The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-08-31
CHAPTER XII.
THE PLEASURES.

the short armistice in the conflict be-
tween law and order.
Thirty-two boxes, gondolas and fats,
racing down the Crosswater grades in
the heart of a fawless, crystalline
summer afternoon at the heels OF
Clay's big ten wheeler, suddenly left
the steel as a unit to heap themselves
in chaotic confusion upon the right
of way and to round out the disaster
at the mome2 Of impact by exploding
a shipment Of giant powder some
where in the midst of the debris.
Lidgerwood was on the western divi-
sion when the news Of the wreck
reached Angels. wherefore it was not
until the following morning that he
was able to leave the headquarters sta
ton on the second wrecking train
bringing the big 100 ton crane to re-
enforce McCloskey. who had been on
the ground with the lighter clearing
tackle for the better part Of the night.
McCloskey's men were hard at work
picking up what the fire had spared
when Lidgerwood arrived. pretty
clean sweep this time. eh, Mac?" was
the superintendent greeting when he
had penetrated to the thick of things
where McCloskey was, toiling and
sweating with his men.
$50 clean that we get nothing much
but scrap iron out of what's left"
growled McCloskey, climbing out of
the tangle Of crushed cars and bent
and twisted ironwork to stand beside
Lidgerwood on the main line embank-
ment Then to the men who were
making the snatch hitch for the next
pull: "a little farther back. boys-far-
Their yet, so she won't overbalance on
you. That's about it. Now wig it,
you seem to be getting along all
right with the outfit you've got" was
Lidgerwood's comment eff you can
keep this up we may as we'll go back
to Angels"
mo, don'tv' protested the trainmas-
ter. eve can snake out these scrap
heaps after a fashion, but when it
comes to resurrecting the 195-did you
notice her as you came along? We
kept the fire from getting to her. but
she's dug herself into the ground like
a dog after woodchuck!'
Lidgerwood nodded Il looked her
over" he said. eff she'd had a little
more time and another wheel turn or
two to spare she might have disap-
peared entirely-like that switching
| engine you can't find"
81 gave you all the pointers l could
! find two weeks ago." said McCloskey.
| whenever you get ready to put Hal
| lock under the hydraulic press you'll
squeeze what you want to know out of
| him"
This was coming to be an old sub
| ject and a sore one. The trainmaster
still insisted that Hallock was the man
who was planning the robberies and
! plotting the downfall Of the Lidger-
wood management, and he wanted to
have the chief clerk Systematically
| shadowed. And it was Lidgerwood's
wholly groundless prepossession for
Hal1Ock that was still keeping him
! from turning the matter over to the
company's legal department-this in
! spite of the growing accumulation of
! evidence all pointing to Hallock's trea-
| son. Subjected to a rigid cross exam
| nation. Judson had insisted that a
! part at least of his drunken recolec-
ton was real-that part identifying
| the voices Of the two plotters in Cat
Biggs' back room as those Of Rufford
! and Hallock Moreover, 1t was no
| longer deniable that the chief clerk
was keeping In close touch with the
! discharged employees, for some pur-
| pose best known to himself. and lat
terly he had been dropping out Of his
Office without notice. disappearing
sometimes for day at a time.
! Lidgerwood was recalling the last of
| these disappearance when the second
! wrecking train came up to go into ac-
| ton. McCloskey shaded his eyes from
! the suns glare and looked down the
! line.
! "Hellov he exclaimed "Got new
! wrecking boss?"
/ The superintendent nodded. 81 have
| one in the making. Dawson wanted to
come along and try his hand"
! did Gridley send him?''
mo; Gridley is away somewhere"
$50 Fred's your understudy. is he?
Well. I've got one too. I'll show him
to you after awhile"
They were, walking back over the
| ties toward the half buried 195. Daw-
son had already divided his men-half
of them to place the huge jackbea ms
and outrfggers of the self contained
steam lifting machine to insure its sta
| bility and the other half to trench I'M
der the fallen engine and to adjust the
! chain slings for the hitch.
Its pretty long reach. Fred" said
the superintendent. Going to try It
from here?"
Best place." said the reticent one
shortly.
Lidgerwood was looking at his
watch
Williams will be due here before
| long with "a special from Copah- l
don't want to hold him up" he re-
! marked
Thirty minutes" inquired the
craftsman without taking mind or eye
Off his problem.
"Oh. yes: forty or fifty. maybe"
"All right: III be out of the way"
| was the quiet rejoinder-
Eyes. be will" was McCloskey's
| ironical comment when the drafts
l. Continued on Fourth fage)