"The thing for us now is to get into this primary election and the convention and see if we can push our men for Railroad Commissioners." "Right," declared Annixter.

He rose, stretching his arms above his head.
"I've about talked all the wind out of me," he said.

"Think I'll be moving along.

It's pretty near midnight." But when Magnus's guests turned their attention to the matter of returning to their different ranches, they abruptly realised that the downpour had doubled and trebled in its volume since earlier in the evening.

The fields and roads were veritable seas of viscid mud, the night absolutely black-dark; assuredly not a night in which to venture out.