politicians. My society cares for the
unfortunate and seeks to work its reforms by mentally and spiritually
uplifting the poor. We have the support of the clergy and those people
who know that the public and the poor must be brought to a spiritual
understanding. Pah! Don't come around to me with your story of
'organized traffic.' That's one of the stories originated by the
police to excuse their inefficiency!"

Burke's eyes flamed as he stood his ground.

"Let me tell you, Mr. Trubus, that before you and your clergy can do
any good with people's souls you've got to take more care of their
bodies. You've got to clean out some of the rotten tenement houses
which some of your big churches own. I've seen them--breeding places
for tuberculosis and drunkenness, and crime of the vilest sort. You've
got to give work to the thousands of starving men and women, who are
driven to crime, instead of spending millions on cathedrals and altars
and statues and stained glass windows, for people who come to church in
their automobiles. A lot of your churches are closed up when the
neighborhood changes and only poor people attend. They sell the
property to a saloonkeeper, or turn it into a moving-picture house and
burn people to death in the rotten old fire-trap. And if you don't
raise your hand, when I come to you fair and square, with an honest
story--if you dare to order me out of here, because you've got to gab a
lot of your charity drivel to a board of directors, instead of taking
the interest any real man would take in something that was real and
vital and eating into the very heart of New York life, I'm going to
show you up, and put you out of the charity business----so help me God!"

Burke's right arm shot into the air, with the vow, and his fist
clenched until the knuckles stood out ridged against the bloodless
pallor of his tense skin.

Trubus looked straight into Burke's eyes, and his own gaze dropped
before the white flame which was burning in them.

Burke turned without a word and walked from the office.

After he had gone Trubus rang the buzzer for his telephone girl.

"Miss Emerson, did that policeman leave his name and station?"

"No, sir; but I know his number. He's mighty fresh."

"Well, I must find out who he is. He is a dangerous man."

Trubus turned toward his mail, and with a slight tremor in his hand
which the shrewd girl noticed began to open the letters.

Check after check fluttered to th