Everley sat in a little office in an out-of-the-way street. He was a young chap, frank and boyish-looking, and Samuel's heart warmed to him at once. “Comrade Everley,” said the carpet designer, “here is a boy you ought to help. Tell him all about it, Samuel--you can trust him.” So Samuel told his tale once more. And the other listened with breathless interest, and with many exclamations of incredulity and delight. When the boy had finished, he sprang up excitedly and grasped his hand. “Samuel Prescott,” he cried, “put it there! You are a brick!” “Then you'll stand by me!” exclaimed Samuel, breathless with relief. “Stand by you?” echoed the other. “I'll stand by you until hell freezes solid!” Then he sat down again, and began tapping nervously on the desk with his pencil. “I'll call a special meeting of the local,” he said. “They must take you up. The movement's been slow in Lockmanville of late, and a fight like this is just what the comrades need.” “But I'm not a Socialist!” objected Samuel. “That's all right,” replied Everley, “we don't care about that.” Samuel had not meant it that way, but he could not think how to make his trouble clear. “I can get the local together to-morrow night,” went on the other. “There's no time to be lost. We must get out a lot of circulars and cover the town.” “But I only wanted the people of the church to come,” said the boy. “But others will come anyway,” said Everley. “And haven't the people a right to know how they've been robbed?” “Yes,” said Samuel, “they have.” “And perhaps,” added the other with a smile, “if the congregation has a little pressure from outside, it will be much more apt to take action. What we've got to do with this thing is to make a free speech fight out of it, and open the eyes of the whole town. Otherwise the police will nip the thing in the bud, and no one will ever know what we had.” “You must be careful how you give out those circulars,” put in Johann. “They will nip you there, if they can.” “That's all right,” laughed Everley. “You trust the comrades for that! We know a printer we can rely on!” Samuel drew a deep breath of satisfaction. Here was a man who understood things, and took hold with conviction--a man who was really willing to do something. It was very disconcerting that he happened to be a Socialist! Everley took up a pencil and wrote the new announcement: PEOPLE OF LOCKMANVILLE! “Having made the discovery that members of the vestry of St. Matthew's Church had been bribing the city council, I demanded an investigation, and I was turned out of the church. “I called a meeting to tell the congregation about it, but I was refused a permit to speak. Chief of Police McCullagh declared to me that I should never make my speech in this town. “Will you stand by me? “I intend to speak on Wednesday night, at 8 P.M., at the vacant lot opposite the church. “In the name of Free Speech and Civic Decency, “SAMUEL PRESCOTT.”