“What was that?”
“I just came from the court house,” went on Mr. Cutler. “I heard you had lost your case, and I saw Kittridge and his clerk laughing over their success. Then I overheard Kittridge say: ‘We never would have won the case, but for a tip Boise’s office boy gave me. He called me up, and said he had a grudge against the firm because they wouldn’t raise his wages, and then he let out about the injunction.’ That’s what Kittridge said.”
“That’s not so!” cried Tom indignantly. “I never spoke to Mr. Kittridge, over the telephone, or otherwise, in my life; I merely got his office once on the wire for Mr. Boise.”
“I know what I’m talking about!” declared Mr. Cutler. “I say you gave this fact to Kittridge, and I can prove it. You are responsible for this leak, and I think you had better discharge him, Mr. Boise, and get a boy we can trust. He used to listen to persons talking to me, until I put a stop to it.”
“I never listened unless it was absolutely necessary, in order to put some other party on your wire!” said Tom hotly.
“I think you had better discharge him,” went on the junior partner. “I know where we can get a boy we can depend on.”
“This is a serious accusation,” said Mr. Boise slowly. “Are you—pardon me—are you sure of your facts, Mr. Cutler?”
“Positive. Why, ask Kittridge.”
“No; I would not like to do that. I would not want to let him know we have some one here we can not trust,” but, though he spoke sadly, Mr. Boise did not look accusingly at Tom. “I have another plan,” the senior partner went on. “I will ask the telephone company to make an investigation. They keep a record of all calls, and they can tell whether there were more than one call for the Kittridge office within the last few days. One I used myself. If there is another on the record——”
“It means that it was the one when the secret of the case was given away,” interrupted Mr. Cutler.