The Huttig news., 1909-08-14
SYNOPSIS.

the railroad tracks at Smoky creek.
 CHAPTER II-NIcCloud young road superintendent. caught Sinclair and his men in the act of footing the wrecked train. Sinclair pleaded innocence. declar Ing 1t only amounted to small sum-a treat for the men. McCloud discharged the whole outfit and ordered the wreck age burned,
 CHAPTER uI-McCloud became ac- quainted with Dicksie Cunning, a girl of the west, who came to look at the wreck She gave him a messa ge for Sinclair
 CHAPTER IV-'whispering' Gordon Smith told President Bucks of the rail road. of MeClouds brave fight against a gang of erazed miners and that was the reason for the superintendent's appoint ment to his high office. McCloud ar ranged to board at the boarding house of Mrs. Sinclair, the ex-foremans desert ed Hafe.
 CHAPTER v.--Dicksie Cunning was the daughter of the late Richard Dun ming. who had died of a broken heart shortly after his wife's demise which occurred after one year of married life. CHAPTER vI.-sincilir visited Marion Sinelair's shop and fight between him and McCloud was narrowly averted.
 CHAPTER vII-Snoky Cheek bridge was mysteriouslv burned McCloud pre- pared to face the situation. President Bucks notified Smith that he had work ahead
 CHAPTER VIII.-McCloud worked for days and finally got the division running in fairly good order He overheard Dick gle criticising his methods. to Marion Sinclair.
 CHAPTER Ix.-A stock train was wrecked by an open switch. Later a pas sengsr train was held up and the express car robbed. Two men of posse pursuing the bandits were killed. McCloud was notified that Whispering Smith was to hunt the desperadoes-
 CHAPTER x-Bm Dancing road lineman. proposed that Sinclair and his gang be sent to hunt the bandits A stranger, apparently with authority. told him to go ahead Dancing was told the stranger was "Whisperng Smith,,
 Tt is all right for me to pay it, but don't want you to pay it. Will you have care for yourself, Gordon?"
 "Will you?"
 "Yes."
 You need never ask me to be care full Smith went on. That is my business I asked you to watch your window shades at night, and when l came in just now found one up. It is you who are likely to forget. and in this kind of game a man never for gets but once. I'll lie down on the Lincoln lounge, George.
 "Get into the bed"
 eNo; I like the lounge, and I'm on carly
 In the private room of the superin tendent. provided as sleeping apart ment inethe old headquarters building many years before hotel. facilities reached Medicine Bend. stood the onl' eurio the Wiciiup possessed- th' Lincoln lounge When thf car tha ,, carried the remains of Abraham Lin coln from Washington to Springfield was dismantled the Wiokiup fell heil to one piece of it's elaborate furnish ipes. the lounge, and the lounge stil remains as an earlvday relic. Whis pering Smith walked into the bedroom and disposed himself in an incredi blv short time I've borrowed one ot your pillows, George he called out presently.
 "Take both
 "one's enough. 1 hope" he went on. rolling himself like hen into the double blanket. "the horse Kennedy , has left me will be all right; he got three from Bill Dancing. Bill Dan cing," he snorted, driving his nose into the pillow as if in final memorandum for the night, The will get himself killed if he fools around Sinclair too much now.
 McCloud. under light shaded above his desk. opened a roll of blue prints. He was going to follow a construction gang up the Crawling Stone in the morning and wanted to look over the surveys. Whispering Sfhith, breath ing regularly, lay not far away It maps, entered the inner room and looked at his friend.
 He lay like boy asleep. On the chair beside his head he had placed his old-fashioned hunting-case watch, as big as an alarm clock. the kind a railroad man would wind up with a spike-maul Beside the watch he had laid his huge revolver in it's worn leather scabbard. Breathing peace fully. he lay quite at his companion s mercy and McCloud, looking down on this msn who never made a mistake, never forgot a danger. and never took an unnecessary chance thought of what between men confidence may sometimes mean. He sat moment with folded arms on the side of his bed. studying the tired face, defense less in the s,umber of fatigue. When he turned out the light and lay down, he wondered whether, somewhere in the valley of the great river to which he was to take his men in the morn ing. he should encounter the slight and reckless horsewoman who had blazed so in anger when be stood be fore her at Marion's. He had strug- gled against her charm too long. She had become. how or when he could not tell, not alone pretty woman but a fascinating one--the creature of his constant thought Already she meant more to him than all else in the world. He well knew that if called on to choose between Dieksie and all else he could only choose her. But as he drew together the curtains of thought and sleep stole in upon him. he was re solved first to have Dicksie; to have all else if he could. but, in ary case,