And the finger-wringing
malcontent who had vowed to "soom"; the editorial pencil had altered
that to "sue 'em," thereby robbing it of its special flavor. Perhaps
this was in accordance with some occult rule of the trade. But it
spoiled the paragraph for Banneker. Nevertheless he was thrilled and
elate.... He wanted to show the article to Io. What would she think of
it? She had read him accurately: it _was_ in him to write. And she could
help him, if only by--well, if only by being at hand.... But Gardner's
letter! That meant that the pursuit was on again, more formidably this
time. Gardner, the gadfly, stinging this modern Io out of her refuge of
peace and safety!
He wrote and dispatched a message to the reporter in care of the
Angelica City Herald:
Glad to see you, but you are wasting your time. No such person could be
here without my knowing it. Thanks for article.
That was as near an untruth as Banneker cared to go. In his own mind he
defended it on the ground that the projected visit would, in fact, be
time wasted for the journalist since he, Banneker, intended fully that
Gardner should not see Io. Deep would have been his disgust and
self-derision could he have observed the effect of the message upon the
cynical and informed journalist who, however, did not receive it until
the second day after its transmission, as he had been away on another
assignment.
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