When Mr. Whitely arrived, Mr. Blodgett was as good as his word, taking the matter practically out of my hands, and letting me sit a passive and amused spectator of the contest between the two shrewd men, who dropped all thought of personal friendship while they discussed the matter. Mr. Blodgett won, and made the further stipulation that since Mr. Whitely intended to be at the office only in the afternoon, I might be equally privileged as to my hours of attendance. His forethought and kindness did more, for his last speech to Mr. Whitely was, “Then it’s understood that the doctor writes your letters and revises your editorials, but nothing else.” And as soon as we were alone he intimated, “Remember that, or before you know it he’ll be screwing you to death. Don’t you write anything extra for him unless there’s extra pay. Now, don’t waste my time by thanks in business hours, but come in to-night to dinner, so as to let the boss and Agnes congratulate you.” My employment began the first of the year, at which time the paper came into the hands of its new proprietor; and it amuses me to recall him as he sat at his desk that first day, thrumming it nervously, and trying to dictate an editorial on The Outlook for the New Year. A more hopeless bit of composition I have seldom read, and four times it was rewritten as I built it into shape. The man has no more sense of form than he has of English. Even worse, he is almost without ideas. It has become his invariable custom to remark to me suavely, as he takes his seat at his desk about two o’clock, “Dr. Hartzmann, possibly you can suggest a good subject for me to write about to-day?” And when I propose one, he continues: “That is satisfactory. Jot down what you think I had better say, while I run over my mail.” An hour later I lay the typewritten sheets before him, and, after reading them with the most evident pleasure, he puts his initials at the top and sends the editorial out to the managing editor; to have a second pleasure when, after two hours, the galley slips of proof come back to him.