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only　ten　were　elected；　giving　the　opposition　a　full　two…thirds　majority　in　council；　Messrs。　Tiernan　and　Kerrigan；　of　course；　being　safely　in　their　places。　　With　them　came　a　Republican　mayor　and　all　his　Republican　associates　on　the　ticket；　who　were　now　supposed　to　carry　out　the　theories　of　the　respectable　and　the　virtuous。　　Cowperwood　knew　what　it　meant　and　prepared　at　once　to　make　overtures　to　the　enemy。　　From　McKenty　and　others　he　learned　by　degrees　the　full　story　of　Tiernan's　and　Kerrigan's　treachery；　but　he　did　not　store　it　up　bitterly　against　them。　　Such　was　life。　　They　must　be　looked　after　more　carefully　in　future；　or　caught　in　some　trap　and　utterly　undone。　　According　to　their　own　accounts；　they　had　barely　managed　to　scrape　through。

〃Look　at　meself！　I　only　won　by　three　hundred　votes；〃　archly　declared　Mr。　Kerrigan；　on　divers　and　sundry　occasions。　　〃By　God；　I　almost　lost　me　own　ward！〃

Mr。　Tiernan　was　equally　emphatic。　　〃The　police　was　no　good　to　me；〃　he　declared；　firmly。　　〃They　let　the　other　fellows　beat　up　me　men。　I　only　polled　six　thousand　when　I　should　have　had　nine。〃

But　no　one　believed　them。

While　McKenty　meditated　as　to　how　in　two　years　he　should　be　able　to　undo　this　temporary　victory；　and　Cowperwood　was　deciding　that　conciliation　was　the　best　policy　for　him；　Schryhart；　Hand；　and　Arneel；　joining　hands　with　young　MacDonald；　were　wondering　how　they　could　make　sure　that　this　party　victory　would　cripple　Cowperwood　and　permanently　prevent　him　from　returning　to　power。　　It　was　a　long；　intricate　fight　that　followed；　but　it　involved　（before　Cowperwood　could　possibly　reach　the　new　aldermen）　a　proposed　reintroduction　and　passage　of　the　much…opposed　General　Electric　franchise；　the　granting　of　rights　and　privileges　in　outlying　districts　to　various　minor　companies；　and　last　and　worsta　thing　which　had　not　previously　dawned　on　Cowperwood　as　in　any　way　probablethe　projection　of　an　ordinance　granting　to　a　certain　South　Side　corporation　the　privilege　of　erecting　and　operating　an　elevated　road。　　This　was　as　severe　a　blow　as　any　that　had　yet　been　dealt　Cowperwood；　for　it　introduced　a　new　factor　and　complication　into　the　Chicago　street…railway　situation　which　had　hitherto；　for　all　its　troubles；　been　comparatively　simple。

In　order　to　make　this　plain　it　should　be　said　that　some　eighteen　or　twenty　years　before　in　New　York　there　had　been　devised　and　erected　a　series　of　elevated　roads　calculated　to　relieve　the　congestion　of　traffic　on　the　lower　portion　of　that　long　and　narrow　island；　and　they　had　proved　an　immense　success。　　Cowperwood　had　been　interested　in　them；　along　with　everything　else　which　pertained　to　public　street　traffic；　from　the　very　beginning。　　In　his　various　trips　to　New　York　he　had　made　a　careful　physical　inspection　of　them。　　He　knew　all　about　their　incorporation；　backers；　the　expense　connected　with　them；　their　returns；　and　so　forth。　　Personally；　in　so　far　as　New　York　was　concerned；　he　considered　them　an　ideal　solution　of　traffic　on　that　crowded　island。　　Here　in　Chicago；　where　the　population　was　as　yet　comparatively　smallverging　now　toward　a　million；　and　widely　scattered　over　a　great　areahe　did　not　feel　that　they　would　be　profitablecertainly　not　for　some　years　to　come。　　What　traffic　they　gained　would　be　taken　from　the　surface　lines；　and　if　he　built　them　he　would　be　merely　doubling　his　expenses　to　halve　his　profits。　　From　time　to　time　he　had　contemplated　the　possibility　of　their　being　built　by　other　men　providing　they　could　secure　a　franchise；　which　previous　to　the　late　election　had　not　seemed　probableand　in　this　connection　he　had　once　said　to　Addison：　〃Let　them　sink　their　money；　and　about　the　time　the　population　is　sufficient　to　support　the　lines　they　will　have　been　driven　into　the　hands　of　receivers。　　That　will　simply　chase　the　game　into　my　bag；　and　I　can　buy　them　for　a　mere　song。〃　　With　this　conclusion　Addison　had　agreed。　　But　since　this　conversation　circumstances　made　the　construction　of　these　elevated　roads　far　less　problematic。

In　the　first　place；　public　interest　in　the　idea　of　elevated　roads　was　increasing。　　They　were　a　novelty；　a　factor　in　the　life　of　New　York；　and　at　this　time　rivalry　with　the　great　cosmopolitan　heart　was　very　keen　in　the　mind　of　the　average　Chicago　citizen。　　Public　sentiment　in　this　direction；　however　naive　or　unworthy；　was　nevertheless　sufficient　to　make　any　elevated　road　in　Chicago　popular　for　the　time　being。　　In　the　second　place；　it　so　happened　that　because　of　this　swelling　tide　of　municipal　enthusiasm；　this　renaissance　of　the　West；　Chicago　had　finally　been　chosen；　at　a　date　shortly　preceding　the　present　campaign；　as　the　favored　city　for　an　enormous　international　fairquite　the　largest　ever　given　in　America。　　Men　such　as　Hand；　Schryhart；　Merrill；　and　Arneel；　to　say　nothing　of　the　various　newspaper　publishers　and　editors；　had　been　enthusiastic　supporters　of　the　project；　and　in　this　Cowperwood　had　been　one　with　them。　　No　sooner；　however；　had　the　award　actually　been　granted　than　Cowperwood's　enemies　made　it　their　first　concern　to　utilize　the　situation　against　him。

