As they went into the office to telephone P. Q. what they had seen and what the [text not readable - some words missing] the first edition in the morning, John, feeling certain of a different answer than those he had received in the past, asked Brennan what he thought of Gibson now. "He's got nerve, all right," Brennan said. "But----" "But what?" asked John, wondering what possible criticism Brennan could have in view of Gibson's display of courage. "But," said Brennan, "he's a grandstander." "A grandstander?" exclaimed John. "You said it, after me," said Brennan. "A grandstander, a man who plays to the crowd instead of playing the game for what it's worth." A surge of exasperation went through John. Was this man incapable of ever believing anything or in anyone? "Good heavens, Brennan!" he said, hotly. "He risked his life, didn't he?" "I said he had nerve." "He did it to save others, didn't he?" "Others?" said Brennan sarcastically. "Others? Bosh! He did it to be a hero, for public acclamation, for glory, for power. Others? Why, don't you see that he risked the lives of all those others you say he saved just to make himself a hero?" Brennan's answer, the sarcastic way he gave it, maddened John. "Ah, you make me tired," he said in his aggravation. "What do you want to look at it that way for? You tell me to keep my faith in men, to believe as much as I can, and then you talk this way." Apparently ignoring what John said, Brennan telephoned to P. Q. "Hello, P. Q.," he said. "This is Brennan. Gibson has pulled off a great stunt, great story. The mornings' will have the break on it, but we have the only pictures and lots of eye-witness stuff." He proceeded to give what even John admitted to himself was an accurate account of the attempt to wreck the "Lark" and how Gibson had saved the train and "shot it out" with "Red Mike." Hanging up the receiver he looked around to find John standing waiting for him. Lighting a fresh cigarette from the butt of the one he had finished he motioned to John to sit down. "Now, Gallant, you listen to me for a while," he said. "You can believe what I'm going to say or not, but I'm going to tell you a few things. And don't get the idea I'm just talking for the sake of hearing myself blatt. "Hasn't it ever occurred to you that Gibson didn't have to go through with this business tonight at all? When he discovered that 'Red Mike' was going to try to wreck the 'Lark' he could have had him arrested right then and sent him up for a good long stretch. "He didn't have to let things go as far as he did. He could have stopped it right there. Why, he actually endangered the lives of everyone on that train simply to make a big show of it. There wouldn't have been so much glory in it for him to have arrested 'Red Mike' when he found out what he was planning to do.