Page:The ransom of Red Chief and other O. Henry stories for boys.djvu/262

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240 The Clarion Call

course youVe had this murder case worked over by your staff of bright young blockheads. Half of the second button on old Mrs. Nor- cross's nightgown is broken off. I saw it when I took the garnet ring off her finger. I thought it was a ruby. . . . Stop that! it won't work."

Kernan turned to Woods with a diabolic smile.

"I've got him going. He believes me now. He didn't quite cover the transmitter with his hand when he told somebody to call up Central on another 'phone and get our num- ber. I'll give him just one more dig, and then we'll make a 'get-away/

"Hello! . . . Yes. I'm here yet. You didn't think I'd run from such a little sub- sidized, turncoat rag of a newspaper, did you? . . . Have me inside of forty-eight hours? Say, will you quit being funny? Now, you let grown men alone and attend to your business of hunting up divorce cases and street-car accidents and printing the filth and scandal that you make your living by. Good-bye, old boy sorry I haven't time to call on you. I'd feel perfectly safe in your sanctum asinorum. Tra-la!"

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