Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-04-18
TIE DEVIL OWN
A Story of a Station
Agent.
B7 CHARLES E0glLD nACKiY.
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Tom Dean was ticket agent and tele-
graph operator for tie Union Pacific at
Welisvilc. settlement of not more
than a few dozen scattered houses, the
most pretentious of which was the
hotel and lunchroom." About 100
yards down the track from this popu-
lar resort ct train time" stood a low,
one roomed building. the station.
Toms st. Helena.
To an energetic. ambitious young
man, socially inclined. Wellsville was
well nigh intolerable, but Tom had
hopes and made the best of it. He had
removed his belongings from the "ho-
tel'' TO Mrs Jordans cozy little cottage.
where he made himself at home. He
found Miss Jordan charming COM
panion and years ahead of the viii
lage in every way" Nevertheless the
uncventful days would drag. and the
nights well, after the $50 ''accomnlo-
dation" pulled out until 11:10, when
the west bound express" dashed past,
one might as well have been stationed
in the middle of.the Great Sahara. At
least so Tom said many times.
One raw, gusty December night just
before the holidays Tom with much
pleasure piled the three cases billed
through to Omaha on the truck and ran
them down the track, ready to be haul
ed aboard the baggage car of the COM
| ing train. He was not overfond Of
work, but this meant the stopping of
the express, the latest newspapers and
good reading for several days. To sig
nal the express was an event.
Taking last look at the lights, he
entered the station and slammed the
door after him as If to bar out the
loneliness Of the dripping outside
| world. The last light in the hotel had
| gone out long before the wind howled
| in the wires. the red light blinked and
| fckered-
"Well, of all the God forsaken"-
The door opened suddenly, and two
men stepped into the room, followed
by a third.
Hands up-quickw the foremost
cried.
In less than two minutes Tom was
| bound, gagged and lying helpless be-
| hind the partition in the baggage end
| of the room.
Hes safe. Where's Jim" asked
the man who had spoken before.
Down to the sidin," came the an
swer. "Set the white light"
The door closed quickly after them.
| Out of Toms bewilderment and con-
fusion came the question, What did it
mean? Robbery? There was nothing
worth the risk at the station, and the
men had gone.
"Set the white light" That meant
the express would not stop.
| Down to the siding" The blind sid
| ing, an eighth of a mile beyond the
station by the sand hill! 1t ended in
| the gravel bank.
| The terrible truth flashed across his
mind He turned cold. Great beads
Of moisture stood out upon his fore
head. Twenty-six, with its living
siding at full speed.
AS the horror of it rushed upon him
Tom strained at the cords that bound
him hand and foot with a strength he
never dreamed he possessed. 1t was
useless. The work had been done well.
| He looked quickly at the clock-10:41.
| In 30 minutes more the train would be
due. AS he turned the knots of the
gag pressed into the back of his head.
| II l. ax-yIx IN frl
Of the pain, he moved his head, forcing
his chin downward. They gave. They
moved. Again he tried and again. un-
| Ill ut last the handkerchief slipped to
his neck.
| Help, helpi Townsend! Bill! Help"
| he cried But his voice was lost in the
hooking howl of the wind, and he real
ized that the effort was strength vast
ed and time lost.
| Again he looked at the clock-only &c
minutes remained. How fast the Sec
onds few! twenty-five
| The sharp click, click, click, from the
other side of the partition caught his
cara telegraphic message. Twenty
six 90 minutes late"
"Thank God, delayw
Forty-four minutes nova gain of
20. The train, due at 1l:l0, would not
arrive until 11:30. Townsend relieved
him at IL. "Too latel Too later rush
ed through his mind as he glared at
the clock. Then the light of hope fair
ly blazed in his eyes.
The suIumer before, when ne had
long weary night watches, twice he
oversight because his alarm had failed
| him, so to insure his ''calf' he had run
q wire from the station clock to bell
in his room at the hotel. BY an ingen-
ious connection when the hands mark
ed II: :45 the ringing of the bell brought
him violently out of the land Of
dreams. When Tom was promoted to
the shorter watch and went TO live at
Mrs. Jordan's, Bill Townsend, who sue
ceeded him, fell heir to his room and
"the devils own" as Tom called the
bell The clock was an imitation of the
old fashioned, big faced, caseless time
pieces. with weights and chains and
long, heavy pendulum.
Twenty minutes late" he muttered.
The hour hand was less than two
Inches from the connection, but how
slowly it crept! If he could only move
| that handi His knees were free. He
drew them up toward his chin, shot out
his legs and came TO a sitting position.
Then, by Il series of short jumps and
bumps, he reached the wall, braced his
back against it and, with great diili-
Guilty worked himself to his feet. The
pendulum swung close TO his ear, but
how could he reach the hand? Was
he to fail now?
His eyes quickly searched the room.
A few feet TO the right was the win