Mr. Reefer proceeded to tell her , and Patty 's pencil flew as she scribbled down his terse , pithy sentences . She found herself asking questions too , and enjoying it . For the first time , Patty thought she might rather like politics if she understood them -- and they did not seem so hard to understand when a man like Mr. Reefer explained them . For half an hour he talked to her , and at the end of that time Patty was in full possession of his opinion on the famous railroad bill in all its aspects . `` There now , I 'm talked out , '' said Mr. Reefer . `` You can tell your news editor that you know as much about the railroad bill as Andrew Reefer knows . I hope you 'll succeed in pleasing him , and that your brother will get the position he wants . But he should n't have missed that train . You tell him that . Boys with important things to do must n't miss trains . Perhaps it 's just as well he did in this case though , but tell him not to let it happen again . '' Patty went straight home , wrote up her interview in ship-shape form , and took it down to the Chronicle office . There she found Mr. Harmer , scowling blackly . The little news editor looked to be in a rather bad temper , but he nodded not unkindly to Patty . Mr. Harmer knew the Baxters well and liked them , although he would have sacrificed them all without a qualm for a `` scoop . '' `` Good evening , Patty . Take a chair . That brother of yours has n't turned up yet . The next time I give him an assignment , he 'll manage to be on hand in time to do it . '' `` Oh , '' cried Patty breathlessly , `` please , Mr. Harmer , I have the interview here .
I thought perhaps I could do it XXXXX Clifford 's place , and I went out to Mr. Reid 's and saw Mr. Reefer .
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