Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-01-24

AAo'AA6 illus ~SOWA IuC SUldlA .SceU VI
suspicion, which; by: the by, fell on bar
rem soil, Kent lost no time in calling
up M'Tosh over the nearest telephone.
do our agents on the Western Di-
vision handle Western Union bust
| ness?" he asked.
The reply came promptly.
eyes; locally. The W.-U. has an in
dependent line to Breezeland Inn and
points beyond"
"Well, our right-of-way man has
just sent a telegram to all agents,
signing Halkett's name. I don't know
what he said in it, but you can figure
that out for yourself"
"You bet cant" was the emphatic
rejoinder. And then: Where are
you now?'
"I'm at the Clarendon public phone,
but I am going over to the Argus of.
fee. I'll let you know when I leave
there. Good-by"
When Kent reached the night
editors den on the third floor of the
Argus building he found Hildreth i'm
mersed chin-deep in sea of work.
But he quickly extricated himself and
cleared chair for his visitor.
Praise be-" he calculated. II was
beginning to get anxious. Large
things are happening, and you didn't
turn up. I've had Manville wiring all
over town for you"
What are some of the large
things?' asked Kent, lighting his first
cigar since dinner.
well, for one: do you know that
your people are on the verge of the
much-talked-of striker"
"Yes; I knew it this morning. That
was what wanted you to suppress in
the evening edition."
II suppressed it all right; I didn't
know it-day and date, I mean. They
kept it beautifully quiet. But that
isn't all. Something is happening at
the capitol. I was over at the club
| a little while ago, and Hendricks was
there. Somebody sent in note, and
| he positively ran to get out. When l
| came back, sent Rogers over to
Cassatti's to see if he could find you.
There was junto dinner confab on;
Meigs, Senator Crowley, three or four
| OF the ring aldermen and half dozen
wa-ward politicians. Rogers has a
nose for news, and when he had
'phoned me you weren't there, he hung
around on the edges"
| "Good men you have, Hildreth.
| What did the unimpeachable Rogers
see?"
''He saw on large scale just what
l had seen on a small one; somebody
pup-passed note in, and when it had
gone the round Of the dinner-table
those fellows tumbled over each other
trying to get away"
! rs that al? ?" Kent inquired.
mo. Apart from his nose, Rogers
| is gifted with horse sense. When the
dinner crowd boarded an uptown car,
our man paid fare to the same con-
ductor. He wired me from the Hotel
Brunswick few minutes ago. There
is some sort of caucus going on in
Hendricks Office in the capitol, and
mum-messengers are flying in all di-
rections."
"And you wanted me to come and
tell you all the why's and wherefores?'
Kent suggested.
II told the chief I'd bet bub-blind
horse to broken-down mule you
could do it if anybody could
"All right; listen: something worse
than an hour ago the governor, his pri-
vate secretary, Guilford, Hawk and
Halkett started out on a special train
to go to Gaston.''
What for?" interrupted the editor.
ITO meet Judge MacFarlane, Mr..
Semple Falkland, and the Overland Of
ficials. You can guess what was to be
done?"
'Sure. Your railroad waste be sold
out, lock, stock and barrel; or leased
to the Overland for SO years-which
amounts to the same thing"
Precisely. Well, by some unac-
countable mishap the receivers spe-
cial was switched over to the Western
Division at yard limits, and the engi-
neer seems to think he has orders to
proceed westward. At all events, that
is what he is doing. And the funny
part Of it is that he can't stop to find
out his blunder. The fast mail is right
behind him, with the receivers order
to smash anything that gets in it's way;
SO you see"
"That will do" said the night editor.
1--WE don't print fairy stories in the
Argus
"None the less, you are going to
print this one tomorrow morning, just
as I'm telling it to you," Kent asserted,
confidently. "And when you get the
epilogue you will say that it makes my
little preface wearisome by contrast
The light was slowly dawning in tina
editorial mind.
my heaven!" he exclaimed. Kent,
you're good for 20 years, at the very
lul-least!" ** - "
I "Am I? It occurs to me that tho
prosecuting attorney in the case will
have a hard time proving anything.
Doesn't it look that way to you? At
the worst, it is only an unhappy mis-
l&und nding OF orders. And if ths
end should happen to justify the
means = If. "a: III
Hildreth shook his head gravely, s M:
ITo Bs Continued. :$ .s=.