Mrs. Bob: A Novel — page 142: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

134 THE FLIGHT OF THE EAST-BOUND EXPRESS. all are in the same boat, our friends do not worry about the matter. Quite a lengthy stop is to be made here, and this gives Senator John a chance to hie away to the tele- graph office in order to send the message in his _pos- session, the composition of which does himself and Bob such credit. He comes back to the car a short time before the train moves out. “Hello!’’? cries Bob, ‘‘whence these tears?’’ for the usually urbane Senator is actually frowning. “T don’t know positively, but I have a lingering fear there is some trouble in store for us,’ he says, softly, noticing that Mrs. Bob 1s bending over her satchel; but she has quick ears, and instantly raising her head, looks him squarely in the eyes. “Don’t keep anything back on account of me,’’ she says, smiling—‘‘my husband will tell you I have a fair amount of nerve, and I believe it is best that the worst should be known.”’ ‘(And I reckon you are right, my dear. I shall not try to keep anything hidden from you.”? ‘Vou sent the message, Senator ?’’ ‘Ves, Bob, and saw that it went all right myself, for you know an old operator never loses the hang of the thing. That brings up the source of anticipated trouble. ”’ ‘‘Ves—did you meet any one there?’’ ‘To of them—no more nor less than the French lawyer and our ex-Confederate colonel.’’ ‘They were telegraphing, too?”’ (¢ . o Yes, in a cipher to some one at Washingto . Of (ECON MUG MOO KS nO