hat."

"This year we tried to get up a public meeting. Reverend Norman Hale
helped us, and Dr. Merritt, the health officer, and a number of women.
It was a good news feature, and that was what we wanted, to get the
movement started. But do you think any paper in town touched it? Not
one."

"But why?"

"E.M. Pierce's orders. He and his crowd."

"Even the 'Clarion,' which is supposed to have labor sympathies?"

"The 'Clarion'!" There was a profundity of contempt in Veltman's voice;
and a deeper bitterness when he snapped his teeth upon a word which
sounded to Hal suspiciously like the Biblical characterization of an
undesirable citizeness of Babylon.

"In any case, they won't give the 'Clarion' any more orders."

"Oh, yes, they will," said Veltman stolidly.

"Then they'll learn something distinctly to their disadvantage."

The splendid, animal-like eyes of the compositor gleamed suddenly. "Do
you mean you're going to run the paper honestly?"

Hal almost recoiled before the impassioned and incredulous surprise in
the question.

"What is 'honestly'?"

"Give the people who buy your paper the straight news they pay for?"

"Certainly, the paper will be run that way."

"As easy as rolling off a log," put in McGuire Ellis, with suspicious
smoothness.

Veltman looked from one to the other. "Yes," he said: and again
"Yes-s-s." But the life had gone from his voice. "Anything more?"

"Nothing, thank you," answered Hal.

"Brains, fire, ambition, energy, skill, everything but balance," said
Ellis, as the door closed. "He's the stuff that martyrs are made of--or
lunatics. Same thing, I guess."

"Isn't he a trouble-maker among the men?"

"No. He's a good workman. Something more, too. Sometimes he writes
paragraphs for the editorial page; and when they're not too radical, I
use 'em. He's brought us in one good feature, that 'Kitty the Cutie'
stuff."

"I'd thought of dropping that. It's so cheap and chewing-gummy."

"Catches on, though. We really ought to run it every day. But the girl
hasn't got time to do it."

"Who is she?"

"Some kid in your father's factory, I understand. Protegee of Veltman's,
He brought her stuff in and we took it right off the bat."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing that is going."

"What?"

"The 'Clarion's' motto. 'We Lead: Let Those Who Can Follow.'" Hal
pointed to the "black-face" legend at the top of the first editorial
column.

"Got anything in its place?"

"I thought of '