The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-06-11

Paris news service Carcth man.
aged (he had been given the title
OF manager 10 balance scarcely
decorative salary simply must be
first In the field with the news He
was perfectly aware that the tcle.
phone wires would be leased by
men who could afford 20 do IL, and
large sums would probably 10 for
bubcs. TO offset this was the fact
that the censors would be watching
jealousy with tho high motive Of
delaying all messages impartially.
Unless first flash caught them
mapping. there would be a confu.
sion aboliHhing privilege az II would
order, so he must get that flash, y
he would beat the others. And lac
had 10 beat them.
Not as n purely personal matter.
He had ret out 10 help build up
this new service out OF nothing.
with no facilities az hand and every
odd OF money and OF influence
against him. and-he was going 10
see II thru.
lie knew AT what cafe on the
boulevard some OF his newspaper
friends would gather. that night.
They were good fellows. and while
swnpping stories wouAd drop hints.
IIe might-no. no wouldn't. His
program had been fully prepared
and he wasn't going 20 be ratified
by u foolish telegram.
Nevertheless. when tho crucial
moment came al Versailles next day,
he caught his breath ns II for a
cold plunge. lie had stakcd every.
thing upon physiological ovservae
ton AZ a famous trial on whose yer.
dict he had beaten the world. 10 his
own surprise. If the same law
failed 10 work now he was done.
But then. human nature was the
one thing on earth remaining pro.
excessively constant in It's peculiar.
erratio way.
From gallery Gareth watched
tho crowded congress hall, tense
with passions and heasy with
breathing. The speeches. heard IN
yorB OF craftsmanship on benches
where senator's and deputies sat
with n common rank. Then came
the vote and the rush for the room
where ballots were counted.
Garcth knew his ground well, hav.
ing paced II In advance. So he
proceeded quietly TO the vast hall
serving as antechamber TO the
secret room. The most brilliant and
eminent figures In the life OF Paris
social. diplomatic. political. Intellec-
tual--were pressed and packed
against the forbidden door like shoai
upon shoal OF herring. what did
they expect 10 gain by being there.
and-how did they hope TO get
awayg Gareth. alone. fingered at
tho remote end OF the hall.
YEARLY. the minutes dragged on.
Gareth found himself repeating the
hackneyed joke OF his school days:
Would he rather look n bigger fool
than he was. or be bigger fool
than he looked? And he answered
himself. that either way. he could
not. In the distance blurred by
fatigue and By the ovcrcharged
AIR. he recognized familiar faces
writing In the efforts made by
their respective bodies TO work IN
siiii closer 10 that door. What did
they think TO gain? Yet. what ifI
they were right7
With crash. the news broke
The doors did not have n chance TO
open, they were driven in. Yells.
pnnctuated by n roar of footballs.
rang and re-echoed. The result,
cried out in stentorian tones. was
caught UP and repeated. again and
again. -
Not at the first cry. nor at the
second. but at the third and fourth. |
.Garcth dashed out OF the far door
ana down the deserted stairs. four
steps nj a leap. He had been sure
enough OF hts advantage TO wait for
confirmation. As he ieaped. his
fingers were busy. choosing from
some written cable forms he held
the one with the result which
proved true. The others. he
crnmpled into his pocket, and read
ana re.read tho one in which only
the figures OF the vote was lacking.
lie added those. with polite, send
that at once. win you please?"
which commanded the interest OF n
telegraph omployo as idle MS all his
colleagues.
AT once. please" Gareth repeated.