The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-07-12
DISHES OF Dudulng anecuon across me

usnes OF Duddlng anecuon across zue
?alley.
'Beals took occasion 10 perfect him
self in the Morse alphabet and would
station himself in a convenient spot
from which the heliograms might be
read; then when Morrisey strolled
back, with his tripod under one arm
and his mirror under the other. the
super used to meet him ut the Office
door and minCe over his tender mes
sages.
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, and as there were
fully as many still days as cloudless
ones the siren had the heliograph tied
in the race for Miss Bradley's favor
often the flashing and the footing
were going at the same time. so that
the young lady in the railroad station
must hayes been at skies and seyens
keeping track Of the two and inciden-
tally attending to her office calls. UIti-
mately Beals shut down on the use of
the whistle for anything. but official
business, and Lcavitt used to lean out
OF the engine room window and gnash
his teeth over the lOvel0En Kilograms
that twinkled from the mountain side.
What means Bennett was taking
N a ON 70, al.
did not appear, but nearly every night
rockets of various colors transcribed
parabOlas in the air from the direction
of Panout.
While far from certain that Miss
Bradley had anything to do with the
rockets, nevertheless Beals and Nor
risey and Leayitt were not Il little wor-
ried to account for them. Here was Il
code entirely distinct from the Morse
alphabet, and the gentlemen in queS-
ton were completely in the dark.
Affairs were in this unsatisfactory
condition for some time. and then a bit
of news fell into the camp like a dyna-
mite bomb, spreading Generalization
among the four whose aspirations clus-
tered about the Panout station. Miss
Bradley was to be transferred to Ante
lope Springs and was to leave that day
by an evening train.
'Leayitt, Morriscy ana Bennett STAN
peded to the house OF the man who
owned the horse. only to learn that the
animal had already been secured by
Beals. Then followed another STAN
pede in the direction of the office,
where the super was just mounting for
a ride to town. Three requests for q
layoff We're summarly refused, and
Beals spurred triumphantly away.
THE super's rife lay across his horse
in front of him. He was going to Pan
out, he explained, to have the resident
gunsmith overhaul the Winchester.
''Bcals was no more than we'll out of
the camp before the insubordnate mill
whistle set up its clamOr. Drawing
rein, the super spelled out the long and
short sounds that answered for dots
and dashes:
"'W-i-i-l You be my
Slipping to the ground he laid his
rife across the saddle and took careful
aim at the whistle. He was Il crack
shot, and after he had pulled trigger
the resonant upte from the mill had
dropped into 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. Mia,
before you go VIII YOU promise to be
my
"Beals swerved the muzzle. of his
Winchester in the direction of the
blazing point on The slope and fired
The blazing point vanished and he
knew he had smashed the mirror ana
put the hello graph out of the running.
"Chuchling to himself Beals re-
mounted and rode complacently on to