Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-10-07

heated tavern, made me feel worse
: My brain was in awlirl: | staggered
and rceled.
'Oh, my God..H : cried, passing
my fevcrcd brow. "What a fool
have been! What shall 1 doY"
"Pull yourself together, old man,
Weir said. "Lcavc to me. You sec
I'm all right. Eve drank IL little o
real fiery cognac before now for /;
wager, and been rs steady as IL to,
after it. You know L understand
the signals. Take me with YOU. and
lll see you through it,"
"Thanks-you'rc a-you'rc IL brick,
that's what you arc.n
We had o o reached the point
where my attendance was required,
and there we found things i'm "a dire
state OF confusion. a train of heavy
goods trucks had run of the metals
and blocked the up line.
"Ah, here you are, Markham. at
last" the station-mastcr said on per.
c%civing me. IL wish to goodness you
were to bc found when you are wanted,
but better late than never There's
one consolation, you are preferable to
some of them. When we are here
YOU do understand your business
These words SmOtc me, and | made
a desperate effort that he should not
see my condition. did not answer.
had quite sense enough about me to
know that, had l done so. / should
infalllhly have betrayed myself.
IN rrnst hnr, fhnc, tr,.i-. ,,nval
until get more help" the station
master continued, land that won't
he for some time i'm this bcnightcd re-
gion. Make haste into the box, Mark
ham; you must block the main line,
and put the danger signals against
the 9:l5 express. That's the only one
up tonight, you know"
With this he turned on his heel and
went off to give other directions. for
he was, of course, overwhelmed with
work. stumbled up the ladder into
the signal-boN as best | could, and,
in the darkness, no one noticed Chris
Weir creep up after me. That man
was truly Il friend i'm need.
Once inside, | sank down hclplcssly
upon Il bench. The telegraph bell
was ringing, but l could no more
have worked the instrument than if
| had been Il little child. NV pre-
dominant feeling then was one of bit
ter Sclf-reproach. To think the safety
of hundreds OF human lives might be
dependent upon Inc, and l 20 miScr-
ably UNFIT for the responsibility. But
there was n consolation; my COM
panion Was Il good fellow: he would
sec all safe and help me out of my
difficulty.
%'llcrc. pull yourself together, old
chap. Take Il drop of this" he said.
holding out Il flask which he had Just
taken from his pocket.
What is it?'
"WhiSkcy.'
"Oh, 1 darcn't."
'Nonscnsc. Don't he a baby. Take
my tip. it's just the very thing to put
You straight"
had now reached that condition
in which one can easily bc persuaded
To do anything. especially in the way
OF aSSilnilating liquor. of Whatsoever
kind it may be. ! swallowed IL draught
of the whiskcN, which naturally made
me more drunk than ever. Weir
crossed W. To the door. and gazed
out into the darkness.
".Nny onc out There now" | ullcr-
led thickly.
Not soul. They have left us
lnonarchs OF nil we survey. This
place seems a jolly long way off from
the station"
elbow are the signals"
''Prcttv we'll. thank vou.'
'Dh. don't lie Il fool..'
1.-The up line is signallcd clear"
"lut it al -(hic)- at danger, there's
IL good fellow"
His back was turned to me. lie
did not answer. repeated my re-
quest lis distinctly us | could. still
he pccrcd out of the window, aud
voucllsafeu no rcyly.
.Wcir." l shouted.
THAT is not my name" he said at
last.
III don't care what your name is, "
| cried in mingled surprise and ilri-
tation: live asked you to make the
danger signal rs o promised"
'Wcll. I'm not going to-" he am
swcred. turning tierccly, his eyes
blazing with malignant hatred.
"What..'
"You don't know what my real
name is. I'll tell you and you may
care. Pm Charles Weston. the man
who vas in love with your wife be-
fore she knew you. You have heard
of me, haven't you? You told me 50
yourself i'm your drunken babbling.
You found some undated letters OF
mine which have caused YOU to part
from your wife. \ can have my re-
vcnge now on both of you, and it will
all he caused 10y YOUR own drunken
folly. She's i'm that train. YOU re-
member. Now save her. and the rest
of the passengers the best way you
cam,
II rushed wildly at him. but he
had opened the door and was already
down the steps and beyond my reach.
Helpless as ! was | felt that some
how the dastardly wretch must not
he allowed To thus wreck his ven.
r,uI,rn NnS my Mary voS i'm tbnt