st River.

"The woman who is fighting the barge combine," explained Waldemar. "Not
so good as it looks. She's bluffing."

"Anyway, I'd like a shy at this business," declared Average Jones with
sudden conviction. "It looks to me like something to do."

"Make it a business, then," advised Waldemar. "If you care really to go
in for it, my newspaper would be glad to pay for information such as you
might collect. We haven't time, for example, to trace down fraudulent
advertisers. If you could start an enterprise of that sort, you'd
certainly find it amusing, and, at times, perhaps, even adventurous."

"I wouldn't know how to establish it," objected Average Jones.

The newspaper owner drew a rough diagram on a sheet of paper and filled
it in with writing, crossing out and revising liberally. Divided, upon
his pattern, into lines, the final draft read:

HAVE YOU BEEN STUNG?

Thousands have.
Thousands will be.
They're Laying for You.

WHO?
The Advertising Crooks.

A. JONES
Ad-Visor
Can Protect You
Against Them.

Before Spending Your
Money Call on Him.
Advice on all Subjects
Connected with Newspaper,
Magazine or Display Advertising.
Free Consultation to
Persons Unable to Pay.
Call or Write, Enclosing
Postage. This Is On The Level.

"Ad-Visor! Do you expect me to blight my budding career by a poisonous
pun like that?" demanded Average Jones with a wry face.

"It may be a poisonous pun, but it's an arresting catch-word," said
Waldemar, unmoved. "Single column, about fifty lines will do it in nice,
open style. Caps and lower case, and black-faced type for the name and
title. Insert twice a week in every New York and Brooklyn paper."

"Isn't it--er--a little blatant?" suggested Bertram, with lifted
eyebrows.

"Blatant?" repeated its inventor. "It's more than that. It's howlingly
vulgar. It's a riot of glaring yellow. How else would you expect to
catch the public?"

"Suppose, then, I do burst into flame to this effect?" queried the
prospective "Ad-Visor." "Et apres? as we proudly say after spending a
week in Paris."

"Apres? Oh, plenty of things. You hire an office, a clerk, two
stenographers and a clipping export, and prepare to take care of the
work that comes in. You'll be flooded," promised Waldemar.

"And between times I'm to go skipping about, chasing long white whiskers
and brass howitzers and B-flat