"I can't see him!"
On Mixley's retreating, Shirley once more stepped forward, and her lips
were parted to speak when suddenly the door was thrust open violently
and Thorne stalked in. Behind him came Mixley, trying to hold him back;
but the other jerked himself free, and on reaching the prosecutor's
desk, he held out his hand, and called out loudly:--
"SENATOR MURGATROYD!"
"W-what!" exclaimed Murgatroyd, rising.
"I want to shake hands with you. Then I'm the first to announce it?
Good!"
And he proceeded to tell Murgatroyd that the latter had just been chosen
on joint ballot, majority in both houses, for the Senatorship, ending
with:--
"Allow me--allow me to congratulate you!"
His voice rang true, even though he did not mean it; and Murgatroyd
shook his hand, saying:--
"I thought it would be you, Thorne; you put up a good fight."
"We did, you mean," protested Thorne. "My crowd did, as usual. But you,
Murgatroyd, deserve your honours--it was one man against the field, one
man against illimitable backing. Senator," he declared, bowing, "I take
off my hat to you! You have done what has never been done before, and
you've done it without a dollar! You're the first man in the State," he
went on frankly, "to be chosen by the people, literally by the people,
and without a dollar behind you."