Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-07-19

was not the 1mpOtent frOtnlnSS Oh
the press-it was the silence that the
Wire Devils had not broken since
that night until they had broken it
this morning with the single word
that. now that he had deciphered it,
still meant nothing to him. A dozen
times, stealing their cipher messages,
he had turned all their carefully pre-
pared plans to his own account, and
snatched away the prize. even as
they were in the act of reaching for
it. But he was not a fool to close his
eyes to the Inevitable result. He
was pitted against the cleverest
brains In the criminal world; all the
cunning that they knew would be
ruthlessly turned against him; and.
already out to get him. a price all
ready guaranteed to the lucky mem
Der Of the band out of the common
funds, the empty safe of three nights
before, with its jeering ten-dollar
counterfeit bill flung in their faces.
crowned, he feared, their injuries at
his hands, and marked the turning
point where they would leave no
stone unturned to wreak their VEN
geance upon him.
4 And he did not like this silence of
theirs since that night. Were they
suspicious at last that he had the
key to, their cipher? He did not
think 30, and yet he did not know
It was always q possibility. But in
any case, wary, OF any move they
might make. he had. as far as II was
humanity possible, remained within
sound OF telegraph instrument ever
since Last night for example, TAX.
ing advantage OF some repairs that
Elk Head, fifty miles east of Sell
kirk, he, had lain hidden behind a
mass of building material in the dis
mantled waiting room. within earshot
of the telegraph sounder-and there
had been nothing. Forced to retire
from there by the advent of the
workInen, he had eaten a very lei
surely breakfast at the lunch counter
-still within earshot of the sounder.
He had fingered around the station
as long as he had dared without
running the risk OF exciting suspi-
cion. and, then he had taken the To-
cal east for Bald Creek-and taken
the chance, because he had no choice.
that nothing would break over tho
wires during, the three quarters OF
an hour that he was on the train.
The Limited scheduled Bald Creek,
and that would give him an excuse
for remaining there, an innocent and
prospective patron of the road, until
the Limited's arrival some two hours
later. After that, If nothing hap
pened, he had intended to go back
on the Limited to Selkrk-and get
some sleep.
The Hawk yawned heavily again.
Yes, after an almost uninterrupted
vigil Of forty eight hours one needed
sleep. Well, he was on his way back
to Selkirk noY--on the Limited.
Only something had happened. Al
most at the moment that the Linn
tied had pulled into Bald Creek, the
Wire Devils had broken their silence,
and cipher message had flashed
over the wires. He had waited for
1t, fought for 1t, schemed for II, gone
without sleep for two days and
nights for it-and he had been re-
warded. He had intercepted the
message. deciphered 1t, he had got it
at last-heN had 1t now! It was the
one word-"rainy." And the word to
him manufacturing!
The Hawks fingers ceased their
drumming on the window pane, his
head inclined slightly to one side,
and he listened. His fellow travel
ers had evidently scraped up ac-
simultaneously. The conversation
had become general--and suddenly
interesting. S.
Yes, unquestionably!f The
amount I have with me is worth
quite easily q half million francs
a hundred thousand dollars. It Is not
my personal property l regret to
say. Quantities sufficient to be Of
material service are for the most
part inStitutionally held
The Hawk swung around in his
chair. and with frank interest sur
veyed the little group. He had
scanned them once already, critical
~, comprehensively-at the moment
he had first entered the car. The
man who sat nearest to him was
doctor from Selkirk; and, it being
the unframed policy of the Hawk to
know reporter as he would know
q plain clothes man, he had recog-
nized one OF the others as young
reporter on the staff OF the Selkirk
Evening Journal. The others axain.
OF whom there were three. were
strangers TO him. His eyes rested
with frank interest-on the man who
had Just spoken. There had been
Just = trace OF accent in the Others
perfect English, and II bore out the
mans appearance. The man was
perhaps forty-fiv years Of are.
rather swarthy in complexion. and,
tho slight in build, commanding In
presence. The black vandyke beard.
az we'll az the mustache. was care
fuily trimmed; and his face had an
air OF the student about It, an air
that was enhanced by the extraor-
dinarily heavy lensed spectacle.
which ne wore. The excellent clothes
were Enthusiastically OF foreign cut.
Great Scott!" calculated the re-
porter. 'Ts that straight?" He
twisted his cigar excitedly from one
corner OF his mouth to the other. 81
say, don't suppose there's a chance
OF getting q squint at 1t, eh?",
A-squintg The foreigners face
was politely puzzled.
mean 9 chance to see it---to see
what It looks like" interpreted the
reporter, with a laugh. 'on
On, yes, of course-a so,1int. RI
Will remember thati" The Soro;-ro,
joined In the laugh. "One learns,
monsieur, always, eh--n one keeps
ones ears openm He reached down