ven the hunt-and-peck relaxation from discipline, exercised
the small muscles. Increased strength brought increased accuracy.

September rolled in, the streets emptied of school-aged children and the
out-of-state car licenses diminished to a trickle. With the end of the
carefree vacation days went the careless motorist.

Jake, whose motives were no more altruistic than his intentions were
legal, began to look for a means of disposing of Jimmy Holden at the
greatest profit to himself. Jake stalled only because he hoped that the
reward might be stepped up.

But it was Jimmy's own operations that closed this chapter of his life.

CHAPTER FIVE

Jimmy had less scout work to do and no school to attend; he was too small
to help in the sorting of car parts and too valuable to be tossed out. He
was in the way.

So he was in Jake's office when the mail came. He brought the bundle to
Jake's desk and sat on a box, sorting the circulars and catalogs from the
first class. Halfway down the pile was a long envelope addressed to
_Jimmy James_.

He dropped the rest with a little yelp. Jake eyed him quickly and
snatched the letter out of Jimmy's hands.

"Hey! That's mine!" said Jimmy. Jake shoved him away.

"Who's writing you?" demanded Jake.

"It's mine!" cried Jimmy.

"Shut up!" snapped Jake, unfolding the letter. "I read _all_ the mail
that comes here first."

"But--"

"Shut your mouth and your teeth'll stay in," said Jake flatly. He
separated a green slip from the letter and held the two covered while he
read. "Well, well," he said. "Our little Shakespeare!" With a disdainful
grunt Jake tossed the letter to Jimmy.

Eagerly, Jimmy took the letter and read:

Dear Mr. James:

We regret the unconscionable length of time between your submission and
this reply. However, the fact that this reply is favorable may be its
own apology. We are enclosing a check for $20.00 with the following
explanation:

Our policy is to reject all work written in dialect. At the best we
request the author to rewrite the piece in proper English and frame
his effect by other means. Your little story is not dialect, nor is it
bad literarily, the framework's being (as it is) a fairly good example
of a small boy's relating in the first person one of his adventures,
using for the first time his father's typewriter. But you went too far.
I doubt that even a five-year-old would actually make as many
typographical