The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1916-12-29

| tOOd-by, dearest one"
The receiver clicked sharply and the
listening Myrtle experienced a sense OF
/ physical relief. the exact reason for
! which she would have been at loss
To explain. How strangely the man
had lntOned his goOd-bye--almost a.
II he never expected 20 be able 20 say
| II again 10 the wife lie loved. II was
! ns if
Yes, number please i. Oh"
II was the voice Of the slime man
speaking GROSSLY over the wire.
Get the Grant G2I2-quick I" he
! grdwled Tn In hurry"
She plugged the proper hole con
! meeting him and listened for mo-
mcnt
Hello! Grant gig? the Morgue?
Well, this II James r. Thornton talk
tng. Yes, JAMES Thornton Of J..
T. Thornton, Inc. I'm about To com
init suicide In my office ut l47s Stock
Exchange building. II yOu'il send your
men over here within 10 minutes
they'll find my body here Doors
unlocked, rendy for you. Statement
for the newspapers VIII be found on
desk. I've just completed Il. q. Was
smashed la collapse OF market on the
board floor thls afternoon No,
that's-nnd then, Ironically all Z.
Happy New Year"
Ills receiver clicked down on the
hook, severing the connection I'm the
midst Of Mortified nbjurntions from the
other end Of the wire. simultaneously
Myrtle, the telephone girl, Jerked the
metal loop from her head and sprang
down the aisle disrcgardng 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 us she fed.
A suicldef he was about to die
By his own hand And with that
sweet-yOlced wife waiting for him
there AT home with the dear little Kid,
die tucked up In bed aud crying for his
dr ddy's goodnight kiss II was wrong
all wrong To stop him! All,
u only she could get there In time
There was chunce---a slim chance,
for II happened that the Stock Tx
change was directly next door to the
big gray telephone building.
Fortunately the might elevator man
had his car waiting there on the main
floor, while he leaned against the side
of the cage gosslplng with one OF the
scrub women, Myrtle bounded In, star.
tling both nearly out OF their wits.
Quick !" she painted selling his arm
with tense fingers, 1.-THE fourteenth
noor Not an instant to spare :"
"iiut IT'S against rules to let you go
mp 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 ana the Iron cage shot swiftly
upwards before the man could stop
her. II was n slckening hreathlcss rise
All the fourteenth floor at last
Precious moments wasted fumhlng
with the mechanism OF the elevator
door i. Then through II and out
the staccnto chatter of little high heels
racing down the long dim, empty cor
ridor to where u blotCh of light showed
through the tranSum of Suite 147S.
For II brief second Myrtles heart
suspended It's pulsatlon aud she hest
tated with her trembling hand out.
stretched To turn the knob. What IL
she should find should find him al.
rendy the victim of his own mad act
lying there on the richly-curpeted floor
or the sumptuously furnished offices
with pool of blood slowly coagulntlng
around the bullet hole In his temple.
r.
hut Myrtle. the telephone girl, walt
cd 10 conjecture no longer, She threw
her weight against the unlocked door.
II gave suddenly ana preclpltatcd her
ln"artls coincidcntly with her frcnzled
cry of:
"STOPl"
The man sitting ut the long mahog-
any desk with the ugly revolver al
ready In his hand half started To his
feet his face ashen; stared nj this
most unexpected Intruder, hulge-eyed
He seemed unable to collect his
thoughts; only passed his baud over
his mouth two ar three times. mutter,
Ing In half-wlttcd way: "Who
who e, what ="
Then he topplcd suddenly aud fell
hnt On his face Ia the floor.
Dead " groaucd Myrtle. horror.
stricken, dropping to her knees beside
the inamluate form.
Nav ?" Erunted the eley1 tor man,
who just then Joined her. Hes tainted
that's all, kid, Better ~ Kit me a
wet rag To SOP his face with. Thatm
bring him round In Iiuy."
but Myrtle WIS already seated M
tho adjacent telephone. calling the
number she SO well remembered:
Yes, yes, operator That's Il.
luyerNirw an. go. H,Hol &c. hel,
10 Is this Mrs, Thornton talking?
No, YOU don't kaow me. but that
doesn't matter. You hurry aud wake
M 'Suo"kums' put ON al his things
ana hurry down here 20 Mr.. Thorn.