Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-12-18

Man cannot let go in that fashion; it
is sign of weakness; and he dared
not let even Susan see any sign of
weakness in him.
So the reporter had found her, and
she was safe and sound and on her
way to New York? Knowing by this
time something of the reporters cour-
age, he was eager to learn how the
event had come about. When he had
not had telephone message from
Norton in 48 hours, he had decided
that the Black Hundred had finally
succeeded in getting hold of him. 1t
had been something OF blow; for
while he looked with disfavor upon
the reporters frank regard for his
charge, he appreciated the fact that
Norton was staff to lean on, and had
behind him all the power of the press,
which included the privilege of going
everywhere even if one could not al
ways get back.
AS he folded the telegram and put
it into his pocket, he observed the
| man with the opera glasses over the
way He shrugged. Well, let him
watch till his eyes dropped out of his
head; he would see only that which
was intended for his eyes. Still, it
| was irksome to feel that no matter
when or where you moved, watching
| eyes observed and chronicled these
| movements.
| Suddenly, not being devoid of a
| sense of dry humor, Jones stepped
over to the telephone and called up
her highness the Princess Perigoff.
| who is it?'
He was forced to admit, however
| reluctantly, that the woman had
marvelously fine speaking voice.
1T is Jones, madam
"Jones?"
| Mr.. Hargreaye's butler, madam
20. You have news of Florence?"
! Yes" It will be an embarrassing
day for humanity when some one in
vents a Photographic apparatus by
which two persons at the two ends of
the telephone may observe the facial
expressions of each other.
| What is it? Tell me quickly"
| Florence has been found, and she
is on her way back to New York. She
was found by Mr. Norton. the report
| err"
Il am SO glad. Shall come up at
once and have you tell me the whole
amazing story?"
1T would be useless, madam, for l
know nothing except what / learned
from telegram | have just received.
| But no doubt some time this evening
you might risk a call"
Ring up the instant she returns.
Did she say what train?"
No, madam" lied Jones, smiling.
| He hung up the receiver and stared
! at the telephone as if he would force
his gaze in and through it to the
woman at the other end. Flesh and
blood Well, greed was stronger than
that Treacherous cati Let her play;
| let her weave her nets, dig her pits.
The day would come, and it was not
far distant, when she would find that
the mild eyed mongoose was just as
| deadly as the cobra, and far more
cunning.
The heads of the Black Hundred
must be destroyed Those were the
| orders. What good to denounce them,
| to send them to prison from which,
with the aid of money and tremen-
dous secret political pull, they might
readily find their way out? They must
| be exterminated, as one kills off the
poisonous plague rats of the Orient
| A woman? In the law of reprisal
| there was no sex.
Shortly after the telephone episode
(Which rather puzzled the princess)
she received wire from Braine, which
announced the fact that Florence and
| five had escaped and were coming to
| New York on train No. 25, and ad-
| vised her to meet the train en- route.
She had to fly about to do it.
When Captain Bannock released
Braine, he had been in no enviable
| girl, whose mind was as unclouded as
his own! She had succeeded in bribing
| a coal stoker, and had taken him I'M
| awares. The man had donned the dis
| guise he had laid out for shore ap-
proach and the blockhead Bannock
| had never suspected He had not rec
| ognized Norton at all 1t was only
| when Bannock explained the history
of the shanghaied stoker that he real
lied his real danger. Norton, He must
be pushed off the board. After this
! episode he could no longer keep up
the pretense of being friendly Nor
ton, by rare stroke of luck, had
it. Self-preseryation is in no wise
looked upon as criminal. The law may
have it's ideas about it. but the in
dividual recognizes no law but its own.
1t was Braine whom he loved and ad-
mired. or Norton whom he hated as
a dog with rabies hates water With
| Norton free, he would never again
meddling reporter aimed at his ease
and elegance.
He left the freighter as soon as a
boat could carry him ashore The
fugitives would make directly for the
railroad, and thither he went at top
speed, to arrive ten minutes too late.
"Free!" said Florence, as the train
began to increase its speed.
/ Norton reached over and patted
her hand. Then he sat back with a
sudden shock of dismay. He dived
a hand into pocket, into another and
another. The price Of the telegram
he had sent to Jones was all he had
had in the world; and he had borrowed
that from a friendly stoker. In the
excitement he had forgotten all about
such a contingency as the absolute
need of money.
Florence. I'm afraid we're going to
have trouble with the conductor when
he comes"
i "Why?"