Page:Elizabeth Jordan--Tales of the city room.djvu/54

 to find out the writer of these things for months. This joke is a particularly weak one, but it's strong enough to cut off Davidson's head."

"Of course," acquiesced the editor of the humorous supplement. He hesitated a moment. "He's going to be married next month, to Miss Neville, is n't he?" he added slowly.

"That's all right," said the Sunday editor, curtly. "We can't help that. I'm sorry for her, but we can't have a man around the shop who is doing the sneak act and libelling the Chief. Let 'The Funmaker' take him on. It would be as much as our own heads are worth to try and hush this up now. Davidson must go. That's all there is to it."

The conversation turned into other channels, and the boy, whom neither of the editors had noticed, returned to the irate contributor in the anteroom. He sent that individual away happy, with proofs of the auditor's carelessness, and returned to his desk to reflect on the conversation he had overheard. From his seat he could see Miss Neville's smooth hair and fine profile as she bent over