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Page 73
The doctor came up on the run and made a hasty examination of the
patient. Then he sent for another surgeon. Larry heard them talking.
"What is it?" he asked of his friend the nurse.
"His skull is fractured," she said in a low voice. "They did not
think so at first, but now the symptoms show it. They are going to
operate at once. It is the only chance of saving his life."
"There goes my story," thought Larry, regretfully.
It was not that he was hard-hearted or indifferent to Retto's
sufferings. Simply that his newspaper instinct got ahead of
everything else, as it does in all true reporters, who, if they have
a "nose for news," will make "copy" out of even their closest
friend, though they may dislike the operation very much.
"You had better go," the nurse advised Larry. "You will not be able
to see him again for some time--no one will be allowed to talk to
him until he is on the road to recovery--if we can save him. He has
a bad fracture."
Much disappointed, Larry left the hospital. It was hard to be almost
on the verge of getting the story and then to see his chance slip
away.
"I'm sure he was just going to tell me where Mr. Potter is," thought
the reporter. "Now it means a long wait, if I ever find out at all
from him."
He told Mr. Emberg what had happened. The city editor decided to
follow out his first plan, of not connecting the accident at the
pier with the Potter mystery.
"If he has to be operated on for a fractured skull," Mr. Emberg
remarked to Larry over the wire, "he will be in no condition to tell
his name, or give any information for some time. The story is safe
with him. Now you'd better get busy on some other line of the case.
The _Scorcher_ is out, but they only have a scare yarn, without any
foundation, to the effect that Mr. Potter is still in Italy, and
that his family knows where he is."
"That's all bosh!" exclaimed Larry.
"That's what I think," the city editor said. "Now get on the job,
Larry, and arrange to give us a good story for to-morrow. Keep watch
of Retto, and as soon as the doctors will let you see him try again,
though of course it may not be for several days."
Larry was all at sea. He hung up the telephone receiver with a
vague feeling that being a reporter on a special assignment was not
all it was cracked up to be.
"Easy enough to say get a good story for to-morrow," he remarked to
himself, "but I'd like to know how I'm going to do it? The
story--the only story there is--is safe with Retto, and he can't
tell it."
"What shall I do?" Larry asked himself. "Let me think. I guess I'd
better go see Captain Tantrella and ask him to keep mum about Retto
until I have another chance at the man. Then I'll--I'll go and tell
Grace. She'll want to know all about it."
He found Captain Tantrella at his hotel, having finished all the
details connected with the docking of the _Turtle_. The commander
readily agreed to keep quiet concerning Retto's identity, since the
captain had no desire for further newspaper notoriety.
"I will do more than this," he declared. "I will give you the
package belonging to that queer man. I have to sail again soon, on a
long voyage, and he might need it before I come back. You can give
it to him if he recovers. If he does not--well, the authorities can
open it. It may contain money or something that will tell about the
poor fellow. I leave it with you."
Larry was glad to get possession of the package that seemed of such
importance to Retto. He wished he could open it, as he thought he
might get a clue to the connection between the millionaire and the
mysterious man, but he knew he would have no right to do that. Also
it would give him a sort of claim on Retto, and, by returning the
package, he could have a good excuse for going to see him.
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