mewhere. She closed her eyes
momentarily against the fear of that anti-climax. When she opened them,
it was to read, in a clear, fine print those high and sure words of
Milton's noblest message:

And though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the
earth, so truth be in the field, we do injuriously, by licensing and
prohibiting, to misdoubt her strength. Let her and falsehood grapple; who
ever knew truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter? Her
confuting is the best and surest suppressing.

Twice she read the pregnant message.

"I have it," said she gravely. "To keep--for always."

"Some day I'll put it at the head of The Patriot."

"Why not now?"

"Not ready. I want to be surer; absolutely sure."

"I'm sure," she declared superbly; "of you."

"You make me sure of myself, Io. But there's Marrineal."

"Yes; there's Marrineal. You must have a paper of your own, mustn't you,
Ban, eventually?"

"Perhaps. If I ever get enough money to own it absolutely."

"Only four years ago," she murmured, with apparent irrelevancy. "And
now--"

"When shall I see you again?" he asked anxiously as she rose. "Are you
coming Saturday night?"

"Of course," said Io.

Through the agency of Russell Edmonds, McClintick, the labor leader,
came to see Banneker. He was a stooping giant with a deep, melancholy
voice, and his attitude toward The Patriot was one of distrustful
reticence. Genuine ardor has, however, a warming influence. McClintick's
silence melted by degrees, not into confidence but, surprisingly, into
indignation, directed upon all the "capitalistic press" in general, but
in particular against The Patriot. Why single out The Patriot,
specially, Banneker asked.

"Hypocrite," muttered the giant.

At length the reason came out, under pressure: The Patriot had been (in
the words of the labor man) making a big row over the arrest of certain
labor organizers, in one of the recurrent outbreaks against the Steel
Trust, opposed by that organization's systematic and tyrannous method of
oppression. So far, so good. But why hadn't the paper said a word about
the murder of strikers' wives and children out at the Veridian Lumber
Company's mills in Oregon; an outrage far surpassing anything ever laid
to the account of the Steel Trust? Simple reason, answered Banneker;
there had been no news of it over the wires. No; of course there hadn't.
The Amalgamated Wire Association (another tool of capitalism) had