Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1901-03-28
THE DEVILS OWN
A Story of a Station
Agent.
By CHARLES DONALD MACKAY.


Tom Dean was ticket agent and tele
graph operator for the Union Pacific at
Wellsville, a settlement of not more
than 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 at 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 intoferable, but Tom had
hopes and made the best of it. He had
removed his belongings from the tho
tel to Mrs. Jordan's coy little cottage,
where he made himself at home He
found Miss Jordan a 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 N:10, when
the west bound express" dashed past,
one might as well have been stationed
III Tic VI tue 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 q 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
flickered-
"WelI, of all the God forsaken"-
The door opened suddenly, and two
men stepped into the room, followed
by third.
Hands up-quickp' 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 JimW 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 it's 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 we'll
He looked quickly at the clock-10:41
| In 20 minutes more the train would be
! due. AS he turned the knots of the
| gag pressed into the back of his head
Bearing heavily upon them, unmindful
of the pain, he moved his head, forcing
his chin downward. They gave. They
| moved. Again he tried and again, I'm.
| til Mt last the handkerchief slipped tC
his neck.
Help, help! Townsend! Bill! Help!
he cried. But his voice was lost in the
hooking howl of the wind, and he real
lied that the effort was strength vast
ed and time lost.
Again he looked at the clock-only 2(
minutes remained. How fast the sec
onds flew! Twenty five
The sharp click, click, click, from the
other side of the partition caught his
cara telegraphic message. Twenty
six 20 minutes late.''
THANK God, delayw
Forty-four minutes nova gain OF
20. The train, due at IL: 10, would moi
arrive until 11:30. Townsend relieved
him at II. TOO late! Too later rush
ed through his mind as he glared a
the clock. Then the light of hope fair
ly blazed in his eyes.
The summer before, when he hat
long, weary night watches, twice h
oversight because his alarm had faile
him, so to insure his cali he had I'll
q wire from the station clock to be
In his room at the hotel. BY an niger
ious connection when the hands mari
cd IL 40 the ringing of the bell brougf
him violently out of the land
dreams. When Tom was promoted
the shorter watch and went to live ;
Mrs. Jordan's, Bill Townsend, who su
ceeded him, fell heir to his room al
.'the devils own" as Tom called Il
bell. The clock was an imitation of Il
J old fashioned, big faced. easelsss tim