The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-10
CHAPTER xxx.
THE CHALLENGE.


 T LEANOR BREWSTER and her
 guests were grouped beside Lid
 gerwood when he disconnected A the pocket set from the cut wire and temporarily repaired the break. , The service car had been turned into a makeshift hospital for the wounded, and the car party was homeless.
 "we are all waiting to say how sorry we are that we insisted on coming and thus adding to your responsibilities, Howard" said the presidents daugh- ter, and now there was no trace of mockery in her voice.
 His answer was entirely sympathetic and grateful.
 "I'm only sorry that you have been frfghtful horror, that's all. As for your being in the way-it's quite the other thing. Cranford owes his life to Mr. Van Lew and Jefferis, and as for you three," including Eleanor and the two young women. your work is beyond any praise of mine. Pm anxious now merely because don't know what to do with you while we wait for the re- lief train to come"
 "Ignore us completely" said Ele- amor promptly. v'We are going over to that little level place by the side track and make campfire. We were just waiting to be comfortably for given for having burdened you with pleasure party at such time"
 1rsf Af us," he made haste to say. "Now, if you'll do what you suggested-go and build a fire to wait by-I hope it won't be very long,"
 Ordinarily the mere fact of a de- structive derailment leaves little to be discovered swhen the cause is sought afterward. But, singularly enough, the curved track was torn up only on the side toward the hill; the outer rail was still in place, and the crossties, ] deeply imbedded in the hard gravel of the cutting, showed only the surface mutilation of the grinding wheels.
 Broken fange under the 215, I'll bet, said Groner, holding his lantern down to the gashed ties. But Bradford denied it. : "No." he contradicted; "Cranford was able to talk little after we toted him back to the service car. He says 1t was broken rail; says he saw it and saw the man that was flaggin' him down, all in good time to give her the air before he hit it.''
 "What man was that?' asked Gro ner, whose point of view had not been that of an onlooker.
 Lidgerwood answered for himself and Bradford.
 'That is one of the things we'd like to know, Groner. Just before the smash man, whom none of us recog- nized, ran down the track and tried to give Cranford the stop signal"
 They had been walking on down the line, looking for the actual point of de railment. When it was found it prov ed Cranford's assertion-in part. There was gap in the rail on the river side of the line, but 1t was not as fracture. At one of tue joints the fishplates were missing, and the rail ends were sprung apart sidewise sufficiently to let the wheel fanges pass through. Groner went down on his hands and knees. with the lantern held low, and made another discovery.
 'eThis ain't no happen-so, MT. Lid gerwood," he said when he got up. ''The spikes are pulledv'
 Lidgerwood said nothing. There are discoveries which are beyond speech. But he stopped to examine for himself. Groner Mas right. For a distance of eight or, ten feet the rail had been loosened and the spikes were gone out of the corresponding cross- ties. After it was loosened the rail had been sprung aside, and the bit of rock inserted between the parted ends to keep them from sprfngfng together was still in place.
 Lidgerwood's eyes were bloodshot when he rose and said:
 "1'd like to ask you two men as men what devil would set trap like this fir a train load of unoffending pas sengers?
 Bradford's slow. drawi dispelled little of the mystery.
 "It wasn't meant for Groner and his passenger wagons, I reckon. In the natural run of things it was the 266 and the service car that ought to we hit this thing first, 204 bein' supposed to be a half hour of her schedule. It was aimed for us, all right enough I And it wasn't meant to throw us into the hill neither If we'd hit it goin' west we'd be in the river. That's why it was sprung out instead of in.''
 Lidgerwood's right hand. balled into a fist, smote the air, and his outburst was fierce imprecation. In the midst of it Groner said. "Listen" and a mo- ment later a man walking rapidly up the track from the direction of Little Butte station came into the small cir cle of lantern light. Groner threw the light on che newcomer. revealing a haggard face-the face of the owner of the Wire Silver mine.
 Heavens and earth, MT. Lidger- wood. this is awfulw he exclaimed. I 'T heard of it by phone and hurried over to do what I could. My men of the night shift are on the way, walk ing up the track. and the entire Wire Silver outfit is at your disposal" ''I am afraid you are a little late. Mfr Flemister." was Lidgerwood's re- ;oindor I,nrea soninp auta oonfsm maE-