Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-12-14
CHAPTER WIN.
BENsoN's BRIDGE TIMERS,

T was on the morning following the
startling episode at the Dawsons'
gate that BENSON, lately arrived
- from the west on train 204, came
into the superintendent's office with
the light OF discovery In his eye. But
the discovery was made to wait.
whats this they were telling mo
down mt the lunch counter just now,
about somebody taking pot shot Mt
you last night?" he asked Dough
erty said 1t was Bart Rufford. Was
itT
Lidgerwood confirmed the gossip
with nod. Yes, 1t was Rufford, so
Dawson says. didn't recognize him,
though. 1t was too dark"
well, I'm mighty glad to see that
he didn't get you. What was tho
row."
"I~don't know definitely. I suppose
1t was because told McCloskey to
discharge his brother awhile back"
"A pretty close call. wasn't 1t, or
was Dougherty only putting on few
frills to go with my cup OF coffeer
ut was close enough" admitted
Lldgerwood half absently. He was
thinking not so much OF the narrow
escape as of the fresh and humiliating
evidence II had afforded of his own
wretched unreadiness.
"All right; you'll come around to my
way of thinking after awhile. tell
you. Lidgerwood. you've got to heel
yourself when you live In gun coun-
try. ] said | wouldn't do 1t, but
have done 1t, and I'll tell you right
now when anybody In this blasted
desert makes monkey motions at me
I'm going to blow the top of his head
off quick"
Hasn't 1t ever occurred to you,
Jack. that ! am the one man in the
desert who cannot afford to go arm
ed? ! am supposed to stand for law
and order, What would my example
be worth II II should be nolsed around
that |. too, had become gun toterT'
ooh, I'm not going to argue with
you" laughed Benson. "But ! didn't
come up here to wrangle with you
about your theoretical notions Of law
and order. ] came TO tell you that
have been hunting for those bridge
timbers of mine"
We'll" qucried Lidgerwood. "have
you found thcm?"
mo, and | don't believe anybody
will ever find them"
But you have discovered some.
thingf"
partly yes and partly no. | think
] told you ut the time that they van
ished between two days like n puff
OF smoke. leaving no trace behind
them. How II wns done ! couldn't
imagine. There Is n wagon road par
allelng the river over there ~ the
siding. rs you know. and the first
thing ] ala the next morning was 10
look FOR wagon tracks. No set of
wheels carrying anything as heavy as
those 70 by ~ twcnty-fours had gone
over the road
"iIOw were they taken then? They
couldn't have been hoated down the
river. could they
at was possible. but not at all prob.
able" said the engineer MY theory
was that they were taken away on
somebody's railroad car There were
only two sources Of information ut
first the night operator at Little
Butte. twelve miles west, and the
tracltwalker NJ Point Of Rocks. whose
beat goes down 10 within two or three
miles Of the Gloria bridge. Goodloe.
NJ Little Eutte, reports that there was
nothing moving on the main line after
the passing Of the midnieht freight
east. and Shaughncssy. the tracltwalk
er Is Just plain. unvarnishrd liar
He knows n lot more than he will tell"
still. you are looking a good bit
more cheerful than you were last
week" was Lidgerwood's suggestion.
"Yes. After | got the work started
again with new set Of timbers !
spent three or four days on the ground
digging for Information Ike n dog aft
or woodchuck, There are some pros
pectors panning on the bar three miles
up the Gloria. but they knew nothing.