Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-26

men are keepin' tab on the run. With
the wrecks we're enjoying-
Ltdgerwood was impatient Of mysteries.
What do you mean. Andy" he broke
in. Anything new?
"Oh. nothing you could put your finger
|, on. Same old rag-chewin' going on up at
Cat Biggs' and the other watefin' troughs
about how you've got TO be done up. II
ii costs money"
That isn't new" objected Lidgcrwood
irritably.
Tumble weeds" said Bradford. .'roIiin'
round over the short grass. But they
show which way the winds comm from.
and ,i give you the jumps when you
| spell OF era few minutes ago when
he went over to take the 2s6 out O. the
| roundhouse and found one Of the back
shop men down under her tinkerin' with
her trucks
What's that" was the sharp query
That's all there was to 1T Bradford
went on. imperturbably. ''%iluams
asked the shopman politely what In hell
he was doing under there. and the fellow
crawied out and said he was just lookin
her over TO see * she was all right for
the night run. Now. you wouldn't think
there was any tumble weed I'm that to
give man the jumps but Williams had
EN-. all the same Says he to me. tellin'
me about it just now: That's ali right.
Andy. but how in blue blazes did he, or
anybody else except Matthews and the
| caller. know that the 266 was goin' out
| that's what I'd like to know? And
had to pass II up"
Lidgerwood asked a single question.
Did Williams find that anything had
been tempered with"
Nothing that you could shoot up the
back-shop man for. One of the truck
safety chains-the one on the left side.
back-was loose. But II couldn't have
hurt anything IL IL had been taken off.
We amt runnin' on safety chains these
days"
Safety chain loose. you say? So IL
the truck should jump and swing Il
would keep on swinging? You tell Viii
Hams when you go up ahead that l want
that machinist's name"
Him., said Bradford; reckon IL was
meant to do that?'
God only knows what isn't meant
these times. Andy. Hold on a minute be-
fore you give Williams the word to GO
Then he turned to young Jefferis. who
light a cigarette. '-Wil you ask Miss
Brewster to step out here for a mo-
ment?"
Eleanor came at the summons, and
Jefferis gave the superintendent a clear
field by dropping of TO ask Bradford for
a match.
You sent for me. Howard said the
presidents daughter, and honey could not
have matched her tones for sweetness.
Yes. 1 shall have to anticipate the
Angels gossips a little by telling you that
We are i'm the midst Of a pretty bitter
labor fight. That is why people 60 gun
ming for me. 1 can't take you and your
friends over the road tonight
why not?" she inquired.
Because ii may not be entirely safe
NONSENSE" she flashed back. What
could happen to us on little excursion
like this?"
II don't know, but I wish you would
reconsider and go back to the Nadia
Il shall do nothing OF the sort she
said. tillfully. And then. with totally
unnecessary cruelty, she added: lis IL q
return of the old malady7 Are you afraid
again. Howard"
The taunt was too much. Wheeling
suddenly, Lidgerwood snapped out a sum-
mons to Jefferis: Get aboard, Mr.. Jeff-
eris; we are going
At the word Bradford ran forward.
swinging his lantern. and a moment
later the special train shot away from
the Crows Nest platform and out over
the yard switches. and began to bore its
way into the westward night.
(TO be continued tomorrow.)