"Good stuff, old top. I love to hear that line of talk. It's inspiring. But they all start that way. I've been in the game a long time. I've pulled the Washington on tank town weeklies, trimmed boiler plate on all-home-print, and attained the eminence of space writer on county seat dailies. I've done time in the newspaper game from soup to nuts, and I've yet to see the sheet that isn't run from the business office." "You've got something to live for then, haven't you?" said Good sweetly. "I've always said that there weren't any surprises in a newspaper man's life," continued Bassett thoughtfully. "Maybe I'm wrong." "Life's full of surprises. That's what makes it interesting. But that butters no turnips. I didn't come here to give you some new ideas about life. What I want is for you to get your staff together in the city room, say about five o'clock, for fifteen minutes. I want to talk to the boys. Can you arrange it?" "I guess the world won't stop moving." "All right. See you later." Good put his hand on the door. "Say," said Bassett, sharply biting his lip, "have you been stringing me?" Good laughed. "Call up John Baker, Miss Wynrod's lawyer, and get it straight. Don't be so suspicious." "That's my business," said Bassett, sourly. As the door closed on his strange visitor, he sighed heavily. "It's a great business ... sold up the river--damned slave!" Then he sighed again and fell to sharpening a pencil. Promptly at five Good returned. "Got them all here?" he demanded. "Nearly all." "That's fine. Let's break the news." Bassett led the way to the city room, and with a clap of his hands achieved silence. "Boys," he said in a tone which was curiously unfamiliar to them, "you probably all know by now, being good news-hounds, that the paper has been sold. Mr. Brent Good, the new managing editor, wishes to say a few words." Good rose and stood looking thoughtfully at the crowd for a moment before he spoke. "Gentlemen, the habit of a lifetime is hard to break. Mr. Bassett proves it by the way he's coloured the facts. I'm not to be managing editor. Mr. Bassett will continue in that capacity as long as his editing and managing seems to be satisfactory. I am merely to be the personal representative of the owner of the paper. Now I have one or two things to say to you. "To begin with, I want to say that nobody is going to get fired, with the possible exception of several men from the advertising department, the reason for which will appear later. The first question that Mr. Bassett put to me was about the policy of the new paper, and I replied that there wouldn't be any policy. All we have is a purpose, and that purpose is, in one single word, to tell all the truth all the time.