*CHAPTER XXI*
*STUBBS' SCOOP*
To keep in proper touch with all the characters in this story, it willbe necessary for a few moments to go back several days and give anaccount of the activities of Anthony Stubbs, war correspondent of theNew York Gazette.
Now when Stubbs left Hal and Chester in Soissons he had, as he had toldthe lads, laid what he considered all necessary plans to make sure thathe would be apprised of the signing of the armistice between Germany andthe allies ahead of any other of the war correspondents in Europe.
Reaching Versailles, Stubbs took quarters in one of the largest hotels.Now it is a fact, that in many quarters, even in Europe, it was thoughtthat General Foch and the German delegates had come together severaldays before they really met. Stubbs, in constant touch with his sourceof information, from time to time received so-called details of progressof the proceedings supposed to be in progress.
The little man was greatly elated. There were a score or more other warcorrespondents in Versailles and Stubbs managed to worm from them thefact that they were without information regarding the armistice.Believing his own information absolutely true, he naturally felt that hewas a step or so ahead of his rivals.
On the night of November 9, Stubbs retired early. The little man sleptliterally with one eye open. He didn't intend to miss anything.
He came to himself with a start. The telephone bell in his room wasjingling.
"Wonder who wants me at this hour?" he muttered sleepily, and turnedover, for the moment losing sight of the fact that this might be theparticular call he was so anxious to get.
The bell continued to jingle.
"May as well answer it, I guess," said Stubbs. "It won't stop till Ido."
He climbed out of bed, switched on the lights and put the receiver tohis ear.
"Hello," he said.
"Stubbs?" came a voice over the wire.
"Yes."
"Admiral W-- talking. The armistice was signed this morning at 11o'clock."
"What's that?" Stubbs yelled into the 'phone, jumping up and downexcitedly. "Hello! Hello!"
But the voice on the other end of the wire was gone.
In vain Stubbs rattled the hook. He could not recall the voice.
"May be somebody trying to have some fun with me," muttered Stubbs. "Ican't take a chance on any such message as that. I must verify it.I'll call the admiral and see if it were really he on the wire."
It took him a good five minutes to get the connection, but at the end ofthat time a "hello" was wafted over the wire.
"Admiral W--?" demanded Stubbs.
"Yes."
"This is Stubbs. Did you call me a moment ago?"
"Yes."
"Then it is a fact that the armistice has been signed."
"It is. I had my information not more than fifteen minutes ago."
"I just wanted to make sure it was really you who called," Stubbsexplained hurriedly. "Good-bye."
He slapped the receiver back on the hook and literally flew into hisclothes.
"No time for an elevator now," he muttered as he dashed out the door,through the hall and down the steps.
In the lobby downstairs half a dozen war correspondents had gathered ina little knot. They came to their feet as Stubbs dashed down the steps.
"What's the matter, Stubbs?" one called.
But Stubbs did not stop to reply. Out the door he dashed, his coattrailing behind him.
It was perhaps half a dozen blocks to the cable office. Stubbs coveredthe distance in jig time, formulating his message in his mind as hewent.
"No time for details now," he muttered. "Just the flash. I'll get thedetails later."
Into the cable office he dashed.
Behind him the little knot of correspondents became alarmed.
"The little man knows something," said one of them. "Don't suppose thearmistice could have been signed, do you?"
"Not a chance," said another. "We'd have the word."
"Well, Stubbs was in a terrible hurry about something," said a third."We'd better get busy and find out what it's all about."
They sprang to action.
"I'll go after him," said Jennings of The World. "The rest of youfellows get busy on the 'phone. Call every man in authority in the city.Some of them will know something. Doesn't matter whether they kickabout being called at this hour or not. Get busy."
He dashed out the door after Stubbs.
In the cable office Stubbs grabbed a blank and wrote, in code:
"Armistice signed this a.m. at eleven o'clock at Hirson. Stubbs."
The message he handed to the clerk with instructions to rush it.
"That'll be enough," said Stubbs. "They'll know at the office what todo with it. They'll probably write columns at that end describing thescenes at Hirson between Marshal Foch and the German delegates.There'll be pictures and everything. Now I'll go and learn a few of thedetails."
