Gilpin observer., 1914-01-22
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,"s she repeated to
herself. dazedly, as she mechanically
5otted down the number on her pad.
Now them" Jim Blake was de-
manding at her elbow. you and l 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 it tight 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 1t be? Speak
out,"
Il don't. know. It'll disgrace the
Woman. won't it. II tell?"
It'll smash you II you don't! What
Is 1t to you If she's disgraced or not?"
That's So" purred Wanda, suddenly
recovering her shattered nerves.
What is 1t 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'm just have to think it over very
carefully. OF course. like you, Mr.
Blake. I've always admired you lot
You've got such a 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. couldn't really take
money from you. II l tell that num-
ber it'll just be because want you to
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 a knife
blade. and as hard. Il won't be one
bit sorry. And my conscience will be
clear. It'll be load of my shoulders.
But" she ended. falling back on in
decision. IL must think it over a
while"
"A while?" echoed Blake There's
no time to lose. You understand the
situation. I've made 1t all clear to
you. II 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"
I'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
II must be OF" said Mark. My but
ler says Grace took the train that's
due to reach Washington at eight this
evening. I've no time to waste II I'm
to be at the station when 1t comes in"
He hurried OF. After 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 twisting
blur to her senses. To herself she
was murmuring disjointedly:
His own daughter-Mark Robert
sons wtfe-Tom's sister,! And Jim
Blake moving heaven and earth and a
quarter-pectton Of hell. too. to get her
name for campaign scandal. II I
give 1t 10 him. guess 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 you
stare at that book it must have all the
best sellers looking like the Congress
sional Record. What's It about?"
She raised blank drawn face to
him.
"About?" she repeated absently.
"Oh. its-it's about man who set a
trap for rabbit-and caught a lion
in It,"