le make to a
character when they do not quite approve of the character's language.
"What Mr. March and I are trying to do is to carry on this thing so that
there won't be any money in it--or very little; and we're planning
to give the public a better article for the price than it's ever had
before. Now here's a dummy we've had made up for 'Every Other Week', and
as we've decided to adopt it, we would naturally like your opinion of
it, so's to know what opinion to have of you." He reached forward and
pushed toward Beaton a volume a little above the size of the ordinary
duodecimo book; its ivory-white pebbled paper cover was prettily
illustrated with a water-colored design irregularly washed over the
greater part of its surface: quite across the page at top, and narrowing
from right to left as it descended. In the triangular space left blank
the title of the periodical and the publisher's imprint were tastefully
lettered so as to be partly covered by the background of color.

"It's like some of those Tartarin books of Daudet's," said Beacon,
looking at it with more interest than he suffered to be seen. "But it's
a book, not a magazine." He opened its pages of thick, mellow white
paper, with uncut leaves, the first few pages experimentally printed in
the type intended to be used, and illustrated with some sketches drawn
into and over the text, for the sake of the effect.

"A Daniel--a Daniel come to judgment! Sit down, Dan'el, and take it
easy." Fulkerson pushed a chair toward Beaton, who dropped into it.
"You're right, Dan'el; it's a book, to all practical intents and
purposes. And what we propose to do with the American public is to
give it twenty-four books like this a year--a complete library--for the
absurd sum of six dollars. We don't intend to sell 'em--it's no name
for the transaction--but to give 'em. And what we want to get out of
you--beg, borrow, buy, or steal from you is an opinion whether we shall
make the American public this princely present in paper covers like
this, or in some sort of flexible boards, so they can set them on the
shelf and say no more about it. Now, Dan'el, come to judgment, as our
respected friend Shylock remarked."

Beacon had got done looking at the dummy, and he dropped it on the table
before Fulkerson, who pushed it away, apparently to free himself from
partiality. "I don't know anything about the business side, and I can't
tell about the effect of either style on the sales; but you