Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1916-04-14

paper UP Spike opened and read it:
Rhine!ander,
Signal:
Monthly pay roll on No. 4.
Brief though the message was, it
contained enough news to arouse
Spike
Casting only glance in the direc-
ton of the fleeing dog, Spike clutch
ing his find, hurried toward Seagrue's
camp and lost mo time in covertly
showing him the message, without ex-
planning how it had fallen into his
hands
Seagrue, reading the telegram, saw
the moment he looked at Spike, what
was in the convict's mind.
Seagrue studied the message. ''It
wouldn't be bad idea to get hold of
the stuff a while, anyway he unused.
''It's behind time now, l understand;
and hear the men over there are get
ting restless about not getting their
money. If you could hold it up on
Rhinelander a few days you might
work up strike"
How far do you want to go with
this thing?" demanded Spike, casting
a vicious eye on his employer.
Il don't care how far you co." said
Seagrue, provided you hold up that
pay roll"
bike left the camp. No more
than a moments reflection was. need
ed to suggest an idea to him. Return
ing to the station, he got long dis
lance telephone wire and called up
two of his friends at Oceanside-
Sykes, convict acquaintance, and a
chum OF Sykes, who, in various en-
counters with the law, had lost all OF
his name but Dan"
In jailbird jargon Spike explained
to Sykes, who answered the telephone,
the possibilities of haul at Signal
Dan, standing near Sykes in the room
they occupied together, asked ques-
tons and prompted his companion,
who tried to get from Spike-reluc-
tant to talk much on the wire--a de-
scription of the lay Of the land. Spike
btuntly told them in the end to stow
it and take the job or leave it, as
they liked However, the two Grim
inals got enough from him to decide
that q third man was indicated, and
they called into their conference a
crooked safe expert, known only by
his nickname of BAT, the Bat To
him they confaled their plot. Nothing
loath, Bat consented to join in the en-
terprise, and following Spikes hints,
the trio made arrangements to leave
for Signal on the train that should
carry Rhinelander's pay roll
When No. pulled into Signal next
morning three men dropped off the
hind end. They made up the Grim
inal gang that Spike had engaged to
rob Rhinelander, and, knowing the
loot was expected on the train that
carried them, two of the men kept
the front end of the train we'll in view
until they had watched Lyons and
Helen take the package of money from
the express messenger, and after re-
ceipting for it, walk with Rhinelander
into the station. Inside of the office
Rhinelander examined the shipment OF
currency.
Il have no safe at the camp, Lyons
explained Rhinelander, when the agent
asked him to receipt for the package.
Keep it here for me in your safe I'M
til tomorrow He pushed the open
package of bills back through the
wicket Of the counter, but in doing
this he accidentally overturned bot
tie Of ink.
Helen screamed little, and jump
ing aside, caught up a piece Of cloth
from the letter-press stand, wiped the
ink Off the bills as best she could and
turned them over to Lyons, who took
the big package within his charge
and placed it carefully in the safe.
Not, however, without having been
observed by two of the Oceanside
criminals who were lettering just then
outside the Office window.
Turning away before they were dis.
covered, these men-Sykes and Dan
Iwere Joined by the third member OF
their expedition, and the three headed
for Rhinelander's camp to hunt up
Spike. They encountered him on the
way over to the station to look for
them A consultation was held in the
woods The four were now assured
that the money had come, and they
knew where it had been put. To the
safe expert was left the details, and
when these had been arranged to suit
him, the quartet scattered. That
evening they might have been seen
lowering around the station about the
time that Helen and Lyons were clos
ing up for the niglrt. Indeed, the lat
ter had hardly locked the station door
before Spike, watching his opportuni
ty, signaled his assistants to the
freighthouse window This, without
ceremony, they broke open and enter
vhg the telegraph office from the
freightroom, took possession of the
premises.
The man known as The Bat, the
master mind of the visiting trio, q
once got down in front of the safe foi