The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-06

"Sfac told me to report to you when I couldn't get at him." the ex-engine- man began abruptly. There's some thing matching. but I can't find out what it is. Are you thinking about goin' out on the road anywhere to- night, MT. LidgerwoodT
 Lidgerwood's decision was taken on the instant.
 "Yes; I think I shall go west in my car in an hour or so. Why?
 ''There ain't any why I guess, if you feel like goin'. But what I don't savvy is why them fellows back yon- der in the waitin' room are so dead anxious to find out if you are goin'."
 As he spoke a man who had been skulking behind a truck load of ex- press freight, so near that be could have touched either of them with an outstretched arm, withdrew silently in the direction of the lunch room. He was a tall man with stepping shoul- ders, and his noiseless retreat was cautiously made, yet not quite eau tiously enough
 "By cripes! Look at that, will you?" Judson exclaimed, pointing to the re- treating figure. That's Hallock, and he was hstening!"
 Underwood shook his head. s "No, that isn't Hallock.'' he denied, And then. with bit of the man driv- ing rasp in his voice: See here, Jud- son, don't you let McCloskey's preju- dices run away with you; make a memorandum of that and paste it in your hat. I know what you have been instructed to do, and I'll tell you here and now that shall be much better pleased if you can bring me the assur- ance that Hallock is true man."
 "But that was Hallock," insisted Judson. Cor else it was his Twin dou- ble."
 'No; follow him and you'll see for yourself. It was more like that Ruby Gulch operator who quit in a quarrel with McCloskey a week. or two ago What is his name-Shefaeldw
 Judson hastened down the platform to satisfy himself, and Lidgerwood mounted the stair to his office. Grady was still pounding the keys of the typewriter on the batch of letters given him in the busy hours following his return from supper, and the super intendent turned his back upon the clicking activities and went to stand at the window, from which he could look down upon the platform with the wait ing passenger train drawn up beside it.
 Seeing the cheerful lights in the side tracked Nadia, he fell 10 thinking of Eleanor. opening the door of conscious thought to her and saying to himself that she was never more than single step beyond the threshold of that door. Looking across to the Nadia, he knew now why he had hesitated so long be- fore deciding to go on the night trip to Timanyoni park. But he could still resolve that there should not be repetition of the old tragedy of the moth and the candle. Itwas well that at the very outset duty call had come to enable him to break the spell of her nearness. and it was also well that he had decided not to disregard it.
 The train conductors "Al aboard" shouted on the platform just below his window drew bis attention from the Nadia and the distracting thought of Eleanor's nearness. Train 2O5 was ready to resume its westward flight. and the locomotive bell was changing musically. a
 At the critical moment when the train was fairly in motion Iidgerwood saw Hailock it was unmistakably Hallock this timc-spring from the shadow of baggage truck and whip up the step of the smoker, and a scant half second later he saw Judson race across the wide platform and throw himself like self propelled projectile against and through the closing doors of the vestibule at the forward end of the sleeper.
 Judson's dash and his capture of the outgoing train were easily accounted for-he had seen Hallock. But where was Hallock going? Lidgerwood was still asking bimself the question half abstractedly when he crossed to his desk and touched the buzzer push, which su samoned an operator from the dispatchcr's room.
 "Wire MT. Pennington Flemister, care of Goodloe, at Little Butte, that l am coming out with my car and should be with him by II o'clock. Then call up the yard office and tell Matthews to let me have the car and engine by s:30 sharp" he directed.
 The operator made a note of the or der and went out. and the superintend- ent settled himself in his desk chair for another hours hard work with the stenographer. At twenty-five minutes past he heard the wheel grindings of the up coming service car, and the weary shorthand man snapped rub Der band upon the notes of the final letter.
 Bidding good night to Grady. the superintendent put on his light coat and went out and down the stairs.
 At the outer door he turned up the long platform Instead of down and