Show THE MYSTERY UNRAVELED A cinter newspaper man divined the neason of a tremendous blockade what is who is hurt anybody been run over Is it a man in a fisit fit nigh high above tho the ceaseless ramble and r roar ar of traffic rose human voices in anxious inquiry and the dense throng at the intersection of at state and madison streets grow depser denser still it was just before sunset and the mighty heart of chi cagos business center throbbed with tho the feverish energy that marked the closing hours boors of another day of toll toil and the hurrying homeward of restless eager thousands the swiftly moving streams of humanity that are wont to meet in eddying whirls in this dizzy vortex and then diverge and mova onward again each in its ita destined course had bad suddenly become blocked and chaos reigned pushed toward the common cen center by tb tho ever hurrying throngs afoot in carriages and in street cars and unable to extricate themselves men women and children gasped for breath and the crowd in the streets and on the sidewalks overflowed into alleys and surged hither and yon like the resistless em ebb and flow of a mighty sea A policeman on the outskirts of the dense throng climbed a lamppost and from Us his elevated position surveyed the scene give him air he shouted sternly waving his club give him airl the matter inquired a hundred voices as bo be climbed down 1 I dont know he answered and with gloomy lowering brow he strutted up the street disappeared down a short flight of stairs from which a few moments later ho be emerged wiping his mouth and in the same stern stem uncompromising way ho he walked a block farther and sent in a fire alarm meanwhile the surging 0 multitude at state and madison grew every moment more appalling and inextricable something must bo be done fiercely cely elbowing his way through tho the crowd a newspaper reporter at last was seen bearing down toward the center of the compact mass his hat was off his hair flying in the wind and his bis face was deathly pale but with set teeth and dilated nostrils he tors tore his way along thrusting to the right and left every one who opposed his progress press reaching the center of the t throng brong he bo seized two individuals by their arms and in the same resolute fearless way opened a passage for them to the outside and as if by magic the vast concourse dissolved the converging streams of humanity whirled and eddied as aa before and the business heart of the great city throbbed again the reporter had conjectured rightly the blockade was caused by two women who had met in the exact center of the street and stopped to tell each other the troubles they were having with their hired girls chicago tribune |