The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-13

| tool added to the manifold sounds
/ from the super heated world outside,
driving him to the brink of despera-
ton. In disgust he threw down his file,
! shook the beads of hot sweat from his
| brow, and was tapping a glass of tepid
water from the barrel in the corner,
/ when a low voice broke in on his re-
Elections.
"Say-you there!''
At the window beside the keyboard
a hand was holding up the curtain,
and underneath appeared a face, dust
! stained, burned to a copper red, and
! set with two marvelously cleaning
| eyes. Startled. the operator dropped
| the tin cup Gathering TO the floor and
| leaped to one side. The next instant
he was with his back to the wall, q
| pistol cleaning in the dull light of the
shaded station. What you want?' he
| demanded, shrilly and at this a broad
( grin TRANSPORTED the cleaning face at
| the window.
We'll l swami" laughed the man.
THE hot has got on yer nerves, SON
NY amt it? Put down that gun. you
| chuckle-heade brass FOUNDER. l amt
goin' to hurt YER"
But the operator was too old bird
to be trapped. The man that had left
the place before him had been trapped
in just such a way and tied down to
his desk, the Western mail had been
tagged almost in front of the siding
! and the express and postal cars had
ben dynamited first and then rifled of
| dare!" shrilled the operator, drawing
a bead on the head in the window.
Don't yer dare!''
In answer, the man tossed a scrap
of paper through the window. Quick
you! Rush that to the main office.
| Tell 'em to 'dupe' II to the Chief
| Tower, | mean. Get a hustle on, and
| then skedadle out er this-yer hear
me? Skedaddle! Vamoose lively, cause
! it'll be hotter here afore long than the
| hottest dogdays that Gehenna ever
saw. But don't yer forgit to send
| that dispatch, or by Sam Houston you
won't be wuth the fat to fry a dough-
nut mex time we run agether. Adios,
sonny and look out fur yourself"
The face vanished from the window,
and the operator, a palsy upon him,
still stood shaking against the wall.
| Outside, the sounds of the day resum-
| ed their droning intonation, the breeze
! sighed fitfully, and though he cracked
| his ears listening for some sign of
stealthy attack, he became at last
| convinced that he was alone. With his
revolver still ready, he tiptoed across
the floor, and snatched up the scrap
about, he read, and at the next in
slant had jumped to his instrument.
"G-xx' -"G-x'-"G-x." he call
ed. his hand banging the key at fran
| tic speed-"G-x''- -"Cf-X''-"G-X.'
| Somewhere down the line, another sta
| ton, noting the extreme haste of an
operator VIGOROUSLY slow, cut in with
the query: What's up?" Letter by
letter, Guamo Siding cursed him for
the interference, the key ratified and
shook with reiterated appeal-"G-x''
-"G-x''- and then the
main office answered.
Flattening the paper before him, the
operator laid his pistol upon it, and
bent with vigor to his key. With ca
ger hand, he hammered the brass till
the room rang with the staccato click
ling, but at every other letter he
| glanced fearfully over his shoulder.
Rush Supt.," read the dispatch
land dupe to Tower, Chief of Secret
| Service. Doc Burdle's gang will hold
up Western Mail nine-forty- east
side long trestle beyond Guamo Sid
ing. Six in the gang. I make seven
Do not shoot man in white hat That's
| me. Flanders.
"P. Slower will explain sig"
The operator added to this a mes
sage of his own. This lets me out
I'm going to scoot." Five minutes Ia
ter when the uproar in the train dis
patcher's office had Gained a bit, the
wire was almost blistered by a cal
for Guamo Siding. But there wa;
station clicked in solitude. and fal
down the track handcar clat-
tered over the fishplates, a sweating
| man pumping at the levers, with his
eyes turned fearfully over his shoulder
"Guamo Siding's dead" called the dis
patcher's operator from his desk. 81
CANT raise him, one or the other
What's the orders for HIN? He's cut
in on the board and got the news hot
off the wire. Guess he's ratified some
Nm" was Haney's Mill, the next
station east of Guamo Siding. Tel
him to keep his mouth shut" roared
| the dispatcher, snatching up the mes
sage from Guamo and rushing to the
rail to meet the superintendent, VINO
had burst through the doorway
Here, read this, Boss!" The dispatch
err thrust the message into the super
intendent's hand and then was back
at the operators shoulder.
Outside in the yard the western NAL
lay at the platform, a fresh engine
backing down through the switch
Hold her five minutes" the dispatcher
| ordered land tell those deputies tc
hurry Have your heard from Tower
yet? Ring up on the phone there. We
can't wait all night
But Tower himself at this moment
hustled into the Office. It's all right
he cried. FLANDERS is one of my men
He's a daisy. 1 thought they'd stretch
ed him out. Your men ready? I'm go
ing too"
The dispatcher jumped from his chair
and STROBE down the room. Where
that idiot Piercy?" he demanded
"Ain't he ready yet" He's coming
SIR" was the answer Coming, is hep
growled the dispatcher. testify. Hes
always coming. but he don't ever seen
to get anywhere. o, here you are, are
you, Piercy?"
The road detective hustled in. 6
crowd of deputies at his shoulder
Whats the orders?" he asked. The
dispatcher thrust the message into his
hand. and then pushed him toward the
door. Read that and git" he cried
The old man and Towers going, too
They'll tell you what to do"
The armed men at Piercy's bach
turned right about, and the company
trooped down the stairs. ''Therell bt
a hot time in Guamo tonight al
right" unused the dispatcher. wish
was with EN-"
Night had fallen, and the yard
cleaned with switch lights like a field
of fire-fiies when the Western mai
drove out into the open. Tower and
Superintendent. armed with short-bar-
relied riot guns, sat in the cab with
the engineer. Don't keep 'em wait
! ing" the superintendent cautioned the
only man at the levels. Il wouldn't