water, better far than walking in the tingling
air. She was appealing to, stimulating, the most sensitive organ of
the born newspaper man, his sense of news. Before she was through he
had come to a pause beneath a sputtering arc light, and was
interrupting her with short questions, his eyes ablaze with
excitement.

"God!" he ejaculated when she had finished, "that would make the
greatest newspaper story that ever broke loose in this town!"

She trembled with an excitement equal to his own.

"And I want you to make it into the greatest newspaper story that ever
broke loose in this town!"

"But to-morrow the voting----"

"There's no to-morrow about it! We've got to act to-night. You must
get out an extra of the _Express_."

"An extra of the _Express_!"

"Yes. And it must be on the streets before that mass-meeting breaks
up."

"Oh, my God, my God!" Billy whispered in awe to himself, forgetting
how cold he was as his mind took in the plan. Then he started away
almost on a run. "We'll do it! But first, we've got to get the
press-room gang."

"I've seen to that. I think we'll find them waiting at the office."

"You don't say!" ejaculated Billy. "Miss West, to-morrow, when there's
more time, I'm going to apologize to you, and everybody, for----"

"If you get out this extra, you won't need to apologize to anybody."

"But to-night, if you'll let me," continued Billy, "I want you to let
me say that you're a wonder!"

Katherine let this praise go by unheeded, and as they hurried toward
the Square she gave him details she had omitted in her outline. When
they reached the _Express_ office they found Old Hosie, who told them
that the foreman and the mechanical staff were in the press-room. A
shout from Billy down the stairway brought the foreman running up.

"Do you know what's doing, Jake?" cried Billy.

"Yes. Mr. Hollingsworth told me."

"Everything ready?"

"Sure, Billy. We're waiting for your copy."

"Good! First of all get these engraved." He excitedly handed the
foreman Katherine's two documents. "Each of 'em three columns wide.
We'll run 'em on the front page. And, Jake, if you let those get lost,
I'll shoot you so full of holes your wife'll think she's married to a
screen door! Now chase along with you!"

Billy threw off his drenched coat, slipped into an old one hanging on
a hook, dropped into a chair before a typewriter, ran in a sheet of
paper, and without an instant's hesitation began to rattle of