The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-09-19
CHAPTER Xxx.
THE CHALLENGE.

The service car had been turned into a
makeshift hospital for the wounded.
and the car party was homeless.
I'VE are all waiting to say how sorry
we are that we insisted on corning and
thus adding to your respon sibilities,
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
obliged to see and take part in such a
frightful horror, that's all. AS for your
being in the way-it's quite the other
thing. Crawford 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
merely because I 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. I'VE 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 a
pleasure party at such time"
I'VE couldn't foresee this, any Of
u.s." he made haste to say. Now, if
you'll do what you suggested-go and
be very long"
Ordinarily the mere fact of de-
structive derailment leaves little to be
discovered when the cause is sought
afterward. But, singularly enough, the
curved track was torn up only on the
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 fiange 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 a little after we toted
him back to the service car. He says
1t was a broken rail; says he saw 1t
and saw the man that was faggin' him
down, all in good time to give her the
air before he hit it,
"What man was thatw 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 a man, whom none of us recog-
nized. ran down the track and tried to
give Crawford 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 a gap in the rail on the river side
of the line, but it was not fracture
At one OF the 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.
'"This amt no happen-so, Mr.. Lid
gerwood.' he said when he got up
THE spikes are pulled"'
Lidgerwood said nothing. There
are discoveries which are beyond
speech. But he stopped to examine
for himself. Groner was 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 raj
had been sprung aside, and the bit OF
rock inserted between the parted ends
to keep them from springing together
was still in place.
Lidgerwood's eyes were bloodshot
when he rose and said:
"I'd like to ask you two men as mer
what devil would set trap like this
for train load of unoffending pas
sengers?"
Bradford's slow draw dispelled a
little of the mystery.
at wasn't meant for Groner and his
passenger wagons, l reckon. In the
natural run Of things it was the 26f
and the service car that ought to We
hit this thing first, o04 bein' supposed
to be half hour off her schedule. I,
was aimed for us, all right enough
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
fist. smote the air, and his outburs1
was a fierce imprecation. In the midst
of it Groner said "Listen"' and a mo-
ment later man walking rapidly uT
the track from the direction Of Little
Butte station came into the small cir
Gle Of lantern light. Groner threw the
light on the newcomer, revealing q
haggard face-the face of the owner
of the Wire Silver mine.
Heavens and earth. Mr.. Lidger.
wood. this is awful he exclaimed
81 heard OF it by phone and hurried
over to do what l could Ny men OF
the night shift are on the way. walk
ing up the track. and the entire Wire
Silver outfit is at your disposal"
81 am afraid you are little late
Mr.. Flemister," was Lidgerwood's re
| joinder, unreasoning antagonism max
ing the words sound crisp and IN
grateful. Half an hour ago.
Yes. certainly. Goodloe should
have phoned me if he knew cut II
!