Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-01-07

as your wife, under the nAtno
| Fowler, at a country hotel up 10 IscN
York state. That's all. Hardly worth
| mentioning, hey?"
AS he had talked, Blake had LET
his gaze wander over the ceiling, the
walls-anywhe except at Matthew
| Standish Yet he had missed not one
detail of the younger mans express
sion There was nothing, however, to
be read in that expression. Standish's
| heavy face was mask-like, blank, save
for faint tinge OF polite bewilder-
ment.
| But Blake was far too wise reader
OF men to go by the sign in face. He
| let his mildly wandering glance shift.
as if by accident, to Standishs bands.
| They were tight-clenched So tight
| that the knuckles showed white from
the convulsive pressure.
Another campaign yarn" smiled
| Standish. and his voice was as mex
pressive as his face. isn't 1t rather
old-fashioned to spring lies of that
! sort? The public doesn't stand for
them nowadays. Proofs are needed.
"Really?" drawled Blake. why.
| StaDdish, sometimes your knowledge
of np-to-date conditions simply dazr
zles me. That's what it does. Daz'
zles me-"
"And now" pursued Standish.
turning to go
''And now" echoed Blake, we've
got you with the goods. Don't blum,
man. No bluff ever won penny after
the cards were laid face upward And
they're face upward now. You know
what l mean And you know we've
got you dead to rights. Five years
ago you spent week with woman at
hotel whose proprietor can and will
/ identify you. Any expert can swear
that the registered name, Fowler is
| in your handwriting. 1t was in March.
Congress was still in session. But
you gave out word that you'd gone to
/ the mountains to rest. We've got the
j dates We've got ever fact proved.
Man, can't you see I'm trying to help
you? Give me chance to-
Standish, his face still mask, was
staring at the floor. At last he raised
his eyes-the dark tired eyes in whose
depths Self and Love and Happiness
had so long ago burned out. And turn
ing to Blake, he said evenly:
! $50 you have dug all that up, have
you? I might have expected 1t. In
fact have expected it. But 1t hasn't
worried me. Because you can't harm
mo with cuch story
"No?" asked Blake. with real inter
est why not?"
you know perfectly well why not,
answered Standish, the story won't
amount to the paper you would print
! it on unless you can supply the name
! of the Woman. And you can't do
! that"
What makes you think we can't
/ supply the Woman's name?" demand
ed Blake. What makes YOU think
we haven't found herr"
because" began Standish; then he
checked himself and said somewhat
aamely, because have good rea-
sons for knowing you haven't
HIN! Stin keep as close in touch
with her as all that? Marks detectives
must be foolsh-house graduates. Well
I'll admit We haven't found her-yet
But we will. before midnight. You left
sc,ne pretty easy clues and they're be-
ing followed That's the trouble with
a man who has something to hide.
He'll lock and double-bar nine doors
to disco1 cry; and leave the tenth wide
open with a Welcome sign over 1t
And that's just what you did. Why,
son." ne went on, noting Standish' .
half-srnile of incredulity, 'if | wasnt
dead sure of getting her, would | be
such fool as to telIyou all this? And
whatever else Jim Blake's been called,
no ones yet tied fool to his name.
tell you once more, we'll have her
name by midnight at the very latest.
OF course she doesn't know we're
tracking her." he continued, chuckling
as at his own shrewdness. 1--WE seen
to it that she hasn't the slightest sus-
picion And that makes our work all
the easier. She doesn't know And
there's no one to warn her. It's a
cinch!"
His voice trailed off into seif-satis-
fed laugh. Nor was the laugh wholly
assumed For he saw Standish's
hands slowly elench again. And few
beads Of sweat were beginning to
show themselves upon the insurgents
forehead.
(To BE CONTINUED