"They say that I--"
He proceeded to explain the misstatement, as Ingolby studied the paper
carefully, for Rockwell was a man worth any amount of friendship.
"It's a lie, of course," Ingolby said firmly as he finished the
paragraph. "Well?"
"Well, I've got to deal with it."
"You mean you're going to deny it in the papers?"
"Exactly."
"I wouldn't, Rockwell."
"You wouldn't?"
"No. You never can really overtake a newspaper lie. Lots of the people
who read the lie don't see the denial. Your truth doesn't overtake the
lie--it's a scarlet runner."
"I don't see that. When you're lied about, when a lie like that--"
"You can't overtake it, Boss. It's no use. It's sensational, it runs
too fast. Truth's slow-footed. When a newspaper tells a lie about you,
don't try to overtake it, tell another."
He blinked with quizzical good-humour. Rockwell could not resist the
audacity. "I don't believe you'd do it just the same," he retorted
decisively, and laughing.
"I don't try the overtaking anyhow; I get something spectacular in my own
favour to counteract the newspaper lie."
"In what way?"
"For instance, if they said I couldn't ride a moke at a village
steeplechase, I'd at once publish the fact that, with a jack-knife, I'd
killed two pumas that were after me.
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