do up in Canada--on
my vacation."

"Who the hell said I want you to do anything on your vacation?
That's the chief trouble with this newspaper game; it makes people
so damn suspicious."

"Oh, yeah. Tomorrow, Friday, I draw three weeks' pay and my two
weeks' vacation begins. You want me to go up to Canada and spend
my vacation with Professor Brierly, where the air of Lake
Men--whatever the name is, is salubrious and where they have delicious,
wholesome beer and ale. I go up there, get healthy and strong,
recuperate from this hectic newspaper life and return. When I
return, I submit a bill for the fare, and other expenses and the
beer and ale. And you pay this expense account. And it ends there,
does it? During this two weeks you don't want me to see anybody or
do anything or dig up any story for the paper, do you. Is that the
program?"

"Sure, that's the program exactly. But you won't
object, will you, Jimmy, if I ask you to drop in on someone in a
camp near Brierly's. Just drop in once, that's all, and file a
little story. It's right near Lentone, Vermont Is that too much to
ask?"

"I knew it! There _is_ a joker somewhere. Just drop in once
and file a little story. You've got a correspondent up there, for
a little story. If it's a big story, the A.P. will get it or the
paper can send a man up there. What the hell do you want to spoil
my vacation for?"

"But this isn't a story, Jimmy. It's got _point_ about it that makes
it a swell feature story, mebbe a fine human interest yarn, see.
And it won't interfere with you at all."

"But--"

Hite's strong teeth clenched his corn cob pipe, his jaw jutted out
like a crag; his eyebrows bristled.

"Say, what the hell is all this yappin' about. You pampered pets
give me a large pain. I'm askin' you to do somethin'. Either you
do it or you don't. Somebody told you you're a star reporter and
you believe it. You're developin' a temperament, like a prima
donna. I'm payin' you a compliment by giving you a swell feature
story; I'm sendin' you where you'd probably like to go anyway; I'm
payin' your expenses for your vacation. I'm payin' for all the
beer and ale you can guzzle and you balk. What the--"

Jimmy mentally ducked under the gathering storm. Hite was the only
human being of whom he was afraid. A vacation up in Canada at the
paper's expense wasn't so bad after all. As for the story, he
could probably clean it up in a couple of hours, whatever it was.
What could poss