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distance, came a peculiar cry. It
sounded as if some old man was at-
tempting feebiy ,to express himself.
Then came the glrl's.volce again, hur-
riedly. , .
“Oh, Mr. Lloyd, I must'see you at
once. This has gone far enough.
Come to me quickly. This is Elsie
Cole speaking-your Cousin Elsie."
The voice-.was suddenly silenced by
another stronger and more masculine
voice, demanding peremptorily that the
girl cease speaking. There was the
faintly discerned sound of a struggle,
and a woman's scream. then the clatter
of the receiver as it struck the Side of
the ‘phone. The next moment the line
was disconnected and Jack Lloyd, pale
and unstrung, was making desperate
but fruitless eliorts to have the connec-
tion replaced.
CHAPTER VII.
TIIE young attorney turned to Wilson
with u look of utter despair in his
ace.
“What's the use?" he asked. “There's
a combination against us we don't seem
to be able to break. It it wasn't for
the downright shame of being called a
'A1lIitI0l" I'd throw up the sponge. As
it Is, I'm sure that some dirty work is
on foot, and I'm determined to save my
cousin. no matter what the cost.”
Wilson was smoking in silence and
letting Lloyd run on unquestioned.
When his friend ceased, the reporter
spoke. As‘ usual, his mind had been
looking for the practical way.
"Who was thatrnt the-’phone?" he
wanted to know. . ' . . p - ‘
‘‘It was Elsie. She got that much
out and was begging me to come to her,
whenshe wnscut oil. I heard a man's -
voice and a woman’s scream, then the
line was cut. I wonder " ’
lie broke on suddenly
took on a determined look.
“If they‘ are making that girl suffer
thru no fault of her own. and only be-
cause I want’ to get her that money,
by lieaven. they'll pay for it no mat-
ter who they are!"
Wilsonsmacked himself on the leg.
“’l‘hat‘s l e talk. old sport! Come on."
The ‘ere oi! to the police station,
where Wilson‘s card secured them al-
most immediate audience with the chief
of police. As soon as he learned what
they Wanted, he sent for the chief of
detectives. - '
"il'e‘ve. got to.iind this girl and that
quickly," he said to his subordinate, as
the detective chief heard the end of
Lloyd’s remarkable narrative of the
voice over the ‘phone.
“Of course. but how?" asked Cooley.
the detective.
"Get every man on your staff thoroiy
worked into this case," answered Chief
Crawdun. “Understand, I don't want
any phony work, I want results. Every
newspaper in town will be watching,
and they won't he satisfied with e -
cusea. We must produce this missing
Elsie Cole. or there'll be some vacan-
cies in the force."
“Just as a little tip to you, chief,"
said Wilson, "I have a suggestion to
make to my paper, and I think there’ll
be a substantial reward odered to the
man that brings in the girl. A word to
the wise ought to be a plenty."
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n 8
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nmpie immg. when writing be sure
and mention the Chicago Ledxer.
E the calls.
CI-ilC.AGO LEDGERk
“I got you," said the chief, and turned
to Cooley. “Get m out now, Cooley.
and don't leaf on the Job. I want-this
town combed with a fine-tooth comb.
We've got to have that girl, dead or
alive." .
"All right, chief,” Cooley replied, as
he went to the door. “We'll see about
‘tn ,
“‘See about hell!" Crawdon replledg
profancly. "Bring her in, that's all.”
"That‘ll do for the coppers for the
nonce,” said Wilson, as he and Lloyd
went down the great stone steps lead-
ing from the station. “Now the thing
to do is to get to the telephone company
and see if we can trace that call."
Fortunately Wilson had put down the
hour the call hacl‘come into Lloyd’s
room. no they had at least something
dennite to put up to the manager-of
the company when they reached his
odice,
The manager was all politeness when
he heard the nature of their call, altho
he was frank to tell them in the be-
ginning thcre was very little hope for
success. He had read the papers about
the missing heiress, he said, and had
put the whole thing down .to some
clever advertising, but,now that he
knew that Lloyd was serious in his in-
tention of finding the girl to turn over
her legacy to her, he was anxious to
do whatever he could to aid in the
search. He asked the young men to
return that afternoon after he had
spent some time in investigating the
source of the call.
When Lloyd and Wilson returned to
the manager's oiilce, that oilicisl met
them with u sheaf of papers in his hand
which bore evidence to the thoroness of
the search. They had traced the call.
he said, as coming from the Ludlow sta-
tion. but beyond that they had followed
every clew without resu 5.
"Did you had the girl?" asked Wil-
son. meaning the girl who had made the
switchboard connection. .
“That's the odd part of the whole
thing," the manager replied. “We are
sure the call came thru Miss Schultz,
whose address is 1456 Cameron avenue,
Flushing. Iler ‘phone number used to
be Flushing 1567, but when we tried to
call her up. we found the ‘phone had
been removed last week- The super-
visor tells us, too, that Miss schultzleft
our employ this afternoon, and a mes-
senger boy to her home returned with
the information that Miss Schultz for-
merly boarded there. but had left the
house at noon. stating that she was
going West that night to Join her sis-
ter. She failed to give 'the town to
which she intended moving."
“There's that combination of cir-
cumstances working against us again,"
said Wilson, with his‘ himslcal smile.
“I'm very sorry, -gentlemen," pro-
tested the manager, “but really I was
most anxious to assist‘you. We have
eft no stone unturned, I assure you."
"Thanks," Lloyd replied. ‘ f we hear
anything, we'll lei. you know.“
“Just a minute," Wilson interrupted.
