"Gardner, his name is. A nice sort of fellow. I showed him some nonsense
that I wrote about the wreck."

"You? What kind of nonsense?"

"Oh, just how it struck me, and the queer things people said and did. He
took it with him. Said it might give him some ideas."

"One might suppose it would. Did it?"

"Why, he didn't use it. Not that way. He sent it to the New York Sphere
for what he calls a 'Sunday special,' and what do you think! They
accepted it. He had a wire."

"As Gardner's?"

"Oh, no. As the impressions of an eye-witness. What's more, they'll pay
for it and he's to send me the check."

"Then, in spite of a casual way of handling other people's ideas, Mr.
Gardner apparently means to be honest."

"It's more than square of him. I gave him the stuff to use as he wanted
to. He could just as well have collected for it. Probably he touched it
up, anyway."

"The Goths and Vandals usually did 'touch up' whatever they acquired, I
believe. Hasn't he sent you a copy?"