Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-19

HAVING All appointment with Leckhard
OF the main line. timed for an early hour
the following morning. Lidgerwood gave
his conductor instructions TO stop at
Angels only long enough to get orders
for the eastern division
When the division station was reached
McCloskey met the service car in accord
ance with wire instructions sent from
Tfmanyoni. bringing an armful of mail.
which Lidgerwood purposed to work
through on the run to Copah.
Nothing new, Mace" he asked. when
the trainmaster came aboard
Nothing much. only the operators have
notified me that therell be trouble, pronto.
II we don't put flanagan and Dickson
back on the wires. The grievance COM
mittee intimated pretty broadly that they
could swing the trainmen into line if they
had to make a fight
I'VE put no man back who has been
discharged for cause" said the superin-
tendent. firmly. Did you tell them
that?''
II did. I have been saying that so
o1ten that 1t mighty nearly says itself
now when l hear my Office door OPEN
We'll. there is nothing to do but to go
on saying it. We shall either make a
spoon or spoil horn. How would you
De nxed In the event of a telegrapherS'
striker"
I've been figuring on that. 1t may
seem like tempting the good Lord to say
IL. but 1 believe We could hold about half
of the men,
THAT is decidedly encouraging" said
the man who needed to find encourage
ment where he could. Two weeks ago
If you had said one in ten. L should have
thought you We're overestimating. We
shall win out yet
iIf ".fsH
head obviously. Il don't know. Andy
Bradford has been giving me an idea OF
how the trainmen stand, and he says
there is good deal of strike talk. Will
liams adds word about the shop force
he says that Gridley's men are not say
ing anything. but they'll be likely to go
out in a body unless Gridley wakes up
at the last minute and takes a club to
them,
Lidgerwood's conductor was coming
down the platform of the Crows Nest
with his orders in his hand. and Nc
Closkey made ready to swing off. II
can reach you care of Mr.. Leckard. at
Copah. L SUPPOSE" he asked.
Yes. 1 shall be back some time to-
morrow: in the meantime there is moth
ing to do but to sit tight in the boat.
Use my private code IL you want to wire
me. l don't more than half trust that
young fellow Dix, Callahans day OPP
orator. And. by the way. Mr.. Frisbie is
sending me q stenogra pher from Denver
If the young man turns up while / am
away, see if you can't get Mrs. Williams
to board him.
McCloskey promised and dropped off,,
and the One-car special presently clanked
out over the eastern switches. Lidger-
wood went at once to his desk and
promptly became deaf and blind to every
thing but his work. The long desert run
had been accomplished, and the service
car train was climbing the Crosswater
grades. when Tadasu Matsuwari began
to lay the table for dinner. Lidgerwood
glanced at his watch. and ran his finger
down the line of figures on the framed
time table hanging over his desk
"Humph." he muttered "Acheson' s
making better time with me than he ever
has before. / wonder if Williams has
succeeded in talking him over to our
side? He is certainly running like gen.
tleman today. at all events"
The superintendent sat down to Ia
dasu's table and took his time to Tadasu's
excellent dinner, indulging himself so far
as to smoke leisurely cigar with his
black coffee before plunging again into
the sea of work. Not to spoil his i'm
proving record. Engineer Acheson con-
tinued to make good time, and 1t was
only a little after ii O'Clock when Lid
gerwood, looking up from his work at the
final slowing OF the wheels. saw the
masthead lights Of the Copah yards.
Taking it for granted that Supt Leck-
hard had long since left his office in the
wood gave orders to have his car placed
on the station spur and went on with his
work. Being at the moment deeply inn
mersed in the voluminous papers of
claim for stock killed. he was quite OBJ
livious of the placement OF the car. and
of everything else, until the incoming of
the fast mainline mail from the east
warned him that another hour had pass
ed. When the mail was gone on its way
westward the midnight silence settled
pnth hlrf l.
mixed crashings of freight cars in the
lower shifting yard to disturb it, The
little japanese had long since made up
his bunk i'm one of the spare staterooms,
the train crew had departed with the en-
CINE and the last mail wagon had driven
away up town. Lidgerwood had closed
his desk and was taking final pull at
the short pipe which was his working
companion. when the car door opened 81
lently and he saw an apparition.
Standing in the doorway and cropping
with her hands held out before her as
If she were blind. was a woman. Her
gown was the tawdry half dress of the
dance halls. and the wrap over her bare
shoulders was a gaudy imitation in col
Ors of the Spanish mantilla. Her head
was without covering, and her hair. which
was luXuriant, hung in disorder over her
face. One glance at the eyes. fixed and
staring, assured Lidgerwood instantly
that he had to do with one who was
either drink-maddened or demented.
where is he?' the intruder asked i'm
a throaty whisper staring, not at him.
as LldgerWOod was quick to observe but
straight ahead at the pOrteres cutting
OF the stateroom corridor from the open
compartment. And then: Il told you l
would come, Rankin; I've been watching
years and years for your car to come in
Look want you to see what you have
made Of me. you and that other man."
Lidgerwood sat perfectly still. 1t was
quite evident that the woman did not see
him. But his thoughts were busy
Though it was by little more than chance
he knew that Hallock's Christian name
was Rankin, and instantly he recalled all
that McCloskey had told him about the
chief clerks marital troubles. Was this
poor painted wreck the woman who was
or who had been, Hallock's wife? The
question had scarcely formulated itself
before she began again
why don't you answer me? Where
are you?' she demanded, in the same
husky whisper; you needn't hide-I
know you are here. What have you done
to that man? You said you would Kill
him; you promised me that Rankin:
have you done it,
Lidgerwood reached up cautiously be-
hind him, and slowly turned off the gas
from the bracket desk lamp. Without
wishing to pry deeper than he should
into a thing which had all the earmarks
of a tragedy, he could not help feeling
that he was on the verge of discoveries
which might have an important bearing
upon the mysterious problems centering
in the chief clerk. And he was afraid
the woman would see him.
But he was not permitted to make the
The woman had taken two
or three steps into the car, still cropping
her Way as IL the brightly lighted in