Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER HI THAT fellow, that impertinent beggar who had taken a joke in earnest! Gone to Bannister and bought a newspaper! But why was he turning his cannon upon Dunleigh Mansfield? If he wanted Betty, why attack the father in this manner? The infernal blackguard! Mansfield picked up a cigarette. It would spoil his dinner, but the sudden craving for tobacco would not be denied. Of course he had purchased the invention outright, at an absurd figure. That was merely good business. If the inventor hadn't the brains and foresight to guard himself, that was none of Dunleigh Mansfield's affair. After a certain number of years, if the production reached a certain height, the inventor was to receive royalty. If a "certain height" had signified a computation beyond the possibilities of production, why hadn't the inventor looked into the facts and registered a protest? A perfectly legal business deal; the moral side of it was negligible. It just happened to be one of those newspaper sensations for which the American public clamoured. Spite, probably. The young fool had suddenly realized that Betty was as farout of his reach as the stars, and had now embarked upon a campaign of spite. But for all that, the madman had gone to Bannister; and madmen who accomplished things were dangerous. Of all the insane projects! But there occurred to Mansfield that there was a sinister phase to the affair. The young anarchist must be suppressed before he made any headway. He must find out how long the fool had been in Bannister and what success he was making of the sheet. Actually gone to Bannister to become a force! Very good. Mansfield knew all about editors and newspapers. He had eliminated more than one editor from the affairs of Bannister. Another was now due to follow his predecessors. An ana...