Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-27

parently sound asleep in one of the rear
ward seats of the day coach. was on
time when il swung out of the lower
canyon portal and raced around the
curves and down the grades in its cross
ing of Timanyoni Park. At Point-of-
Rocks Judson came awake sufficiently 10
put his face to the window, with shad-
ing hand To cut off the car lights; but
having thus located the trains place
ment in the park-crossing race. he put
his knees up against the back OF the ad-
joining seat, pulled his cap over his eyes
and to all outward appearances went to
sleep again. Your or five miles farther
along however there came gentle
grinding of brake shoes upon the chilled
wheel-treads that aroused him quickly
Another flattening of his nose against
the window pane showed him the familiar
bulk of Little Butte looming black in the
moonlight. and a moment later he had
let himself silently into the rear vestibule
of the day coach, and was as silently
opening the folding doors of the vestibule
itself.
Hanging off by the handrails. he saw
the engines headlight pick up the switch
stand of the OH spar. The train was I'M
mistakably slowing now. and he made
ready to Jump II the need should arise,
picking his place at the track side as the
train lights showed him the ground. AS
the speed was checked JudsOn saw what
he was expecting to see. Precisely at
the instant of the switch passing a man
dropped from the forward step of the
smoker and walked swiftly away up the
disused track of the oil spur Judson
turn came Il moment later. ard when his
end of the day coach fiicked past the
switch stand he, too. dropped to the
ground. and waiting only until he could
| follow without being detected. set out
after the tall figure. which was by that
| time scarcely moe than an indistinct
and retreating blur in the moonlight.
! The chase led directly up the old spur,
| but ii did not continue quite To the five
| nlile-distant end of IT, few hundred
Yards short of the stockade inclosing the
old buildings the shadOwy figure took to
the forest and began TO climb the ridge,
going straight up. as nearly as JudSOn
I could determine. The ex-engineer follow
| ed, still keeping his distance. From the
| first bench above the valley level he
looked back and down into the stockade
| Enclosure All OF the old buildings were
| dark. but one % the two new and un-
| painted pnes was brilliantly lighted. and
! there Were sounds familiar enough to
JudsOn to mark it as the Wire-Silver
| power house. Notwith standing his inter
| est in the chase. Judson was curious
! enough TO stand a moment. listening TO
| the sharply defined eXhausts of the high
speeded steam engine driving tie gen
| orators.
Say he calculated. under his breath.
IF that engine Amt dead match for
the old PIG puiiin grade. don't want
| a cent Double cylinder. set on the guar
ter. and choo- chooin' like it ought TO have
a pair o. steel rails under it. If | had
time I'd go down yonder and break a
winder in that power shack; blamed IL
wouldn't"
! But, unhappily. there was no time to
| spare; as il was, he had fingered too
long, and when he came out upon the
crest of the narrow ridge. and attained q
point of view from which he could look
down upon the buildings clustering at the
foot of the western slope. he had lost the
scent The tall man had disappeared as
completely and suddenly as IL the earth
had opened and swallowed him.
This. in Judson's prefiguring, was a
small matter. The tall man, whom the
ex-engineer had Enthusiastically recognized
at the moment of Misunderstanding as Ran
kin Hallock. was doubtless his way
TO F'lemister's headquarters at the fool