Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-01-08
A Wireless Message.
IOriginal.1

with her aunt. He first met them In
Paris, where he and they were inspect
ing lace factory. Both the aunt and
the young lady appeared to be very
refined and not by any means stinted
for money. The name was Varick
Probably there are more love affairs
among travellers for pleasure than at
any other time. Strange, not familiar,
faces attract each other, and love -four
ishes in idle fields. At any rate, Lover
ing was much attracted to Miss Made
laine Varick Miss Varick seemed to
be both pleased and troubled at his
attentions. Lowering thought she acted
very like a girl who had a reason for
not permitting herself to accept them.
ural one to a lOver-was that there
was another man in the case.
Lowering shortened his stay abroad
in order to cross the ocean with the
Varicks. If visiting palaces, galleries,
china, tapestry and lace factories near
Paris was conducive TO love, steamer
chairs in close proximity on the deck
of an ocean liner were much more So
On moonlight nights especially the
young lady was enhancing. But that
nervousness, apparently at Coverings
attentions, which she had displayed
in Paris was sensibly increased on the
ocean, growing more and more mark
ed as they approached America.
One morning Lowering went into the
f0IoOTaT0h off % fn cond xUiroIocC dis
patch. The operator had stepped out
for moment, leaving two dispatches
ready to put in envelopes on table.
Lowering could not we'll help taking
them in, as they were short. One was
addressed to Miss Madeline Varick. 1t
read:
Engagement broken. Am free.
HOWARD.
Here was an explanation to the
young lady's treatment of him. Some
one who had been tied up in an engage
ment wished to marry her. Coverings
heart stood still. Then the words,
"Alfs fair in war and in love-" flashed
through his brain, and his plan was
formed. The operator returned, and
Lowering offered to deliver Miss Va
rick's message. The offer was accept
ed and the telegram went to the bot
tom of Coverings pocket, where it re-
manned till after the conclusion Of the
voyage.
The same evening, while the moon,
which had reached the full, was rising
out of the ocean. Lowering poured an
r3A lnr~n iVN&O
Miss Varlck's ear. She listened with
pleasure to his declaration, but would
give no decisive answer.
''Wait till we have landed" she said.
"Come and see me a few days after
have reached home, then will give
you an answer"
''Why waltz?
81 don't know. Something may hap
pen. You may not want me when you
know that which
She paused Lowering was sure she
wished to wait and have it out with his
rival, and that would probably mean
his defeat. He pleaded for definite
response, but in vain. The lady would
not bind herself until after the landing
the Hudson river and half a dozen
tugs were turning her nose into her
docks, the aunt and niece came on
deck, ready to go ashore. The aunt,
who had kept her stateroom during the
voyage, now seemed to Varick to have
gained flesh. He remarked upon her
improved appearance. and she said
khoN NTH In nd
exercise would cause her to gain per-
ceptibly. Miss Varick wore a long
cloak, which she kept well buttoned.
When the gangplank was in place
Lowering gave his arm to the aunt, and
the three went ashore together. He
could feel her heart beating against his
arm like triphammer and wondered
at the cause. They had scarcely reach
ed the dock when a customs inspector
approached and said politely:
''This way, ladies'"
Both ladies turned pale They mutely
followed the officer, who turned them
over to woman, and they disappeared
from Coverings view to be searched.
The next morning he learned through
the papers history of the case. The
aunt was New York modiste, and the
niece was one of her shopgirls. The
former was wound with many yards
of lace, and the latter under her cloak
wore several lace dresses, each worth
a thousand dollars. The account stat
ed that they had been warned by
wireless telegram, which from some
unaccountable reason was never deliv-
cred to them.
Then Lowering dived into his pocket,
pulled out the message he had purloin-
ed, read it again and knew that he had
foiled the game OF his beloved SNUG
gler by intercepting a CIPHER warning
that the New York customs officers
were ION to- her game.
There is honor among thieves" and
sometimes among lovers, though the
latter are apt to be crooked, especially
when a rival appears. After a flush