The Red Cloud chief., 1880-02-05
THE WARNING OVER THE WIRES /;
Or, the Message that No Man Sent.

The 6 30 evening train, No. 30, was
over an hour late that night. Cause
enough, Heaven knows. For ~ hours
the storm had ragged, and now, instead
of showing any signs of breaking, the
rain came down in torrents from an
inky sky, and the thunder rumbled
ominously overhead. A bad storm to
drive an engine through, As any body
would have known, and the wonder is
that No. 80 WAS not three hours late, in
stead of one. Old Luke Granger, the
trustiest, nerviest engineer on the road,
rounded the curve Just below Red Ra-
vine Station ut &c minutes past 4. /
breathed a sigh of relief when | saw
the headlight cut a hole in the darkness.
The second station-bridge might have
given way i'm a storm like that, and |
was beginning 10 get nervous over this
thought.
Somehow every thing made me nerv-
Gus that night. 1t was just the kind of
weather when things look alp out of
gear any way. Then, / suppose, the
knowledge of that money-package being
due, and its falling TO come on the
IL 80, as il should have done, had its
effect on me. L didn't relish the idea
Of keeping $4,000 in cash until the
next day. Eldridge & Ricketson had
been down themselves TO meet the
morning train, and, if the package had
come, | could have turned it over to
them Mt once, and that would have been
line end of the matter. But it didn't
come. That's a way things have
, in this world when you most want 'em.
} There wasn't a soul at the station that
night except myself, and there were on
" TWO passengers who got off the train
i speak of 'em that way, not meaning to
he disrespectful or make light of solemn
things; only it's habit, i suppose; for
most people would say there was only
one passenger that got off at Red Ra-
, vine. seeing that the second of 'em was
carried out of the express-car in wood
en- box. Usually, when a body was
cominU on. | got word of il beforehand,
but this one took me quite by surprise,
and added not a little to the nervousness
L already felt.
aWho was it?" / asked. as the box
was carried into the station.
y The passenger who had got of the
train, and who was a stranger to me,
answered my inquiry:
"The body is that of my sister-in-
law" said he. She was the niece OF
Tboma Eldridge-doubtles you know
him. Her death was very sudden. She
is 10 be buried i'm MIR. Eldridge's lot,
here"
"Then I suppose the lady is to be left
in nv charge until tomorrow" said L.
YES" answered the stranger. "Do
/ Won suppose | can get to MIR. Eldridge'S
myself tonight"
.Well," l replied, "it's a good four
miles, and in such a storm as this"
..T1l wait until tomorrow" inter-
upted the stranger. "There is some
sort of a hotel here, isn't theregn
yes. a good one. You'll have to
foo it, though; but it's only a matter OF
a ouarter of a mile, and You can't miss
your way, for the road up the hill leads
straight to the house"
Here | made my way out onto the
platform again and made my way to
The express-car, where the money-pack-
} ACE. which all along l had secretly
hoped wouldn't come, was delivered t.
me by the messenger. As he gave 1t to
me, he said:
..You'n want to keep a sharp eye on
that. Billy. There's enough in it to
make one of your Red Raviners put a
bullet through your head and never give
Won the chance to object"
"Ill look out for the Red-Raviners,
\and the package, too" said l, conf.
= IDENTIFY enough. But, if the truth had
been told, l didn't like the suggestion
which the messenger had made.
The train moved off quickly, and
swung my lantern, as was my habit, by
way Of bidding goodnight to old Luke
Granger. Then I went into the little
station-house with the package clutched
tiohtly under my rubber-coat, expecting
10 find the man there who had come or
with the body. But he had gone, being
anxious, no doubt, to get to the hotel a;
ouick as possible. No. SO was the las
train which stopped at Red Ravine unit
$40 the next morning. So my worl
Tor the night was done, and l had only
20 lock up the doors, see that thing.
syere all right about the place, and sit
down to my newspaper in the ittl.
room which served as my sleeping
quarters.
sound Syself installed at Red Ravine q.
telegraph operator in the railway station
Ra;no content with the humdrum sor
Of life. and faithful to my duties, / hat
oome by degrees to attend to all tn,
york which the place required. Tha
~ T was the ticket agent, the baggage
m.ster and the keeper of the station
besides acting for the express compan,
and continuing my charge OF the tele
Sranh key. These combined labor
made it pretty close work for me, bu
thsv all Welded a very comfortable in
come: and, as l was troubled with n,
oDsat;sfed ambitions, l counted mysel
nnTi fixed. As / have intimated,
~. in the station, partlyto keep guar,
Company's property, and partl
ea,n choice; for, being q bachelor an,