s. I sent for
a cab and started for the places where the delivery carts were waiting.
What a change from the previous day! Either something had gone radically
wrong with the advertising of the change in the place and mode of
distribution, or else the news-sellers had been tampered with in some way
or another. Not one was to be found. Then I remembered the agreement with
the advertisers. Ten thousand copies had to be distributed throughout the
city and suburbs. There was only one remedy. The delivery carts must
deliver them, as widely as was possible, but, of course, free of charge.
You will doubtless have noticed that this was the second issue of the
paper which had been made without as yet one penny having been returned
to the promoters.

On returning to the office I found a well-known Jew of that day, who, I
had been told, was the boss of the news-sellers and who practically had
them all in the palm of his hand. He informed me straight out that he had
passed the word round that any vendor, man, woman or child, who sold the
_Turf Tissue_ would be struck off the list of their evening paper
sellers, whom he absolutely controlled. The explanation for the morning's
failure was clear. But what was more clear was the unrelenting spirit in
which my visitor absolutely refused to come to any terms which might lead
to an amicable settlement. He delivered his ultimatum like a Napoleon. He
would have no truck with new-fangled ideas which might interfere with the
sale of the old-established newspaper. He informed me he had not the
slightest ill-feeling personally in the matter; in fact, he went so far
as to say that if I had only conferred with him before launching my
scheme he would have gladly advised me of the futility of it. Bowing
himself out, he departed. I had not the least inclination to step over to
Scott's and have a glass of bubbly. I simply had to count up what our
losses then amounted to. They were as follows, roughly:

(1) The cost of printing of the two issues by the job printer, in
addition to the cost of the paper.

(2) The cost of a fair distribution of ten thousand copies daily, in
order to keep faith with the advertisers.

(3) Our rent of the offices for three months, plus the cost of the office
accessories, lighting, etc.

These were all chargeable to the debit side. On the credit side, nil. No
matter how clever my sporting confreres might be in spotting winners, we
could add not one penny to the credit si