The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-05-08
Robinson S
Detective Work

there followed the usual provoking ST
lence. Plague take it, muttered
when | heard something like a moan
through the phone.
MY God. they'll kill met"
| almost dropped the receiver In
surprise. The words, uttered In low
time, evidently Il woman'S, had the
effect of coming from blank space
The shock set me to quivering
They'll be back In moment.
They'll have no mercy. Help me, for
Gods sake"
The words came jerkily over the
| phone cut into sentences, and We're
/ spoken in repressed fashion as II
the speaker were trying to conceal
! them from someone Hut they began
to grow louder and more charged with
emotion.
They cant be gone much longer.
think | hear them on the stairs now,
Good God they're coming Help mel
help me! They're
1t was Randall's blatant voice that
broke in, Hello" he said Hello.
| Well4"
Hang up your receiver" | shouted.
This is me. Robinson. Hurry, you
idiot Something terrible's happened"
1t took an endless time to make him
understand The moment he did cut
off began violently to work the re-
| eeiver holder of my phone In All effort
/ to attract the operators attention
/ There was snap somewhere, The
/ phone Suddenly became absolutely
4 dead II took me some time to realize
/ this then | iammed II down on the
desk and ran to the door,
As opened 1t. cab was creeping
by Hailing the driver, jumped in.
Go like the devil | said, and gave
him the address Of the west exchange
With which knew my phone was con
nected
! | fairly gnawed my nails 10 the
quick as the driver whipped his horse
along at top speed. The words were
ringing In my ears: Help me! Help
met" What had happened
Around the corner we whirled and
the lights Of the exchange flashed
into sight Wait" | shouted to the
driver, as | leaped out and dashed up
the stairs. a girl pointed out to me
i the manager.
The forcos have just been
changed" he said THE operator on
your line has gone home"
But can't anyone else tell me what
phone | was connected WITH" | ex-
| claimed.
He said they couldn't,
Then another resort came into my
mind. "Where does the girl live? I'll
go to her home"
He asked each separate girl and
none knew. was growing desperate
when the boy who did GA jobs said
he thought she lived with her aunt on
| Queen and Oak streets in the Mills.
worth suburb, The next instant was
in the cab, driving like fury. The
Millsworth suburb was six miles
away 1t was three o'clock when we
reached there. Ths girl ana her aunt
had moved back within the city fully
ten miles from where we were As
soon as possible | changed cabs. for
the horse had been using was utterly
done up Drive for all you are worth"
| said to my new cabby.
The words | had heard over the
phone kept running through my brain:
Help ne. help me-" Perhaps 1t was
too late.
There was a growing light In the
east when we stopped before a small
frame house Aching in every Joint
from my hard drive, ran up the
steps. Bur-er, went the ben. There
las wait, tn patter OF feet, then
the gas in the hall was lighted.
| shouted who | was and whom |
wanted to see
The door cracked and a head done
up in curl-papcrs appe-.cI I'm her.
What the uouble?"
toli kcr. clcaching my hsnds, knit.
ting my brows, filling my tones with
dramatic emphasis the while She
started, slowly her eyes opened, then
her mouth expanded into a smile. For
= moment / stood unbelieving.
But, do you understand" / cried.
This Is a life and death matter.
Whom was | connected WITH"
Me"
"What?"
She extended a yellow back volume
through the door. Il had got to the
third chapter, just where the princess
had been thrown into the dungeon,
when | had to go Oh duty; so took the
book along with me. and was reading
a hit out to Mamie Moore when you
asked for a number. Listen: My God,
they'll kill me, They'll be back I'm a
moment. They'll have no mercy. Help
me for Gods sake They can't'be gone
much longer | think | hear them on
the stairs now. Good God, they're com
ing, Help me, help me. They're
The boss came along about that time"
| turned brusquely away. Good
eight" | said.
She giggled
German shipbuildIng Depression.
D,,~Iuo tho rao, fQNQ fbora v-a-n 90