Page:Lynch Williams--The stolen story and other newspaper stories.djvu/200

 "This is a very pretty watch." Inwardly he was calling himself a fool for that remark. They knew that. He knew they did. He mopped his brow. "I thank you, boys. I thank you all. I'm much obliged." He looked as if he hated watches.

Some of those in the line made a move as if to wind matters up, but Maguire had just begun:

"I tell you, boys," he said with his head on one side, "I don't deserve it at all. When I think of the way I treat you fellows sometimes—you know what I mean."

"That's all right," one of the men said, aloud.

"I just want to say to you though," Maguire went on, "that one gets it as bad as the next in this office." He grinned a little.

"That's so," several of the staff said, and again there was the movement to conclude, but the city editor evidently thought it would be anticlimaxical to stop there, and he always hated a story to fizzle out at the end. Besides, he had more to say. "But I tell you, boys (his voice was low and solemn now), if it offends you sometimes it's noth-