ss with Pendleton, and you've promised the boys a story for
Thursday or Friday. Now, you've been a little sore on me because I
haven't absolutely cut Cornish."

"Not at all," said Jim. "You must have a poor opinion of our
intelligence."

"Well, you had no cause to feel that way," he went on, "because, as a
newspaperman, I'm supposed to have few friends and no enemies. Besides,
you can't tell what a man might sink to, deprived all at once of the
friendship of three such men as you fellows!"

"Quite right," said I; "but get to the point."

"I'm getting to it," said he. "I violate no confidence when I say that
Cornish has got it in for your crowd in great shape. The point is
involved in that. I don't know what your little game is with old
Pendleton, but whatever it is, Cornish thinks he can queer it, and at
the same time reap some advantages from the old man, if he can have a
few minutes' talk with Pen before you do. And he's going to do it, if he
can. Now, I figure, with my usual correctness of ratiocination, that
your scheme is going to be better for the town, and therefore for the
_Herald_, than his, and hence this disclosure, which I freely admit has
some of the ear-marks of bad form. Not that I blame Cornish, or am
saying anything against him, you know. His course is ideally Iagoan: he
stands in with Pendleton, benefits himself, and gets even with you all
at one fell--"

"Stop this chatter!" cried Jim, flying at him and seizing him by the
collar. "Tell me how you know this, and how much you know!"

"My God!" said Giddings, his lightness all departed, "is it as vital as
that? He told me himself. Said it was something he wouldn't put on paper
and must tell Pendleton by word of mouth, and he's on the train that
just pulled out for Chicago."

"He'll beat us there by twelve hours," said I, "and he can do all he
threatens! Jim, we're gone!"

Elkins leaped to the telephone and rang it furiously. There was the ring
of command sounding through the clamor of desperate and dubious conflict
in his voice.

"Give me the L. & G. W. dispatcher's office, quick!" said he. "I can't
remember the number ... it's 420, four, two, naught. Is this Agnew? This
is Elkins talking. Listen! Without a moment's delay, I want you to find
out when President Pendleton's special, east-bound on his Pacific
Division, passes Elkins Junction. I'm at my office, and will wait for
the information here.... Don't let me wait long, please, understand?