“Want to send a message, Mr. Slade?” asked the operator who knew him well. “Yes, and I want you to forget it,” Slade replied. The operator grinned. “Done forgot it,” he declared. Slade wrote it out and handed it to him. The operator stared at the name mentioned but offered no comment. The message was addressed to James S. Hogg, the former governor of Texas, Beaumont, Texas. “There should be an answer in a few hours, if Hogg isn’t gallivanting off somewhere,” Slade told the operator. “Hold it for me.” “Certain,” replied that worthy. Late that evening, the return message arrived. It read — Associate of Tim Billings. Mixed up in his schemes. Dropped out of sight a while back. Slade read the message, tore it into small bits and stowed them in his pocket to burn later. He had learned all he needed to know. Tim Billings was a political boss, notorious for the questionable deals he managed to put across, but with plenty of influence in certain quarters. “But I think, Mr.
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