showed combative tendencies.

"We can't afford it, Barry," he said with conviction. "We are already
giving twenty-five cents out of our dollar to the fellow who sends the
names, and if we give even fifty cents more for a premium we'll have
only twenty-five cents left."

Barrifield leaned back and closed his eyes.

"We could afford it," he said, "if we didn't have five cents left.
Counting even only a million and a half a year return from the
advertising, we could, by producing the papers in such quantity, still
pay all expenses and have a hundred thousand or so apiece left at the
end of the year. It isn't a good plan to try to make too much the first
year. It invites competition. I believe in going moderately and being
sure--don't you, fellows?" turning to Van Dorn and Livingstone.

Van Dorn looked over at Perner anxiously.

"I shouldn't wonder if Barry was right, old man," he said in a
conciliatory tone.

"We don't have to pay for premiums, you know, until we have money coming
in to do it with," added Barrifield.

"That's so," said Livingstone,--"that's so! We'll have both! Suppose we
go now, fellows," he added, rather anxiously; "I've got a letter to
write."

"Stony's always got a letter to write," commented Van Dorn.

The others nodded, but said nothing.

They arose from the table in vast friendship with each other. The repast
had been bountiful. In after days it was referred to as the great
dinner.

Also--sometimes--as the last dinner.

VII

A LETTER FROM MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND TO MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE
OF NEW YORK

DEAR OLD TRUE: I am simply in a whirl. The copies you sent
of the 'cash for names' circulation plan have set me to
going till my feet no longer seem to touch anything. I have
covered all my stationery with figures, and my desk fairly
reeks with millions. You know I never cared much for figures
before, and I was never very good at them when we went to
school together, especially fractions; but there are no
fractions about this--it's all just tens and hundreds and
thousands and millions,--a perfect wilderness of
decimals,--and I enjoy them so much that I get up early in
the morning to play with them. I have taken all the figures
you sent me, showing the cost of paper and printing and so
on, and calculated over and over, and then divided by two,
and sometimes three to be on the safe side, and even the