To　begin　with；　the　site　of　the　fair；　by　aid　of　the　new　anti…Cowperwood　council；　was　located　on　the　South　Side；　at　the　terminus　of　the　Schryhart　line；　thus　making　the　whole　city　pay　tribute　to　that　corporation。　　Simultaneously　the　thought　suddenly　dawned　upon　the　Schryhart　faction　that　it　would　be　an　excellent　stroke　of　business　if　the　New　York　elevated…road　idea　were　now　introduced　into　the　citynot　so　much　with　the　purpose　of　making　money　immediately；　but　in　order　to　bring　the　hated　magnate　to　an　understanding　that　he　had　a　formidable　rival　which　might　invade　the　territory　that　he　now　monopolized；　curtailing　his　and　thus　making　it　advisable　for　him　to　close　out　his　holdings　and　depart。　　Bland　and　interesting　were　the　conferences　held　by　Mr。　Schryhart　with　Mr。　Hand；　and　by　Mr。　Hand　with　Mr。　Arneel　on　this　subject。　　Their　plan　as　first　outlined　was　to　build　an　elevated　road　on　the　South　Sidesouth　of　the　proposed　fair…groundsand　once　that　was　popularhaving　previously　secured　franchises　which　would　cover　the　entire　field；　West；　South；　and　Northto　construct　the　others　at　their　leisure；　and　so　to　bid　Mr。　Cowperwood　a　sweet　and　smiling　adieu。

Cowperwood；　awaiting　the　assembling　of　the　new　city　council　one　month　after　election；　did　not　propose　to　wait　in　peace　and　quiet　until　the　enemy　should　strike　at　him　unprepared。　　Calling　those　familiar　agents；　his　corporation　attorneys；　around　him；　he　was　shortly　informed　of　the　new　elevated…road　idea；　and　it　gave　him　a　real　shock。　　Obviously　Hand　and　Schryhart　were　now　in　deadly　earnest。　　At　once　he　dictated　a　letter　to　Mr。　Gilgan　asking　him　to　call　at　his　office。　　At　the　same　time　he　hurriedly　adjured　his　advisers　to　use　due　diligence　in　discovering　what　influences　could　be　brought　to　bear　on　the　new　mayor；　the　honorable　Chaffee　Thayer　Sluss；　to　cause　him　to　veto　the　ordinances　in　case　they　came　before　himto　effect　in　him；　indeed；　a　total　change　of　heart。

The　Hon。　Chaffee　Thayer　Sluss；　whose　attitude　in　this　instance　was　to　prove　crucial；　was　a　tall；　shapely；　somewhat　grandiloquent　person　who　took　himself　and　his　social　and　commercial　opportunities　and　doings　in　the　most　serious　and；　as　it　were；　elevated　light。　You　know；　perhaps；　the　type　of　man　or　woman　who；　raised　in　an　atmosphere　of　comparative　comfort　and　some　small　social　pretension；　and　being　short　of　those　gray　convolutions　in　the　human　brain…pan　which　permit　an　individual　to　see　life　in　all　its　fortuitousness　and　uncertainty；　proceed　because　of　an　absence　of　necessity　and　the　consequent　lack　of　human　experience　to　take　themselves　and　all　that　they　do　in　the　most　reverential　and　Providence…protected　spirit。　The　Hon。　Chaffee　Thayer　Sluss　reasoned　that；　because　of　the　splendid　ancestry　on　which　he　prided　himself；　he　was　an　essentially　honest　man。　　His　father　had　amassed　a　small　fortune　in　the　wholesale　harness　business。　　The　wife　whom　at　the　age　of　twenty…eight　he　had　marrieda　pretty　but　inconsequential　type　of　womanwas　the　daughter　of　a　pickle　manufacturer；　whose　wares　were　in　some　demand　and　whose　children　had　been　considered　good　〃catches〃　in　the　neighborhood　from　which　the　Hon。　Chaffee　Sluss　emanated。　　There　had　been　a　highly　conservative　wedding　feast；　and　a　honeymoon　trip　to　the　Garden　of　the　Gods　and　the　Grand　Canon。　　Then　the　sleek　Chaffee；　much　in　the　grace　of　both　families　because　of　his　smug　determination　to　rise　in　the　world；　had　returned　to　his　business；　which　was　that　of　a　paper…broker；　and　had　begun　with　the　greatest　care　to　amass　a　competence　on　his　own　account。

The　Honorable　Chaffee；　be　it　admitted；　had　no　particular　faults；　unless　those　of　smugness　and　a　certain　over…carefulness　as　to　his　own　prospects　and　opportunities　can　be　counted　as　such。　　But　he　had　one　weakness；　which；　in　view　of　his　young　wife's　stern　and　somewhat　Puritanic　ideas　and　the　religious　propensities　of　his　father　and　father…in…law；　was　exceedingly　disturbing　to　him。　　He　had　an　eye　for　the　beauty　of　women　in　general；　and　particularly　for　plump；　blonde　women　with　corn…colored　hair。　　Now　and　then；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　he　had　an　ideal　wife　and　two　lovely　children；　he　would　cast　a　meditative　and　speculative　eye　after　those　alluring　forms　that　cross　the　p