The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-28
CHAPTER VIII.

BENSONS BRIDGE TIMERS.
 N was on the morning following the startling episode at the Dawsons'
 gate that Benson, lately arrived A from the west on train 2O4, came into the superintendent's office with the light of discovery in his eye. But the discovery was made to wait
 Whats this they were telling me down at the lunch counter just now about somebody taking a pot shot at you last night?" he asked. Dough erty said it was Bart Rufford. Was it?"
 Lfdgerwood confirmed the gossip with a nod. "Yes, it was Rufford, so Dawson says. I didn't recognize him, though. It was too dark"
 "Well. I'm mighty glad to see that he didn't get you. What was the row?'
 "I don't know definitely. I suppose it was because I told McCloskey to discharge his brother awhile back"
 "A pretty close call, wasn't it, or was Dougherty only putting on few frflls to go with my cup of coffee?"
 Tt was close enough" admitted Lidgerwood, half absently. He was thinking not so much of the narrow escape as of the fresh and humiliating evidence it had afforded of his n wretched unreadiness.
 "All right; you'll come around to my way of thinking after awhile. I tell you, Lidgerwood, you've got to heel yourself when you live in a gun coun- try. said I wouldn't do it, but I have done it, and I'll tell you right now when anybody in this blasted desert makes monkey motions at me I'm going to blow the top of his head off quick.''
 Hasn't it ever occurred to you, Jack, that l am the one man in the desert who cannot afford to go arm- ed? I am supposed to stand for law and order. What would my example be worth if it should be noised around that l, too. had become a gun toter?"
 "Oh, I'm not going to argue with you,' laughed Benson. But I didn't come up here to wrangle with you about your theoretical notions of law and order. I came to tell you that I have been hunting for those bridge timbers of mine"
 "Well," queried Lidgerwood, ''have you found them:'
 '"No, and I don't believe anybody will ever find them"
 But you have discovered some thing?"
 Partly yes and partly no. I think I told you at the time that they van- ished between two days like a puff of smoke, leaving no trace behind them. How it was done I couldn't imagine. There is a wagon road par alleling the river over there at the siding. as you know, and the first thing I did the next morning was to look for wagon tracks. No set of wheels carrying anything as heavy as those F by F twenty-fours had gone over the road"
 How were they taken then? They couldn't have been fioated down the river. could they?'
 ''It was possible. but not at all prob able" said the engineer. My theory was that they were taken away on somebody's railroad car. There were only two sources of information at f1rst-the night operator at Little Butte. twelve miles west, and the trackwalker at Point of Rocks. whose beat goes down to within two or three miles of the Gloria bridge. Goodlce. at Little Butte. reports that there wa Eothing moving on the main line afte the passing of the midnight freigf east. and Shaughnessy. the trackwalI CT. is just a plain. unvarnished liaT He knows lot more than he will tell
 "Still. you are looking good hi more cheerful than you were last week." was Lidgerwood's suggestion.
 "Yes. After got the work started again with a new set of timbers l snent three or four days on the ground