The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-08-24
1910. by Charles Serb
ner's Sons.

"Do you happen to know what the
business was!"
Yes, do. He went at my request"
HIM said Benson. Another string
broken. Never mind; I've got to catch
that train
Still after those bridge timbers?'
Still after the boards they have
probably been sawed into. And before
l get back l am going to know what's
at the upper end Of that old Silver
Switch Y spur"
The young engineer had been gone
less than half an hour and Lidgerwood
had scarcely finished reading his mail
when McCloskey opened the door.
Like Benson. the trainmaster also had
the light of discovery In his eye.
more thievery," he announced
gloomily 'This time they have been
looting my department. l had ten or
twelve thousand feet OF high priced in
sulated copper wire and a dozen or
more telephone sets In the storeroom.
The wire and all those telephone sets
are gone"
The temptat ton to take it out upon the
nearest man was still as strong as
ever, but he was growing better able
to resist 1t.
give done what l could" snapped
McCloskey, seeming to know what was
expected of him. ''but nobody knows
anything, of course. So far as could
find out, no one of my men has had oc-
casion to go to the storerdQm for a
week"
"Who has the keys|
IT have one. and Spurlock, the line
chief, has one Hallock has the third"
always Hallockr' was the half i'm
patient comment. II hope you don't
suspect him of stealing your wire"
That's just what do. I've got him
dead to rights this time He was in
that storeroom day before yesterday,
or, rather, night before last. Callahan
saw him coming out of there"
Lidgerwood sat back in his chair and
smiled.
81 don't blame you much, Mac. This
thing Is getting to be pretty binding
upon all of us. But I think you are
mistaken-in your conclusion, mean.
Hallock has been making an inventory
Of material on hand for the past week
or more. and now that I think of 1t
remember having seen your wire and
the telephone sets included in his last
sheet of telegraph supplies"
There 1t goes again." said the train
master sourly. Every time get
half hitch on that fellow something
turns up to make 1t slip"
"Try to be as fair to him as you
can" Lidgerwood advised. 81 know
you dislike him, and probably you have
good reasons. But have you stopped
to ask yourself what possible use he
could make of the stolen materialT'
81 can tell you one thing, Mr.. Lid
gerwood-Flemister has just put COM
plete system Of wiring and telephones
In his mine, and If he had the stuff for
the system shipped in over our rail-
road the agent at Little Butte doesn't
know anything about it."
"That proves nothing against Hal
lock, Mac, as you will see when you
cool down fittle," he said.
IT know it doesn't" wrathfully.
Nothing proves anything any more. l
suppose I've got to say it again-1'm
all in, down and out" And be went
away, growing to his hat brim.
Late In the evening of the same day
Benson returned from the west. He
sought out Lidgerwood at once and
| made his report of the days doings.
81 have and l haven't" he said, be-
ginning In the midst OF things, as his
habit was. You were right about
the track connection at Silver Switch.
| It is In. FIemister put it in himself q
month ago, when he had carload OF
| coal taken up to the back door Of his
| mine"
did you go up over the spur?"
eyes, and I had my trouble for my
pains Before 1 go any further, Lid
/ IlH