cle of a _Daily_
procession instead of a _Signal_ procession, and could scarce
believe their eyes. And _Dailys_ were sold in quantities from the
cars. At Knype Station the procession curved and returned to Hanbridge,
and finally, after a multitudinous triumph, came to a stand with all its
_Daily_ bunting in front of the _Signal_ offices; and Denry
appeared from his lair. Denry's men fled with bundles.

"They're an hour and a half late," said Denry calmly to one of the
proprietors of the _Signal_, who was on the pavement. "But I've
managed to get them here. I thought I'd just look in to thank you for
giving such a good feed to our lads."

The telephones hummed with news of similar _Daily_ processions in
Longshaw and Bursley. And there was not a high-class private bar in the
district that did not tinkle with delighted astonishment at the brazen,
the inconceivable effrontery of that card, Denry Machin. Many people
foresaw law-suits, but it was agreed that the _Signal_ had begun
the game of impudence in trapping the _Daily_ lads so as to secure
a holy calm for its much-trumpeted procession.

And Denry had not finished with the _Signal_.

In the special football edition of the _Daily_ was an announcement,
the first, of special Martinmas _fetes_ organised by the _Five
Towns Daily_. And on the same morning every member of the Universal
Thrift Club had received an invitation to the said _fetes_. They
were three--held on public ground at Hanbridge, Bursley, and Longshaw.
They were in the style of the usual Five Towns "wakes"; that is to say,
roundabouts, shows, gingerbread stalls, swings, cocoanut shies. But at
each _fete_ a new and very simple form of "shy" had been erected.
It consisted of a row of small railway signals.

"March up! March up!" cried the shy-men. "Knock down the signal! Knock
down the signal! And a packet of Turkish delight is yours. Knock down
the signal!"

And when you had knocked down the signal the men cried:

"We wrap it up for you in the special Anniversary Number of the
_Signal_."

And they disdainfully tore into suitable fragments copies of the
_Signal_ which had cost Denry & Co. a halfpenny each, and enfolded
the Turkish delight therein, and handed it to you with a smack.

And all the fair-grounds were carpeted with draggled and muddy
_Signals_. People were up to the ankles in _Signals_.

The affair was the talk of Sunday. Few matters in the Five Towns have
raised more gossip than did that