davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-09-07

/ Pinon Hills, he went out and
took personal command of the
track-clearers.
He found that the wrecking
crew had taken a ten-gafion key
of whiskey along wherewith to
celebrate the first appearance of
the new superintendent in char
aeter as ap tactical wrecking-
boss. The outcome was rather
astonishing. Lidgerwood's first
executive act was to knock in the
head of the ten-gallon celebra-
tion with a striking-hammer.
This was excellent, as far as It
went. But later, with the offend
Ing crews before him for trial
and punishment, Lidgerwood lost
all he had gained by being too
easy.
Jack Benson, the young en-
gineer whom Vice President Ford
had sent to put new life into the
tracks, happened to be present
when the reckless trainmen were
told to go and sin no more.
I'm not running your job,
Lidgerwood," Benson volun-
teered. But you can't hold those
fellows down with Sunday school
talk"
The merry Jest on the Red
Butte Western ran its course for
another week after the three
train wreck in the Pfnons-for a
week and a day. Then Lidger-
wood began the drawing of the
net. A new time-card was strung
with McCloskey's cooperation,
and when Il went into effect a no.
tice on all bulletin boards an
nounced the adoption of the
standard Book of Rules" and
promised penalties for departure
therefrom.
Promptly the horse-laugh died
away and the trouble storm was
evoked. Grievance committees
haunted the Crows Nest, and the
insurrectionary faction, starting
with the trainmen and spreading
to the track force, threatened to
involve the telegraph operators
threatened to become a protest
unanimous and in the mass.
In the pandemonium of I'M
toward events, McCloskey was
Lidgerwood's right hand, tofIing,
shifting, striving, and otherwise
approving himself a good soldier.
But close behind him came Grid
ley; always suave and good
natured, always counselling firm
ness and more discipline.
Hallock was the only non-com-
Blatant. From the beginning of
hostilities he seemed to have made
a pact with himself not to let 1t
be known by any act OF word of
his that he was aware of the sud
denly precipitated conflict.
One day McCIoskey came into
the private office. hat tilted to
nose, and his gargoyle face por-
traying soul agonies.
They've taken to pfilaging
nowf" he burst out. The 316,
that new saddle-tank shifting en-
CINE. has disappeared. It's no
where in the yards, the round
house. OF back shop, and none OF
Gridley's foremen know anything
about ft. I've had Callahan, the
dispatcher, wire east and west,
and II they're all telling the
truth. nobody has seen It Or heard
Of Il.
The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-09-07
CHAPTER III.
The Outlaws.

Iftb OutiaWS.
For the first few weeks after
the change In ownership and the
arrival of the new superintend-
emit, the Red Butte Western and
it's nerve-center, the town of An
gels, seemed disposed to take Mr..
Howard Lindgerwood as a rather
ill-timed joke, perpetrated upon
primitive West by the Pacific
Southwestern.
The Red Desert grinned like
the famed Cheshire cat when an
incoming train from the East
brought sundry boxes and trunks,
said to contain the new boss
wardrobe.
Lidgerwood slept in the Crows
Nest-ths headquarters buildings
not so much from choice as for
the reason that there seemed to
be no alternative save a room in
the town tavern. appropriately
named The Hotel Celestial"
That a battle would have to be
fought was evident enough. Grid
ley, whose attitude toward the
new superintendent was that of a
disinterested adviser, assured Lid
gerwood he was losing ground by
not opening the campaign of
severity at once.
you'll have to take q club to
these hoboes before you can ever
hope to make railroad men out of
them" was Gridley's oft-repeated
assertion.
Hallock attended to his duties
and carried out his superfor's in
structfons with the exactness of
an automaton, but his attitude
was distinctly antagonistic. None
the less Lidgerwood aeknowl-
edged a growing liking for the
chief clerk
McCloskey. the trsinmaster.
who had served under Hallock
for a number of months before
the change in management, con-
fided to Lidgerwood that HalIock
was married: that his wife, a
strfkingly beautiful young wo-
man, had disappeared, and that
since her departure Halock had
lived alone in two rooms over the
freight Station.
For the first few weeks Lidger-
wood let McCloskey answer the
hurry calls" 70 the various
scenes Of disaster, but when three
sections OF an eastbound cattle
special. ignoring the ten-minute-
interval rule. we're piled mp In the
The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-09-07

