The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-16
JENNIE BAXTER: JOURNALIST
VH.-The Wizard in His Magic Attic.
copyright. 1899. by the Author.I

aAAA NA1 - - I0%N
mo. I did not see him. but / talked with
him over the telephone. 1 wish you could
have heard our conversations; 1t was the
funniest interview / ever took part in. Two
or three times i had to shut off the instru-
ment. fearing the director would hear me
laugh. / am afraid that before this bust
ness is ended you will be sorry l am a guest
at your house. 1 know l shall end by get
ting myself into an Austrian prison. Just
think of II, Here have / been holding up
the chief of police in this imperial city as
IL / were a wild western brigand. i have
been terrorizing the man. browbeating him.
threatening him. and he the person who has
the liberty of all Vienna in his hands. who
can have me dragged of 10 a dungeon cell
any time he likes TO give the order"
mot from the palace Steinheimer," said
the princess. with decision.
well, he might hesitate about that; yet.
nevertheless, II Is too funny to think that
a mere newspaper woman. coming into a
city which contains only one or two of her
friends, should dare to talk TO the chief OF
police as / have done to-night and force him
actually to beg that 1 shall remain in the
city and continue to assist him."
Tell me what you said?" asked the prin-
cess eagerly. and Jennie related all that
ndQ pdSSeu D6LWeeH lncm over the lSlc-
phone.
And do you mean to tell me that you
are going to give that man the right to use
all the information you have acquired, and
allow him to accept complacently all the
kudos that such a discovery entities
you to-"
why, certainly replied Jennie. What
good is the kudos to me? All the credit 1
desire I get in the Office of The Daily Bugle
In London"
But. you silly girl. holding such a secret
as you held. you could have made your for
tune" insisted the practical princess. for
the principles which had been instilied into
her during a youth spent in Chicago had not
been eradicated by her residence in Vienna.
eff you had gone to the government and
said. How much will you give me II 1 re-
store to you the missing gold?' just imagine
what their answer would be-"
Eyes. l suppose there was money in the
scheme IL II had been really a secret. But
you forget that tomorrow morning the
chief of police would have known as much
as he knows tonight. OF course, If 1 had
gone alone TO the treasury vault and kept
my discovery to myself. 1 might. perhaps,
have held up the government of Austria
Hungary as successfully as 1 held up the
0@@4C OA POAANC o0N ~ ~ uiICC-
tor watching everything 1 did, and going
with me to the chemist, there was no pos
sibility of keeping the matter a secret"
We'll. Jennie, all / can say Is that you
are a very foolish girl. Here you are,
working hard. as you said In one of your
letters, merely TO make a living, and now,
with the greatest nonchalance, you allow a
fortune TO slip through you fingers. Now, 1
am simply not going to allow this. / shall
tell my husband all that has happened, and
ne shall make the government treat you hon.
estly. IL not generously. / assure you, Jen-
ME. that Lord Domaine, / won't mention
his name. since you protest so strenuously-
but the future young man, whoever he is.
will not think the less of you because you
come to him with a handsome dowry. But
here we are, at home. and 1 won't say an
other word on the subject IL 1t annoys you"
When Jennie reached her delightful apart
ments-which looked even more luxuriantly
comfortable. bathed in the soft light that
now flooded them from quiet-tored shaded
lamps. than they did in the more garish
light of the day-she walked up and down
her sitting room in deep meditation. She
was in a quandary. Whether or not to risk
sending a coded telegram to her paper was
the question that presented itself to her.
II she were sure that no one else would
learn the news she would prefer to wait until
she had further particulars of the treasury
catastrophe. A good deal would depend on
whether the director Of police took any one
into his confidence that night or not. If he
did not, then he would be aware that only
he and the girl possessed that important
piece OF news. II a full account OF the dis
covery appeared In the next mornings Daily
Bugle. then, when that paper arrived
In Vienna, OF even before, II a synopsis were
telegraphed to the government, as It was
morally certain to be, the director would
known at once hat she was the correspond
ent Of the newspaper whom he was so
anxious to brighten out of Vienna. Or the
other hand. her friendship with the Prin-
cess Won Steinheimer gave her such influence
with the chiefs superior that after the les
son she had taught him he might hesitate
to make any move against her. Then,
again, the news that tonight belonged to
two persons might on the morrow come to
the knowledge OF all the correspondents in
vienna, and her efforts. as far as the Bugle
was concerned. would have been In vain.
This consideration decided the girl, and.
casting OF all signs of hesitation, she sat
down at her writing table and began the
first chapter Of the solution Of the Vienna
mystery. Her opening sentence was ex-
ceedingly diplomatic. 1.-The chief of police
Of Vienna has made a most startling dis
covery." Beginning thus, she went on to
details Of the discovery she had that day
made. When her account was finished and
codified she went down to her hostess and
said:
Princess. I want a trustworthy man.
who will take a long telegram TO the central
telegraph office, pay for 1t, and come away
quickly before anyone can ask him incon-
venient questions"
Would it not be better to call a dienst-
manner"
"A dienstmanner? That is your commits
~sionnaire or telegraph messenger? No. /
think not. They are all numbered and can
be traced"
"Oh, 1 KNOW cried the princess. II will
send our coachman. He will be out OF his
livery now. and he is a most reliable man;
he Will not answer inconvenient questions
or any others, even If they are asked"
To her telegram for publication Jennie
had added a private dispatch to the editor
that 1t would be rather inconvenient for her
II he published the account next morning
but she left the decision entirely with him.
Here was the news. and II he thought it
worth the risk he might hold 1t over; il not.
he was TO print it regardless of conse-
Quences.
As a matter of fact the aditor With faar