Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-10-18

wires IN plain English. There was q
little-used cipher code in his desk pro-
vided for just such. emergencies, and
back he went to labor. sweating over
the task Of securing secrecy at the ex-
pense Of the precious minutes Of time.
Wherefore, it was about four O'Clock
when he handed the telegram to the
station operator. and adjured him by
all that was good and great not to de-
lay It's sending. NJ ,: 4. +.
1t was just here he made his first
and only slip, since ho did not stay
to see the thing done. It CHANGED that
the regular day operator was of on
leave OF absence, and his substitute, a
young man from tho train dispatcher's
Office. was a person who considered
the company wires an exclusive APP
panage of the train service depart
ment. At the moment of Hunnicott' s
assault he was taking an order for
No. II, and observing that the lawyers
cipher rush covered four closely
written pages, he hung it upon the
sending hook with a malediction on
the legal department for burdening
the wires with its mail correspondence,
and so forgot 1t.
1t was nine O'Clock when the night
operator came on duty; and being q
careful man, he not only looked first
to his sending hook, but was thought
full enough to run over the accumula-
ton Of messages waiting to be trans
mitted, to the end that he might give
precedence to the most important.
And when he came to Hunnicott's
cipher with the thrice-underlined
rush" written across its face, and
had marked the hour Of its handing
in, he had the good sense to hang up
the entire wire business of the railroad
until the thing was safely out of his
Office. "a
1t was half-past nine when the all
important cipher got itself written out
in the headquarters Office at the cap
ital; and for two anxious hours the
receiving operator: tried by all means
in his power to fiud the general coun-
sel-tried and failed. For, to make the
chain of mishaps complete in all its
links, Kent and Loring we're spending
the evening at Miss Portia Van
Brooks, having been hidden to meet a
man they were both willing to culti-
vate-Oliver Msrston, the lieutenant
governor. And for this cause it want
ed but FIVE minutes of midnight when
Kent burst into Lorins's bedroom on
the third floor Of the Clarendon, ca
tastrophic news in hand.
For heavens sake, read that!" he
sasped; and Lorins sat on the edge Of
the bed to do it. :..'
$50! they've sprung their mine at
last" he said, quietly, when he had
mastered the purport Of Hunnicott's
war news. -
Kent had caught his second wind in
the moment CT respite, and was set
Ting into the collar in way to strain
the working harness to the breaking
point. r.
Its put-up job from away back"
he gritted. IF I'd had the sense of a
pack-mule I should have been on the
lookout for just such trap as this.
Look at the date of that message!"
The general manager did look, and
shook his head. Received, 3:45 p.
m; forwarded, 9:17 p. M That will
cost somebody his job. What do we
do?"
I'VE get busy at the drop of the hat.
Luckily, We have the news, though
I'll bet high it wasn't Hawks fault
that this message came through with
no more than eight hours delay. Get
into your clothes, man! The minutes
are precious, now!' $3.50. .--@..
Loring began to dress while Kent
walked the floor in hot fit Of impa-
thence.
'The mastodonic cheek of the
thing!" he kept repeating, until Lor-
ing pulled him down with another
quiet remark. 's>r =
"Tell me what We have to do, David.
l am little lame in law matters"
do? We have to appear in Judge
MacFarlanes court tomorrow after
noon prepared to show that this thing
is only hold-up with q blank car
fridge. Hawk meant to take snap
judgment. He counted on throwing
the whole thing up against Hunni-
colt, knowing perfectly we'll that lit
tie local attorney at way-statiOn
couldn't begin to secure the necessary
affldavits. 49,. 49,. ;.s~z,-
Loring paused with one end Of his
collar flying loose.
Let me understand" he said. DO
we have to disproye these charges by
amdavits - z~4#s IL <<425: %
Certainly; that is the proper re-
joinder-the only one, in fact, said
Kent; then, as great doubt laid hold
of him and shook him: "You don't
mean to say there is any doubt about
our ability to do it?''
"Oh, no; suppose not, If it comes
to a showdown, But was thinking
of your man Hunnicott. Doesn't 1t
occur to you that he is in just about
as good fix to secure those affidavits
in Castor as we are here, David?'
"GOod Lord! Do you mean that we
have to send to Boston for our ammu-
nition?" B @.S.s $=. &. !.
Haven't we? Don't you see how
nicely the thing is timed? Ten days
later our transwestern reorganization
would be complete, and we could swear
our own officers on the spot. These
people know what they are about"
Kent was walking the floor again,
but now the strength of the man was
coming uppermost. #.=s% s sz E. /.
Never mind: we'll wire Boston,
and then we'll do what we can here.
Could you get me to CASTOR on q spe-
cial engine III three hours? 2. .::. u
Yes, s= Y. > " 5 =. IS :ss# e