Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-09-13

feet Of me, and they must send help.
A short pause, as though my mes
sage occasioned some surprise, and
then came theresponse: "AN rigAtW
which assured me that l need not re-
peat. 5. easi D., rys,4 .-s[,
"Wal," growled the deep voice of
Lynch, are you going to send my
message?" ?" a. ,e;a.1, y.4,
81 haze sent it, sir" sss-
"What! Does all that ticking
mean what l told you ?" s-,s
eyes, and if you will wait fifteen
or twenty minutes you'll get an an
swer." -.~ -.: 81.
"Wal, l dunno as l want an an
swer. Jim, he'll understand it all
right" sa e-.,
"But I'll tell you soon whether. he
is there or not. Sit down."
So Lynch reluctantly took his
seat, looking around at the door and
windows once in while in an un-
easy way. | was determined to take
him now at any cost and l verify be-
lieve that l should have planted my
self in his path had he insisted upon
gong now. .....
Stick, tick, tick" the battery call
ed out, and l listened to the message.
"Keep cool. Gould has gone for the
police" Strange it was, wasn't it
that l should sit there and talk
through two hundred and fifty miles
of space with a man not half-a-mlle
from me.
"What's that slgnerfy ?" inquired
my companion as the ticking ceased;
and replied that the clerk in Cohoe
had just written off the message and
sent it out. He seemed satisfied, and
settled back in his chair, where he
sat in sullen silence, his jaw going up
and down, up and down as he chewed
his weed. sL
0, how slowly the minutes crept
! along? The suspense was terrible!
l sat and watched the minute hand
of the clock, and five minutes seemed
as many months. My companion
seemed nervous, too. He moved un-
easily in his chair.
"Ain't it bout time ye heard from
Jim ?" he asked at length.
"We shall get word from him in
a few moments now," answered, and
fell to watching the clock again.
Five minutes more passed. Lynch
got up and began pacing to and fro
across the room. Atlength he paus-
ed and said:
81 don't believe I'll wait any
longer. | have got to see man
down at the Pennsylvania House,
and he'll be abed eff 1 don't get thar
pretty soon." .>.
.."Hold on a moment, and I'll see
what they're up to-" I cried hastily,
and touching the key again. "Make
haste," was my message, ~ shall lose
him if you do not. Not moment to
spare" Straightway came the reply,
short but encouraging: I'd squad Of
police started for the depot .fve min-
utes ago." Thank heaven! They
ought to be here now. l looked at
Lynch and thought of the five hun
dred dollars.
"Wall, what's the word ?" he growl-
ed, impatiently.
"Your friend is coming" I answer
ed, for want of a better reply.
"Comin' Comm! Wharf,"
"Coming to the Office at Cohoe.
He probably has an answer for you."
can answer for me? Jim Fellers :?
What should her answer for?" Lynch
stood in stupid thought a moment,
then he looked at me with danger
ous light in his eye.
"Look a-here, young feller," he
cried. 'It's my private opinion you
are lynn to me. And eff you are"
here he uttered a horrible oath-"I'll
cut your skulkin' heart out. l don't
know anything bout thet thar ma
sheen, but l swar Jim Fellers haint
got nothin' to answer. More like
he'd git up and scatter when he
heered tibet message"
He stood glaring at me as he utter
ed these words, his hand on his re-
volver. l cannot account for it. As
before remarked, l am timid man
by nature. But this action made me
bolder. Everything depended on
keeping him few seconds longer. 1t
must be done at any cost. tried a