"Well," said the Congressman, "what is your desire with me? I know you didn't come here just for the pleasure of denouncing Hudson."
"I want a short, snappy interview with you defending Barry from the charge of intentional wrong. Then I want a few sharp comments on what you think of a Congressman who will strike at a boy in order to revenge himself on a political opponent."
"You know how I feel."
"Yes."
"Well, make me say anything you want. Go as far as you like."
Felix Conway was not the man to do things by halves. He took John Carlton at his word and evolved an interview that was a mixture of brimstone and vitriol. It made the oldest members of the House sit up and gasp with wonder. The resourceful journalist did not stop at this. He had interviews with half a dozen Congressmen, all denouncing Hudson for his cowardice. Finally, there was a cartoon on the front page of his paper. It depicted Hudson as a giant lifting a big club marked "Revenge" against a very small page boy.
Conway made it his business to see that a copy of his paper was placed on the desk of every member. When Carlton entered the House he was surrounded by a group of members who shook hands with him, heartily congratulating him on the forceful interview they had read in the morning paper.
"It was right to the point," said one enthusiastic Westerner, "it was what we call 'hot stuff.'"
Carlton smiled at the recollection of his talk with Conway.
"I only deserve part of the praise," he said; "most of it belongs to our friend Felix. He's the brightest reporter in Washington."