that he
will leave after this."

"We'll wait a little and see," answered Percival. "If he goes, that
will settle the matter without any trouble. However, I want to see
what Brooke will have to say about that paper using your poem
without his consent, and putting it under another name."

The boys went to town in Jack's boat, and called at the office of
the News, where they found the editor busy as usual.

Jack had the copy of the other paper with him, and showed it to
the editor, asking him if he knew anything about it.

"I don't exchange with it," Brooke said, "but some one may have seen
the poem in our paper and sent it to him. I'll call him up."

There was a long-distance telephone in the office, and the editor
called up the other editor, and said:

"This is Brooke of the Riverton News. How about your printing a
poem last week written especially for us, and putting another name
to it? The poem was called 'The Message of the Hudson.' You
remember it?"

"Yes. It was written by a young lady stopping at the hotel here,
and given to me."

"Oh, no, it was not. It was written by a young gentleman of the
Hilltop Academy, and written especially for us, and not signed. I
have his original manuscript in the office, and he is here now."

"Well, I am very sorry, but the young lady told me she wrote it,
and, as I thought it was very good, I published it."

"You were right enough there, for it is good, but I have a copyright,
which the young lady should have seen and respected. Will you make
a correction in your next issue?"

"I certainly will, Mr. Brooke, and be glad to. You don't think
that I would have published the verses had I known the truth?"

"No, I hope not. You might call the young lady's attention to
the fact, while you are about it."

"I would do so gladly, but she has left town. She is making a
tour of the towns in the neighborhood."

"And getting up a reputation on other persons' literary efforts,"
laughed Brooke. "Well, send me the paper. Sorry you were fooled
that way. Take the News and you won't be again. Goodbye."

"That is the cheekiest thing I ever heard," laughed Percival, "taking
a thing bodily and claiming it as your own. I should call that
stealing, if I were asked about it."

"That's what it is," replied Brooke, "but it is a very common
practice with some papers. Why, I had an editor show me an article
of my own, and ask me if I did not think it quite clever. One of
h