The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-09-30

train crew had orders to wait for
westbound II, and there was nothing
to do but to keep On waiting.
Late in the afternoon train IT or
some other train came along, and the
special was once more set In motion
eastward, but at dinner time it was
again s1detraeked, eighty odd miles
from its destination, and once more
at a bind siding, where there was no
telegraph Office. The car was still
standing on the siding when Blount
went to bed. But in the morning it
was in motion again, jogging now on
its 1eisurely way up the branch line.
At Lewiston, the town at the end of
the branch where the right of way
trouble had originated, B1ount found
more delay, carefully planned for, as
he had now come firmly to believe.
The plaintiffs in the right Of way case
were out of town, and their lawyers
had gone to the capital. Blount saw
that he might wait a week without ac-
complishing anything; hence he imme-
diately instructed his conductor to get
orders for the return.
After having been gone a leisurely
half, hour the conductor came back
to the service car to say that the single
telegraph wire connecting Lewiston
with the outer world was down and
that the orders for the return jour
ney could not be obtained until the
telegraph connection was restored At
that point Blount took matters into
his own hands.
There was a mining company having
its headquarters in the isolated town,
ana BIount had met the manager once
in the capital-met him in social way
and had been able to show him some
little attention. Hiring blackboard at
the one livery stable in the place, he
drove out to the Little Mary mine
and luckily found B1atchford, the
friendly manager. It did not take over
a minute to renew the pleasant ac-
quaintance and to state his dilemma.
I'm hung up here with my special
train, the wires are down, and can't
get OUT was his statement of the
crude fact. Didn't you tell me that
you owned a motorcar?"
81 did" was the promptlreply. 'fWant
to borrow it?''
"You beat me to it," said BI0unt,
laughing. "That was precisely what I
was going to beg for-the loan of your
car. I believe you told me that you
had driven it from here to the capital"
ooh, yes, several times. You ought
to make it in six hours and a half or
seven at the most. Drive me down to
the burg and I'll put you in posses
sion.''
A little later B1og1nt found himself
handling the levers of a very service
able knockabout car equipped for hard
work on country roads. When he was
ready to go he drove down to the rail-
road yard and hunted up4his conductor.
after you have had your vacation
you may get orders from Mr.. Kit
tredge and take his car back to the
capital" he told the man. when you
do you may give him my compli
ments and tell him that preferred to
run my own special train"
The conductor gr1nned and made no
reply, and he was still gr1nning when
he sauntered into the railroad teIe-
graph Office and spoke to the operator.
81 dunno what's up,s' he said, 'fbut,
whatever it was, the strings broke.
Old Dave Sagebrush's son has bor-
rowed him an automobeel and gone
back to town on his own hook. Guess
you'd better call up the division dis
patcher and tell him@the broken wire
gag didn't work. Getsa move on. We
hain't got nothing to- stay here for
now"
The traffic manager had left bis Office
for the day, but Blounty found him at
the railway club.
Gust a word, Dick" he began when
he had overtaken Kittredge's accom-
plice in the grill room corridor. Exit
tredge put up a job<on me, and think
you helped him. I had to borrow an
to come back in from
lewiston
"Confound you!' said Gantry hearth
~
But that was all that he had a
chance to say, since B1ount had turn
ed abruptly and was already leaving
the club to go on to the hotel.
Since the election was now no more
than three days distant the Inter
Mountain lobby was filed with groups
Of caucusing politicians. Notwith-
the position he had taken
and the open eyed fearlessness with
which he had discussed the political
situation publicly in every considera-
BILE town in the state, Evan Blount
was still puzzle to those whose ways
were, by need and the force of cir
cumstance, the reverse OF straightfor-
ward.
Blount was halted half dozen
times before he could make his way
to the elevator, and the pumping
process to which he was subjected at
each fresh hating space amused him.
1t was plainly evident that in spite of
all he had said and done a consider
able majority Of the politicians were
still regarding him as in some sense
his fathers lieutenant Somewhat to
his disappointment he found that Pa
Ticia had gone out with his father
and his fathers wife to dinner; hence
be was forced to sit at a table in the
cafe with three Of the ,caucustng pol
ticians and was obliged to find his
moderate pleasure in trying to make
their very evident perplexity lose moth
ng of it's acuteness during the table
hour