t people know that it's typhus?"

"Sh-sh-sh! So you know, do you? Well, the important thing now is to see
that others don't find out. Don't even whisper the word. Malaria's our
cue; pernicious malaria. What's the use of scaring every one to death?
We'll call a public meeting for next week--"

"Publicity is the last thing you want, I should think."

"Semi-public, I should have said. The epidemic has gone so far that
people are beginning to take notice. We've got to reassure them and the
right kind of an Emergency Health Committee is the way to do it, Belford
Couch is working up the meeting now. I've kept him over on purpose for
it. He's the best little diplomat in the proprietary business. And Yours
Truly will be elected Chairman of the Committee. It'll cost us a
ten-thousand-dollar donation to the fund, but it's worth it to the
business."

"To the business? I don't quite see how."

"Simple as a pin! When it's all over and we're ready to let the account
of it get into print, Dr. Surtaine, proprietor of Certina, will be the
principal figure in the campaign. What's that worth in advertising to
the year's business? Not that I'm doing it for that. I'm doing it to
save Old Home Week."

"With a little profit on the side."

Dr. Surtaine deemed it politic to ignore the tone of the commentary.

"Why not? Nobody's hurt by it. You'll be on the Central Committee,
Boy-ee."

"No; I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I think I'd better keep out of the movement, Dad."

"As you like. And you'll see that the 'Clarion' keeps out of it, too?"

"So that's it."

"Yes, Boy-ee: that's it. You can see, for yourself, that a newspaper
sensation would ruin everything just now--and also ruin the paper that
sprung it."

"So I heard from Elias M. Pierce sometime since."

"For once Pierce is right."

"Are you asking me to suppress the epidemic story?"

"To let us handle it our own way," substituted the Doctor. "We've got
our campaign all figured out and ready to start. Do you know what the
great danger is now?"

"Letting the infection go on without taking open measures to stop it."

"You're way wrong! Starting a panic that will scatter it all over the
place is the real danger. Have you heard of a single case outside of the
Rookeries district, so far?"

Hal strove to recall the death-list on the proof. "No," he admitted.

"You see! It's confined to one locality. Now, what happens if you turn
loose a newspaper scare? Why, those p