The editor was not fooled; as a matter of fact, it was an exceedingly difficult matter to fool the tired-eyed tyrant of The Tribune editorial rooms.
“Cut it out,” he said, with his mirthless laugh. “You wouldn’t expect to find fifty-cent Rienas in a newspaper shop—any more than I’d expect you to climb up here with a news story for me. Smoke your own cigars, and be damned to you.” And in sheer defiance he lighted one of his own dubious monstrosities, while Sprague was chuckling and passing his pocket-case of fat black Maduros.
“You say, any more than you’d expect a news story. Perhaps I have a news story for you. Cast your eye over these,” and he threw out the bunch of lately made photographs.
The editor went over the collection carefully, and at the end of the inspection said, “Well, what’s the answer?”
“The construction camp of the Mesquite Land and Irrigation Company at about half-past ten this forenoon. The held-up man is Mr. Engineer Jennings, posed by Billy Starbuck, who was kindly holding a gun on him for me. The people running are Jennings’s workmen, coming to help him obliterate us. The water is the irrigation lake; the heap of dirt is the dam.”
“Still, I don’t quite grasp the news value,” said Kendall doubtfully. “Why should Jennings wish to obliterate you?”
“Because I was taking pictures on his job. He was unreasonable enough to demand my camera, and to make the sham bad man’s break of handling his gun without pulling it on me.”
The editor studied the pictures long and thoughtfully.
“You’ve got something up your sleeve, Mr. Sprague; what is it?” he asked, after the considering pause.
Sprague drew his chair closer; and for five minutes the city editor, who had come in for a word with his superior, forbore to break in upon the low-toned earnest conference which was going on at the managing editor’s desk. At the end of it, however, he heard Kendall say, “I’ll get Monty Smith on the wire, and if he coincides with you, we’ll take a hand in this. I more than half believe you’re right, but you’ll admit that it sounds rather incredible. The Tribune’s motto is ‘All the news that is news,’ but we don’t want to be classed among the ‘yellows.’”