ters.

The attorney swung around and walked briskly toward Miss Sally's home,
tossing tumultuously in his mind the events of the day, his plans and
what he would say to Miss Sally. As he turned in at the gate he saw
Mrs. Smith and Susan sitting on the porch, and he took off his hat, and
walked smilingly up to them.

"Miss Sally in?" he asked, after the customary greetings. "I would like
to speak to her if she is."

"She's in" said Mrs. Smith, "but she is engaged at present. Won't you
have a seat and wait?"

Toole passed rapidly through his mind all those who might have business
with Miss Sally this morning--the Colonel, Skinner, the editor. It could
not be Skinner, for he had just left him, nor the editor, for he knew he
was still in his office where he had seen him last. Probably it was the
Colonel. He took the proffered seat.

"I suppose you saw the TIMES," he said, "and that tremendous article.
It amused me considerably. Splendid specimen of local journalism. Our
friend T. J. is to be congratulated, isn't he? He has made quite a
stir."

"The Colonel was here with a paper," said Mrs. Smith. "He was furiously
angry. I couldn't understand what it was all about, except that it was
connected with those fire-extinguishers Miss Sally had."

"It was about the meanest piece of business I have ever run across,"
said the attorney, speaking more to Susan than to Mrs. Smith. "It was
the most vindictive thing I ever heard of. Do you know any reason why
that editor should want to annoy Miss Briggs?"

"Mr. Jones annoy Miss Sally?" said Susan, with surprise. "I can't
imagine why he should."

"That's what puzzles me," said Toole. "There doesn't seem to be any
reason whatever, except that he is showing his ill-will. It looks like a
conspiracy to throw those fire-extinguishers back on Miss Sally's hands.
Probably he has taken an agency for fire-extinguishers, or had made a
deal to take some in payment for advertising space in his paper, and
wants to sell them to Skinner. I understand there is some cock-and-bull
story he has got up about these fire-extinguishers being out-of-date, or
useless, or something of that kind, and that he means to make a big stir
about the council having been bribed to force them on Skinner. I suppose
Jones will get something out of it, someway. I understand he means to
keep the thing alive in his paper, and throw ridicule on all concerned,
until he forces things his way. Probably he has some politica