The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-04-09
THE DEVIL 3 OWN
A Story of a Station
Agent.
BY CHARLES DONALD MACKAY.
,o>o>o>o>o>o~o o>o>o>o~o~os

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. Jordan's coy little cottage,
where he made himself at home. He
found Miss Jordan charming COM
panion and years ahead of the vii
lage in every way" Nevertheless the
uneventful days would drag, and the
nights-well, after the $50 'accommo-
dation" pulled out until lilo, 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 overload 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 a 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
hickered-
"Well, of all the God forsaken"-
The door opened suddenly. and two
men stepped into the room. followed
by third
Hands up-quickr' 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.
"He's 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 Il
mean? Robbery? There was nothing
worth the risk at the station, and thu
men had gone.
'Set the white light" That mean
the express would not stop.
down to the siding" The blind sid
ing, an eighth of q mile beyond thu
station by the sand hill. 1t ended Ii
! the gravel bank.
Tie terrible truth flashed across his
mind. He turned cold Great beads
of moisture stood out upon his fore
head Twenty-six, with its living
freight. was to be switched on to thi
siding at full speed.
AS the horror of it rushed upon hin
Tom strained at the cords that bount
him hand and foot with strength IL
never dreamed he possessed. 1t wal
useless. The work had been done well
He looked quickly at the clock-lO:4l
In % minutes more the train would D'
due. AS he turned the knots OF tn
gag pressed into the back of his head
Bearing heavily upon them. unmindfu
of the pain, he moved his head, forciui
his chin downward They gave. The.
moved. Again he tried and again. un
til at last the handkerchief slipped t
his neck.
Help. help! Townsend. Bill! Help!
he cried. But his voice was lost in tn
hooking howl of the wind. and he real
.zed that the effort was strength vast
ed and time lost.
Again he looked at the clock-only z
minutes remained How fast the sec
onds flew! Twenty-Five
The sharp click. click. click. from tn
other side of the partition caught hl
: cara Geographic message. Twenty
six 20 minutes late"
'Thank God. a delay"'
Forty-four minutes nova gain
20. The train. due at 1910. would nc
arrive until 11:30. Townsend relieve
him at u. TOO latei Too Ia;e!" rusl
ed through his mind as he glared
the clock. hen the light of hope fai
" blazed in his eyes
S The summer before. when he ma
long, weary ng'N watches, twice
oversight because his alarm had failt
him. so to insure his cali he had III
a wire from the station clock TO a bt
In his room at the hotel. BY az lIge
ions connection when the hands mar
ed II AS the ringing of the bell broug
him violently out of the iahd
dreams. When Tom was promoted
the shorter watch and went to live
Mrs. Jordan's, Bill Townsend. who ST
ceeded him, fell heir to his room a.
s'the DEVILS own,' as Tom called [
hell. The clock was an imitation OF I
old fashioned, big faced, caseless TN
pjnces. with weights and chains and
long, heavy pendulum.
"Twenty minutes late" he mntter'
The hour hand was less than I
ipehes from the connection, but III
s,owly it crept! If he could only me
that hand! His knees were free.
drew them up toward his chin, shot
his legs and came to sitting positl'
Then. by a series of short jumps a
bumps, he reached the wall, braced
back against it and, with great Oh
Guilty, worked himself to his feet.
pendulum swung close to his ear
how could he reach the hand? "
he to fail now?
His eyes quickly searched the roc
A few feet to the right was the W
dow, heavily barred, the torn sh'
partly down. His glance rested on
stick that weighted the latter J
what he needed. New hope gave
new strength. Inch by inch he ed
himself along the wall to the sha
caught the stick between his teetn
sank quickly to the floor He had
ceeded. The stick was torn loose n
It's filmsy fastenings. Back again,
and along the wall he worked until
stood nearly under the clock. He II