“No,” he answered briefly, “and they were good pictures, too, with plenty of punch! Now I’d like to know what happened this time!”
CHAPTER XI
DISASTER AT SEA
All day Sunday Flash remained deeply depressed. He had been almost certain that his pictures would be used in the Ledger. They had been remarkably clear prints, showing Sam Davis in action poses. He didn’t like to think that the pictures had been withheld because of policy, yet he could reach no other conclusion.
“Your old sheet must be afraid to buck the rackets,” commented Jerry Hayes who dropped in during the afternoon.
“I can’t understand it,” Flash confessed. “The Ledger has a reputation for being a fighting paper. And there was nothing libelous in my pictures.”
“Maybe the editor was afraid to make a direct accusation against the North Brandale Insurance Company without proof.”
“That’s possible,” admitted Flash, “but it still doesn’t explain why my pictures weren’t used. They told a story of their own. It wouldn’t have been necessary to implicate the insurance company. By the way, did you ever hear of such an outfit, Jerry?”
“Never did.”
“Probably it’s a fake company, just as Sam Davis believes. Anyway, the name isn’t listed in the telephone directory. Looks to me as if the Ledger is missing a chance for a big story.”
“And some good pictures,” added Jerry, grinning. “Well, cheer up. Maybe they’ll be printed in tomorrow’s paper.”