With its acute perception of the popular taste Le ffacase's paper printed not only most of the communications--the unprintable ones were circulated among the staff till they wore out or disappeared mysteriously in the Gents Room--but maps showing the daily progress of the weed, guesses as to the duration of the plague by local prophets, learned articles by scientists, opinions of statesmen, views of prominent entertainers, in fact anything having any remote connection with the topic of the day. The paper even went further and offered a reward of ten thousand dollars to anyone advancing a suggestion leading to the destruction of the intruder. Its circulation jumped at the expense of less perspicacious rivals and the incoming mail, already many times normal, swelled to staggering proportions. The contest was taken with deadly seriousness, for the livelihood of many of the paper's readers was suddenly threatened by its subject and from a new quarter. In the same issue as the offered reward there appeared an interview with the accredited head of the organized motionpicture producers. This retiring gentleman was rumored to be completely illiterate, an unquestionable slander, for he had written checks to support every cause dedicated to keeping wages where they belonged and seeing the wage earners didnt waste the money so benevolently supplied by their employers. I got the details of the interview from the interviewer himself. The magnate--he had no objection to the description--had been irritable and minced no words. The grass was bad alike for production and boxoffice, taking everyone's mind off the prime business of making and viewing motionpictures. It was injuring The Industry and he couldnt conceal the fact that The Industry, speaking through his mouth and with his vocabulary, was annoyed. "Unless this disgraceful episode ends within ten days," he had said sternly, "the Motion Picture Industry will move to Florida." It was an ultimatum; Southern Californians heard and trembled. The last time this dread interdiction had been invoked--in the midst of a bitter election fight--it had sent them scurrying to the polls to do their benefactor's bidding. Now indeed the grass menace would be taken seriously. The next day's paper had news of more immediate concern to me. The governor had appointed a special committee to investigate the situation and the first two witnesses to be called were Josephine Spencer Francis and Albert Weener. _20._ William Rufus Le ffacase was as enthusiastic as his phlegmatic nature permitted. He called me into his office and half raised the snuffbox off the desk as though to offer me an unwelcome pinch. "Youre a made man now, Weener," he said, thinking better of his generosity and putting the snuffbox back. "Your name will be in headlines from Alabama to Alberta--and all due to the _Intelligencer_."