t Jones's casual tones changed to a sharp cry of fright,
and Alex knew that the robber had revealed himself. "Now you keep your
tongue between your teeth, and do exactly what you are told, young man,
or you get this! You understand?

"Now turn about--your back toward the office door--so." The door was
flung open, and the robber appeared standing sideways, his gun in his
hand, pointing at the day operator, who was just out of Alex's sight.

"Now what you are to do is to read off letter by letter what this young
shaver in here sends on the wire. You are a tab on him. You understand?"

In a trembling voice Jones responded in the affirmative.

"And the first one of you who appears to do anything not straight and
aboveboard gets daylight through his head," he added, raising his voice
for Alex's benefit. Then, addressing his partner, he said: "Give the kid
the message, Bill."

The tall man leaned over the counter and tossed the blank on the table
before Alex.

"Who will I send it to first?" asked Alex.

"The sheriff, Watson Siding."

"All right. But first, you know, I have to call him," explained Alex,
somewhat nervously, now that the critical moment had come. "His call is
WS."

Therewith he began slowly calling, that Jones might read off each letter
as he sent it, "WS, WS, WS, BX."

"WS, WS--"

"I, I," answered WS.

"WS answers," interpreted Jones.

Steadying himself with a deep breath, Alex proceeded to carry out his
plan. Carefully reaching forth with his foot beneath the table, he
pressed the two wires together, then loudly clicked his key. The
instruments, thus "cut out," of course failed to respond.

"The wire appears to have opened," announced Jones. "Probably the man at
WS has opened his key while getting a blank or a pen."

Again Alex clicked the key as though in a futile effort to send, then
leaving it open, thus holding the instruments on the table "dead," began
ticking his foot against the impromptu key beneath the table.

And while the instruments at Bixton remained momentarily silent, the
surprised operator at Watson Siding read in draggy but decipherable
signals the words:

"Read every other word."

"Come on! Come on!" exclaimed the man in the doorway, turning
suspiciously. Immediately Alex withdrew his foot and closed the key, and
at the resulting audible click Jones announced: "The wire has closed. He
can send now."

"All right. Come ahead," commanded the short man, impatiently.

Th