Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-04-17
The Crimson
BY Fred M. Ghde A//10

that he knew the hour to be midnight
Midnight meant the coming of the last
| day. fter sunrise, some greasy louns-
er, pregnant of cheap tobacco, would
| come in and assume that he represent
ed the sheriff. bills would be hung, like
hammers on the outward walls, and
| then
Bells, somewhere. Like the bells in
the valley where the vicarage used to
stand. Steel vaguely wondered who
now lived in the house where he was
born. He was staring, in the most alb
sent way. at his telephone. utterly un-
conscious of the shrill imratience of the
! little voice. He saw the quick pulsa-
| ton of the striker and he came back to
| earth again.
! Jefreries. of the Weekly Messenger. of
! course. Jefferies was fond of a late
! chat on the telephone
| Steel wondered. grimly. if Jefferies
| would lend him $1,000. He flung him
| self down in a deep lounge chair and
| placed the receiver to his ear. By the
| deep. hoarse clang of the wires, long
| distance message, s;ssuredly.
From London. evidently. Halloa,
London! Are you there?"
London responded that it was. A soft.
clear voice spoke at length.
lis that you. Mr.. Steel? Are you quite
alone? Under the circumstances, you
are not busy to-night?'
Steel started. He had never heard
the voice before. 1t was clear, and soft
and commanding, and yet there was
just suspicion of knocking irony in it.
Il am not very busy tonight" Steel
replied. who is speaking to meg"
That for the present We may not go
into,'' said the hooking voice. "As GER
tain old-fashioned contemporaries Of
yours would say, we meet as strang-
ers" Stranger yet, you are quite alone:"
Il am quite alone. Indeed, I am the
only one in the house."
Good! I have told the exchange peo-
pie not to ring off until have finished
with you. One advantage of telephon-
ing at this hour is that one is tolerably
free from interruption. So your moth
er is asleep? Have you told her what is
likely to happen to you before many
hours have elapsedo"
Steel made no reply for a moment.
He was restless and i'll al ease tonight,
and it seemed just possible that his i'm
agination was playing him strange
tricks. But no. The Moorish clock, in
it's frame of celebrities droned the guar
ter after -; the scent Of the Dijon roses
f1cated in from the conservatory.
Il have told nobody as YETI Steel
said, hoarsely. Who in the name of
Heaven are your
THAT in good time. But I did not
think you We're a coward"
mo man ever told me so-face to
face"
Good, again. I recognize the fight
ing ring in your voice. If you lack Ger
tain phases of moral courage, you are
man of pluck and resource. Now, some
body who is very dear to me is at pres
ent in Brighton, not very far from
your own house. She is in dire need of
assistance. We can be of mutual ad-
vantage to one another"
What do you mean by that?" Steel
whispered.
Let me put the matter on a business
footing. I want you to help my friend,
and in return I will help you. Bear in
mind that I am asking you to do moth
ing wrong. If you will promise me to
go to a certain address in Brighton to-
night, I promise that before you sleep
the sum of $1,000 in Bank of England
notes shall be in your possession
No reply came from Steel. He could
not have spoken at that moment for the
fee-simple of Golconda. He could only
hang. gasping to the telephone. Many
a strange, weird plot came and went i'll
that versatile brain, but never one more
wild than this. Apparently, no reply
was expected, for tine speaker resumed:
II am asking you to 90 no wrong.
You may naturally desire to know why
my friend does not come to you. That
must remain my secret Cur secret. We
are trusting you because we know you
to be a gentleman, but we have enemies
who are ever on the watch. All you
nave to do is to go to a certain place
and give certain woman information
you are thinking this is strange rnys-
terry. Never was anything stranger
dreant of in your philosophy. Are you
agreeable?"
The knocking zone died out of the
small. clear voice, until it was almost
pleading.
You have taken me at disadvant-
age said Steel "And you know
"Everything. am trying to save you
from ruin. Fortune has played you into
my hands. 1 am perfectly aware that
if you We're not on the verge of social
extinction, you would refuse my re
quest. 1t is in your hands to decide.
You know that Beckstein, your credit
or, is absolutely merciles5. He will get
his money back, and more besides. This
is his idea of business. Tomorrow you
will be an outcast-for the time, at any
rate. Your local creditors will be inso-
lent to you: people will pity you or
blame you, as their disposition lies On
the other hand, you have but to say the
word, and you are saved. You can go
and see the Brighton representative of
Beckstein's lawyers, and pay them in
paper OF the Bank OF England"
eff I was assured of your bona
fides," Steel murmDred.
A queer little laugh, laugh of tri-
umph, came over the wires.
II have anticipated that question.
Have you Greenwich time about YOU"
Steel responded that he had. 1t was
five and twenty minutes past IL. He
had quite ceased to wonder at any queS-
tons put to him now. 1t was all so like
one of his brilliant little extravaganzas.
You can hang up your receiver for
~, n,