SIR: I desire to state that the use made by Mr. James Roberts of my poem in your last issue was without my authority or approbation. The poem was written some years ago, and must not be assumed to represent my present view on the subject of which it treats. I am, sir, your obedient servant, DALE BANNISTER. The Doctor stared at the letter. "Bannister--Dale Bannister wrote that!" and he flung the paper angrily on the floor. "Give me my hat." "You're not going----" "Yes, I am, Ethel. I'm going to find out what this means." "Hadn't you better wait till you're less----" "Less what, Ethel? What do you mean?" "Till the rain stops, Jim, dear; and it's just baby's time for coming down." "Hang--no, I beg your pardon, Ethel. I'm very sorry, but I must see the end of this." He rushed out, and the baby found a dull, preoccupied, almost tearful, very unamusing mother to play with that day. The Doctor marched into Dale's room with a stern look on his face. "Well, Roberts, how are you?" asked Dale, not graciously. "What does this mean, Bannister?" "It means, my dear fellow, that you took my name in vain, and I had to say so." "I'm not thinking of myself, though it would have been more friendly to write to me first." "Well, I was riled, and didn't think of that." "But do you mean to deny your own words?" "Really, Roberts, you seem to forget that I don't enjoy setting the place by the ears, although you seem to." "You wrote that poem?" "Of course I wrote the damned thing," said Dale peevishly. "And now--Bannister, you're not going to--to throw us over?" "Nonsense! I like to publish my views at my own time and place, that's all." "A man like you belongs to his followers as much as to himself." "More, it seems." The Doctor looked at him almost scornfully. Dale did not like scorn from anyone. "I was particularly anxious," he began apologetically, "not to get into a shindy here. I wanted to drop politics and so on, and be friendly----" "Do you know what you're saying, or the meanness of it?" "Meanness? What do you mean?" "You know very well. All I want to know is if you wrote this thing?" "Of course I wrote it." "And you stand to it?" "Yes. I think you ought to have asked me before you did it." "The Squire is shocked, eh?" asked the Doctor, with a sneer. "The Squire's views are nothing to me," answered Dale, flushing very red. The Doctor laughed bitterly. "Come, come, old fellow," said Dale, "don't let us quarrel." "Quarrel? Well, we won't. Only look here, Bannister." "Well?" "If you throw us over now, you'll be----" "There, don't abuse me any more." "Oh, I wasn't going to abuse you. If you leave us,--you, the leader we trusted,--where are we, where are we?" "Give me another chance," said Dale, holding out his hand. "You won't withdraw this?" "How the deuce can I now?" The Doctor shook his hand, saying: