et he don't. I've guessed it for a month. To-day I went round and
made sure."

Jeff asked questions, learned all that Burke had to tell him. In the
days that followed he ran down the whole story of the graft so secretly
that not even the city editor knew what he was about. Then he had a talk
with the "old man" and wrote his story.

It was a red-hot exposure of one of the most flagrant of the City Hall
gang. There was no question of the proof. He had it in black and white.
Moreover, there was always the chance that in the row which must follow
McGuire might peach on Big Tim himself, the boss of all the little
bosses.

Within twenty-four hours Jeff was summoned to a conference at which were
present the city editor and Warren, now managing editor.

"We've killed your story, Farnum," announced the latter as soon as the
door was closed.

"Why? I can prove every word of it."

"That was what we were afraid of."

"It's a peach of a story. With the spring elections coming on we need
some dynamite to blow up Big Tim. I tell you McGuire would tell all he
knows to save his own skin."

"My opinion, too," agreed Warren dryly. "My boy, it's too big a story.
That's the whole trouble. If we were sure it would stop at McGuire we'd
run it. But it won't. The corporations are backing Big Tim to win this
spring. It won't do to get him tied up in a graft scandal."

"But the _Advocate_ has been out after his scalp for years."

"Well, we're not after it any more. Of course, we're against him on the
surface still."

Jeff did some rapid thinking. "Then the program will be for us to
nominate a weak ticket and elect Big Tim's by default. Is that it?"

"That's about it. The big fellows have to make sure of a Mayor who will
be all right about the Gas and Electric franchise. So we're going to
have four more years of Big Tim."

"Will Brownell stand for it?"

Brownell was the principal owner of the _Advocate._

"Will he?" Warren let his eyelash rest for a second upon the cheek
nearest Jeff. "He's been seen. My orders come direct from the old man."

The story was suppressed. No more was heard about the McGuire graft
scandal exposure. It had run counter to the projects of big business.

Burke had to be satisfied without his revenge.

He got a job with a brewery and charged the McGuire matter to profit and
loss.

As for Jeff the incident only served to make clearer what he already
knew. More and more he began to understand the force