Page:Lynch Williams--The stolen story and other newspaper stories.djvu/134

, we had a fine time sending them back and forth." She laughed and looked at her husband.

It occurred to Linton that if he had not made up his mind not to cover this story there was a good paragraph or two showing the bootmaker's boy whistling and carrying the innocent shoes to Mrs. Wells, and the Wells's servant marching stiffly back with them again—altogether the unworn shoes would travel several miles. "Why, here comes that confounded footman again!" the bootmaker would say, and "Oh, here's the boy with those boots again!" the Wells's servants would exclaim. That is the way it could be put in the story which he was not to write.

"Now dear," interrupted the husband, "Harry says we must go in and sign this thing." Then, in a different tone of voice, to the reporter, "Anything else you want?"

Linton said, "I thank you, no," and hoped it sounded dignified and icy. The three hurried off, leaving him putting away his handkerchief.

Some of the other reporters who had been