Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1910-06-23

Chair forward Tor me. Ut, rather, this
gentleman does"
wait a minute" said the agent,
glancing through the window There
is hen in that crate choking herself
to death"
He was back in a minute, and took
up his position near a sawdust-flled
4 box that did duty as a cuspidor.
Nov fire away" he said.
'Tn the first place." l began. do
you remember the day the Washing
ton Filler was wrecked below here?'
do Il" he said. ibid Jonah re-
member the whale?"
Were you on the platform here
when the first section passed."
81 was"
do you recall seeing a man hang.
ing to the platform of the last carr"
There was no one hanging there
when she passed here" he said with
conviction. 81 watched her out of
sight"
did you see anything that morning
of man about my size. carrying
small grip, and wearing dark clothes
and derby hat?" asked eagerly.
Mcknight was trying to look uncon-
cerned, but l was frankly anxious. l.
was clear that the man had jumped
somewhere in the mile of track Just
beyond
well, yes, did" The agent cleared
his throat. when the smash came
the operator at NIX sent word along
the wire, both ways. l got 1t here,
and was pretty near crazy, though l
knew it wasn't any fault of mine.
81 was standing on the track look
ing down, for couldn't leave the Of
fee, when young fellow with light
hair limped up to me and asked me
what that smoke was over there.
That's what's left of the Washing
ton Flier,' said, and l guess there's
souls going up in that smoke
"'Do you mean the first section?
he said, getting kind Of greenish-yel-
low
That's what l mean said; split
to kindling wood because Rafferty,, on
the second section, didn't want to be
late
"He put his hand out in front Of
him, and the satchel fell with bang.
my God!' he said, and dropped
right on the track in a heap.
81 got him into the station and he
came around, but he kept on groaning
something awful. He'd sprained his
ankle, and when he got little better
drove him over in Carriers milk wag-
on. to the Carter place, and / reckon
he stayed there a spell"
That's all, is it?" l asked
That's all-or, no, there's some
thing else. About noon that day one
of the Carter twins came down with
a note from him asking me to send
a longdistance message to some one
in Washington"
ITO whom?" l asked eagerly.
81 reckon I've forgot the name, but
the message was that this fellow
Sullivan was his name-was at M,
and If the man had escaped from the
wreck would he come to see him"
"He wouldn't have sent that mes
sage to me-" | said to Mcknight, rath-
er crestfallen. He'd have every OBJ
/ject in keeping out of my way"
There might be reasons" Nc
Knight observed judicially. HE
might not have found the papers
then"
WAS the name Blakeley?" asked.
1T might have been-I can't say.
But the man wasn't there, and there
was lot of noise. l couldn't hear
we'll Then in half an hour down came
the other twin to say the gentleman
was taking on awful and didn't want
the message sent" 49,. s.
"He'stgone, of course?"
."Yes.s Limped; down here in about.
three days and took the noon train for.
the city"
1t seemed a certainty now that our
man, having hurt himself somewhat,
In his jump, had stayed quietly.in the
farm hoise until he was able to trav-
ell. But. to, be positive, we decided to
visit the Carter place. r. 49,
gave the. station agent, a five-dol-
lar bill, which ne rolled up with a
couple of others and stuck in his
pocket. l turned as we got to a bend
in the road, and he was looking curl
ously after us.
1t was not until we had climbed the
hill and turned onto the road to the
Carter place that.I realized where we
were going. Although we approached
1t from another direction, l knew the
farm house at once. 1t was the one
where Alison West and | had break
tasted nine days before. With new
restraint between us, l did not tell
Mcknight I wondered afterward II
he had suspected it, l saw him look
ing hard at the gatepost which had
figured in one of our mysteries, but he
asked no questions. Afterward he
grew almost taciturn, for him, and let
me do most of the talking.
We opened the front gate of the
Carter place and went slowly up the
walk. Two ragged youngsters, alike
II