miles nearer to New York."

Morning came, and Jack was busy before breakfast, but he went to the
house early.

"I must be there when the 'hands' come," he said to Mrs. Murdoch.
"Molly ought to be in the office, too--"

"I've told Mr. Murdoch," she said, "but he has a severe headache. He
can't bear to talk."

"He needn't talk if he doesn't feel able," replied Jack. "The _Eagle_
will come out all right!"

Mary could hardly wait to finish her cup of coffee, but she tried hard
to appear calm. She was ready as soon as Jack, but she did not have
quite so much confidence in her ability to do whatever might be
necessary.

There was to be some press-work done that forenoon, and the pony-engine
had steam up when the foreman and the two type-setters reached the
office.

"Good-morning, Mr. Black," said Jack, as he came into the engine-room.
"It's all right. I'm Jack Ogden, a friend of Mr. Murdoch's. The new
editor's upstairs. There's some copy ready. Mr. Murdoch will not be
at the office for a week."

"Bless me!" said Mr. Black. "I reckoned that we'd have to strike work.
What we need most is a 'devil'--"

"I can be 'devil,'" said Jack. "I used to run the _Standard_."

"Boys," said the foreman, without the change of a muscle in his
pasty-looking face, "Murdoch's hired a proxy. I'll go up for copy."

He stumped upstairs to what he called the "sanctum." The door stood
open. Mr. Black's eyes blinked rapidly when he saw Mary at the
editor's table; but he did not utter a word.

"Good-morning, Mr. Black," said Mary, holding out Mr. Murdoch's
manuscript and a number of printed clippings. She rapidly told him
what they were, and how each of them was to be printed. Mr. Black
heard her to the end, and then he said:

"Good-morning, ma'am. Is your name Murdoch, ma'am?"

"No, sir. Miss Ogden," said Mary. "But no one need be told that Mr.
Murdoch is not here. I do not care to see anybody, unless it's
necessary."

"Yes, ma'am," said Mr. Black. "We'll go right along, ma'am. We're
glad the _Eagle_ is to come out on time, ma'am."

He was very respectful, as if the idea of having a young girl as editor
awed him; and he backed out of the office, with both hands full of
copy, to stump down-stairs and tell his two journeymen:

"It's all right, boys. Bless me! I never saw the like before."

He explained the state of affairs, and each in turn soon managed to
make an errand up-stairs, and then to come down aga