What is your secret?"
"I daresay it is exercise. I have just walked out to Kern's Castle and
back."
"H'm. Five miles if it's a step."
"And a half. I do it--twice a week--in an hour and seven minutes."
The Colonel thought of his own over-rubicund cheek and sighed. "Well,
whom or what do you wish to crucify to-morrow?"
"I am at your orders there."
"Have you examined Deputy Clerk Folsom's reply to Councilman Hannigan's
charge? What do you think of it?"
"I think it puts Hannigan in a very awkward position."
"I agree with you. Suppose you seek to show that to the city in half a
column."
Queed bowed. "I may, perhaps, remind you, Colonel, of the meeting in New
York to-morrow to prepare for the celebration of the Darwin centennial.
If you desired I should be glad to prepare, apropos of this, a brief
monograph telling in a light, popular way what Darwin did for the
world."
"And what did Darwin do for the world?"
The grave young man made a large grave gesture which indicated the
immensity of Darwin's doings for the world.
"Which topic do you prefer to handle--Folsom on Hannigan, or what Darwin
did for the world?"
"I think," said Queed, "that I should prefer to handle both.
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