“There's a way you can help us, if you
Will. Funny we didn't think of it be-
fore. but it isn't too late. Lloyd here
heard the girl scream over the 'phone,
and there was a sound of a struggle.
n the first place, there is the barest
possibility that she was injured and
has been taken to a hospital. or course,
the chance is slim, but nevertheless ‘it’:
a chance and shouldn't be overlooked.
The second thing that suggests itself is
that Elsie may be coniined in one of the
numerous insane asylums or private
hospitals for nervous complaints. while
our precious friends who seem to have
in for her are busy with their plans
to get the million dollars, if that‘s the
lan. We might call up each or these
places listed in the telephone book and
see what the result is.”
“It's a long chance, but still it's a
chance," assented Lloyd, and the young
men, accompanied by the obllging man.
ager. returned to an oiiice in the tele-
phone building where the manager pro-
vided a special operator to hurry thru
When the whole list had
been exhausted, Wilson acknowledged
himself slumped for the time being.
Dlsconsolately, the young men went
out. and hailing ii taxi rode in silence
to Park ltow. When they reached
there the first edition of the morning
papers was beginning to reach the
log a. reward ‘of $5,000 iiat to any one
who would produce Elsie Cole, dead or
alive, and no questions asked. I
"I suggested that to McCoy," said
Wilson, couipiacently. “and he's falling .
for the plan like a little man. If this
doesn't bring Elsie, you might as well
send the money to the decrepit acro-
bats.
“But why does he limit the time?”
"That's where the joker is," said Wil-
son. “Do you know the greatest de-
tectives in New York are the newspa-
per reporters when they are keeued to
the scent and go in to win. Well. the
little limit was put into the offer to get
the newspaper boys on the job in a
hurry and keep them hot on the chase
until they had raked New York from
the Battery to the Bronx. They've got
just ten days to turn the trick, and I'd
bet my last Lincoln penny that it Elsie
Cole is in this burg we'll know where
she is before the limit is up and to
spare."
Two hours later. as Lloyd was
lug peacefully beside Wilson in
farmer's luxurious bed, the young re-
porter sat suddenly up in bed and
awoke his friend by a resounding slap
on the
"What the devil!" gasped Jack. com-
ing to his senses slowly. and sleepily
trying to grasp the significance of the
onslaught.
"Oh. nothing, I guess," laughed Wil-
son. “It just occurred to me that the
smartest newspaper man in New York
ought to win that five thousand bone
I ought to have thought of that befor
I need the money." .
"Oh, go to sleep!” muttered Lloyd,
reposing himself on his pillow. “You
haven't got a chance in the world.
You've been on the story now for three
weeks. and 3'0ti're,about as near lind-
lng Elsie as you were at the start.
Forget it!"
“That's what's going to make me
win," gurgled Wilson, delightedly. ‘‘All
the three-week ideas ave run out and
the regular ones are beginning to
come. The one best little idea of the
season for finding Elsie will be sprung
as a starter. We’il enlist the sympa-
thy of the women, my boy, and set them
searching for their little sister in dis-
tress. Then watch them ."
"F‘inel” Jack mumbled sleepily.
"IIow’ll you do it?” .
“Easiest thing you know," said Wil-
son. “We'll begin with the Parade of
the Weeping Widows. If I'm not very
much mistaken lt’li turn the trick itself.
,Whnt’ll I do with that five thousand?”
snor-
the
S.
9.
CHAPTER ,VIII.
WILSON and Lioydwere on the job
bright and early, the following
morning. wrapped in suppressed en-
thusiasm and silence. Even the men
at the World office, chaihng Wilson
about his stunts for the Mysterious
Maid, received only studied and elabo-
rate indifference from the young as-
sistant when he stopped by the office
to inform the city editor that he was
working on another stunt that would
mean several good stories. Lloyd, some-
what fagged from his strenuous work
with his more aggressive partner. hur- ,
ried along wherever Wilson suggested.
en a number of details which con-
sumed most of the morning were com-
pleted satisfactorily to Wilson, the two
young men found themselves at‘ three
in the afternoon standing, with a taxi
waiting for them, at the door of ‘Mrs.
Meredith lilelson's apartment in t
Exmoor. ’ card,- with 'The
World name in the ‘corner, brought
them an immediate invitation to enter,
and a few minutes later, Mrs. Melson,
very fat and overdressed, hurried in
and greeted them cordially. , ’
"I'm delighted. I'm sure.” said Mrs.
Melsou. who was president of the
Woman's Equal Suttrage Society, and
scented in the reporter's visit a nice
piece of publicity for herself. "I was
just at work on an article for a promi-
nent magazlne, but I am delighted to
be of service to you."
Wilson thanked her and, with a look
out of the corner of his eye to see how
lilrs. Melscn was taking his suggestion,
began to tell her of Colin Cole and the
lost heirs. ’
“But, my dear Mr. Wilson," she pm.
tested, after he had told of their ef.
forts" to iind Elsie, “how can I help
street. and with the habit of his kind, you
Wilson called a boy and bought a
World As he opened the sheet, a
whistle of surprise escaped him.
"Well. what do you think of lliccoyl”
he asked. "Gee! but he's spread him-
self on this stunt."
Looking over his shoulder Lloyd saw
a whole double-page spread devoted to
the mysterious Elsie Cole. The World,
outstripping its competitors. was offer-
“You are the very person, Mrs. Mel-
son, who can do most to help us,"
son replied, with a ilattering bow
which Mrs. Melson received smilingly:
“We want to reach the women. It is
only thru the women we can rind E1319
Think what it means to this poor girl.
Dossibly lonely and ill in thisgcat city,
helm; deprived of her great legacy gun.’
ply because we are unable to iind her."
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