The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1905-05-04
THE LIMITED EXPRESS.



GD HE general manager sank into
his chair. his face CHASTITY under
the yellow rays OF the electric
light as the yellow -fimsy'' that start.
Ell up at him from hls desk aud burned
its message into his brain. Lost
lie hung on the nnal word he read
there as one who repeats a death sen
tsnee that has just been pronounced
upon him. then with a groau his head
sank on his desk aud the fatal mes
sage MAS swept 10 the fioor
The door opened aud man entered
briskiy--wlth the air Of one who Is
sure Of his ground. aud Of welcome.
-Ah. John. thought ia nnd you here
i-why-old man. what's the matter 2
the newcomers voice lost iis cheer.
fui RAG. became anrloas--speak 20
s~-Johns ~hats-"
The general managers bead rose
slowly: be stared at the other with
eyes that saw nofhinx. eyes tina; were
sslrd upon sonieihlng far away.
~frank.- be said slowly. Frank. I
want you 10 answer a question-Just
sns-aud l want The TRUTH Am
craxyf Have b~ea crazy ali tssvss
yearsf An"
~for Gods sake. man. Whaf-has
this strain turned Jour miBdf Tell INC
~hars-
That's what wanted you TO tell
INC. Frank The general manager
spoke slowly. calmly. now. -f>cok''--
be turned aud reached Tor the dispatch.
After a moments srzrrh be found IL
on The roor where q had fallen.
''ilrrs--srssndinx tread fbis. This
IL the t~entisth century. man, Read
Il. tell mo u caa't be true
'-sanishrds' was wruns from the
mans lips when be has hastily sur.
v~yed the brief message. -surcly-
but II must DO authentic. all right.
from you own man. Hut srcst beav-
sns. John-this IL not the day Of
Aladdin and hls lamp. Disappeared
A whole trsln-snd tho limited mail.
at fhatr'
NO q: crack train OF the west
New Orleans 10 Los Angeles In hffY-
four hours echoed the general man.
sTrr mechanically.
When did yos got thlsr' They
both sat down.
-Jpst moment before you came In.
But she was gone two hours ago. Dis.
catcher reported that abe had passed
Ealton on time-d.io-was due at Loaf
Trail. ten miles farther west. at ss22.
where ~ was waiting for her to pas.
when go cam. and hadn't shown
~ and the Lost Trail operator ~irei
salton and found she had passed there
he know something had happened. and
wired In I've lived In he'll ever since.
A. Ts3o No aus engine Gu, loose and
started slowly ahead TO look for q. She
Just pulled into salton q few minutes
AGO wasn't on the track And the
ealfon man swears before God she
hasn't backed past his placei
where II she. That's what I'm
pskiug you. Frank. where IL sher' |
'rhe cold sweat stood out on the gen.
sraI managers forehead.
The big. oId-fsshioncd clock In the |
corner was striking II Midnight. And
he had slept more than three hours;
had slept while the crisis OF his life |
Was drawing him deeper into the eter-
nal sands somewhere down there in |
The southern California desert. The
general manager rose and lung open q
window. letting In hood OF cool.
salmy air. The sleep had refreshed
him. the air invigorated him.
when John Harding turned to leave
ne window there was the old.time.
iauntless glRter In his eyes and the
accustomed vIgor In his step. lie was
nee more the indomltsble master who
I've years before had. by his own sheer
will power and force OF personality.
accd an enragcd army of employees
md dlssuaded them from calling q
triks that would have cost tho COM
ANY hundreds OF thousands OF dollars.
he stepped toward q rack at
me side OF the room and unrolled
nap. showing in detail the section OF
he road where Q had vanished. Then
liz finger began to travel slowly over
he black line that sig-sassed its way
cross the sheet Deadiands--snd the
niger passed Il Simpson: stfll the an
or passed on. Then Salton. and -
yowIy Il drasgsd ACROSS the line. one
ncA. twe-thsn Il suddsnly sesppsd-