
to
a
most
painful
recollection
.
You
will
,
no
doubt
,
remember
that
,
at
the
close
of
our
last
committee
meeting
,
specific
charges
were
made
as
to
fraud
in
the
nomination
and
election
of
one
of
our
commissioners
,
emanating
,
most
unfortunately
,
from
the
commissioner
himself
.
These
charges
,
my
dear
Mr
.
Derrick
,
were
directed
at
yourself
.
How
the
secrets
of
the
committee
have
been
noised
about
,
I
cannot
understand
.
You
may
be
,
of
course
,
assured
of
my
own
unquestioning
confidence
and
loyalty
.
However
,
I
regret
exceedingly
to
state
not
only
that
the
rumour
of
the
charges
referred
to
above
is
spreading
in
this
district
,
but
that
also
they
are
made
use
of
by
the
enemies
of
the
League
.
It
is
to
be
deplored
that
some
of
the
Leaguers
themselves
—
you
know
,
we
number
in
our
ranks
many
small
farmers
,
ignorant
Portuguese
and
foreigners
—
have
listened
to
these
stories
and
have
permitted
a
feeling
of
uneasiness
to
develop
among
them
.
Even
though
it
were
admitted
that
fraudulent
means
had
been
employed
in
the
elections
,
which
,
of
course
,
I
personally
do
not
admit
,
I
do
not
think
it
would
make
very
much
difference
in
the
confidence
which
the
vast
majority
of
the
Leaguers
repose
in
their
chiefs
.
Yet
we
have
so
insisted
upon
the
probity
of
our
position
as
opposed
to
Railroad
chicanery
,
that
I
believe
it
advisable
to
quell
this
distant
suspicion
at
once
;
to
publish
a
denial
of
these
rumoured
charges
would
only
be
to
give
them
too
much
importance
.
However
,
can
you
not
write
me
a
letter
,
stating
exactly
how
the
campaign
was
conducted
,
and
the
commission
nominated
and
elected
?
I
could
show
this
to
some
of
the
more
disaffected
,
and
it
would
serve
to
allay
all
suspicion
on
the
instant
.
I
think
it
would
be
well
to
write
as
though
the
initiative
came
,
not
from
me
,
but
from
yourself
,
ignoring
this
present
letter
.
I
offer
this
only
as
a
suggestion
,
and
will
confidently
endorse
any
decision
you
may
arrive
at
.
”
The
letter
closed
with
renewed
protestations
of
confidence
.
Magnus
was
alone
when
he
read
this
.
He
put
it
carefully
away
in
the
filing
cabinet
in
his
office
,
and
wiped
the
sweat
from
his
forehead
and
face
.
He
stood
for
one
moment
,
his
hands
rigid
at
his
sides
,
his
fists
clinched
.
“
This
is
piling
up
,
”
he
muttered
,
looking
blankly
at
the
opposite
wall
.
“
My
God
,
this
is
piling
up
.
What
am
I
to
do
?
”
Ah
,
the
bitterness
of
unavailing
regret
,
the
anguish
of
compromise
with
conscience
,
the
remorse
of
a
bad
deed
done
in
a
moment
of
excitement
.
Ah
,
the
humiliation
of
detection
,
the
degradation
of
being
caught
,
caught
like
a
schoolboy
pilfering
his
fellows
’
desks
,
and
,
worse
than
all
,
worse
than
all
,
the
consciousness
of
lost
self
-
respect
,
the
knowledge
of
a
prestige
vanishing
,
a
dignity
impaired
,
knowledge
that
the
grip
which
held
a
multitude
in
check
was
trembling
,
that
control
was
wavering
,
that
command
was
being
weakened
.
Then
the
little
tricks
to
deceive
the
crowd
,
the
little
subterfuges
,
the
little
pretences
that
kept
up
appearances
,
the
lies
,
the
bluster
,
the
pose
,
the
strut
,
the
gasconade
,
where
once
was
iron
authority
;
the
turning
of
the
head
so
as
not
to
see
that
which
could
not
be
prevented
;
the
suspicion
of
suspicion
,
the
haunting
fear
of
the
Man
on
the
Street
,
the
uneasiness
of
the
direct
glance
,
the
questioning
as
to
motives
—
why
had
this
been
said
,
what
was
meant
by
that
word
,
that
gesture
,
that
glance
?
Wednesday
passed
,
and
Thursday
.
Magnus
kept
to
himself
,
seeing
no
visitors
,
avoiding
even
his
family
.
How
to
break
through
the
mesh
of
the
net
,
how
to
regain
the
old
position
,
how
to
prevent
discovery
?
If
there
were
only
some
way
,
some
vast
,
superhuman
effort
by
which
he
could
rise
in
his
old
strength
once
more
,
crushing
Lyman
with
one
hand
,
Genslinger
with
the
other
,
and
for
one
more
moment
,
the
last
,
to
stand
supreme
again
,
indomitable
,
the
leader
;
then
go
to
his
death
,
triumphant
at
the
end
,
his
memory
untarnished
,
his
fame
undimmed
.
But
the
plague
-
spot
was
in
himself
,
knitted
forever
into
the
fabric
of
his
being
.
Though
Genslinger
should
be
silenced
,
though
Lyman
should
be
crushed
,
though
even
the
League
should
overcome
the
Railroad
,
though
he
should
be
the
acknowledged
leader
of
a
resplendent
victory
,
yet
the
plague
-
spot
would
remain
.
There
was
no
success
for
him
now
.
However
conspicuous
the
outward
achievement
,
he
,
he
himself
,
Magnus
Derrick
,
had
failed
,
miserably
and
irredeemably
.
Petty
,
material
complications
intruded
,
sordid
considerations
.
