You may, perhaps, buy the privilege of maintaining the rocks of
the glen free from advertising; but the advertisers will paint more
signs on all the approaches, and you won't have gained much."

"I'll drive every advertising sign out of this country."

"Impossible. The great corporations who control these industries make
their fortunes by this style of advertising. The rural districts are
their strongholds. And they must advertise or they can't sell their
products."

"Let them advertise in decent ways, then. What right has any soap maker
to flaunt his wares in my face, whether I'm interested in them or not?"

"The right of custom. People have submitted to these things so long that
the manufacturers consider themselves justified in covering every barn,
rock and fence with their signs. I see no way to stop them."

"Nor I, at present. But there must be a way."

"Drive out one, and another will take his place. They pay liberally for
locations--"

"Pshaw! Ten dollars a year for a rock as big as a barn!"

"But they rent thousands of such positions, and in the aggregate our
farmers get large sums from them."

"And ruin the appearance of their homes and farms."

Mr. Watson smiled.

"They're not artists, Ken. They can't realize on appearances, but they
can use the money the signs bring them."

"They need to be educated, that's all. These farmers seem very honest,
decent fellows."

"They are, Ken. I wish you knew them better."

"So do I, Mr. Watson. This campaign ought to bring us closer together,
for I mean to get them to help me."

"You'll have to buy them, I'm afraid."

"Not all of them. There must be some refinement among them."

But the lawyer was not convinced. However, it was not his desire to
stifle this new-born enthusiasm of Kenneth's, even though he believed it
misdirected. He wanted the young man to rouse himself and take an
interest in life, and if his antagonism to advertising signs would
effect this, the futile fight against them was to be welcomed. It would
cost the boy something, but he would gain his money's worth in
experience.

After a few days the sign painter answered the letter. He would
relinquish the three signs in the glen for a payment of fifty dollars
each, with the understanding that no other competing signs were to take
their place. Kenneth promptly mailed a check for the amount demanded and
early next morning started for the glen with what he called his
"eliminators."

Thes