Evening star., 1901-06-01

No she said. II want to hear the worst"
and he let her hear it.
Il have an idea, though it's only guess
They mean to wreck both cars, killing as
many of possible
Can it be done without involving the
engine?'
Yes. There is a high embankment at
Buckhorn Gulch, with a mile-long grade
mid hight at the top of the grade. run
down ahead of us. obstruct the track, and
go on out of the way
And the remedy?'
us to keep them from uncoupling They
can't go on indefinitely; and if they stop
the specie guard will be upon them''
The brave old man stripped off his coat
There are three Of u.s." he said. "They
mustn't be allowed to uncouple the engine
while any of us are alive"
Raglan righted a chair and put Miss
Iangham into it. Then he stripped to his
shirt sleeves and spoke to the lieutenant.
ut is you and l for it, Bisby, and there
is no time to lose. Hear that? They are
hammering at the coupling pin now. Give
me your sword or the pistol whichever you
please, and let us be at it,
But the lieutenant hung back.
Don't you-don't you think we'd better
try to make terms with them?"
'Terms!' roared the ex-captain of post
garrisons. What is your notion of a train
wrecker? Give me one Of those tools and
come onr'
The lieutenant handed over the sword,
and Raglan flung away the scabbard, tried
the steel right and left in his hand and
| darted into the passage leading to the front
platform. He went alone. The lieutenant
was still standing irresolute. fumbling
| nervously in his pockets for the revolver
| cartridges which were not there.
Two rifle shots, and then SCATTERING
fusillade crushed out above the train
clamor, and Helen Langham sprang up
with the slate-blue eyes abaze.
"They are killing him!" she said. "Will
you never go?"
But the lieutenant only fumbled the more
desperately. Il haven't any cartridges, :"
he protested; but the scorn in her ewes
sent him forward with the empty weapon
His half-hearted sally was too late Be-
fore he could reach the vestibuIe Raglan
was back with bullet score across his
temple. and the brightness gone from the
polished sword. Esther Carothers shrieked
and tainted, but Helen ran quickly to him.
"Oh!' she cried. Il said they would kill
you, and they have!
mo: it's only a scratch" She remem-
bered afterward that in all the fierce tur-
moil of it he had this first word for her
Mr. Carothers get the women together
here in this corner. where they will be out
of range from the vestibule-that's right.
The pin is jammed and they know they
have us to reckon with before they can
break the coupling. They'll charge us in
minute and we must defend the passage at
all hazards. What's that?'-the question
to Bisby, who was again suggesting a
treaty.
Miss Langham was 4looking on-she was
the only one of the budding quartet of
women who dared to look on-and she saw
Raglan's lip curl and his brown eyes flash.
Compromise with them?-there would
be more hope of compromising with fiends
from the pit. And, besides, l have killed
three of them. Give me that pistol and
stand aside, If you are afraid"
But the president came between. and the
lieutenant showed thes useless weapon to
him. Its empty he said. II forgot to
bring any ammurlitionH
Raglan's lip curled again; but when the
white-haired one would have kept the pas
sage with him, With a broken table leg for
a weapon, he putshim gently aside
mo; this is work for a younger man, and
I must have room to play in" He barred
his swordarm to the elbow and cleared a.
space at the entrance to the narrow side
vestibule leading forward DO you stand
just here behind me where you can see
that mirror at the farther end of the com
partment, and give me the word when they
begin to come.
The construction of the private car favor
ed the defense. The forward vestibule was
a narrow passage one-man wide leading
from the front platform around the two
drawing rooms to the central compartment
There were two right-angled turns in it,
and it was further obstructed by a glass
paneled swing door.
Raglan stood to the right Of the passage.
with the women in the corner behind him.
his shoulder straps to be out of it. but for
very shame's sake he dubbed the empty
pistol and braced himself. There was a
great square mirror filing the panal at the
opposite end of the compartment and in
this the sallyport vestibule was in view