The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1912-03-20

levers project outside the mine,
When a ship strikes the mine, one
or more of the levers are pressed
in. The teeth crush the jar. The
sulphuric acid drops upon the
main charge and explodes It. DO
you follow me "
I'm follow you as far as the
front door" said the politician
lbalefully. He rose.
IF the charge were in a chair.
In the cushion of an easy chair,
well say, on the third floor of q
house in Brooklyn"
The Honorable William Under
sat down again. He sat heavily.
the problem would be some
what different. or course, II
would be easy to arrange that the
first person to sit down In the
chair would. by his own weight,
blow himself up. But the first
person might not be the right pei
son. YOU know. Do you still fol-
| low me -
The Honorable William Under
made remark like fish.
Now, we have. IL you will for
give my PROFESSIONAL method" con-
tinued Average Jones, "a chair
sent to gentleman of prominence
from an anonymous source. In
this chair is a charge of high ex-
plosive and above It a glass bulb
containing sulphuric acid. The
bulb, We will assume, is so safe
guarded as to resist any ordinary
shock of moving. But when this
gentleman, sitting at ease in his
chair, is noticed by trombonist,
placed for that purpose In the
street. below"
THE Dutch horn-player!" cried
the politician. Then 1t was him !;
and I'll--''a
'Only an innocent tool" inter
rupted Average Jones, in his turn.
"He had no comprehension of
what he was doing. He didn't
understand that the vibration from
his trombone on one particular
note of the slide up the scale--as
in the chorus of Egypt-would
shiver that glass and set off the
charge. All that he knew was to
play the B-flat trombone and take
his pay"
Ills pay?" The question leaped
to the politicians lips. who
paid him?"
"A-man named -er Ar
buthnot," drawled Average Jones.
Linder's eyes did not drop, but
film seemed to be drawn over
them.
You once knew-er-a Mrs.
Arbuthnot?"
The thick shoulders quivered a
| little.
"Her husband--her widower-
is in Brooklyn. Shall | push the
argument any further to convince
you that you'd better drop out of
the mayoralty racer"
Linder recovered himself a lit
tie. What kind of a game are
you ringing in on me?" he de-
manded.
Don't you think" suggested
Average Jones sweetly, that con-
sidered as news, this"
Linder caught the word out OF
his mouth. "News!" he roared.
"a fake story ten years old, news
That amt news! It'ssspite work.
Even your dirty paper. Waldemar
wouldn't rake that kind of muck
up after ten years. It'd be a
boomerang. You'll have to put
up a stronger line of blackmail
and bluff than that"
"Blackmail is perhaps the cor
ect word technically" admitted
the newspaper owner, "but bluff
there you are wrong. You've
forgotten one thing; that Arbuth-
not arrest and confession would
make the whole story news. We
stand ready to arrest Arbuthnot,
and he stands ready to confess"
There was a long, tense minute
of silence. Then
What do you want?" The
straight-to-the-point question was
an admission of defeat.
"Your announcement of with
drawaI. I'd rather print that than
the Arbuthnot story"
| There was a long silence. Fin
ally the Honorable William Under
dropped his hand on the table,
palm up.
You win," he declared curtly
But you'll give me the benefit
in the announcement, of bad
health caused by the shock Of the
explosion, to explain my quitting
Waldemar?"
at will certainly make it more
plausible" assented the newspa-
per owner with a smile.
Under turned on Average Jones
did you dope this out, young
fellow. he demanded.
i yes"
"Well, you've put me in the
Down-and-Out-Club, all right. And
I'm just curious enough to want
to know how you did it,"
"By abstaining." returned Av.
erage Jones graphically, "fron