Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-10-03
CHAPTER TX.
A Lion in a Rabbit 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.
Nov then!" Jim Blake was de-
handing at her elbow, "you and will
settle this thing my girl. want that
number!"
But" she pleaded
you've got a bit Of 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 1t 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? Which'll it be? Speak
QUIT"
Tt don't know. It'll disgrace the
Woman, won't it, If 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
IL 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 1t over very
carefully. OF course, like you, Mr.
Blake I've always admired you lot.
You've got such lovely personality
and"
Drop that" he roared.
| and" pursued Wanda, I've always
admired the machine lot, too 1t does
things in such businesslike way. But
but, Of course, I couldn't really take
money from you. II [ tell that num-
Der it'll just be because I want you to
win. That's all. Just because l 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 knife
blade, and as hard. II 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, I'll must think 1t over a
while"
"a while?" echoed Blake. There's
no time to lose. You understand the
situation. I've made it all clear to
you. If I don't get that Woman's name
before the Mullins bill comes up for a
vote 1t will be Of no use to me. And
we'll lose. I must know the name
tonight. L"
"Tll 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.
II must be off" said Mark. MY but
Ter says Grace took the train that's
due to reach Washington at eight this
evening. I've no time to waste If 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 her
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 Jim
Blake moving heaven and earth and
Quarter-section of*hell, too, to get her
name for a campaign scandal. II
give it to him, 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 yoa reading? By the way you
stare at that book it must have all the
best sellers looking like the Congress
sional Record What's 1t about?"
She raised blank drawn face to
| him.
| About" she repeated absently.
| ooh, lists about a man who set a
| trap for a rabbH-and caught lion
in it," .,