Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-05

luck, and so the people in the house
wouldn't fel neglected while l was gone, I
stuck a match in the electric bell, so that
1t would keep on ringing all the time,
wen, got the whole story Of the suicide
from the undertaken, but, of course. I
went back to have another look at the
mousse and see how things were going
mere. Ihey had llvened up a good deal.
Inc bell was still ringing away to beat
the band; three or four heads were stuck
out or dlfferent windows in the house, and
the owner of each of them was calling
down all kinds of wrath on the head of a
reporter from The -, who was stand
ing on the steps of the house looking as
beW.ldered as a man in a maze. l saw
1t was no place for me, and l sidled off
around the corner. I never heard how
the other fellow got out of it; l suppose he
mad to run away finally"
The lazy reporter. who had expressed
his satisfaction with the room and his dis
inclination to move, was at last stirred
to relate an experience of his own. II
haven't had to make many night calls Of
that kind he said, but had one last
winter that l shan't forget very soon. 1t
was one of the coolest nights we had,
with the thermometer about down to ze-
70. l was sent UP after midnight to get
an interview with Mr.. S, and you know
it's about impossible to get him to talk
Tor the papers at any time" The other
two nodded. after l had rung Vie bell a
few minutes, down he came to the door
himself in his paniamas. He had to step
out into the vestihule to unfasten the
storm door and. while he was doing that.
the INSIDE door slammed shut behind him.
by George! wasn't he mad at first! I
think he started in to give me an awful
calling down for coming, but he made an
effort, restrained himself and merely
begged me to keep on ringing the bell. so
that some one might be walked up to let
HIM in. You see. if he had got ugly
and abusive should lave just walked off
and left him. Then he would have had to
stand out side on the steps in his pa
jamas. with the temperature at zero. and
ring that bell. ] guess he realized that
himself, and GAINED down on account OF
it. AS ii was, we stood in the vesttbu,e,
and though his teeth We're chattering. he
told me all wanted to know. Every few
seconds or so I'd step outside and punch
the bell. At last a servant came down and
opened the door. Mr.. S. gave me a
rather grim Good night and dived inside.
] had never got an interview with him
before, and l have never able to do it
since, but l had him at a clear disad-
vantage that night and he yielded to the
circumstances as gracefully as he could"
Up to this point the third reporter had
not said anything. His companions al
most jumped, in fact. when he finally
opened his mouth. "You fellows" he said,
don't seem to have been welcomed where
you've gone at night. Now, listen to the
way 1 was treated when l was on the
same kind of an GRAND. Some promin-
ent woman had died suddenly abroad.
We wanted a good obituary notice of her.
and didn't have much material, so l was
sent up to the house of a young woman
we'll known in society, who was supposed
to be an intimate friend of hers, to get all
the information 1 could. 1t was nearly 2
O'Clock in the morning. and you bet l
didn't like my job. To make things worse
still it was pouring in torrents. My ring
ing brought the master Of the house to
! the door, and / told him my errand. He
seemed to be sorry for me instead Of an
cry.
"'Step in he sad, don't stand out
there in the rain. l don't know whether
my wife knows anything about the lady
or not, but I'll so and ask her
Il hated to go inside, dripping as l was,
but he insisted, so ! did. ] began to
, wonder whether he mighten't be ironical
in his politeness. Presently he came
downstairs again, and said that he was
sorry, but his wife didn't know anything
; about the case. l started to go, when he
said:
~ w AT q HllIult, YOU a"lullS WI,
come into the dining room and have a
drink of whiskey.'
Il looked at him hard, being sure that
he was rubbing it in on me then, but he
wasn't. Just hospitable: that's all. We
each took a drink, and then he asked me
two or three questions about my work.
Presently he said: Let's have another
drink and we did. Then we talked some
more ana had another, and, to the best OF