The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-12

So the ambitious Giddings by means
of a pocket mirror inspected a threat
ening pimple on the end of his chubby
nose. palming the glass skillfully so
Barnes Tracy couldn't see it even If he
did interrupt his eruption, and waited
for Bob Duffy, the Rat River night
man, to come back at him with third
eighty's signature. Under Giddings'
eye as he sat licked Martin DuTy's
chronometer the watch that split the
seconds and chimed the quarters and
stopped and started so impOssibly and
ran to d second a month-the watch
that Bucks, who never did things by
halves. had given little Martin Duffy
with the order that made him chief.
It lay at Giddings' fingers, and the
minute had wiped from the enameled
dial o'clock fifty-fve. ffty-six, seven.
eight-nine. Young Giddings turned
to his order book and inspected his en-
tries like a methOdical bookkeeper, and
Martin Duffys chronometer chimed
the fourth quarter S o'clock. One en-
try he had still to make. Book in
hand, he called Rat River
Get third eighty's signature to Or
der 70 and hurry them out" he tapped
impatiently at Bob Duffy.
There was wait. Giddfngs lighted
his pipe the way Callahan always light
ed his pipe-putting out his lips to
catch all the perfume and blowing the
first cloud away YEARLY, as Callahan
the match meditatively and listened
and got suddeny this from Bob Duffy,
a Rat River.
II forgot Order 49, came Bob Duff
fy's message. Il let third eighty go
without It. They left here at 1860
fifty something. Giddings never heard
fifty what. The match went into the
ink the pipe into the water pail, and
Giddings before Bob Duffy finished,
like drowning man, was calling
Elcho with the life and death, the 10
call.
Hold Special 326i" he cried over
the wire the instant ElchO replied.
But Elcho steadily, answered this:
Special-326=left here:
Giddings, with both hands on the
table, raised Up like a drunken man.
The West End was against 1t. Third
eighty in the open and going against
the De Molay FOurl Bucks Callahan,
wife-everybody and Rock Point a
blind siding that no word from any
body on earth could reach ahead of
third eighty.
Giddings sprang TO the open window
and shouted to anybody and everybody
to call Martin Duffy. But Martin Duff
fy spoke behind him.
What do you want?" he asked. It
came terribly quick on Giddings as he
turned
What's the natter" exclaimed
Martin. looking into the boys face.
Speak can't you? What's the mat
ter, Giddings7"
Bob forgot Order 70 and let third
eighty go without it-and Special 326
is out of Elcho.'' choked Giddings.
What ?"
bob at-Rat River-gave third
eighty clearance without the Order
Martin Duffy sprang straight up in
the air. Once he shut his lifted hands;
once he looked at Giddings. staggering
again through the frightful news. then
ne dropped into the chair, looked Wild
~ around, seized his key like a hunted
man, stared at his train sheet, grabbed
the order book and listened to Gid
dtngs cutting of one hope after anoth-
er OF stopping Special 1926. His fingers
set mechanically. and he made the Rat
Rlver call; but Rat River was silent.
! win Barnes Tracy tptoeing in behind
on the instinct of trouble and Young
Glddlnss shaking like a leaf, the chief
called Rat River. Then he called