The Delta independent., 1896-07-29


thrown a huge fur
oyercoat on the
back of one chair,
w. while he sat down
himself on an
other. 81 got your telegram" began the
editor. Am l to understand from it
that you have failed?"
"Yes, sir" replied the young man,
without the slightest hesitation.
"Completely?"
utterly"
Didn't you even get q synopsis OF
the documents?"
mot a hanged synop."
The EDITORS frown grew deeper. The
.nds of his fingers drummed nervously
IN the desk.
"You take failure rather jauntily, il
strikes me-" he said, at last.
"What's the use of taking it any other
way? have the consciousness Of know
ing that I did my best"
"Um, yes. It's great consolation, no
doubt, but it doesn't count in the news
paper business. What did you do"
81 received your telegram at Montreal
and at once left for Burnt Pine-most
outlandish spot on earth. / found that
Kenyon and Wentworth were staying
at the only hotel in the place. Tried to
worm out of them what their reports
were to be. They were very polite. but
1 didn't succeed. Then tried to bribe
them, and they ordered me out Of the
ROOM"
"Perhaps you didn't offer them
enough"
II offered them double what the Lon
don syndicate was TO pay them for max
ing the report, taking their own word
for the amount. I Icouldn't offer more,
because at that point they closed the
discussion by ordering me out Of the
room. 1 tried to get the reports that
Aight, on the quiet, out of Wentworth's
vaIise, but was unfortunately inter
gupted. The young men were sus-
picious, and next morning they left for
Ottawa to post the reports. as I gath
cred afterward, to England. 1 sue
ceeded in getting hold Of the reports.
but couldn't hang on. There are too
nnny police in Ottawa to suit me-"
do you mean 10 tell me-" said the
editor, "that you actually had the re-
ports in your hands and that they were
taken from you?"
Certainly 1 had; and, as to their be-
ing taken from me. It was either that or
jail. They don't mince matters in Can
ada, ns they do in the United States.
you know"
"But should think man Of your
shrewdness would have been able to get
at least q synopsis of the reports be-
fore letting them out of your posses
sion."
my dear SIR" said the reporter,
rather angry, ''the whole thing covered
I forget how many pages of foolscap
paper, and was the most mixed-up mat
ter I ever saw in my life. I tried
sat in my room at the hotel, and did my
best to master the details. 1t was full
Of technicalities, and / couldn't make
it out. II required o mining expert to
get the hang of their phrases and fig
ures, so 1 thought the best thing TO do
was to telegraph It all straight
through to New York. knew IL would
cost lot of money. but I knew, also,
YOU didn't mind that; and thought
perhaps somebody here could make
sense Of what bafi1ed me; besides, 1
wanted to get the documents out Of my
possession just as quickly as possible"
"Hem," said the editor. "You took no
notes whatever"
NO, 1 did not. ! had no time. /
knew the moment they missed the docu-
ments they would have the detectives
on my track. As it was, was arrested
when entered the telegraph Office"
well, il seems to me- said the man
aging editor, .'if had once had the
papers in my hand I should not have let
them go until had got the gist Of what
was in them"
~Oh, it's all very well for you to say
co. replied the reporter, with the free
and easy manner which exists between
American Newspaper men and their en-
ployers, but I can tell you, with n
Canadian Jail facing a man, it is hard
to decide what is best to do. I couldn't
get out Of the town for three hours.
and before the end of that time they
would have had my description in the
hands Of every policeman in the place.
They knew well enough who IL was
that took the papers, 30 my only hope
lay in getting the thing telegraphed
through. and IL that had been accom-
plished everything would have been all
right. would have gone TO Jail with
pleasure il / had got the particulars
through to New York"
swell. what are We todo now r asked
the editor.
"rm sure dent know. The two men
will be in New York very shortly. They
sail. understaDd, on the Coloric. which
leaves in q week. Ifyou think you have
. reporter who can get the particulars
cut Of these men. I should be very