She laid before him all she knew of the affair of the fire-extinguishers, of the horror of the threatened legal attack on Miss Sally, and the disgrace that would overwhelm her should T.J.Jones publish an article mentioning her name.
Eliph' Hewlitt must prevent the publication of the article; he must save Miss Sally.
The book agent was willing.

As the appeal was spoken his eyes brightened and the book agent instinct--the instinct that knows no defeat, but will talk a book into any man's library, or die in the attempt--flowed full and free through his soul.

Mrs.Smith saw him take fire, and she ventured the question she had been leading up to.
"Now, Mr.Hewlitt," she said, "I have sent for Mr.Jones, and I will do what I can to persuade him not to publish the article.

I depend on you to do what you can in that, too, but I am going to trespass on your good nature in another thing also.

It is something I know Miss Sally would never allow me to ask, and I myself would not ask it but that I happen to be waiting for a check from my publisher, and am quite out of funds at the moment.