Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-09-27


Cue minute later "a ox4dtod life.
SAVIOR was shut 81 tho box 1T the pub:
lie teleph phone. Grit ting his teeth &. /
the inanity Of the central operate,
who insisted ION giving him !. A-1224ss
instead Of Al 234,""' the. Hotel & Well.
-
No, no! Can't you understand? I
want twclve-thirty-four: one, two,
three, four: the Hotel wellington. z n.
There was more skirline az bells.
another nelrve-trying wait. and It last
the clerk Sc the hotel answered. $3.50
& ..yvhat mama did vo, .avo ~ IL.
YOU. is Il. Mr.. Kent? Ormabv, J. NJ.
Brookes Ormsby?? No, he isn't here:
he. went out about two minutes ago,
What's that you say? Damn. Well,
I'm sorry, too. No message that / can
take? All right. Good-by.' %=ss .5
This was the beginning. For the
middle part Kent burst out of the tel
ephone box and took the nearest
shortcut through the capitol grounds
for the street-car corner. AT a quar-
ter OF nine he was zcross-questioning
the clerk face to face in the lobby Of
the Wellington. There was little more
to be learned about Ormsby. The club
man had left his key and gone out.
He was in evening dress, and had Ia
ken a cab at the hotel entrance.
Kent dashed across tn his rooms
and, in feverish race against time.
made himself fit to- chase man in
evening dress. There was no car in
sight when he came down, and he,
too, took a cab with an explosive order
to the driver: -"124 TETON avenue, and
be quick about it," y.
1t was the housemaid that answered
the ring at the door Of the Brentwood
apartment. She was Swede, a re-
cent Importation; hence Kent learned
nothing beyond the bare fact that the
ladies had gone out. with Mr.. Orms-
by?' he asked.
"Yaas: Aye tank It will nee dat ven
tlemans."
The pursuer took, the road again.
rather unhopefully. There was a
dozen places where Ormsby might
have taken his charges. Among them
there was the legislative reception at
Portia Van Brooks. Kent tipped a
t1gurative coin, and gave the order for
Alameda Square. The reception was
perhaps the least unlikely place of the
dozen. 49,
He was no more than fashionably
late at the Van Brock house. and for
tunately he was able to reckon him
self among the chosen few for whom
Miss Portals door swung on hos
nitable hinges at all hours Ior-
ing had known her in WASH
ington, and he had stood sponsor for
Kent In the first week of the exiis's
residence at the capital. thereafter
she mad taken Kent up on his own &C.
count ana by now ne: was deep In
her debt. For one thing, she had set
the fashion. in the matter OF legisla-
tive receptions--her detractors, know
ing nothing whatever about it, limited
that she had been an amateur social
lobbyist in washington, playing the
game Tor the pure zests OF 1t-and at
these functions : Kent had learned many
things pertinent to his purpose as
Watchdog for the railroad company
and legal advisor to his schiet--things
not named openly; on the hoor OF the
mouse OF the senate cnamoer' 4
Ihere was crush IN the ample
mansion N Alameda square, as tnere
always was at Miss Van Brooks open
evenings ana Wnen -: kent came down
from the cloak-room ne mad TO inch
MS way Dy nttles through the
CROWDED receptlon-parlors IN the search
1or the brentwood party 1t was un'
sfit9 3f Sknrh Af Rh n7ana ans
another Of Penelone indmctinp IN IN.
country LEGISLATOR into the mysteries
Of social sma11-t,l,r he hrea+hed fraar.
His hanhazard ruasa nod ~ ~.
mark, and the finding of Ormsbv wa.
now only, A. question If moments
1T was Miss Van Brock, herself. who
told him where to look for the club.
man-though not at his first asking
Loring had told him Miss Va,
Brooks story. She was southern, born
the only child of a somewhat ill-con.
sidered match between a young Cali.
fornia lawyer, wire-pulling in the ma.
tional capital in the interest of tn.
Central Pacific railroad. and a yir
einia belle tasting the delights IF no,
first winter in washington
Later tho vounr 1owvor,s st .,t,,. =, =,
h;s .r,n1o--o~e 10 go. -