The daily tribune., 1909-04-10
Robinson $
Detective Work

my head Just as l was leaving the
theater, when the thing happened.
Il am sure that number is not
busy" I assured the operator, and
there followed the usual provoking 81.
, lence. plague take IT," muttered.
when / heard something like a moan
| through the phone.
my God, they'll kill mel"
almost dropped the receiver in
| surprise. The words, uttered In low
lime, evidently a woman's. had the
| effect of coming from blank space
The shock set me to qulvering.
They'll be back in moment.
They'll have no mercy. Help me, for
Gods sake"
The words came terkily over the
| phone, cut into sentences, and were
| spoken in a repressed fashion as II
the speaker were trying to conceal
them from someone But they began
to grow louder and more charged with
| emotion.
They can't be gone much longer.
think l hear them on the stairs now
Good Cod they're coming! Help me!
| 5elp mel They're"
1t was Randall's blatant voice that
broke in. Hello" he said Hello
Well?"
Hang up your receiver" shouted,
This is me, Robinson. Hurry, you
idiot. Something terrlble's happened"
1t took an endless time to make him
understand. The moment he did cut
of l began violently to work the re-
ceiver-holder of my phone in an effort
to attract the operators attention
There was snap somewhere. The
phone suddenly became absolutely
dead. 1t took me some time to realize
this; then 1 iammed 1t down on the
desk and ran to the door.
AS l opened 1t, cab was creeping
by Hailing the driver. I jumped in.
60 like the devil" | said, and gave
him the address of the west exchange
with which knew my phone was con
nected.
I fairly gnawed my nails to the
quick as the driver whipped his horse
along at top speed. The words were
| ringing in my ears: Help me! Help
mel" What had happened?
Around the corner we wLirled 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 forces 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" l ex-
claimed.
He said they couldn t.
Then another resort came into my
mind. Where does the girl live? ri
90 to her home"
He asked each separate girl and
none knew. ! was growing desperate
when the boy who did Cd 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. The girl and 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 me, help mel" Perhaps II was
too late.
There was growing light in the
east when we stopped before n small
| frame house. Aching in every Joint
from my hard drive. ran up the
steps. Bur-er went the bell There
| was 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 head done
up in curl-papers appeared. I'm her.
What's the trouble?"
told her, clenching my hands, knit.
ting my brows, filling my tones with
| dramatic emphasis the while. She
started. slowly her eyes opened, thea
her mouth expanded into smile. For
moment stood unbelleying.
But. do you understand" / cried
This is life and death matter.
Whom was ! connected With"
Me"
"WhatT
She extended yellow back volume
through the door. II had got to the
third chapter, Just where the princess
had been thrown into tho dungeon.
when had to so on duty; so | took the
book along with me. and was reading
a bit out TO Mamie Moore when you
asked for number. Listen: My God,
they'll kin me! They'll be back in n
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 tImo