The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1905-04-21
TIE LIMITED EXPRESS.

~~~~N~S~S~S~~
| GO HE general manager sank into
his chair. his face CHASTITY under
the yellow rays of the electric
, light as the yellow "flimsy" that start
ed up at him from his desk and burned
its message into his brain, Lost"
He hung Oh the final word he read
there as one who repeats a death SEN
tence that has just been pronounced
upon him, then with groan his head
sank on his desk and the fatal mes
: sage was swept to the floor.
The door opened and a man entered
briskly-with the air Of one who Is
sure Of his ground, and of a welcome.
"Ah, John; thought I'd find you here.
I-why-old man, what's the matterT
the newcomers voice lost its cheer
/, full ring, became anxious-'speak to
me-John's what's"
The general managers head rose
slowly; he stared at the other with
eyes that saw nothing, eyes that were
: guied upon something far away.
Frank" he said slowly; Frank, l
want you to answer a question-just
, one-and l want the truth? Am l
crazy? Have l been crazy all these
years? Am"
"For Gods sake, man. What-has
this strain turned your mind? Tell me
what's
That's what wanted you to tell
me, Frank" The general manager
spoke slowly. calmly, now. Look
he turned and reached for the dispatch
After moments search he found it
on the floor where it had fallen.
Notwithstanding it-"read this. This
is the twentieth century, man! Read
, 1t; tell me it can't be true!'
| "Vanished!' was wrung from the
mans lips when he has hastily sur
veyed the brief message. "Surely-
but 1t must be authentic, all right;
from you own man. But great heav-
ems, John-this is not the day of
Aladdin and his lamp! Disappeared!
A whole train-and the limited mail,
at thatr'
mo. 6; crack train of the west
New Orleans to Los Angeles in fifty
four hours" echoed the general man
ager mechanically.
when did you get thisw They
both sat down.
"Just moment before you came in.
But she was gone two hours ago. Dis
patcher reported that she had passed
Salton on time-6:1O-was due at Lost
Trail, ten miles farther west, at 6:22,
where 40 was waiting for her to pass.
When 6:30 came and hadn't shown
up and the Lost Trail operator wired
Salton and found she had passed there
he knew something had happened, and
! wired in I've lived in hell ever since.
/ At 1880 No. 49's engine cut loose and
started slowly ahead to look for 6. She
Just pulled into Salton few minutes
ago-6 wasn't on the track! And the
Salton man swears before God she
hasn't backed past his place!
| "Where is she. That's what I'm
asking you, Frank. Where is she? p
The cold sweat stood out on the gen.
eral managers forehead.
| The big, oldfashioned 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 flung open a
window, letting In a flood Of cool,
halmy air. The sleep had refreshed
him, the air invigorated him.
When John Harding turned to leave
the window there was the old-time
dauntless glitter In his eyes and the
accustomed vigor in his step. He was
once more the indomitable master who
five years before had. by his own sheer
will power and force of personality,
faced an enraged army of employees
and dissuaded them from calling q
strike that would have cost the COM
pany hundreds Of thousands of dollars,
Suddenly he stepped toward a rack at
one side of the room and unrolled q
map. showing In detail the section of
the road where 6 had vanished. Then
his finger began to travel slowly over
the black line that zig-zagged its way
across the sheet Deadlands-and the
finger passed It Simpson; still the IN.
ger passed on. Then Salton, and a.
slowly 1t dragged across the line, one
inch, two-then It suddenly stopped.