The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-08-12
A Lion in a Rabbit Trap,

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.
Now them" 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 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'H it be? Speak
Quit"
II don't know. It'll disgrace the
Woman, won't it, 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
| 10 Oh
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 roared.
"And," pursued Wanda, I've always
admired the machine lot, too. 1t does
things in such a businesslike way. But
but, of course, l couldn't really take
money from you. If l tell that num-
Der it'll just be because 1 want you to
| win That's all Just because want
to see you vim
That's better!" grunted Blake, his
face clearing. You won't be sorry"
"You bet l WON'T" she retorted, and
her young voice was as keen as 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 a
WHILE
"A while?" echoed Blake. There's
H.,
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. / must know the name
. tonight -
'Pll-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.
81 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 In
to be at the station when it comes in.
) He hurried off. After a SECOND
: glance toward the utterly Oblivion
!, | Wanda, Blake followed him from tn
: corridor Wanda did not look up. He
!. eyes were still bent eagerly on he
: book. But the type was twistin
!. blur to her senses. To herself sh
: was murmuring disjointedly:
Z His own daughter-Mark Rober
/: sons wife-Tom's sister! And Jir
!. Blake moving heaven and earth and
8 quarter-section Of hell, too, to get he
!: name for campaign scandal. If
Z give it to him, 1 guess big part {
: fathers debt to the machine will b
paid off. If
/. "Helo!" called Tom, crossing tn
+ corridor from the dining-room. "Whs
are you reading? By the way 20
stare at that book it must have all tn
I best sellers looking like the Congre
sional Record. What's it about?'
She raised a blank drawn face
B him.
About" she repeated ABSENT
"Oh, it's-it's about a man who set
trap for a rabbit-and caught lie
in it."