r."

"Did I misquote you?"

"No, but you got the information before I was ready to give it out.
I thought you knew more than you did. This last part," pointing to
the generalities written by Mr. Emberg, "this last part shows that
you folks are up a tree. Now I want to know where you heard that
about Potter, and I'm going to have an answer," and Sullivan lost
his calm air and looked angrily at Larry.

"I can't tell you where I got my tip."

"You mean you will not?"

"Well, you can put it that way," replied Larry.

"I'll make you!" and the politician arose from his chair and stood
threateningly over the young reporter. For a moment Larry's heart
beat rapidly in fear. Then he remembered what Mr. Emberg had said:
"Don't let him bluff you." He was sure Sullivan was bluffing.

"Are you going to tell?" asked Sullivan again.

"I am not."

Sullivan banged his fist down on his desk. He shoved his hat on the
back of his head. Thrusting his face close to Larry's he exclaimed:

"Then I'll put you out of business! I'll make the city too hot to
hold you! I'll have you fired from the _Leader_, and no other paper
in New York will hire you! I'll show you what it is to have Jack
Sullivan down on you! I was going to play fair with you. But you
sneaked in here and got information I wasn't ready to give out. Now
you can take the consequences!"

"I didn't sneak in here!" cried Larry. "I came openly. What's more,
you can't scare me! I'm not afraid of you! I know what I did was all
right! Perhaps the _Leader_ knows more than you think. I'm not going
to tell where I got my information, and you can do as you please!"

Sullivan had cooled down. He was a bit ashamed of having given way
to his anger, for usually he kept his temper.

"All right," he said. "It's war between us now. Tell your city
editor he needn't send you to get any more news from me, and when
the _Leader_ wants any favors from Jack Sullivan it can whistle for
'em. I'm done with that sheet. I'll show 'em who Sullivan is!"

Larry turned and went out. It was the first time he had been
browbeaten like this, but he kept his nerve. If he had only known
it, Sullivan was not the first politician to threaten to annihilate
a paper, nor was it Sullivan's initial attempt to scare reporters
into doing what he wanted.

As Larry left the headquarters he met Peter Manton going in.

"Making up another fake interview with Sullivan?" asked Peter, with
a sneer. "You've made a nice