, 1903-06-24
H CLICK T.
In THE HALL
lOriginai.1

-.
fiattering offer to go to ItalN to In
struct a corps of operators forsa new
line then building. From Italy 1 was
called to Sicily ON similar business.
where | remained several months.
One day a ship came in from Amer1-
ca with passengers who were mostly
pleasure or health seekers, among
them an American gentleman, Mr.. Els
ten and his daughter Alice. Alice Es-
ten was in delicate health, and this
was the reason for their making the
trip. MI. Hsteh llwak wehlthy' and spent
his money lavishiy. He took the best
rooms in the hote@, and rhad all the
| servants at his b4ek. each striving to.
win the coins be kept In his pocket to
secure their attention. I made his ac-
| quaintance one evening ami when he
learned that rfwas a itelegrapher he,
told me that he had been an operator
himself; had secured an interest In a
telegraph line WHICH had afterward
| been sold out to a combination for 50
much money that his share had made
him rich.
He was very unwiSe In not conceal
Ing his wealth, for the Sicilian brigands
are. noted for kidnapping rich people
and holding them for ransom. They
soon spotted Mr.. Esten and one day
when he was climbing an ascent back
of the hotel alone took him in charge.
When he did not, return for dinner a
search was made, and he was not to
be found within q distance of a dozen
miles. Then it vas determined that
he had fallen into the hands of brig
ands.
The landlord commissioned me to
break the news to Alice Esten, and
/ confess / found It a difficult mat
ter. She cast her large blue eyes, full
of tears and pleading. at me and beg
ged me to save her father from being
murdered. 1t was impossible to avoid
seeming to acquiesce, and l told her
that 1 would start at once in search
of him. l was to go into the anterior
on business, but l had not the 'faintest
expectation of being of any service to
Mr. Estep, Indeed, his. case was in
his own hands. Probably at, first he
might not defer to the demands Of his
captors, but after awhile. with death
staring him in the face, he would be
obliged to yield. .
=, l did not forget either the father or
daughter and tried to get wind of the
former. l opened telegraph offices
and often in communicating with the
coast asked if any news had come
from the captive. A reply finally came
that it was reported that the demands
of the bandits, who thought he was
fabulously rich, were so enormous that
he could not pay them. At least this
was the assumption from what the
bandits had permitted to be lE5tt,s r. /
worked across the island, then back
again. One night 1 stopped at a sta
ton in the mountains where there was
only one building In which a stranger
could be accommodated, but its owner
and the people I saw about the place
were SO %villianous looking that l
feared to stay there. However, there
was no choice, and, leaving what
money l possessed at the station, l
took up my quarters in this uninviting
abode.
The head of my bed was against a
wall, and before going to sleep l heard
what at first I took to be q mouse's
gnawing, though the wall was of stone
and mice do not try to work their way
through masonry. My surroundings
were SO disagreeable that did not
get to sleep easily, and this continued
click in the wall did not add to my
ability to do so. Finally it occurred
to me that there was, to speak para
logically, al irregular regularity about
the clicks. Besides, they would stop
and be resumed at intervals which
were about equal They began to in
| terest me. After a silence, when they
| were resumed again 1 listened atten-
lively. Almost any telegrapher from
| force of habit will attempt to find let
| tiers in such sounds, and I eon found
| myself trying to do so. What was
my establishment the moment l began
to read:
"Any one procuring his release"
| With a beating heart l waited for the
| tapping which ended with the word
release to recommence When it did
1 followed the words.
"An American gentleman is impris-
oned here by bandits. He will give a
large sum to any n procuring his re-
lease"
The moment the message was fin
ished / sprang out of bed, took a large
knife from my trousers pocket and
with the handle telegraphed on the
wall:
"Are you Mr.. EstenY'
Eyes. Thank God for the question:"
81 am the operator you met at the
hotel"
1t was determined between US that
we should wait till morning, when l
would telegraph for a force to come
up and release him. We chatted half
the night, however, and I didn't sleep
a wink. He had been sending his mes
sages at intervals eve since he had