He encountered Jennings of The World as he moved toward the door.
"Look here, Stubbs," said Jennings, "why all this rush. You're notgoing to leave the rest of us out in the cold, are you?"
Stubbs smiled.
"I'm not working for you fellows," he replied. "The New York Gazette ispaying me my weekly stipend, but I don't mind saying I've landed a bigpiece of news."
Jennings attempted to minimize the matter.
"Oh, I guess it's not so terribly big," he said.
Again Stubbs smiled.
"Guess again," he said.
"But I say, Stubbs, give me a hint."
"Not a hint," declared Stubbs.
"Well, all right," said Jennings, "but you'll be sorry."
"Not half as sorry as the rest of you'll be when you hear from homeafter The Gazette is on the street," declared Stubbs.
Jennings looked at Stubbs closely. The latter was clearly excited.
"By Jove! He must know something," Jennings decided. "I can't wastetime here."
He turned on his heel and was gone.
An hour later, after Stubbs had made ineffectual efforts to learn fromAdmiral W-- details of the signing of the armistice, he gave it up forthe night.
"I know no more than I have told you," said the admiral. "I should havethe details in the morning. Call me then."
Stubbs returned to his hotel. Again he was surrounded by the othercorrespondents who, after trying all their channels of news, had failedto learn anything of importance.
"Come across, Stubbs," said one.
"Not yet," said Stubbs. "But I'll tell you what. I'll give you my newsone hour from now. That will assure The Gazette of a beat."
He remained deaf to all urging, and directly the other correspondentsgave it up as a bad job.
Jennings, watch in hand, an hour later said.
"Come, Stubbs, time's up. What's your news?"
"Well," said Stubbs quietly and with an air of great importance, "thearmistice has been signed."
"What?" yelled Jennings. "You're crazy, man! There has been noconference yet."
"Nevertheless, it's true," said Stubbs. "I have my information fromunimpeachable sources."
"Who told you?" demanded Timothy, of The Mail.
"You've been in the game long enough to know a newspaperman doesn'tdivulge the source of information, Timothy," said Stubbs."Nevertheless, I can say that it came from a very high source."
"Well," said Jennings, "I don't believe it. I'm not going to flash mypaper on any such information. I'm standing pat."
"Same here," declared Timothy.
"And here," "and here," chimed in the others.
"Suit yourselves," said Stubbs with a shrug. "You'll probably get theword in the morning."
He returned to his room.
In spite of the fact that the other correspondents declined to takeStubbs' words as gospel, it was an uneasy group of men Stubbs leftbehind him.
All night long they tried
in vain to confirm the signing of thearmistice. It could not be done.
Stubbs came downstairs again at 7 o'clock. Once more he was surroundedby the correspondents.
"Boys," he said, "I shall call my source of information now. If I getthe details, I will tell you where you can verify them."
He entered a telephone booth, where he remained for perhaps ten minutes.When he emerged again, his face was drawn and he walked with the air ofa man who has lost his last friend.
"Well," demanded Jennings, "what have you to tell us?"
"Boys," said Stubbs slowly, "my days in the newspaper business areended. I have just committed the cardinal sin. I have sent falseinformation to my paper, though in good faith. The armistice has notbeen signed. Admiral W-- has just informed me his information waspremature. What his message should have said is that the conference isin session. My resignation shall be cabled to The Gazette together withmy retraction."
Sadly the little man walked away.
"By Jove! that is tough," commented Timothy. "Yet, with such informationI should have done the same. Well, our jobs are saved, but I'll betStubbs' resignation will be unnecessary. He's fired right now, thoughhe doesn't know it."
And so it was none other than Anthony Stubbs who was responsible for thepremature flash that reached America that the armistice had been signed.Every city in the United States, almost, when the news was heard, haddeclared a holiday. Hours and days passed and still the news could notbe confirmed. And then the state department issued a statement denyingit. The feeling of happiness changed to disappointment.
But in the French city of Versailles Anthony Stubbs was, at the momentperhaps, the most disappointed man in the world.