“May I ask if you intend to publish it?” “I do not.” “May I ask what is your reason for refusing?” “The reason is that things have been stirred up enough, we think. The people in this city want peace.” “Does it seem to you that this is fair journalism?” “Now, listen, my boy, don’t try to argue with me; you have had plenty of room to spread your ideas in our paper.” “You are entirely mistaken, Mr. Bonfils. You have not reported a single speech that I made in this town. You did not even print my telegram to President Wilson. But you print the Governor’s answer to it.” “Well, now, we don’t want to stir up this question any further. We think this State is very much in need of peace. We are not looking for trouble. If we printed your answer to the Governor, we should have to print the Governor’s answer to you. And so it would go on indefinitely, and we don’t want people calling each other names in our paper.” “If that is the case, why did you print the Governor’s attack upon me?” “Now, listen, kid, don’t get excited.” “I was never less excited in my life, Mr. Bonfils. I am simply asking politely for an explanation.” “Well, now, we don’t care to argue this question with you.” “You have called me a liar in your paper, and refuse me an opportunity to defend myself? Is that correct?” “Yes; it’s correct.” “Well, then I simply wish to tell you this one further thing. I am at present in a stenographer’s office dictating an account of this conversation for a publication which has a circulation of five hundred thousand——” “I don’t care if it has a circulation of five hundred million.” “Then you are willing for this conversation to be reported as expressing the attitude of the ‘Post’?” “Say, Bill, we have been attacked so often by fellows like you, and we have got so prosperous on it, that we don’t care anything about it.” “Very well, then; good morning.” The above conversation was recorded in the following way. The stenographer sat by my side at the telephone, and took down every word that I said. Immediately afterwards this was read off to me, and I filled in Mr. Bonfils’ answers. As it happens that I have a good memory for words, I can state that the above is for practical purposes a stenographic record of the conversation. And later on I went out and bought an early edition of the “Post,” and found the man had “carried over” the Governor’s attack, a reprint from the day before! And then, walking down the street, I came to the building of the “Post,” and looked up and saw—oh, masterpiece of humor!—an inscription graven all the way across the stone front of the building: JUSTICE, WHEN EXPELLED FROM OTHER HABITATIONS, MAKE THIS THY DWELLING-PLACE. CHAPTER XXVII THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AT THE BAR