The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1913-11-07
CHAPTER XVIII
rha Third Degree.

s.u u;r,+a of q silence that Di' NV
worda's very nerves, you Sd! snu
were At the switchboard Downstairs
a few moments ago!
Eyes. sir" ,o assc.
ciated Press office" ,s u,;,,.
How can l tell, SIR" she asheI 80,
smiling helplessness. YOU
we're not allowed to listen 10 -"
sations over the wire.
"But YOU connected me WIFI
chilled up 44OO Main just now:
oh, yes, sir roro
I'm! You remember that 40 YOU
Well that is the number or the Assn
ciated Press Office. calico up I
nings. the manager. talked WIN nln
q minute, Then he wanted to speak
with Mr.. Blake"
"yes sir?" asked Wanda, who mao
hnen following his recital with ,ne
wide.eved delighted interest OF a eni'o
listening to & wondrous fairy tale.
"M- Blake took the telephone III,
strument from my hands, puisaou
Mark, ~unhceding, and spoke into IT,
Wanda turned slowly and gazed up
on Blake in pleased amazement tha'
he could have performed so sensatioi-
al a feat as Mark had just descrlpeu'
Then she looked back at Marx GO
though unwilling to miss a single worn
of such an enthralling narrative
"But." continued Mark, when ne
tried to speak to Jennings ne 1ouho
the connection had suddenly oeen
severed"
"Oh!"
There was a world Of sympafheoc
regret in her exclamation.
He was told" said Mark slowly
"he was told--by you, Miss Kelly
that the line was out of order
ooh, yes!" she cried brightly. "Ana
that must have been why the conhec
ton was cut off. What a shame! Just
when he wanted to talk, too!'
81 suppose" said Mark carelessiy'
"if the line had got out Of order, the
managers office would know OF 1t by
this time?"
"Oh, yes"
Very good" reaching for the instru
ment. "Ill call up the manager anC
ask about it."
"Oh. no." she exclaimed, momen
tarily off guard. %t's-it's probably
all right again by now"
Very likely" was Marks dry as
sent. Then you don't want me to cal
up the manager?"
Don't bother to do that" she fal
tered III confusion. Il might pos
sibly have knocked out the plug-b!
accident"
And you might possibly have dom
it on purpose" retorted Mark.
"I?" she asked, astounded. "Wh,
should | do such a foolish thing a
that?"
That's what we're going to find out
If it had been an accident, you woul
have showed the plug back into place
Immediately, when we told you. Ism
that-true
II s'pose So" she admitted sulkily.
Then, Miss Kelly, we are forced t
believe that you deliberately refused t
transmit our message"
you a believe anything you wan
to-" she returned s%pitefully. 81 don
care what you believed"
The line OF questioning had throw
her off her carefully prepared line O
defense. Angry. confused, she tosse
aside her useless weapons and wa
for the instant merely a worried an
much badgered little girl.
"Is it not true" repeated Robertson
in measured query, that you DELFT
erately refused to transmit our mes
sage just now"
81 s'pose So" she vouchsafed. "
butted IN. And now | guess I've 60
to take my medicine"
"And," asked Mark, "doIyou happier
to realize what that medidne isl"
ooh, l know, all right. I'll lose m.
job"
Exactly. And you dd't want tt
lose your job, do you, Mis- Kelly?"
mo, l don't. l need tie money"
81 see Quite so. Yoi need thu
money. Miss Kelly. Mr.. FAKE has of
fered you a great deal of honey for &
certain bit of informationIhasn't he?'
Eyes. Butch, what's te use? YOU
can get me fired. But Isuess l car
find another job"
ut may not be n~ecessas," suggest
ed Mark. Miss Kelly, wIdon't want
to harm your prospects any way
We wish merely to show Ju that it is
to your interest to work br us. Mr.
Blake has told you how nessary it is
for us to gain the informatn that you
alone can give us. He dl pay you
well. We have asked yoio come W
here tonight to find out neither you
will not accept this Offer
WELL" she inquired iiweary pa,
thence, what is 1t you wal me to tell
your"
!, I'VE want you," replieiMark, ito