Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-10-19

detective. Hes got tn night car. F
l takes the stairs, he comes down by
tn shaft, nd how'm l tub trust this
here mutt?y He indicated his associ
ate but humber custodian of the peace
|. with a Disguised gesture.
Perhaps one of the other cars will
run" Maitland suggested.
"Ah, they're all dead ones" Hickey
disagreed with disdain as the young
man moved down the row of gates, try
ing one after another. "Yeh're only
wastin'-"
He broke off with a snort as Matt
land, somewhat to his own surprise.
managing to move the gate of the
third shaft from the night elevator.
stepped into the darkened car and
CROPPED for the controller. Presently
his fingers encountered it, and he
moved it cautiously to one side. A
vicious blue spark leaped kissing from
the controller-box and the cage
bounded up dozen feet, and was only
restrained from its ambition to soar
skywards by an instantaneous release
of the lever.
BY discreet manipulation Maitland
worked the car down to the street
floor again, and Hickey, with a grunt
that might be interpreted as an apol-
ogy for his incredulity, jumped in.
Let 'er RIP" he cried, exultantly.
Fan them folks out intuh tn street,
Bergen, md watch ow-ut!"
Maitland was pressing the lever
slowly wide Of it's catch, and the
lighted lobby dropped out of sight
while the detective was still shouting
admonitions to the police below. Grad
ually gaining momentum the car began
to shoot smoothly up into the black
ness, safety chains clanking beneath
the floor. Hickey fumbled for the
electric light switch but finding it, i'm
mediately shut the glare off again and
left the car in darkness.
Safer" he explained, sententious.
"Anisty II shoot, nd they says he
shoots straight"
Floor after floor in ghostly strata
slipped silently down before their
eyes. Halfway to the top, approx
mately, Hickey's voice rang sharply
in the volunteer operators ear.
stop 'er! Hold 'er steady. T'other's
comm down"
Maitland obeyed, managing the car
with greater ease and less jerkily as
he began to understand the principle
of the lever. The cage paused in the
black shaft, and he looked upward.
Down the third shaft over, the other
cage was dropping like a plummet, a
block of golden light walled in by
black filigree-work and bisected verti-
cally by the black line of the guide
rail.
stop that there cart"
Hickey's stentorian command had
no effect; the block of light continued
to fall with undated speed
The detective wasted no more
breath. AS the other car swept past,
Maitland was shocked by a report and
flash beside him. Hickey was using
his revolver.
The defamation was answered by a
cry, a scream of pain, from the lighted
cage. 1t paused on the instant, like
a bird stricken awning, some four
floors below, but at once resumed it's
downward swoop.
Down, down! After 'em!" Hickey
beloved. Il dropped one, by God |!
T'other can't"
How many in the carr" interrupted
Maitland, opening the lever with a
firm and careful hand.
only two, same's us. hit tn Teller
what was runnin' it"
Steady" cautioned Maitland, de.
creasing the speed, as the car ap-
preached the lower floor
Tit other had beaten them down
but its arrival at the street level was
greeted by a short chorus of mad yells
brief fusillade of shots-perhaps
five in all-and the clang of the gate
Then, like a ball rebounding, the cage
swung upwards again, hurting at full
speed.
Evidently Anisty had been received
in force which he had not bargained
| for.
Maitland instinctively reversed the