)
Striving to be at once explanatory and propitiatory to all and sundry,
Haring was reduced to inarticulate, choking interjections and paralytic
motions of the hands, when a member of the delegation, hitherto silent,
spoke up.
He was the representative of McLean & Swazey, a college graduate of a
type then new, though now much commoner, in the developing profession of
advertising. He had read the peccant editorial with a genuine relish of
its charm and skill, and had justly estimated it for what it was, an
intellectual _jeu d'esprit_, the expression of a passing fancy for a
tempting subject, not of a policy to be further pursued.
"Enough has been said, I think, to define our position," said he. "All
that we need is some assurance that Mr. Banneker's wit and skill will
not be turned again to the profit of our competitors who, by the way, do
_not_ advertise in The Patriot."
Haring eagerly gave the assurance. He would have given assurance of
Banneker's head on a salver to be rid of these persecuting autocrats.
They withdrew, leaving behind an atmosphere of threat and disaster,
dark, inglorious clouds of which Haring trailed behind him when he
entered the office of the owner with his countenance of woe. His
postulate was that Mr.
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