The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-08-21

us 1T WORTH WHILE TO THROW ME OVER
BoARD2"
ert-I ought to be giving you twenty
four hours to get out Of gunshot, Mr..
Lidgerwood. Instead Of that l am GO
ing to do you a service. You remem-
Der that operator, Rufford, that you
discharged few days ago."
EYES,"
"Bart Rufford, his brother, the look
out at Redlight's place, has invited
a few friends to take notice that he
intends to kill you. You can take it
straight. He means it. And that was
what brought me up here tonight, not
that memorandum on your desk calen-
dar."
For a long time after the door had
Jared to its shutting behind Hallock
Lidgerwood sat at his desk idle and
abstractedly thoughtful. TWICE with
in the interval he pulled out a>sma1l
drawer under the roll top and made
as If he would take up the weapon it
contained, and each time he closed
the drawer to break with the tempta-
ton to put the pistol into his pocket.
Later, after he had forced himself
to go to wor.1. a door slammed some
where in the dispatcher's end Of the
building, and automatically his hand
shot out to the closed drawer. Then
he made his decision and carried 1t
out. Taking the nickel plated thing
from it's hiding place and breaking it
to eject the cartridges. he went to the
end door of the corridor, which opened
into the unused space under the raft
ers, and flung the weapon to the far
thest corner of the dark loft.
Lidgerwood had found little difficulty
in getting on the companionable side OF
Dawson. so far as the heavy muscled,
silent young craftsman had compan-
ionable side. and an invitation to the
family dinner table at the Dawson cot
tage on the low mesa above the town
had followed as a matter of course.
Once within the home circle. with
Benson to plead his cause with the
meek little woman whose brown eyes
held the shadow Of a deep trouble,
Lidgerwood had still less difficulty in
arranging to share Benson's permanent
table welcome.
Lidgerwood's acceptance as table
boarder in the cottage on the mesa
being Hospitality prompt. he was COM
ing and going as regularly as his over
sight of the 800 miles of demoraliZa
ton permitted before the buffoonery Of
the Red Butte Western suddenly laugh
ed itself out and war was declared. In
the interval he had come TO concur
very heartily in Benson's opposition
to Gridley as Faith Dawson's possible
choice.
There was little to be done in this
field, however Gridley came and went,
not too often. figuring always as a
friend of the family and usurping no
more Of Miss Dawson's time and at
tention than she seemed willing to
bestow upon him. Lidgerwood saw no
chance to obstruct and no good reason
for obstructing. At all events. Gridley
did not furnish the reason.
After the storm broke there Were
no more quiet evenings on the cottage
porch for harassed superintendent
Lidgerwood came and went as before
when the rapidly recurring wrecks did
not keep him out on the line, but he
scrupulously left his troubles behind
him when he climbed to the cottage
on the mesa.
Quite naturally his silence on the
one topic which was stirring the Red
desert from the Crosswater hills 70
Timanyoni canyon was poor mask.
The increasing gravity Of the situation
wrote itself plainly enough IN his face.
and Faith Dawson was sorry for him.
giving him silent sympathy unasked If
not wholly unexpected. The town