Supper was ready when Jack and Mary went into the house, and Mrs. Murdoch was eager that they should eat at once. She seemed very placidly to take it for granted that things were going properly in the _Eagle_ office. Her husband had been ill before, and the paper had somehow lived along, and she was not the kind of woman to fret about it. "He's been worrying," she said to Mary, "principally about town news. He's afraid the _Inquirer_ 'll get ahead of you. It might be good to see him." "I'll see him," said Mary. "Mary! Mary!" came faintly in reply to her kindly greeting. "Local items, Mary. Society Notes--the flood--logs--bridges--dams--fires. Brief Mention. Town Improvement Society--the Sociable--anything!" "Jack will be out after news as soon as he eats his supper," said Mary. "He'll find all there is to find. The printers did a splendid day's work." "The doctor says not to tell me about anything," said the sick man, despondently. "You'll fill the paper somehow. Do the best you can, till I get well." She did not linger, for Mrs. Murdoch was already pulling her sleeve. The three were soon seated at the table, and hardly was a cup of tea poured before Mrs. Murdoch remarked: "Mary," she said, "Miss Glidden called here to-day, with Mrs. Judge Edwards, in her carriage. They were sorry to find you out. So did Mrs. Mason, and so did Mrs. Lansing, and Mrs. Potter. They wanted you to go riding, and there's a lawn-tennis party coming. I told them all that Mr. Murdoch was sick, and you were editing the _Eagle_, and Jack was, too. Miss Glidden's very fond of you, you know. So is Mrs. Potter. Her husband wishes he knew what to send Jack for saving his wife from being drowned." This was delivered steadily but not rapidly, and Mary needed only to say she would have been glad to see them all. "I didn't save anybody," said Jack. "If the logs had hit the bridge while we were on it, nothing could have saved us." Mary was particularly glad that none of her new friends were coming in to spend the evening, for she felt she had done enough for one day. Mrs. Murdoch, however, told her of a "Union Church Sociable," to be held at the house of Mrs. Edwards, the next Thursday evening, and said she had promised to bring Miss Ogden. Of course Mary said she would go, but Jack declined. After supper, Jack was eager to set out upon his hunt after news-items. "I mustn't let a soul know what I'm doing," he said to Mary. "We'll see whether I can't find out as much as the _Inquirer's_ man can." He hurried away from the house, but soon ceased to walk fast and began to peer sharply about. "There's a new building going up," he said, as he turned a corner; "I'll find out about it." So he did, but it was only "by the way"; he really had a plan, and the next step took him to Mr. Prodger's livery-stable.