Carroll got up and placed his hand on his reporter’s shoulder. “No, I don’t blame you at all, old chap. Considering the difficulties under which you are working, I can’t reasonably hold it against you if you get scooped occasionally on a police story. Keep pegging away, and don’t get discouraged. Better spend the rest of the day trying to get a line on this burglary yarn. You may be fortunate enough to run into somebody who can give you some information about it. If not—well, I guess we’ll have to grin and bear it.”
A chuckle from the Camera Chap caused him to turn to that young man in indignant astonishment.[Pg 45]
“What’s the matter with you?” Carroll demanded irritably. “I don’t see anything to be amused about.”
“Don’t you?” rejoined Hawley, with a grin, taking a plate holder from his camera and laying it on the desk. “I think you’ll be amused, too, Fred, when I tell you what I’ve got here. Would you mind handing me a pad and pencil?”
“What are you going to do?” Carroll demanded wonderingly, as he handed over the desired writing implements.
“I’m going to write a heading for the burglary story which will appear on the front page of the Bulletin’s next issue,” the Camera Chap replied.
“But we haven’t got the burglary story?” Carroll protested, with a puzzled frown.
“Pardon me, but I have. It’s here in this plate holder,” declared Hawley. “I don’t mean to say that we’ve got the details of the larceny—but we’ve got something just as good—or better. Wait until I’ve written my heading, and I’ll explain.”
He wrote rapidly on the pad, and handed the result to Carroll.
“Writing headings is a little out of my line,” he remarked; “but I think this will about do.”