Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-12-21

40 -oI h0r~on to know what the
buSiLt - was
Yes. | do. He went At my request.
I'm said Eeuson. Another strin;
breAea. Never mind; I'VE got 10 catch
thar train"
still after those bridge tinbers"'
"Still after the boards they have
probably been sawed into And before
l Get back | am going to know what's
at the upper end OF that old Silver
Switch spur"
The young engineer had been gone
less than half an hour aud Ljdgerwood
had scarcely finished reading his mail
when McCloSkcy opened the door
Like BENSON the trainmaStcr also had
the light of discovery in his eye.
More thievery," he announced
gloomily This time they have been
footing my department. had ten or
twelve thousand feet of high priced in
sulated copper wire tna dozen or
more telephone sets in the Storeroom.
The wire and all those telephone sets
are gone"
"Weu?" said lidgerwood evenly,
The temptation to take il out upon the
nearest man was still as strong as
ever, but he was growing better able
to resist it.
"Ive done what could" snapped
McCloSkey, seeming to know what was
expected of him, "hut nobody knows
anything, of course So far as l could
find out. no one of my men has had oc-
Casion to so to the Storcroom for a
week"
"Who has the keys?"
81 have one, and Spurlock. the line
chief. has one Hallock has the third"
always ualockw 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"
Iidgerwood sat back in his chair and
smiled.
II don't blame you much, Mac. This
thing is getting to be pretty binding
upon all of us. But | think you are
mistaken--in your conclusion. l mean
Hallock has been making an inventory
of material on hand for the past week
or more, and now that l think OF it l
remember having seen your wire and
the telephone sets included in his last
sheet of telegraph supplies"
There it goes again." said the train
master sourly Every time l get "A
half hitch on that fellow something
turns up to make it slip"
"Try to be as fair to him as you
can" Lidgerwood advised. Il 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 materially
II can tell you one thing, Mr.. Lid
gerwood-Flemister has just put com
plete system Of wiring and telephones
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 a little" he said.
II know it doesn't" wrathfully
Nothing proves anything any more.
suppose I've got to say it again-1'm
all in, down ana out" And he 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.
al 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.
1t is in Flemister put it in himself
month ago, when he had carload of
coal taken up to the back door Of his
mine"
Ibid you go up over the spurY'
Eyes, and | had my trouble for my
pains Before | go any further, Lid