The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-26
WHIAKE,RS
 PLACE
By JOSEPH C. LINCOLN
Copyright. 1908. by D. Appleton 6 Co.

Papa" she said, ''I'vee come to kiss you good night.''
 Her father performed the ceremony in perfunctory way.
 t'A1l 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 housekeeper, who had fol lowed Alicia into the room-'sI wish you'd see to that loose blind. It 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 it 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 pleasantest- 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. It was before the days of the convenient desk phone. He took the receiver from its hook and spoke into the transmitter.
 ''Hello!'' he said Hello! Yes. yes! Stop ringing. What is it%'
 The wire buzzed and purred in the storm. "Hel1or' said a voice. "Hello, there! Is this MT. Atkins houseT
 ''Yes; it is. What do you want?'
 Hey? Is this where the Hon. He man Atkins lives P'
 'eYes, yes, tell you! This is MT. At kins speaking. What do you want?'
 "Oh! Is that you, Heman? This is whittaker-Cy Whitaker Under standP'
 MT. Atkins understood. Yet for an instant he did not reply. He had been thinking as he sat by the fire of cer- tain persons and certain ugly though remote possibilities. Now, from a mysterious somewhere, one of those persons was speaking to him. The hand holding the receiver shook mo- nentarfy.
 'HeIlo! say, Heman. do you un- derstand? This is Whitaker talkin'."
 "I-er-understand,'' said the con- gressman slowly ''WelI. sirT
 'T'm here in Washin'ton.''
 q have been informed that you were in the city. Well, sfr?'
 ''Oh, knew was here, did you? Is that so? Who told you? Tad wrote, suppose, heyT'
 The congressman did not reply ino- mediately. This 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. MT. Atkins was not used to dippancy.
 'sI believe I am not called upon tc disclose my source of information" he said, with chilling dignity. 'Tt ap- pears to have been trustworthy. pre- sume 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 a right to question, am and shall always be willing to explain my position Good night
 'FWhat! Hello! Hold on a minute. Don't get mad, Heman. only want ed to say just a word. You'll let me say a word, won't youT
 This was more like it. This was more nearly the tone in which MT. At ktns was wont to be addressed. It was possible that the man, recognizing the uSeleSSneSS or 1urCneF OppoS11on, desired to surrender.
 ''I cannot declared the honorable, understand why you should wish to speak with me. We have very little in common, very little, I'm thankful to say. However, will hear you briefly. Go on."
 "Much obliged. Well, Heman. I only wanted to say that I thought maybe you'd better have little talk with me. Pm here at the hotel, the Regent. You know where 'tis, I pre- sume likely. guess you'd better come right down and see me.''
 Heman gasped. actually gasped with astonishment-
 ''I had better come and see you? T. We'll, sir-weIli I am not accustom- ed''-
 'I know, but I think you'd better. It's dirty weather, and I've got cold somehow or other. I ain't fee1in' quite up to the mark, so cal1ate I'll stay in port much as I can. You come right down. I'll be in my room. and the hotel folks I'll tell you where 'tis. I'll be waitin' for you.''
 MT. Atkins breathed hard In his present frame of mind he would have liked to deliver blast into that trans-