The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1913-10-10
CHAPTER TX.
A Lion In a Rabbit Tran.

"A Lion VI nd0p't Trap.
Mark hurried into the nearest tele.
phone booth. Wanda stared after him,
in scared fascination. Her face had
turned oddly white.
"One-o-o-one," she repeated to
herself, dazedly, as she mechanically
jotted down the number on her pad.
Now them" Jim Blake was de.
handing at her elbow. you and | will
settle this thing, my girl l want that
number"
But" she pleaded.
You've got bit o. knowledge that
we need-and need ID bad. A
bit of knowledge we've got to have
and mean to have. Understand that?
And what we've got to get, we get.
Now, is it fight or not? Will you take
the money I've offered you or will you
run your silly young head into the
hottest bunch of trouble a girl ever
met with? Whichll it be? Speak
OUT"
IL don't know. It'll disgrace the
Woman, won't 1t, If l tell?"
It'll smash you if you don't! What
is it to you if she's disgraced or not?"
That's so" purred Wanda, suddenly
recovering her shattered nerves.
What is it to me-or to you-if she's
destroyed, so long as the machine
wins? And it'd be perfectly terrible
if the machine shouldn't win. Now
wouldn't it,"
It'll be terrible for any one who
tries to block it," retorted Blake, grim
and wrathful.
WELL" sighed Wanda distractedly,
I'll just have to think it over very
carefully. OF course. l like you, Mr..
Blake. I've always admired you a lot.
You've got such lovely personality
and"
Drop that" he reared.
"And," pursued Wanda, 'I'ye always
admired the machine a lot. too, JtlI SSS
s.A.ssssss4..-a.4s sitsusfdeysfsic nat
-rbut, of course, l couldn't really IKE
money from you. If tell that nun.
Der it'll just be because l want yolto
win. That's all. Just because want
to see you win"
That's better!" grunted Blake, his
face clearing. "You won't be sorry. "
you bet WON'T" she retorted, and
her young voice was as keen as q knife
blade, and as hard. Il won't be one
bit sorry. And my conscience will be
clear. It'll be load off my shoulders.
But" she ended, falling back on in.
decision, Il must think it over q
while"
"A while?" echoed Blake. There's
no time to lose. You understand the
situation. I've made it all clear to
you. If | don't get that Woman's name
before the Mullins bill comes up for a
vote it will be of no use to me, And
We'll lose. l must know the name
tonight. L"
'1'll make up my mind tonight an
swered Wanda graphically: and she
returned to her novel.
Blake glared at her in angry doubt
Before he could speak again, Robert
son came out Of the booth.
Il must be off" said Mark. MY hut
Ter says Grace took the train that's
due to reach Washington at eight this
evening. I've no time to waste il I'm
to be at the station when it comes in. >
He hurried off. After a second
glance toward the utterly oblivious
! Wanda, Blake followed him from the
corridor. Wanda did not look up. Her
eyes were still bent eagerly on he1
book. But the type was a twisting
blur to her senses. To herself she
was murmuring disjointedly:
His own daughter-Mark Robert
sons wife-Tom's sister. And lin
Blake moving heaven and earth and 2
quarter-section Of hell, too, to get he,
| name for campaign scandal. ! II
give 1t to him, l guess a big part Of
fathers debt to the machine, will be
paid off. If"
"Hello!" called Tom, crossing the
corridor from the dining-room. what
are you reading? BY the way vo,
stare at that book it must have allstbe
best sellers looking like the ConYres
sional Record. What's it aboutq,
She raised blank drawn facA r.
him.
About" she repeated absentlv
"Oh, lists about a man who sat q
trap for a rabbit-and caught iior
in it."
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