The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-12-28


listening Myrtle experienced a sense of
physical relief, the exact reason for
which she would have been at a loss
to explain. How strangely the man
had intoned his good-bye-almost as
If he never expected to be able to say
it again to the wife he loved. 1t was
as if
"Yes, number please -. Oh"
1t was the voice of the same man
speaking GROSSLY over the wire.
Get me Grant ~6212-quick! !" he
growled. "Tm in a hurry"
She plugged the proper hole con-
Meeting him and listened for a mo-
ment.
Hello! Grant 6212? the Morgue?
Well, this is James p. Thornton talk
ing. Yes, JAMES Thornton of j.
p. Thornton, Inc. I'm about to COM
nit suicide in my Office at 147S Stock
Exchange building. If you'll send your
men over here within 10 minutes
they'll find my body here . Doors
unlocked, ready for you. Statement
for the newspapers will be found on
desk. I've just completed it. . Was
smashed in collapse of market on the
board floor this afternoon . . No,
thats-and then, ironically all 49,.
Happy New Year,"
His receiver clicked down on the
hook, severing the connection in the
midst of Mortified abjurations from the
other end of the wire. simultaneously
Myrtle, the telephone girl, jerked the
metal loop from her head and sprang
down the aisle, ~disregarding the sur
prised Explanations of her fellows and
the imperative call of the supervisor.
h grabbed her hat and shabby little
jacket from their peg on the locker
wall as she fled.
A suicide? . he was about to die
by his own hand . . And with that
sweet-voiced wife waiting for him
there at home with the dear little kid
die tucked up in bed and crying for his
daddy's goodnight kiss! 1t was wrong
all wrong! -. To stop him! All,
if only she could get there in time!
There was a chance-a slim chance,
for it happened that the Stock Ex-
change was directly next door to the
big gray telephone building.
Fortunately the night elevator man
had his car waiting there on the main
floor, while he leaned against the side
of the cage gOssiping with one of the
scrub women. Myrtle bounded in, star
Ting both nearly out of their wits.
Quick" she painted, Selling his arm
with tense fingers, 1.-THE fourteenth
floor -. Not an instant to spare!'
But it's against rules to let you go
up there at this unhOly time of night
unless you've got a permit" eXpOstu-
lated the beWildered elevator man.
you can't"
Myrtle drove the motive lever home
herself and the iron cage shot swiftly
upwards before the man could stop
her. 1t was a sickening GREATNESS rise
. All! the fourteenth floor at last!
Precious moments wasted fumbling
with the mechanism of the elevator
door Then through It and cut -.
the %staccato chatter of little high heels
racing down the long dim, empty cor
ridor to where a blotch of light showed
through the transom of Suite 147S.
For a brief second Myrtle's heart
suspended it's pulsation and she hest
tated with her trembling hand out.
stretched to turn the knob. What if
she should find-shouId find him al
ready the victim of his own mad act
lying there on the richly-carpeted floor
OF h sumptuouSly furnished offices
with a pool of blood slowly coagulating
around the bullet hole in his temple.
If
But Myrtle, the telephone girl, wait
ed to conjecture no longer. She threw
her weight against the unlocked door.
1t gave suddenly and precipitated her
inwards coincidently with her frenzied
cry of:
"STOP!"
The man sitting at the long mahog-
any desk with the ugly revolver al
ready In his hand half started to his
feet, his face ashen; stared at this
most unexpected intruder, bulge-eyed.
He seemed unable to collect his
thoughts; only passed his hand over
his mouth two or three times, mutter-
Ing in a half-witted way: "Who -.
who -. what 49,"
Then he toppled suddenly and fell
fiat on his face to the floor.
"Dead!" groaned Myrtle, horror
stricken, dropping to her knees beside
the inaminate form.
Nav" grunted the elevator man,
who just then Joined her. "He's tainted
that's all, kid. Better go git me a
wet rag to sop his face with. ThatIl
bring him round in a jiffy."
But Myrtle was already seated at
the adjacent telephone, calling the
number she so well remembered:
"Yes, yes, operator -. That's it,
Riverview 4111. -. Hello! -. he'll
10! Is this Mrs. Thornton talking? T..
No, you don't know me, but that
doesn't matter. You hurry and wake
up 'Snookums;' put on all his things
and hurry down here to Mr.. Thorn
toms office. He needs you -. Asked
me to call you up. -. Says he wants
to begin a Happy New Year with you
and the baby right down here. .
You'll come right away All right,
thank yOu -, Yes. I'll wait here too.