St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-05-03

kinS had, as he would have expressed
it, served his people, in congress for
SO many years that he had long since
passed the hotel stage or living at the
capital He rented furnished house
on an eminently respectable street, and
the polished doorplate bore his name
| in uncompromising characters.
The library furniture was solid and
dignified Its businesslike appearance
| impressed the stray excursionist from
the Atkins district when he or she Wis
| tied the great man in whose affairs we
| felt such personal interest. Partic-
ularly impressive and significant were
map of the district hanging over the
congressman's desk and an oil paint
ing of the Atkins mansion at Bayport,
| which. with the iron dogs and urns
conspicuous in its foreground, occupied
the middle of the largest wall space.
The CHEEKY fire was very comforting
on night like this. for the sleet was
driving against the windowpanes, the
sidewalks were ankle deep in slush,
and the wet, cold wind from the Po-
tomac was whistling down the street.
| Somewhere about the house an IN
Mr.. Atkins should have been extremely
| comfortable as he sat there by the fire.
He had spent many comfortable win
tiers in that room. But now there was
a frown on his face as be read the let
ter in his hand. 1t was from Simpson
and stated among other things, that
Cyrus Whitaker had been absent from
Bayport for over two weeks and that
no one seemed to know where he had
gone 1.-THE idea seems to be that he
started for Washington" wrote Tad.
''but ff that is so it is queer you haven't
seen him. | am suspicious that he is
up to something about that harbor
business. l should keep my eye peeled
| if l was you"
Alicia. the Atkins hopeful. rustled
into the room.
Papa" she said. 1--WE come to kiss
you good night"
Her father performed the ceremony
in perfunctory way.
.'All right. all right" he said. Now
| run along to bed and don't bother me;
there's good girl. l WISH" he added
testify to the housekeeper. who had fol-
lowed Alicia into the room-"I wish
you'd see to that loose blind. 1t makes
me nervous. Such things as that
should be attended to without specific
orders from me-"
The housekeeper promised to attend
to the blind. She and the girl left the
library. Heman reread the Simpson
letter. Then he dropped 1t in his lap
and sat thinking and twirling his eye
glasses at the end of their black cord.
His thoughts seemed to be not of
the pieasantest. The lines about his
mouth had deepened during the last
few months. He looked older
The telephone bell rang sharply. Mr..
Atkins came out Of his reverie with a
start. arose and walked across the
room to the wall where the instrument
hung. 1t was before the days OF the
convenient desk phone. He took the
receiver from its hook and spoke into
the transmitter.
"Hellor' he said Hello! Yes. yes!
Stop ringing What is it?''
The wire buzzed and purred in the
storm. "Hellor' said voice. "Hello.
there! Is this Mr.. Atkins houseY
Eyes; it is What do you want?"
"Hey? Is this where the Hon. He
man Atkins lives?"
Eyes. yes. l tell you! This is Mr.. At
kins speaking. What do you want?"
"Oh! Is that you. Heman? This
is Whittaker-Cy Whitaker. Under
Btand?'
Mr.. Atkins understood Yet for an
instant he did not reply He had been
thinking as he sat by the fire of GER
tain persons and certain ugly though
remote possibilities. Now. from
mysterious somewhere. one of those
persons was speaking to him. The
hand holding the receiver shook mo-
mentarily.
Hello! l say. Heman. do you un-
derstand? This is Whitaker talkin'."
"I-er-understand." said the con-
gresham slowly. We'll. sirY'
I'm here in Washin' ton"
81 have been informed that you were
In the city Well. STRIP
"Oh, knew | was here. did your Is
that SO? Who told you? Tad wrote.
suppose. heyY
The congressman did not reply i'm
medlateIy. Tafs man. whom he dis
liked more than any one else in the
world, had an irritating faculty of put
ting his finger on the truth And the
fippancy In the tone was maddening.
Mr.. Atkins was not used to flippancy.
81 believe / am not called upon to
disclose my source of information.
he said. with chilling dignity ut APP
pears to have been trustworthy. pre-
sumo you have phoned me concern
ing the appropriation matter do not
recognize your right to intrude in that
affair. and ] shall decline TO discuss
It. Yes. sir: TO my people. to those
who have right to question. am
and shall always be willing to explain
my position Good night
What. Hello. Hold on a minute.
Don't get mad. Heman only want