The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-08-03

chlne That IlIled-tlie others win despair
" was crude heliograph, which hs
perched on tho aldo OF the mountain
and utilized for flashing dots ana
dashcs Of budding affection across the
valley.
'Bealu tool occnBlon to perfect him.
self In the Morse alphabet and would
station himself In convenient spot
from which the heliogralns might be
read; then when Morrisey stroIled
back, with bis tripod under ono arm
and bis mirror under the other, the
super used 10 meet him nj the office
door aud inlncc over his tender mes.
sagcr.
AFTER this sort of thing had been
going on for a week or ten days Lea
witt began footing HIS own version OF
the old, old story on the mill whistle.
ON still days the sound easily carried
across the valley. aud aa there were
fully as many still days ns cIoudless
ones the siren Ind the helIograph tied
In the race for Miss Bradley's favor.
"0ftcn the flashing and the footing
were going NJ the same time. NO that
the young lady in the railroad station
must have been nj sixes and seycns
keeping irnck OF tho two aud lncidcn-
tally attending 10 her Office calls. Ulu-
mately Boals shut down on the use OF
the whistle for anything but Official
business, and I.eayitt used 10 lean out
OF the engine room window aud gnasti
his teeth over the loyelorn beliograms
that twinkled from the mountain side.
What means Bennett was taking
meanwhile to keep abreast Of hls rivals
did not appear, but nearly every night
rockets OF various colors transcribed
parabolaa In the air from the direction
OF Panout.
while far from certain that Miss
Bradley had anything 10 do with the
rockets. nevertheless Beals and Nor.
riaey and Ieayltt were not little wor-
rled 10 account for them. Here was a
code entirely distinct from the Morse
alphabet. and the gentlemen In qucs.
tIon were completely IN the dark
affairs were IN this unsatisfactory
condition for some time, and then bit
OF news fell into the camp like dyna.
mite bomb. spreading decentralization
among the four whose aspirations clus-
tered about the Ianout station. Miss
Bradley was 10 he transferred to Ante.
lope Springs aud was 10 leave that day
by an evening train.
"LeavItt Morrlsey aud Bennett STAN.
pcdcd 10 the house OF the man who
owned the horse, only 10 learn that the
animal had already been secured by
Beals. Then followed another STAN.
pede In the direction OF the office. |
where the super wns just mounting for
a ride to town. Three requests for n |
layoif were summarlly refused, and |
Beals Spurred triumphantly away.
"Thc super's ride lay across his horse |
In front Of him. He was going TO Pan |
out. he explained. TO have the resident |
gunsmlth overhaul the winchester.
'sIscals was no more than well out OF !
the camp before the lnsubordlnate mill |
whistle set up It's clamor. Drawing |
rein. the super spelled out the long and |
short sounds that answered for dots
and dashes;
"'W.I-ll You be my
shipping TO the ground. he laid his
rifle across the saddle and took careful
aim at the whistle. lie was crack
shot. and after he had pulled trigger
the resonant note from the mill had
dropped into a wheezy undertone that
hardly crossed the camp limits.
Barely had the super accomplished
this stroke when the glare of the hello
graph struck across his eyes, 'Nita,
before YOU go will you promise to be
my
"Beals sweryed the muzzle Of his
Winchester In the direction Of the
blaZIng point on the slope and fred.
The blazing point vanished, and he
knew he had smashed the mirror and
put the hellograph out OF the running.
"Chuckling to himself, Beals re-
and rode complacently on to