Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-31


mediately with his train and fresn
crew. il 1t could be obtained.
Dawson took the wire and replied In
person. His crew was good for another
tussle, he said, and his train was still IN
readiness. He would start west at once,
or the moment the dispatcher could clear
for him, and would be- at Silver switch
as soon as the intervening miles would
permit.
Eleanor Brewster and her guests were
grouped beside Lidgerwood when he dis
connected the pocket set from the cut
wire and temporarily repaired the break
The service car had been turned into
makeshift hospital for the wounded, and
the car party was homeless.
I'VE are all waiting to say how sorry
we are that we insisted on coming and
thus adding to your responsibilities,
Howard said the presidents daughter,
and now there was no trace of mockery
in her voice.
His answer was entirely sympathetic
and grateful.
I'm only sorry that you have been
obliged to see and take part in such
frightful horror. that's all. AS for your
being in the way-it's quite the other
thing. Crawford owes his life to Mr.. Van
Lew and Jefferis; and as for you three,
Including Eleanor and the two young
women, your work is beyond any praise
of mine. I'm anxious now merely because
don't know what to do with you while
we wait for the relief train to come"
Ignore us completely" said Eleanor.
promptly. I'VE are going over to that
little level place by the sidetrack and
make us camp fire. We were JUST wait
ing to be comfortably forgiven for having
burdened you with a pleasure party at
such time
he made haste to say. Now, If you'll
do what you suggested-go and build
fire to wait BY hope it won't be very
long,
Freed of the more crushing RESPONSE
bilities, Lidgerwood found Bradford and
Groner. and with the two conductors went
down the track to the point Of derail
ment to make the technical investigation
of causes.
Ordinarily the mere fact of destruc-
tive derailment leaves little to be dis
covered when the cause is sought after
ward. But, singularly enough. the curved
track was torn UP only on the side to-
ward the hill; the outer rail was still in
place. and the crossties, deeply bedded in
the hard gravel of the cutting. showed
only the surface mutilation of the grind
ing wheels.
Broken fange under the 215, I'll bet.''
said Groner, holding his lantern down to
the gashed ties. But Bradford denied it.
mo" he contradicted; Crawford was
able to talk little after we toted him
back to the service car. He says it was
a broken rail; says he saw it and saw
the man that was flaggin' him down. all
Ill SOOO lliIlc " give Hcf tic oil DcAoIc
he hit it,
What man was that" asked Groner.
whose point of view had not been that
Of an onlooker
Lidgerwood answered for himself and
Bradford.
THAT is one of the things we'd like to
know. Groner. Just before the smash a
man. whom none of us recognized. ran
down the track and tried to give Gran
ford the stop signal"
lii +1<I
line, looking for the actual point of de-
railment When it was found it proved
Cranfords assertion-in part. There was
a gap in the rail on the river side of the
of the joints the fish plates were missing,
and the rail ends were sprung apart side
wise sufficiently to let the wheel fianges
pass through. Groner went down on his
hands and knees with the lantern held
low and made another discovery.
This amt no happen-so, Mr.. Ldger
wood" he said, when he got up. THE
spikes are pulled"
Lidgerwood Ssaid nothing. There are
discoveries which are beyond speech. But
he stopped to examine for himself.
GrOner was right. For a distance of
eight or ten feet the rail had been loosen
ed, and the spikes were gone out of the
crossties. After it was
and the bit Of rock inserted between the
parted ends to keep them from springing
together was still in place
Lidgerwood's eyes were bloodshot when
he rose and said:
"1'd like to ask you two men, as men, |
what devil out of hell would set trap
like this for trainload of .unoffending
Bradford's slow drawl dispeiled a little |
Of the mystery.
"It wasn't meant for GrOner and his |
passenger wagons, 1 reckon. In the nat |
ural run of things. 1t was the 266 and
the service car that ought to We hit this
thing frst-204 bein' supposed to be a
for US. all right enough. And it wasn't
meant to throw us into the hill. neither. |
II we'd hit it gOin' west. we'd be in the
river. That's why it was sprung out in
stead of in
Lidgerwood's right hand, balled into a
fist. smote the air, and his outburst was
a fierce imprecation. In the midst of it
Groner said, LISTEN and q moment
later a man, walking rapidly up the track
from the direction of Little Butte station.
came into the small circle of lantern
light. Groner threw the light on the
revealing a haggard face-the
face of the owner of the Wire-Silver
mine.
Heavens and earth, Mr.. Lidgerwood-
this is awful he exclaimed. 81 heard |
of it by phone and hurried over to do |
what l could. My men of the night shift
are the way, walking up the track. |
and the entire Wlre-Silver outfit Is at |
your disposal"
"I am afraid you are little late, Mr. |
Flemister. was Lidgerwoods rejoinder. |
antagonism making the |
words sound crisp and ungrateful. Half |
an hour ago" |
:'Yes. certainly: Goodloe should have
phoned me, if he knew" cut in the mine
owner. Anybody hurt pa
Half of the number involved and six |
dead" said the superintendent, soberly |
then the four of them walked slowly |
and in silence up the track toward the |
two camp fires, where the unhurt sur
vivors and the service cars guests were
fighting the chill of the high-mountain |
midnight.
(To be continued tomorrow.)
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