Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-09-12

4
extraordinary situation.
His uneasiness increased to conster.
nation when ne discovered that
Sprouse had not yet put in an appear
ance. What had become of the man
| He could not help feeling, however,
that somehow the little agent would
suddenly pop out Of the chimney in
his room, or sneak in through crack
under the door-and laugh at his
fears.
Shortly before the noon hour Peter
Ames halted the old automobile from
/ Green Fancy in front of the Tavern
and out stepped O'Dowd, followed by
no less parsonage than the pseudo
| Mr.. Loeb. There were number of
| travelling bags in the tonneau of the
| car.
Catching sight of Barnes, the Irish
man shouted genial greeting.
'"The top of the morning to ye. You
remember Mr.. Loeb, don't you? Mr..
Curtis secretary. Mr.. Loeb is leaving
us for few days on business. Good
morning, Mr.. Boneface," he called out
| to Putnam Jones who approached at
| that juncture. "We are sadly in want
of gasoline"
Barnes caught the look that the
Irishman shot at him out of the COR
ner of his eye.
perhaps you'd better see that the
scoundrelS don't give us short meas
ure, Mr.. Loeb" said ODowd. Loeb
! hesitated for a second, and then, evil
IDENTIFY in obedience to command
from the speakers eye, moved off to
where Peter was opening the intake.
/ O'Dowd lowered his voice. Barnes,
I let you off last night, and I let her
| off as well. In return, ] ask you to
| hold your tongue until the man down
| there gets fair start. A Gays start
| and"
"Are you in danger, too, ODowd"
"To be sure--but / love it. can
always squirn out of tight places"
81 would not deliberately put you in
| jeopardy, O'Dowd."
"Sce here, am going back to that
house up yOnder. There is still work
for me there. What I'm after now is
! to get him on the train at HOrnyillc
! I'll be here again at four o'clock, on
me word Of honor. Trust me, Barnes"
do you mean to say that you are
coming back here to run the risk of
! being
We've had word that the govern
ment has men sOn the way. Why,
hang it all, Barnes, don't you know
who it was that engineered that whole
business last night?"
Barnes smiled. ST DO. He is a Sc
| cret agent from the embassy"
"Secret granny" almost shouted
! O'Dowd. Gle is the slickest, cleverest
crook that ever drew the breath of
life. And he's got away with the
jewels, for which you can whistle in
vain, Pm thinking"
'For heavens sake, ODowd-" be-
gan Barnes, his blood like ice in his
veins.
"But don't take my word for it.
Ask her-upstairs there, God bless
her ask her if she knows Chester
Naismith. She'll tell We. my buckle.
He's been standing guard outside her
window for the past three nights.
! He's"
"Now I know you are mistaken"
cried Barnes, wave of relief surging
over him. 'Tie has been in this tav-
ern every night"
"Sure he has. But answer me, did
We ever see him here after eleven in
the evening? You did n0t-nOt until
last night, anyhow. In the struggle he
had with Nicholas last night he was
recognized. That's why poor old
Nicholas is lying dead up there at the
house now-and will have a decent
burial unbeknownst to anybody but
his friends"
"Good God, O'Dowd, you can't mean
that he-he killed.
"He stuck q knife in his neck. The
dirty snake! And the chief trusted
him as no crook ever was trusted be-
fore. In the name of God, Barnes, how
did you happen to fall in with the vii
lain?"
Barnes passed his hand over his
brow, dazed. "He-he represented
himself as book agent" he mumbled,
striving to collect himself. ''Jones
knew him. Said he had been around
here for weeks. IL"
''That's the man." said O'Dowd,
scowling. Gle trOtted all over the
county, selling books. For the love of
it, do We think? Not much. He had
other fish to fry, you may be sure
Barnes if we ever lay hands on that
friend of yours-well, he won't have
to fry in hell. He'll be burnt alive
Thank God, my minds at rest on one
score. She didn't skip out with him.
They all think he did. Not one of
them suspects that she came away
with you. There is plenty of evidence
that she let him in through her wine
dow"
"All ready, O'Dowd," called Loeb.
"COme along, please"