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

Lidgerwood. wishing TO have his suspicion
either denied or confirmed.
Didn't she call him by name? She
usually does. It's your chief clerk, Hal
lock. She is-or was-his Wife Haven't
you heard the CHASTITY story YETI"
No. and. Leckhard. I don't know that
care to hear 1t. 1t can't possibly con-
Germ me-"
ITS just as well. / guess" said the
mainline superintendent careiessly. Il
probably shouldn't get IL straight. any
way. It's rather horrible affair. though.
believe. There is another man mixed
up In 1.-THE man whom she is always
asking II Hallock has killed. Curiously
fenough. she never names the other man.
and ohere have been a good many guesses-
believe your head boilermaker. GridleN.
has the most votes. He's been seen with
her here. now and then-when he's on
one OF his periodicals By Jove, Lidger-
yonder in the Red desert little bit -.
But about the consolidation OF the yards
here: / got a telegram after L wired
you, making IL necessary for me to go
west on mainline "a early in the morn
| ing. so / stayed up to talk this yard
business over with You tonight
| II was well along in the small hours
when the roll of blueprint maps was
finally laid aside and Leckhard rose.
yawning. We'll carry IL out as you
propose and divide the expense between
the two divisions he said, in conclusion.
"Frisbie has left il to us, and he Will
approve whatever We agree upon Will
you go up to the hotel with me, or bunk
down here?'
| Lidgerwood said he would stay with his
] car. or. better still, now that the bust
ness for which he had come to Copah
was dispatched, he would have the rounu-
house night foreman call a Red Butte
| western crew and go back to his desert.
we are in the thick OF things over on
the Jerk-water Just now he explained.
! "and | don't like to stay away anv
| longer |
Having a good bit of trouble with the
sure-shots? asked Leckhard. what
was that story 1 heard about somebody
swiping one of your switching engines"
1t was true" said Lidgerwood, adding
But think We shall recover the engine
and some other things-presently." lie
liked Leckhard well enough, but he wished
| he would go. There are eXigencies I'm
which even the comments of a friend ANA
well-wisher are superfiuous.
You have pretty tough gang to han
die over there" the well-wisher went on.
Il wouldn't touch a Job like yours with
a ten-foot pole. unless | could shoot good
enough to be sure of hitting half doilar
nine times out of ten at thirty PAGES.
Somebody was telling me that you have
already had trouble with that fellow
/ Rufford.''
| Nobody was hurt and Rufford is in
| jail" said Lidgerwood, hoping TO kill the
friendly inquiry before ii should run into
details.
.Oh. we'll it's all in the days work. 1
suppose. which reminds me-my days
work tomorrow won't amount TO much II
u don't go and turn in. Good night.
When Leckhard was gone Lidgerwood
climbed the stair. in the station building
to the dispatchers office and gave orders
for the return of his car TO Angels. Half
an hour later the one-car special was re-
tracing it's way westward up the valley
of the Tumbling Water. and lidgerwood
was trying to go TO sleep in the we'll APP
pointed little staterOom which IL was
Tadasu Matsuwai's pride to keep spick
and span and spotlessly clean But there
were disturbing thoughts. many and va
ried to keep him awake, chief among
them those which hung upon the dramatic
midnight episode with the demented WON
an for its central figure. Through what
dreadful valley of humiliation had she
come to reach the abysmal depths In
which the one cry Of her soul was a CRY
for vengeance? Who was the unnamed
man whom Hallock had promised TO XIII
How much or how little was tins TRAGEDY
figuring i'm the trouble storm winch was
brooding over the Red desert? Ana now
much or how little would II Involve one
who was anxious only to see even
handed justice prevail?
These and similar insistent questions
kent Iidgerwood awake long AFTER ms
train had left the crooked pathway mark
ed ont by the Tumbling Water. and wnen
he finally fell asleep the laboring engine
of the one-car special was stormlh8 tne
anproa ches to CroSswater summit
(To be continued tomorrow