"Yes, and there are two ways of doing a story. One of them is the way I want it to be done. The other doesn't count. I don't want you to argue with me. I tell you that your story should have been about Larry Williams getting knocked out. Some day you'll learn why. Pat, I'm not going to fire you. You've got stuff. Deering's had a crack at you and so has your father. Now I'm going to see what I can do. You're to go back to New York this afternoon. Report at my office on Monday. Hereafter you'll get your assignments from me and turn your copy over to me. I've never been licked yet and I'm not going to be licked now. I'm going to make a newspaperman of you or my name's not Rufus Twice." After Twice had gone Peter asked, "Pat, what made you want to throw me down?" "You don't think I made all this trouble for you on purpose?" "Well, why did you go and write a story about Daredevil Oliver and leave Dempsey out of it?" "It seemed so much more important to me. You'd have thought so too if you'd seen him. He just leaned back off the platform so slowly. He could have stopped himself any second. And then all of a sudden he couldn't. And he started to fall." "But the story was signed with my name. Didn't you think of that?" "Of course I did." "Didn't you remember that I'd get blamed for it." Pat was pale with earnestness and almost crying. "I didn't think anybody'd be blamed. I wanted to do something for you." "Do you mean to say," asked Peter in surprise, "that you thought it was as good a story as I'd write." "I thought it was a better story. It was a better story than you ever wrote." Peter was silent with astonishment. Where, he wondered, did his son Peter Neale, second, ever unearth such amazing and audacious confidence. Suddenly it came to him that he was not the only parent. He remembered Maria. Obviously there was no use in arguing with Pat any further. Indeed he was almost a little frightened at so bold a blaze of spirit. "Well," he said at length, "what are you going to do?" "I'm going to report to Mr. Twice on Monday," answered Pat. Peter sent down and got a "Bulletin" in order to find out just what it was that Peter Neale had written. He read only the first line, "Can Jack Dempsey sock? Ask Larry Williams." CHAPTER X Not until after the big fight did Peter get back to the Bulletin office. He found a subdued and cheerless Pat. "How are things going?" he asked. "I'm learning a trade," said Pat.