“Yes, a few minutes, Joe, but I thought you would wait for me. My ticker got busy just as I was about to leave. I remained to take the dispatch, Gordon, and it proved to be quite a long one.”
“Something important?”
“Not very. Only political news for the local paper.”
“Belden evidently is a telegraph operator,” thought Nick.
“Anything warm by wire this morning?” questioned Gordon.
“No, nothing,” said Belden; and then he abruptly added: “There was a singular message, however, and an unusual circumstance in connection with it.”
“How so, Arthur?”
“The dispatch was addressed to John Dalton, and we were instructed to hold it till called for,” Belden explained. “I looked in the local directory, but it contained no John Dalton. I inferred that he was a traveling man, or a visitor in town, whose address was not known by the sender.”
“Naturally.”
“Strange to say, however, he showed up in about five minutes and asked if we had a dispatch for him.”