Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-31
Empire Builders
By FRANCIS LYNDE
Copyright 1eos-By Francis Lynde
1eos-By Francis Lynde.


y ~ ~ y y Y ~ ~ - ~ - y
ers had marked him town. Where
did You learn that trick?"
ut is my one littl accomplish
ment," confessed IT, Louisianian
IAN old Chickasaw chief taught me
when I was a boy in the bayou colm
try
The peril was over for the moment
The severed pole was withdrawn AMI
for what seemed like an endless inter
val the attack paused The three be-
sieged men kept watch as they might,
creeping from window to window. Ont
under the blue glare of the commits
sary arc-light the body of the negro
porter lay as it had fallen. Once,
Ford thought he heard groans from
the black shadow where the fat cook
had disappeared but he could not be
sure. On the other side Of the pri
vate car, and halfway between it and
the forty thousand pound load of high
explosives, the petara oysteltin lay
undisturbed. with the carving knife
sticking in the sand beside it.
What will they try next?" querad
Adair, when the suspense was again
growing intolerable.
1T is simple enough. if they hap
pen TO think OF it was Fords e
joinder. "A few sticks of dynamite III
a plugged gas pipe: cut your fuse long
enough. light it and throw the thing
under the car That would settle
it
Adair yawned sleepily.
Well they've got all night for the
| inventive part OF it, There's no res
cue for us unless somebody--a good
husky army of somebodies-just hap
! pens along"
| The army is less than eight miles
away-over at Frishie's camp" said
Ford with Dick to lead them, the
track layers would sack this place in
about five minutes. If I could only
get to the wire"
! Brissac heard the "if"
Let me try to run their picket line.
Ford" he said eagerly. IF I can get
around to our quarters and into the
telegraph tent"
you couldn't do it, Roy. There is the
proof Of it, pointing to the body Of
the slain negro. But I have bean
thinking of another scheme The
| track-camp wire is bracketed across
the yard on the light poles. l have
my pocket relay | wonder if we
could manage to cut in on that wire?"
"Wait minute Brissac interrupt
ed He was gone but moment, and
when he returned he brought hope
with him.
I The wire is down and lying across
excitedly. They must have cut it
l. ~, +a1o Nh, nj
the slack has sagged down this way.
(Which gives US g. dead wire without
any batteries" said Ford gloomily;
and then: Hold on-aren't there
electric call bells in this car, Adair?''
Yes, several of them; one in each
state room"
Good! that means batteries OF some
sort" said Ford. "Rummage for them
Brissac, while get that wire in here.
The wire was successfully pulled il
} through the front vestibule withou,
giving the alarm. Ford twisted it in
, two when he had enough of it to reach
the central compartment. Adair die
!; sentry duty while the two technicians
wrought swiftly. The bell battery
was found, the ground connection made
with bit of copper wire stripped from
one of the state rooms, and Ford quick
: ly adjusted the delicate spring Of the
, tiny field relay. -
) What he feared most was that tbs
few dry cells of the bell battery would
not supply the current for the eigi
miles of line up Horse Creek For ;
time, which heightened to draggins
minutes. the anxious experimenters
hung over the tiny field instrument
; The sensitive magnet seemed wholly
dead. Then suddenly, it began to tic)
, hesitatingly in response to Ford's tap
: ping of the key.
Thank God, the battery is strong
, enough" he exclaimed. Nov, :
: there is somebody within hearing >
F'risbie's end of the line
He was clicking persistently and pa
tiently, EFT" EFT" EFT" alternat
} ing now and then with the Horse Creel
: call and his own private code letter
: when Adair came up from his post a
2 one of the rear windows. The golde,
V youth was the bearer of tidings, blu
: Ford held up his hand for silence
t some one was breaking in to repl.
l from Frisbie, himself, a
, the minimized tickings speedily ar
nounced
: Ford shipped out his call for he'll
, in the fewest possible words:
4 Arm M'Grath's gang ann bring