The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-30

YEB STARK lay beneath the shade o
the only tree in Scaly City which
afforded any real protection from
the blighting sun of an August day IL
Arizona. Not twenty feet away tn,
tracks of the NJ. *. and Il. road trem
bed before the eye in the heat haz,
beating up from cinder roadbed. In tn,
distance the lonely passenger shant,
loomed out of the treeless waste, tn,
ugliest object in an ugly prospect. Earl,
in the morning Jeb had finished hi!
"chores" about the shanty. For time
thereafter he had considered taking {
nap in the waiting ROOM on one o.
the side benches, but Krause, the op.
orator, was in such uncertain temper
that a moments reflection decided hin
on the wiser course of keeping out ol
sight. He betook himself, therefore
to the scraggy shelter previously men
toned, and carried with him into his
retirement his two dearest possessions
(sacred because they in themselves
represented the highest pinnacle of his
ambition), battered old telegraph
sounder and key and a coil of wire
Jeb was some day going to be an OPP
orator, and these We're the means to
his end.
With the agility born of long prac-
tice he had Skinned the nearest tele-
graph pole and made a working splice
to the main line wire. From the mo-
ment that was done and the instrument
adjusted lonely Arizona waif in the
midst of a sandy desert basked in the
fascinating details of world far be-
yond his ken. Absorbed in what to
most people would have been dry and
uninteresting enough, the routine of
train orders and business messages held
him interested to point where he be-
came oblivious to what wa; going on
about him. Therefore, he failed to
notice a thick-set man in blue overalls
and jumper, who suddenly appeared
out of the plain and glided into the Of
nee of the shanty. From there he
emerged in a minute or two preceded
by the operator, neatly triced up with
clothesline and broom handle after
the approved method Of the plains. 1t
was not until they were close upon him
that Jeb saw the pair. His first in
stlnct was to hide his instrument as
much from krause as the outlaw.
who's the kid?" the stranger asked
Krause sharply, as they came to halt
in front of him.
"My help" the operator answered
surlily.N
Sonny" the other said, addressing
Jeb, "we're a-going down the road a
piece, and if you want to grow up to
be man like your pap, don't you take
no notion to see what We're about.
See?"
AS he spoke the outlaw readjusted the
bandanna handkerchief across his nose
md mouth. and, with a shove, sent
Krause forward down the track in the
direction of Miners Gulch, a soft stone
cutting not more than quarter of a
mile from the station.
"Well, I reckon Krause Is drunk
again." the operator at the Junction
nuttered to himself as he banged away
t the key of his sender in vain effort
10 raise the Scaly City office. "Some-
thing's sure the matter" he said aloud,
For the comfort the sound of his voice
gave him in his perpleXity.
mo answer from Scaly; No. 10 due in
six minutes. What shall du?" was the
message he sent direct to the train dis
patcher at the head of the line.
Before he had had time to receive an
answer from his chief the Junction OPP
orator was further puzzled by the slow,
irregular ticking of the instrument on
the Scaly City circuit. AT first he could
not make out anything from the jum-
bled beats of the sounder, save that
something was materially out of gear
in the system. AS he listened, how
ever. his trained ear began to pick out
here and there a letter of the message
that was coming through.
''Scaly City: Robbers is here, Krause
Is killed. Jeb-Scaly City; Robbers is
here, Krause is killed, Jeb--" was the
repeated warning that finally revealed
-it5sS to the Junction mans bewildered
brain.
Il have you'll have you'll have you"
--he clicked back, as soon as the full
meaning of what he had heard dawned
upon him. Darling to the corner of the
office he seized red lag and tore up
the main track in the direction from
which the mail would approach in
scant minute and a half.
The conductor and chief mail clerk
were both hanging from a step as the
train ground by the operator in COM
ing to stop.
whats the matter?" they asked in
one breath as soon as they could get
within hailing distance of him.
The operator repeated his experiences
pf the last ten minutes, and the three
hurried to the office for instructions
from headquarters.
Word from Scaly robbers. Flag No.
10; proceed cautiously with empty cars
and effect capture" was being licked
off over and over again as they came
in.
The mail was hastily transferred
from two cars into third; a day
coach and smoker We're emptied of pas
sengers, and the loaded cars backed out
of harms way dowE siding. With
the dummy train in tow the locomotive
started for Scaly City with six heavily
armed mail clerks distributed over the
tender and in the cab as guard.
The engineer felt his way cautiously
down the line. ready at a moments
notice to bring his train to stand
still. No sign Of anything out of the
ordinary was to be seen as they came
in sight of the shanty. The fireman
and two mail clerks made their way
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