The Calumet news., 1911-07-19

| What followed seemed 10 nave no
connecting sequence for the other
players. Too restless TO lose more
than enc bet I'm the place he had cho-
sen. Judson tried 10 rise, tangled his
feet in tho chair and fell down, laugh
ing uproariously. When he struggled
10 the perpendicular again, after two
or three Intellectual attempts, he was
fairly behind Runord's stool.
one man, who Glanced 10 be looking,
saw the lookout start and stiffen
rigidly In his place, staring straight
ahead into vacancy. A moment later
the entire circle Of witnesses saw him
take n revolver from the holster on his
hip and lay II upon the table with an
other from the breast pocket of his
coat 10 keep il company. Then his
hands went quickly behind him, and
/ they all heard the click of the hand
cuffs.
The man I'm the sombrero and shirt
sleeves was the first to come alive.
"Duck. Bart" he shouted. whipping
weapon from it's convenient shelf
under the tables edge. But Judson,
trained to the swift handling of many
mechanisms in the moment of respite
before n wreck or derailment, was
ready for him.
"Bart's afraid he can't duck without
dying" he said grimly. screening him
self behind his captive. Then to the
others, in the same unhasting tone:
'Some Of you fellows Just quiet Sam
my down till l get out of here with
this peach of mine. I've got the pa
pers, and / know what I'm doing. If
this thing I'm holding against Bart's
back should happen to go or
That ended IL, 80 far as resistance
was concerned. Judson backed quick
ly out through the barroom, drawing
his prisoner backward with him, and
a moment later Angels was properly
electrified by the sight of Rufford, the
Red desert terror. marching sullenly
down to the Crows Nest, with a fiery
headed little man at his elbow, the
little man swinging the weapon which
had been made to simulate the cold
muZzle of the revolver when he had
pressed it into Rufford's back Mt tho
gaming table.
II was nothing more formidable than
short, thick S wrench Of the kind
used by locomotive engineers in tight
enlng the nuts of the piston rod pack
ing glands.
The jocosely spectacular arrest OF
Barton Rulford. with its appeal to the
grim humOr of the desert, was re-
sponsible for a brief lull I'm the storm
of antagonism evoked by Iidgcrwood's
attempt to bring order out of the chaos
rcigning in his small kingdom. For
time Angels was agrln again, and while
the plaudits were chiefly for Judson the
figure Of the correctly clothed superin-
tendent who wGs courageous enough to
appeal to the law loomed large in the
reflected light Of the red headed en-
gineer's cool daring.
For the space Of week there were
no serious disasters, and Lidgerwood,
with good help from McCloskey and
Benson, continued to dig persistently
into the mystery Of the wholesale rob-
berries. With Benson's discoveries for
a starting point the man Flemister was
kept under surveillance. and it soon
became evident to the three investi-
gators that the owner Of the Wire Sill
yer mine had been profiting literally
at the expense of the railroad COM
pany In many ways. That there had
been connivance on the part OF some
one in authority in the railroad serv-
ice was also fact safely assumable,
and each added thread of evidence
seemed more and more to entangle the
chief clerk.
But behind the mystery of the rob-
berries Lidgerwood began to get
glmpses of n deeper mystery involv-
ing Flemister and Hallock. Angels
tradition spoke freely of n former
friendship between the two men. One
thing was certain-of all the minor Of
ficials In the railway service Hallock
was the one who was best able to for
ward and to conceal Flemister's thiev-
cries.
1t was in the midst OF the subterra-
mean investigations that Iidgerwood
had n call from the owner of the Wire
Silver On the Saturday In the week
OF surcease Flemister came I'm on the
noon train from the west, and IL was
McCloskey who ushered him into the
superintendents Office. Lidgerwood
looked up and saw small man wear.
ing the khaki of the engineers, with a
soft felt hat TO match. The swapping
black eyes, with the straight brows
almost meeting over the nose, sug-
gested Goethe's Mephistopheles, and
Flemister shaved to fit the part, with
curling mustaches and a dagger point
ed imperial.
1--WE been trying to find time for a
month or more TO come up and get ac-
quainted with you, Mr.. Lidgerwood,"
the visitor began when Lidgerwood
had waved him to n chair. II hope
you are not going TO hold IL against
me that / haven't done IL sooner"
Lidgerwood's smile was meant TO be
no more than decently hospitablc.
I'VE are not standing much upon
ceremony in these days of reorganiza-
tiOn," he said Then TO hold tbo in