"What reforms are you jollying along now?" asked Bat.
"We'll jolly you fellows when this comes out."
"I've always said if I were his Satanic Majesty and wished to defeat the goody-goodies, I wouldn't bother fighting 'em! I'd take an afternoon nap and let them buck themselves by their lies and bickerings."
The youth ran his eye down the galley proof.
"Who filled you up with this dope?" Brydges lowered his voice to an altogether amused and very confidential key.
"Matter? There's nothing right about it."
"Goes all the same. Got snap! It's good stuff."
"Stuffing, you mean," corrected the handy man. "Say, where ever did you get it? Talk of stuff? Somebody has mistaken you for a spring chicken."
"Got it straight. It's all right! Fellow from the English colony--"
"English Colony? Those Rookeries--Mother Carey's chickens. Do you know what that Rookery gang is? A lot of gambling toughs, remittance doughheads--"
"That doesn't spoil a ripping good story! I'm going to wire a column to Chicago."
"No, you're not," contradicted Brydges. "That kind of thing hurts the State more than ten thousand dollars will advertise it. You go over your advertising columns my boy--"
Bat whistled and swung the galley proofs between his knees.
"Doesn't matter what you say out here. Everybody knows your rag sheet will contradict to-morrow what you say to-day in headings red and long as a lead pencil. You'll contradict in a little hidden paragraph tucked away among the ads., and I guess we know which are the ads. out here; but, if you want any more dope on inside stuff, don't you send that East! You have applied for a job on our paper twice. If you want one, don't you send that East! What do they pay you, anyway?"
The youth paused to estimate; and youth's hopes are ever high.
"No, you don't! They pay you six and ten and sometimes two, but it's worth a hundred if you keep it out, nice crisp little bills, my boy. Call for you to-night at five; but don't you play that story up."
It was then and there Bat showed himself a past master. He sauntered out of the office humming.
"Say, Brydges," called the youth, "what's wrong with this account, anyway?"
"All wrong," reiterated Brydges stepping back. "Wasn't a man lost his life. Wasn't a man on the Range at the time, only a kid got in the way of a stampede! Here, I'll give it to you straight! I've just come down from the Valley! You tell what happened down in Mesa and Garfield counties ten years ago, and up in Wyoming last spring! Give it to the other States. Don't give your own State a black eye! Come on out and have something with me, and I'll fix you up as we feed."