The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-04-18
CHAPTER Xxx,

the library Of his Washington |
home before swapping log |
~ are reading letter. Mr.. At |
kins had, as he would have expressed |
1t. served his people" In congress for |
so many years that he had long since |
passed the hotel stage Of living at the !
capital. He rented furnished house
on an eminently respectable street, and
the polished doorplate bore his name
in incorporating characters
The library furniture was solid and
dignifed. Its businesslike appearance
impressed the stray excurslonist from
the Atkins district when he or she Wis
tied the great man In whose affairs we
felt such a personal interest. Partlc
ularly impressive and significant were
a map of the district hanging over the
congressman's desk and an oil paint
ing of the Atkins mansion ut 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 windowpaues. the
sidewalks were ankle deep in slush,
and the wet. cold wind from the 20
| tomac was whistling down the street
! Somewhere about the house an un-
fastened shutter slammed In the gusts.
Mr. Atkins should have been extremely
| comfortable as he sat there by the fire.
| He had spent many comfortable win
tiers I'm that ROOM But now there was
frown on his face as he read the let
J ter In his hand II was from Simpson
and stated among other things, that
Cyrus Whitaker had been absent from
Rapport for over two weeks and that
no one seemed to know where he had
gone ",rhe idea seems to be that he
started for Washington" wrote Tad,
but IL that Is so It Is queer you haven't
seen him am suspicious that he Is
up to something about that harbor
business. | should keep my eye peeled
If was you
Alicia. the Atkins hopeful, rusted
into the room,
Papa" she said, "Ive come TO kiss
you good night"
Her father performed the ceremony
in perfunctory way.
IAN right. all right" he said Now
run along to bed and don't bother me:
there's good girl | wish" he added
testify TO the housckeeper, who had fol-
lowed Alicia into the room-"I wish
you'd see 10 that loose blind II makes
me nervous. Such things as that
, should he attended 10 without specific
orders from me"
The housekeepcr promised IL attend
to the blind. she and the girl left the
library Ueman rercad the Simpson
letter. Then he dropped It In his lap
and sat thinking and twiring his eye
] glasses mt the end of their black cord
/, His thoughts seemed 10 be not OF
the pleasantest The lines about his
9 mouth had deepcned during the last
0 few months. lie looked older.
!, The telephone bell rang sharply Mr.
b Atkins came out of his reverlc with q
start, arose aud walked across the
I room to the wall where the Instrument
s hung II was before the days Of the
G convenient desk phone. He took tho
g receiver from lis hook aud spoke int
0 the lrDnsnitter
{ .lIriiu.' lir said Hello, Yes, yes
Siop ringing What Is IT,
~" wire bu22cd and purred In thu
!, Storm Hello" said II voice. "Hello
/. thrrr, Is this Mr. Atkins house
e Yes: II is What do you WANT"
2 ''IIryt Is this where the Hon. lie
g man ttSlns livcS;"
5 -'Nrs, yes. tell you, This Is Mr.. Al
G kins speaking Whit do you wantf"
oh, Is that you. Heman? Thi
s Is Whittaker-Cy Whitaker Under
. stand?"
MIR Atkins understood Yet for al
!. instant he did not reply, He had beel
r. thinking as he sat 10y the fire OF Ger
tain PERSONS and certain ugly thougI
remote possibilities Now. from
d mysterious somewhere. one of thos
g persons was speaking to him. TIL
4 hand holding the receiver shook mo
mentarily.
4 Hello! say, Heman. do you un
| derstand? This Is Whitaker talkin'.
|. understand" said the con
(; gresham slowly. well. slrT'
: I'm here in Washin'ton"
a 81 have been informed that you wer,
d in the city. Well sir?"
, "Oh, knew ! was here. did YOU? Ii
that so? Who told you? Tad wrote
l suppose, heyT
, The congressman did not reply I'm
mediately. This man, whom he dis
liked nssre than any one else in the
world. had an irritating faculty of put
: ting his finger on the truth. And the
lippsncy in the tone was maddening.
Mr.. Atkins was not used to filppanes