The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1916-12-22

-. GOod-by, dearest one"
The receiver clicked sharply and the
listening Myrtle experienced sense OF
physical relief, the exact reason fol-
which she would have been at loss
to explain. How strangely the mar
had intoned his good-bye-almost as
If he never expected to be able to say
1t again to the wife he loved. 1t wai
as if
"Yes, number please E. Oh"
1t was the voice of the same man
speaking GROSSLY over the wire.
"Get me Grant 6212-quick he
growled. I'm in a hurry"
She plugged the proper hole con-
Meeting him and listened for a mo-
ment.
"HelloI 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 Is 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,
that's-and then, ironically = all -.
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 ordinations of her fellows and
the imperative call Of the supervisor.
She grabbed her hat and shabby little
jacket from their peg on the locker
room wall as she fed.
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 tlmel
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 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 breathless rise
All! the fourteenth floor at last!
Precious moments wasted fumbling
with the mechanism of the elevator
door :. Then through 1t and out /. +.
the staccato Clatter of little high heels
racing down the long dim, empty cor
ridor to where a blotch of light showed
through the transom of Suite 1873.
For a brief second Myrtle's heart
its pulsation and she hesl-
tated with her trembling hand out.
to turn the knob. What IL
she should find-Should find him al
ready the victim of his own mad act
lying there on the photographed floor
Of the sumptuOusly furnished offices
with pool of blood slowly coagulatlng
around the bullet hole in his temple.
If
But Myrtle, the telephone girl, watt
ed to conjecture no longer. She threw
her weight against the unlocked door.
It gave suddenly and preclpltated her
nwards coincidently with her frenzied
Try of:
"STOPp
The man sitting at the long mahog-
my desk with the ugly revolver al
ready in his hand half started to his
ieet, his face ashen; stared at this
most unexpected intruder, bulge-eyed.
ae seemed unable to collect his
thoughts; only passed his hand over
lis mouth two or three times, mutter-
ng in a half-witted way: "Who -.
who +. what :"
Then he toppled suddenly and fell
lat on his face to the floor.
'Deadw groaned Myrtle, horror
dropping to her knees beside
he inaminate form.
"Naww grunted the elevator man,
Who just then joined her. Hes tainted
that's all, kid. Better 90 git me
vet rag to sop his face with. That1l
ring him round in a jlffy."
But Myrtle was already seated at
he adjacent telephone, calling the
lumber she so well remembered:
"Yes, yes operator i. That's It,
siverview ALI. -. Hellol -. he'll
OIL Is this Mrs. Thornton talking7 :.
20, you don't know me, but that
Doesn't matter. You hurry and wake
p 'Snookums;' put on all his things
nd hurry down here to Mr.. Thorn