Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1907-12-17

ter through the difficulty OF getting
the telegraph on Sunday? The office
here was closed The Unknown being
woman, ungallantly reflected
would have neglected to take so small
a circumstance into consideration, and
she might even now be besiegng the
telegraph Office in San Francisco in
vain effort to get word to Livermore.
On this thought l bestirred myself.
and after much trouble and speech
with the young man who combined in
his person the offices Of telegraph op-
orator, station master, ticket seller,
freight agent and baggage handler for
the place. He objected to opening the
office "out of office hours"
There might be inducements dis
covered that would make 1t worth
your while, | suppose?" l said iingling
some loose silver carelessly in my
pocket.
He smiled.
well. don't care if I do" he re-
| piled. Whatever you think is fair,
, of course"
1t was more than thought fair, but
the agent thawed into friendship at
once and expressed his readiness to
call San Francisco" till he got an an
swer if 1t took till dark.
might have saved my trouble and
my coin. San Francisco replied with
some emphasis that there was nothing
for me, and never had been, and who
was l, anyhow?
! There was nothing to be done
must possess my soul in patience in
| the belief that the Unknown knew
what she was about and that should
| get my orders in due time-prObaby
after nightfall, when darkness would
cover any necessary movement.
If the mission of to-day were pro
longed into the morrow, what was
to become OF the Omega deal, and
where would Doddridge Knapp's plans
Of fortune be found? l smiled to think
! that | should concern myself with this
| question when | knew that Doddridge
| Anapp's men were waiting and watch
ing for my first movement with orders
that probably did not stop at murder
itself. Yet my trouble of mind in
4 creased with the passing time as l
vainly endeavOred to devise some plan
to meet the difficulty that had been
made for me.
AS darkness came on, the apprehen-
sions Of danger which had made no
impression on me by daylight, began
to settle strongly on my spirits.
concealed my fears and depressions
from the men, and with the lighting of
the lamps made my dispositions to
meet any attack that might come.
had satisfied myself that the rear bed
room, that faced the south, could not
be entered from the outside without
the aid of ladders. The parlor showed
a sheer drop to the street on the west
and 1 felt assured we were safe on
that side. But the front windows of
the parlor, and the front bedroom
which Joined it, opened on the veranda
roof in common with a dozen other
rooms Inside, the hallway, perhaps
eight feet wide and rs feet long, of
fered the only approach to our rooms
from the stairs. The situation wa.
not good for defense, and at The
thought | had a mind even then tC
seek other quarters
1t was too late for such a move
however, and l decided to make the
best of the position. Iplaced the boy
in the south bedroom, which could be
reached only through the parlor
With him | placed Wainwright anC
Fitzhugh, the two strongest men of the
party, The north bedroom, opening
ON the hallway, the veranda roof anC
the parlor, looked to be the weakest
part of my position, but l thought II
might be used to advantage as pos
Of observation. The windows were
guarded with shutters of no great
strength. We closed and secured those
as well as possible. Those of the
north bedroom 1 left open. By leav
ing the room dark it would be easy
for a sentinel to get warning of an as
sault by way of the veranda roof.
stationed Porter in the hall anC
Abrams in the dark bedroom, while
LOckhart Wilson, Brown and l helC
the parlor and made ourselves com
Portable until the time should come
to relieve the men on guard.
| thrust open the door to the bed
room to see that the boy and hi!
guards were safe. and this done
turned down the light. threw mysel
on the floor before the door that pro
tected my charge and unused over tn,
strange events that had crowded 81
swiftly upon me.
Subtle warnings of danger noateC
over my sense between sleeping anC
waking, and each time l dropped int
a doze l awoke with a start to SCI
only the dimly-lighted forms of my
men before me, and to hear only tn,
sweep and whistle of the wind outsid,
and the dash of water against the
shutters Thrice ] had been aroused
thus, when, on the bOrderland be
tween dreams and waking, a voice
| reached my