United States or Burundi ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
He was quickly in communication with one of the great New York papers and found that it was over the paper's private wire that first authentic news from the Granadas district had arrived in the East. The posse from Cida had found everything peaceful about the mines. The guerrilla leader, Raphele, had decamped.
"Have requested consular agent at Cida to wire you direct to Popham Landing, report of returning posse now overdue," was how Mr. Buchanan concluded the message. "And that report may be along any time, now," declared the operator, encouragingly. "You people haven't got to start back up the lake yet awhile?" "We'll stay as long as Miss Day wants to," said Nelson Haley, quickly.
It was the sort of human-interest story that newspaper readers enjoy; but Janice was almost ashamed to appear in public for several days thereafter! However, this is ahead of our story. The wait for further messages from the border was not so tedious, because of these incidents. By and by an answer came from the American consular agent at Cida, relayed from Juarez by Mr. Buchanan.
The agent stated his doubt of the entire truth of John Makepiece's story. The man was notoriously a reckless character. It was believed that he himself had served with the Constitutionalist army in Mexico some months. Since appearing in Cida and telling his story to the Associated Press man, he had become intoxicated and was still in that state, so could not be interviewed for further particulars.
The article she feared to see was upon the first page of the paper. A Fugitive's Story of the Christmas-Week Execution in Granadas District John Makepiece Tells His Story in Cida; His Fellow-Prisoner, Broxton Day, Fills One of Raphele's "Christmas Graves" Janice Day could never have told how long she sat there, elbows on the bureau, eyes glued to those black lines on the newspaper page.
The heat of the tall oil lamp almost scorched her face; but her back was freezing. There was never anything invented not even a cold storage plant as cold as the ordinary New England farmhouse bedchamber! But the girl felt neither the lamp's heat, nor the deadly chill of the room. For a long time she could not even read beyond the mere headlines of the article telegraphed from Cida.
It's too horrible! I wouldn't want to know any more, child." "But I must know more if there's more to be known. I believe I can telegraph to Cida. At least, Mr. Buchanan at Juarez may know something more about this man's story. I wish there was either telegraph, or telephone, in Poketown." "Gee, Janice!" exclaimed Marty. "Nobody could git over to Middletown to-day. Not even Walky Dexter.
"Your man is certainly some brief and to the point." He scratched off a copy of the message and put it into Janice's eager hand. The girl read it out loud: "J. M. always a story-teller. Have telegraphed consular agent at Cida for later particulars. I consider any news of B. D. good news.
Word Of The Day