"I was just going to hunt you up, Miss Day," he cried, beckoning her into the office. "Do you know, young lady, that you have suddenly become a person of considerable importance?" and he laughed again.
"Me?" cried Janice, in amazement.
"You are the tea party—yes, ma'am! You are an object of public interest. Two New York papers have sent to me for five-hundred word interviews with you——"
"My goodness me!" gasped Janice. "How dreadful! What does it mean?"
"Your father's case has been taken up by the big papers all over the country. It may be made a cause for American intervention. That is the talk. The newspapers are interested, and the truth about your father is likely to be known very quickly. All the special correspondents down there on the border have been set to work——Ah! and here is something from your man at Juarez."
The telegrapher had caught the relay number of the despatch then coming over the wire, and knew that it was from Juarez. "Hello!" he chuckled, when the sounder ceased. "Your man is certainly some brief—and to the point."
He scratched off a copy of the message and put it into Janice's eager hand. The girl read it out loud:
"J. M. always a story-teller. Have telegraphed consular agent at Cida for later particulars. I consider any news of B. D. good news.
James W. Buchanan."
"That Buchanan evidently knows the John Makepiece who is telling this yarn," observed the telegraph operator, "and he doesn't have much confidence in him."