ng in the balance.

But H. R. merely asked, pleasantly, "Ready?"

Not a man stirred. They had forgotten that he could fight!

"I will dictate and each of you must write down what I say. I want to
know how well you can write."

Two of the men began to shake their heads with growing independence.
Others followed, for moral courage is contagious, even in industrial
democracies.

H. R. smiled confidently. That made them waver. Confidence is the most
demoralizing of all social factors. "Now write what I say and sign your
name after you finish."

All of them shook their heads and frowned pugnaciously.

H. R. dictated, "_Please pay us five dollars a day!_"

They grabbed the pencils with one lightning-like movement, and wrote,
very plainly. They signed their names even more plainly.

"Give them to Fleming. On Monday we begin work. I shall consider the
writing carefully."

In this wise was organized the Public Sentiment Corps of the S. A. S. A.
Literature, it had once more been demonstrated, is merely a matter of
demand and supply.

VIII

After dining in the company of Barrett and Caspar Weinpusslacher, H. R.
went to the agency that had handled his newspaper advertising, opened a
charge account, and told them to send to all the morning papers the
following advertisement:

_WANTED._--An actor who can look like a gentleman in good
health before a critical audience of 250,000. Apply in
person, without press notices.

H. R.
Allied Arts Bldg.

It was rather late in the evening when he sent for Max Onthemaker, but
this only served to strengthen the learned counsel's high opinion of
H. R. When H. R. told him what he proposed to do Max jumped in the air
for joy. Then he sat down limply. It suddenly occurred to him that H. R.
was far too intelligent. This is fatal to the right kind of newspaper
publicity. But H. R. soothed him and dispelled Max's doubts by showing
him exactly how to become an efficient and altogether legal _agent
provocateur_. The legal mind always concerns itself over the particular
paragraph. It comes from numbering the statutes. Max worked till dawn on
his papers and arguments.

On the next morning H. R. selected, out of several dozen applicants,
four actors who looked really distinguished. The others walked away
cursing the trust. They are never original, as a class, by reason of
their habit of also reading the press notices of their colleagues.

H. R. told the lucky