United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
He had to hurry about it, for it was almost twelve then. One of
the vice-presidents of the road lived there, and he was taken into
confidence, and proved an able and eager ally. They located the special
train bearing the Prince and ordered it stopped at the next station.
The stop was made that Senator Patton might receive a long telegram
from Senator Bruner. “I figure it like this,” the Senator told the
vice-president. “They get to Boden at a quarter of one and were going
to stop there an hour. Then they were going to stop a little while at
Creyville. I've told Patton the situation, and that if he wants to do
the right thing by the prince he'll cut out those stops and rush right
through here. That will bring him in--well, they could make it at a
quarter of two. I've told him I'd square it with Boden and Creyville.
Oh, he'll do it all right.”
And even as he said so came the reply from Patton: “Too good to miss.
Will rush through. Arrive before two. Have carriage at Water Street.”
“That's great!” cried the Senator. “Trust Billy Patton for falling
in with a good thing. And he's right about missing the station crowd.
Patton can always go you one better,” he admitted, grinningly.
They had luncheon together, and they were a good deal more like
sophomores in college than like a United States Senator and a big
railroad man. “You don't think there's any danger of their getting
through too soon?” McVeigh kept asking, anxiously.
“Not a bit,” the Senator assured him. “They can't possibly make it
before three. We'll come in just in time for the final skirmish. It's
going to be a jolly rush at the last.”
They laid their plans with skill worthy of their training. The State
library building was across from the Capitol, and they were connected
by tunnel. “I never saw before,” said the Senator, “what that tunnel
was for, but I see now what a great thing it is. We'll get him in at
the west door of the library--we can drive right up to it, you know, and
then we walk him through the tunnel. That's a stone floor”--the Senator
was chuckling with every sentence--“so I guess they won't be carpeting
it. There's a little stairway running up from the tunnel---and say, we
must telephone over and arrange about those keys. There'll be a good
deal of climbing, but the Prince is a good fellow, and won't mind. It
wouldn't be safe to try the elevator, for Harry Weston would be in it
taking somebody a bundle of tacks. The third floor is nothing but store
rooms; we'll not be disturbed up there, and we can look right down the
rotunda and see the whole show. Of course we'll be discovered in time;
some one is sure to look up and see us, but we'll fix it so they won't
see us before we've had our fun, and it strikes me, McVeigh, that for
two old fellows like you and me we've put the thing through in pretty
neat shape.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account