Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-03-28

OF the Daily Argus, an expose which
should make plain the immense pos
sibilities for corruption opened up by
| the proposed law; journalistic salvo
of publicity to be fired as last re-
sort.
The measure as amended had
passed the senate without debate,
and had gone back to the house. Here,
after the second reading, and in the
very hour when the Argus editorial
was getting itself cast in the limo
types, there was hitch. The mem
Der from the Rio Blanco, favoring the
measure in all its parts, and fearful
only lest corporation gold might find
a technical flaw in it, moved that it
be referred to the committee on ju-
dietary for report on its constitution
atty; and, accordingly, to the COM
mittee on judiciary it had gone.
Kent recalled the passing of the
crisis, remembering how he had has
tened to telephone the Argus editor
to kill the expose at the last moment.
The incident was now a month in the
past, and the committee had not yet
reported; would never report, Kent
imagined. He knew the personnel
of the committee on judiciary; knew
that at least three members of it were
down on the list, made up at the be-
ginning of the session by his col
leagues in the army of observation, as
''approachables." Also, he knew by
inference at least, that these three
men had been approached, not with
out success, and that House Bill
Twenty-Five, with its fee-gathering
amendment was safely shelved
tits an ill-smelling muck-heap." he
frowned, recalling the incidents of
the crisis at the suggestion let fall
by the two outgoing lobbyists "And so
much of this dog-watch as isn't sick
eningly demoralizing is deadly dull,
as Crenshawe puts it. If 1 had any
where to go, I'd cut the galleries for
tonight
He was returning the newspaper to
his pocket when it occurred to him
that his object in buying it had been
to note the stock quotations; daily
duty which, for Elinor's sake, he had
never omitted. Whereupon he re-
opened it and ran his eye down the
lists. There was a decided upward
tendency in westerns. Overland Short
Line had gained two points; and
Western Pacific
He held the paper under the near
est electric globe to make sure:
Western Pacific, preferred, was quoted
at 581s, which was one point and a
half above the Brentwood purchase
price.
One minute later an excited life
saver was shut in the box of the pub
lie telephone, gritting his teeth at
the inanity of the central operator
who insisted on giving him "A-1224"
instead of "A-1234," the Hotel We'll
lington.
mo, no! Can't you understand? I
want -thirty-four; one, two,
three. four; the Hotel wellington"
There was more skirling of bells,
another nerve-trying wait, and at last
the clerk of the hotel answered
What name did you say? Oh, it's
you, is it, Mr.. Kent? Ormsby? Mr..
Brookes Ormsby? No, he ism here;
he went out about two minutes ago.
What's that you say? Damn? Well,
I'm sorry, too. No message that l can
take? All right Good-by."
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 cross-Questioning
the clerk face to face in the lobby of
the Wellington. There was little more
to be learned aboht Ormsby. The club
man had left his key and gone out.
He was in evening dress, and had ia
ken cab at the hotel entrance.
Kent dashed across to his rooms
| and, in feverish race against time.
| made himself fit to chase a man in
evening dress. There was no car in
| sight when he came down, and he.
| too, took cab with an explosive order
| to the driver: "124 TETON avenue, and
| be quick about it,"
1t was the housemaid that answered
the rug at the door of the Brentwood
apartment. She was a 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 pee dat yen
| 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
figurative coin, and gave the order for
Alameda Square. The reception was
perhaps the least unlikely place of the
dozen.
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
| pitable hinges at all hours. Lor-
ing had known her in Wash
| in0t0n and ho bod ctood cpopcor for