The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-11
The TaIIlinQ By FRANCIS LYNDE
(Continued.)

doorknob "What is it, Fred?" he asked
 "Judson; he has just turned up, walking from Little Butte, he says, with a pretty badly bruised anA-e. He is loaded to the muzzle with news of some sort, and he want to know if you'll take him with you to An"- The draftsman, facing the group under the Pintsch globe at the other end of the open compartment, stopped sud denly. and his big jaw grew rigid Then he said, in on awed whisper. God, let me get out of herep'
 'Teli Judson to come aboard" said Lidgerwood. and the draftsman was twisting at the doorknob when Miriam Holcombe came swiftly down the com. partment.
 ''wait, Fred" she said gently. "I have come all the way out here to ask my question, and you mustn't try to stop me. Are you going to keep on letting 1t make us both desolate-for always?" She seemed not to see or care that Ltdgerwood made listening third.
 Dawson's face had grown suddenly haggard, and he, too, ignored the su- perintendent.
 ''How can you say that to me, Miriam?'' he returned, almost gruf1y. Day and night I am paying, paying, and the debt never grows less. If it wasn't for my mother and Faith But I must go on paying. l killed your brother
 ''No," she denied. '.rhat was an ac- cident for which you were no, more to blame than he was, but you are kill ing me-
 Lidgerwood stood by, manlike, be- cause he did not know enough to van ish. But Miss Brewster suddenly swept down the compartment to drag him out of the way of those who did not need him.
 You'd spoil 1t all if you could, wouldn't you?' she whispered in a fine feminine rage. "And after I've moved heaven and earth to,get Miriam to come out here for this one special blessed moment! Go and drive the others into a corner and keep them there"
 Lidgerwood >obeyed quite meekly, and when he looked again Dawson had gone and Miss Holcombe was sob- ping comfortably in Eleanor's arms.
 Judson boarded the service car when it was pulled up to the switch, md after Lidgerwood had disposed of his passengers for the run back to Angels he listened to the ex-engineer's report, sitting quietly while Judson told him of the plot and of the plotters. At the close he said gravely, You are sure it was Hallock who got off the night train at Silver Switch and went up the old spur?"
 It was a test question, and the engi- neer did not answer it offhand.
 "I'd say yes in holy minute if there wasn't so blamed much else tied on to 1t, Mir. Lidgerwood"
 "Yet you are convinced in your own mind?'
 "I ann"
 'But the third man, Judson, the man you saw beating his fists on the bulke head air lock-who was hep persisted Lidgerwood.
 "Now you've got. me guessin' again. If I hadn't been dead certain that I saw HaIlock go on ahead with Flemis- ter Mo-" reading the question in the superintendent's eye, mot drop, MT. Lidgerwood; ain't touched not, tasted not n'r handled not-'r leastwise, not to drink any," and here he told the bottle episode which had ended in the Es synv S<f.a ysH Ha14< vH ply.
 Lidgerwood nodded approvingly when the modest narrative reached the bottle smashing poink
 'aThat was fine, John," he said, us- ing the ex-engfneer's Christian name for the+ first time in the long inter view. "f you've got it in you to do such a thing as that at such time there is good hope for you. Let's settle this question once for all. All I ask is that you prove up on your good intentions. Show me that you have quit, not for day or a week, but for all time, and shall be only too glad to see you pulling passenger trains agaiz But, to get back to this crime of to- night, when you left Flemister's office. after telephoning Goodloe, you walked down tO Little Butte station?'
 "Yes; walked and run. There was nobody there but the bridge watch man. Goodloe had come on up the track to find out what had happened" !"
 "And you didn't see Flemister or Hallock again?'
 "No."
 'Flemister told us he got the news by phone, and when he said it the wreck was no more than an hour old. He couldn't have walked down from the mine in that time Where could he have got the message and from whom?"
 Judson was shaking his head.
 ''He didn't need any message, and he didn't get any. I'd put it up this way-after that rail joint was sprung open they'd go back up the old spur on the handcar, wouldn't they? And on the way they'd be pretty sure to near Cranford when he whistled for Little Butte. That'd let lem know what was due to happen right then and there. After that it'd be easy enough. All Flemister had to do was to rout out his miners over his own telephones, jump on to the handcar n oo{,, nd ro1roo ho in firao fn oI,oxr,