The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1925-12-04
The Alarm Over
the Phone
By MARY B. WooDsoN

= somehow, to Victoria standing there
painting and shaking at the phone wait
ing for her sisters voice to answer
again. Like one Of those things we
think could happen to u.s.
They had finished dinner as usual
and Nelson had told her he was wait
ing for the telegram that would settle
whether he should 60 West that night
or not. And he had told her that
pending the message, he had to bring
ali that money home in his brief case
And afterwards, he had gotten some
papers out Of the case at the living
room table, and then had leaned the
case, with all that money, against Its
leg on the floor while he looked over
the evening paper.
And she had gone to the alcove back
OF the portieres to call Louise and
see If she could come and stay with
her while Nelson was gone, IL he had
to 60. And the line had been busy,
and while she waited to try again, Mel
son hnd called out to her from back Of
his paper:
Bandits again! BY George, and
near here. The Causeland's this
time. About $1,000 worth of loot, too"
And then Victoria had tried to get
Louise again. And just as Louise an
swered, the doorbell had rung. Vic
toria remembered how, as she had
chartered with Louise, she had peered
around the portiere and seen Nelson
| shutting to the door in his house slip
pers.
| Il guess l got my wish. l suppose
it's the telegram" he was saying. And
She had cried out with q sudden pre-
| monition:
"Well. find out first, before you open
| the door,"
| So Nelson had called out "Who Is
IT," and young voice had answered
"a message for you" And, reassured,
| Nelson intent on his business, had
| opened the door wide. And there
| the bandits
The bandits had leveled revolvers
at Nelson. They backed him. swear
Ing softly, toward the table, his arms
up And there In the brief case In
the shadow down on the floor by the
table, was all that money that didn't
belong to Nelson!
The bandits hadn't seen Victoria yet
They didn't know she was there, and
Nelson was evidently not wanting
them TO. But Victoria remembered
how, shivering with terror, she had
suddenly come to her senses, had sud
denly realized that temporarily she
held the whip hand If she died for it,
that she could defeat the robbers.
She remembered how her voice, calm
and collected, had suddenly seemed to
boom out In the surcharged silence
Of the room.
| Louise! Call the police! We're
being-held up!" she said sharply.
The next instant the portiere was
down and the phone snatched from
her and she was staggering across the
room in the direction she had been
hurled. Che bandit put the receiver
back on the hook very softly. The
money in the brief case, the money
that didn't belong to Nelson, they had
not found yet. but she knew 1t was
only question of time. But one OF
them went close to the table for some
thing and his toe hit the case. He
stopped to see what 1t was and sharp
ly Victoria's voice spoke out again In
a sort Of desperate calm:
''That was not fake call. I-warr
you tlle-the station is-only q few
block away. / was talking to-tht
wife of the chief" which happened
to be true
And just then the pop-popping Of
d motorcycle came In through the oper
door. faint but approaching, and sud
denly dropping everything, the bandits
ran And in running, the one by the
table stumbled over the brief case
and kicked at 1t viciously and sent 1t
scattering all that money across tbf
room, He saw 1t and stopped. HI.
eyes cleaned, but finally he fed after
the others through the back door a.
the motorcycle stopped at the front.
And after all, 1t wasn't the police
1t was the telegram! The telegram
that had miraculously told Nelson ht
didn't have to go that night. Ant
here they were. miraculously safe
with little or no loss. And there wa!
Nelson now, out In the middle of tn,
street. telling the neighbors and look
ing for the police who would surely
be coming, and here she was shiverin,
with reaction and calling Louis,
again. 49,
.Oh. my dear, what on earth wouIt
we have done If IL hadn't been talk
Ing TO you" she half-sobbed hysterical
iy, when Louise had come to tn,
phone. How can ! ever thank you
Did you call the police right away
Are they coming"
'"The police!' Louise's voice wa
shrill with amazement.
Didn't you-didn't you-cal
them"
Call them-what fOrf"
"Why-I-I told you to call them
--l told you we were being held up
Held upr' Louise's voice wa
shrilier with terror II didn't call an,
police. I'm coming right over why
I just before you--you hung up +
heard you say-somethingb but T.
didn't at all know what