Abilene weekly reflector., 1898-06-02
HODGE Bros,
ABILENE KANSAS.
hand, took up shiverIng, quIverIng posltlol
beside the target. "Banrl" said Scotty'

hand, took UP shiverIng, quIverIng position
beside the target. "Bang!" said Scotty's
revolver.
"That counts two!" cried Scotty.
Through the open window Of the telegraph
office the agent could hear the chatter Of the
sounder. The next station below was re-
porting No. 2, the limited, by. A feeling Of
horror struck the agent. To lay out fast
mail train, if for nothing more than min
ute, is a greater crime than murder. To
stop her for nothing when she is making up
lost time is as bad as treason, arson, homi-
eide and forgery rolled into one. And yet
that was what was going to be done, and
by him. With that insane drunkard hold
ing the red board as marksman's target
the limited would certainly come to stop
at handspring Helooked up from his tally"
and saw even now, away down the parallel
lines of steel, the black growing blur, which
was the indication Of the limited, half an
hour late, booming on toward him. He
grasped the lever and was about to swing
the red spot out Of sight, when Scotty's voice
came believing.
"Quit that! Want to spoil my aim? Quit
shakin' the target Count me ten fer
bull's-eye."
Three minutes afterward the limited
snorted up, came to fuming stop, and the
conductor, reeking Of rage, galloped into
the telegraph office.
where's that operator! Hi! Hello
Hay. Where are you? What have you
got?" The operator heard him and so did
Scotty Marvin, who now seemed to realize
that he had been doing something indecor-
GUS, and hurriedly withdrew toward town.
He had heard about people who delayed
the United States mail. The liberated agent
turned and rushed for the office with an ex.
PLANTATION upon his lips. But before be could
begin it the wild clamor of his sounder
changed the current OF his purpose. "Mr mf
d mr. d" the brass fairly shrieked. Now,
an operator would ignore the president Of
the United States and leave that exalted
parsonage staring il train dispatcher be-
gan calling him. So with no word to the
conductor the agent at Mainspring rushed
to the key, "II." he answered.
"Can you stop No. 2!'
Flag her quick and take this order"
AL right. Go ahead"
And as the agent turned to his manifold
sheets be caught a glimpse Of another black
blur coming from the direction opposite to
that from which the limited had thundered.
The agent at handspring had his faults,
but he was q thoroughbred at heart. He
never made report Of the fact that he had
got bis order to stop the limited No. 2 al
least two minutes after she ought to have
been past. The dispatcher appreciated this
and very frankly told him so the next time
he saw him. The dispatcher told him ex.
sctly how be had let the east-bound fruit
train from the next station get away from
him, and they both understood that il Scot
ty Marvin had not taken it into his head to
hold that red signal open for target purposes
there would have been beautiful mix-up
with lot Of corpses. Scotty Marvin was
himself the most surprised man in Kansas.
lie waited week to be arrested and then
went around and thanked the agent for be-
ing 70 dead game sport and not giving him
away"
"0h, that's all right" said the agent. "a
man who shoots as well as you did deserves
to be let down easy. Your score, by the way,
was forty out Of possible fifty And Scot
ty Marvin was the agents blind, Pythian
friend. ..
But through the dispatcher's in8ueace
the station at Mainspnns was provided witt
. new target-oue you could turn with
cablss without leaving the Office