The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-17


up in the shadows beyond the radius
Of light from the carriage windows.
For the night had fallen inky dark,
and outside that narrow band of arti-
fetal light all was as black as the
neither pit. Shrieking women and agi-
tated men appeared for moment on
the footboards and disappeared, direct
light, into the outer gloom of the waste
ground at the side of the railway.
Casting comprehensive glance at
his surroundings the duke saw that the
accident had occurred at a lonely spot
where the line was hemmed in on either
| to the railfence that bounded the track.
Instinct prompted him to quit the dan
gerous proximity of his own compart-
ment, and at the same time he desired
to ascertain how long the delay was
likely to last. This he could only do
by proceeding to the front Of the train,
but to reach the engine would entail
three lurked in the shadows. In order
to avoid them, therefore, he darted
across the zone of light, hoping to
escape observation, dived under the
train, and made his way forward on
the other side Of the line, shielded from
his foes by the carriages
One glance at the derailed engine
accident, and to inform him Of the rea-
baulks. Of timber, supplemented BY
heaped-up : ballast, had been built
across the six-foot way, and
from the excited remarks Of driv-
er, stoker and guard, Beaumanoir
gathered that the locomotive was so
damaged that even when the obstruc-
tion was removed it would be unable to
proceed under it's own steam The
passengers would have to wait till re-
lief train came along, unless they elect
ed to trudge three miles to the next
i or the last station.
It was all too plain to Beaumanoir
that here was no accident at all, but an
ID outrage designed to strand him in that
lonely place, where amid the darkness
and the confusion murder would come
easy. The choice Of the locality, half
speed would be reduced to minimum
) pointed to no desire to injure the
passengers generally; indeed, there
would have been an obvious intention
to avoid a really perilous collision, see,
ing that some Of the conspirators were
on board. He could pretty accurately
} gage Markers functions now. The
spy was to have kept close to him after
| the accident, SO as to signal his
whereabouts in the darkness to the
more active members Of the gang.
:, The emissaries Of Ziegler woulc
have to dispense with that aid now, but
: still Beaumanoir could not shut hi
3 eyes to his imminent peril. The three
. who had travelled in the train were OF
: tingent-there would be at leasts twt
of them--who had wrecked the engin,
l were probably lurking somewhere near
z He could have no assurance that the
were not at his very elbow, stealing OF
: him thru the dense underground tina
: fringed the fence.
q a shout from the guard to the pas
/ told him that at least half an hou
t must elapse before they could be pickle
9 up and carried on, and he at once de
= cided that to stay at the spot would b
/ intolerable. He should 90 mad If h
9 remained at the mercy. Of invisible ad
versaries whom he could mot hit back
J. II they would only come out into th
he could empty the six chambers a y of ri Il
g down, he would take his risks gladly
J but to stand still in the dark, nc
knowing how soon stab in the BAG
7 would be his fate, was the thing to
! much. There and then he ended til
: plunging into the wood.
He had not taken six steps thru til
: brambles when from the pitch darl
T. ness ahead a low, fute-lik
. whistle sounded, to be instantly Al
:, swered by the cracking Of tWig
= little to the right of him: His prese1
=. y intention was to quit the scene an
"a make his way to Prior 3 Tarrant on 70,
:, : across country had evidently been for
!, seen and provided for. Those bushs
. were occupied, and his retreat at ths
:, point was cut off. He clambered bac
10 on 70 Ihe TaliWay,sanql,, running as nal
10 the fence, he again essayed the woo
ID t 200, yards ahead Of the engine. Til