Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-29

knew to be a hand car a moment later
To the musical clickclick OF wheels pass
ing over rail joints the little car shot
through the gateway in the Stockade and
sped away down the spur. the two ndis-
tinct figures bowling alternately to each
other like pair of grotesque automatonS.
MINDED and leg-Weary as he was. Jud-
sons first impulse prompted him to seek
for the path 20 the end that he might
dash down the hill and give chase. But
if he would have yielded, another pur-
suer was before him to show him the fu-
tility of that eXnedent. While the click
ing of the hand-car wheels was still faint
ly audible. a mantle -hanmering
mailman, Judson thought it must be
materiaized suddenly from somewhere IN
the under-ShadoWs to run down the track
after the disappearing conspiratoTs. The
engineer saw the racing fOot-purSuer lefC
behind quickly that his own hope of
overtaking the car died almost before 1t
had taken shape.
That puts # up to me again.. he
groaned. rather stiffiy. Then he faced
once more toward the western valley
and tile point Of the great triangle. where
the lights of Little Butte station AMI
bridge twinfied uncertainty in the dis
lance. If / can get down yonder to
Goodies wire in time to catch the
super's special before il passes Timan-
yoni''-he went on, only to drop his jaw
and gasp when he held the face of his
watch up to the moonlight. Then, brok-
emily. MY God! ! couldn't begin to do 1t
unless / had wings; he said IL o'clock
and it's 1910 right now,
There was the beginning of frenzed
outburSt Of despair ns curses upDubbhnG
to Judsons lips when he realized his ut
ter helpleSsness and the consequences
mendcing the superintendent : special
True, he did not know what the conse-
quences We're to be. but he had over
heard enough To be sure that Liiger-
wood life was threatened. Then, at the
climax of desrairing helplessness he re-
membered that there was telephone IN
the mine-OWner's office-a telephone that
connected with Goodies station at Lit
tie Butte. Here was last slender
chance of getting Il warning 10 Goodloe,
and through him, by means of the rail-
road wire, To the superintendent 5 special.
Instantly Judson forgot his WEAKNESS and
raced away down the western slope OF
the mountain, prepared 10 fight ms way
to the telephone if the entire night Stlft
OF the Wire-SiiVer should try to stop nj H.
1t cost ten of the precious fifty MIN
utes To retrace his steps down the noun
tain side. and five more We're lost III
lodging the mine Waterman, who, hav-
ing recovered from the effects of Judsons
savage blow. was proving about the
mine buildings, revolver in hand. in
search of his mysterious assailant. Afte:
the Waterman was out of the way 1--WE
other minutes went to the cautious pry-
ing open of the w ndow least likely to at
drawn shade the convincing profile hat
been projected. Judson's lips We're dry
and his hands We're shaking again wher
he crept through the opening and dropped
into tie unfamiliar interior. where the
daTknc SIS was but thiny diluted by the
moonlight tiltering though the small.
dingy squares of the opposite window. To
have the courage of a housebrs aker one
must be a burglar in fact; and the ex-
engineer KNEW how swiftly ard certainly
he won pay the penalty if any one had
seen him climbing in at the forced win
dow, or should chance to discover him
now that he was in.
But there was a stronger motive than
fear fear for himself To set him groping
for the telephone. The precious minutes
We're flying. and he knew that by this
time the two men on the hand car must
have reached the main line at Silver
switch. Whatever helpful chain of events
might be set in motion by communicating
with GoodlOe must lie linked up quickly.
He found the telephone without diff
Guilty. It was an old-fashioned set, W tn
a crank and bell for ringing up the call
at the other end of the line. \ single
turn of the crank told him that it was
cut off somewhere. doubtless by a switch
in the office wiring. In fresh fever of
excitement he began "A search for the
switch. tracing with his fingers the wires