Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-08

like that on the sections. fire the Who'll,
| bunch and import a few more Italians
Which reminds me. as old DunkenfelC
! used to say when there wasn't either 8
link or coupling pin anywhere Within
the four horizons. what do you know
about Fred Dawson. Gridley's shoK
draftsman?"
Next to nothing, personally" replied
Lidser"ood; taking Benson's abrupt
He seems fine fellow; much too fine :
fellow to be wasting himself out here in
the desert Why?"
"Oh. ! just wanted to know. Ever met
his mother and sister,"
well. you ought to. The mother is one
OF the only two angels in Angels and the
sister is the other. Dawson, himself. Is
CHASTITY monomaniac.'
Lidgerwood's brows lifted though his
query was unspoken.
Haven't you heard his story?" asked
Benson: but OF course you haven't. He
Is a lame duck. you know-like every
other man this side of Crosswater sum.
init. present company excepted
"A lame duck?' repeated Underwood
Yes. man with past. Don't tell
me you haven't caught onto the hail
mark OF the Red desert. It's notorious.
The blacklegs and tinhorns and sure
shets go without saying. of course but
they haven't monopoly on the broken
records. Over in the ranch country be-
yond the Timanyonis they lump us ain
together and call us the outlaws
Not without reason" said Iidgerwood.
Not any asserted Benson. with
Butte Western outfit is tarred with the
same stick. You haven't dozen oper-
ators. all told. who haven't been dis
charged for incompetence. or worse,
or engineers who weren't good and COM
fortably blackiisted before they climbed
Crosswater. Take McCloskey: YOU swea r
by him. don't You? He was chief dis
patcher back east. and he put two pas
senger trains together in a head-on col
lision the day he resigned and came west
to grow up with the Red desert
Il know, said Lidgerwood. and 1
did not have to learn it at second hand.
Mac was man enough TO tell me him
self. before [ had known him five min
utcs." Then he suggested mildly But
YOU were speaking of Dawson. weren't
you?''
Yes. and that's what makes me say
though he needn't be il he weren't such a
hopelessl% sensitive ass He's a b. s. in
NJ. E., or he would have been if he had
stayed out his senior year in Carnegie
but also he happened to be a foot ball
fiend, and in the last intercollegiate game
Of his last season he had the horrible
luck to kill q man-and the man was the
brother Of the girl Dawson was going to
marry"
Heavens and EARTH" exclaimed Lid
gerwood. rs he that Dawson
THE same said tho young engineer,
iaconically. 1T was the sheerest acct.
dent, and everybody knew it, and nobody
blamed Dawson. l happen to know. be-
cause ] was a Junior In Carnegie at the
time: But Fred took it hard: let it spoil
his life. He threw up everything, left
college between two days. and came to
bury himself out here. For two years he
never let his mother and sister know
where he was; made remittances to them
shouldn't be able to trace him. Care to
hear any more?'
Yes, 60 on" said the SUPERINTENDENT.
II found him. chuckled Benson, land
took the liberty of piping his little game
he knew they dropped I'm on him: ana he
IL just crazy enough to stay here and to
keep them here. That wouldn't be SO
bad II 1t wasn't for Gridley, Fred's boss
and your peach OF master-mechanic."
cent sort Of man-driver, isn't he?" said
doing premeditated ana in
territorial violence to what he had come
to call his unjust prejudice against the
handsome master-mechanic.
You won't believe IT, said Benson.
1ot1y, but he has actually got the nerve
to make love to Dawson's sister. and he
, widew-man, old enough 10 be her
lather!''
Lidgerwood smiled. 1t is the privilege
Of youth to be intolerant Of age In its
rival. Gridley was, possibly, forty-two
or three. but Benson was still on the
sunny slope Of twenty-five. You are
orejudiced. Jack" he criticised. ''Gridley
is still young enough to marry again. if
he wants to-and to live long enough to
spoil his grandchildren.
But he doesn't begin to be good !
enough for Faith Dawson" countered |
the young engineer, stubborniy.
isn't he. or IL that another bit OF your
personal grudge: What do YOU know |
gainst him.
(To be continued tomorrow