"It looks so, of course," Tom admitted. "But why did you give
Ripley such a boost? He's no friend of yours, or ours."

"Newspapers are published for the purpose of giving information,"
Dick explained. "If a newspaper's writers all wrote just to please
themselves and their friends, how many people do you suppose would
buy the daily papers? Fred Ripley is the most prominent box candidate
we have. He towers away over the rest of us. That was why I
so stated it in 'The Blade.'"

"And I guess that's the only right way to do things when you're
writing for the papers," agreed Darrin.

"It's a pity you can't print some other things about Ripley that
you know to be true," grumbled Hazelton.

"True," agreed Dick, thoughtfully. "I'm only a green, amateur
reporter, but I've already learned that a reporter soon knows
more than he can print."

Prescott was thinking of the meeting he had witnessed, the night
before, between Fred and Tip.

After sleeping on the question for the night, Dick had decided
that he would say nothing of the matter, for the present, either
to the elder or the younger Ripley.

"If Fred found out that I knew all about it, he'd be sure that
I was biding my time," was what Dick had concluded. "He'd be
sure that I was only waiting for the best chance to expose him.