Barnes was thankful that the waiter was not looking at him
when he hurled the bomb, figuratively speaking. He had a moment's time
to recover.
"What robbery?" he enquired, feigning indifference.
"Feller up in one of the cottages at the sanatorium. All beat up,
something fierce they say."
"Up in--Where?" almost shouted Barnes, starting up.
The man explained where the cottages were situated, Barnes listening
as one completely bereft of intelligence.
"Seems he was to leave by auto early this mornin', and they didn't
know anything was wrong till Joe Keep--he's driving a Fierce-Arrow
that Mr. Norton has for rent--till Joe'd been settin' out in front for
nearly half an hour. The man's wife was waitin' fer him up at the main
buildin' and she got so tired waitin' that she sent one of the clerks
down to see what was keeping her husband. Well, sir, him and Joe
couldn't wake the feller, so they climb in an open winder, an' by
gosh, Joe says it was terrible. The feller was layin' on the bed, feet
an' hands tied and gagged, and blood from head to foot. He was
inconscious, Joe says, an'--my God, how his wife took on! Joe says he
couldn't stand it, so he snook out, shakin' like a leaf.
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