Red Desert-after what I have
told your"
II do. You've got to CO."
Lidgerwood took time to reflect
tramping the floor. In the end he
yielded, as the vice-president q
subjects commonly did. .
IN go, IL you still insist upon
it." was the slowly spoken decis-
ion.
A little silence supervened.
Then Ford plunged into detail.
"Of course. you know that you
will have a free hand. With one
exception, your authority will be
absolute; you will hire and dis
charge as you see fit. and there
will be no appeal from your de-
eision. Gridley, the master-me-
ehanic, will be nominally under
your orders. but IL 1t should
come to blows between you, you
couldn't fire him. It's a family
affair. He is a widower, and his
wife was a sister of the Van
Kensingtons. He got his job
through the family influence, and
he'll hold IT In the same way"
Anything else?"
Yes, there is one other thing.
There's Ha1Iock, the man you will
find holding down the headquar-
tiers office at Angels. He was
Cumberley's chief clerk, and long
before Cumberley resigned he was
the real superintendent of the
Red Butte Western in everything
but the title. and the place on
the payroll. Naturally he thought
he ought to be considered when
we climbed into the saddle, and
he has already written to Presi-
dent Brewster, asking for the
promotion in fact. He happens to
be a New Yorker-like Gridley;
and. again like Gridley. he has a
friend at court. Magnus knows
him, and he recommends him for
the superintendency when Mr..
Brewster referred the APPLICATION
to me. 1 couldn't agree, and
had to turn him down. am
telling you this so you'll be easy
with him-as easy as you can"
Gridley, a large man, virile OF
face and figure, aud Hal1oek, a
dark man with gloomy eyes and
permanent frown, met late in
the evening of the day vice-Pres-
ident Ford named Lidgerwood
superintendent.
They tell me you have missed
the step mp again, Hsllock." said
Gridley.
who is the new man. Hal
lock asked.
Nobody seems to know him
by name. But he Is q friend of
Ford's all right. That is how he
gets the job"
A college man. I suppose,
Halleek commented. Otherwise
Ford wouldn't be backing him.
It's hell, GrfdIeyl I've hung on
and waited and done the work
for their figure-heads, one after
another. The Job belongs to me. "
You're not built right for It.,
Hailock; the desert would give
you the horse-laugh."
Would TIT Not before l had
squared off q few old debts, Grid
ley: don't you forget that"
Threatening are you7" ieered
the Grille one. what would you
DO. If you had the chance. Ran
kfn4"
The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-09-07
A NOVEL A WEEK
NEXT WEEK
1.-THE UNAFRAID"
BY Eleanor Ingram.
CHAPTER /.
A Coward.

A Coward.
The windows of the division
headquarters of the Pacific South
western at Copah look northward
TO the Uintah Hills. The prospect
IL crude and harshly aggressive
and to- Lidgerwood, gloomine
through the panes, il was peculi.
arly depressing.
mo, Ford, I'm not the man
you are looking for" he said. III
isn't in me to flog the Red Butte
Western into well-behaved
division OF the p. S.-W."
MIR. Stuart Ford, first vice
president of the Pacific South
western System, locked his hands
over one knee and spoke as Q
man and a comrade.
Let me tell you, Howard
You've no idea what a savage
fight we've had In New York, alb
sorbing these demoralized three
hundred miles. Even President
Brewster lost bis nerve. He as
serted that the executive didn't
live who could bring order out
of the chaos into which bad man
agement and a tough environment
had plunged the Red Butte West
ern. That's where had him
bested. Howard. All through
kept saying to myself that l knew
the man"
But you don't know him,
Stuart; that is the weak link in
the chain. Stuart, there Is a yell
low streak in me that you seem
never to have discovered. ] am q
coward. This is the fourth time
1 have had to refuse a good offer
that carried with IL the fighting
chance"
The vice president was still a
young man and he was confront
ing q problem that annoyed him.
He had been calling himself, and
net without reason. fair judge
:. OF men. Yet here was a man
whom he had known intimately
from boyhood, who was but just
now revealing a totally unsuspect-
ed quality.
wouldn't buck up when the real
-pfnch comes?" he demanded.
Because the pinch came once
and ] didn't buck up. II cost
me the love of the one woman in
the WOri0. II was u the AohtaHo
mountains. l was escorttng her
and her mother from the railroad
terminus to the summer camp in
the hills. We had to drive forty
miles In q stage. and there we're
six Of us-the two women and
four men. Well, we had ouI
hoIdup-One lone, crippled des-
perado. The other three men
we're not armed. / was, and Miss
EI-the youns woman knew 1t. !
stood there like a frozen image.
and let that crippled cow=rustler
rob those two women--take the
rings from their fingers'
Howard" answered the vice
president, I'm telling you IL will
require q higher brand Of courage
to 20 over to Angels and man
handle the Red Butte Western as
4 division of the p. S.-W. than II
would TO face q dozen highway
nen."
Lfdeerwood left his chair and
.tekan to pace the narrow limits
1f the private offioe- You mean
toa are stin giving me the chance
q make good over yonder In the
The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-09-07
CHAPTER III.
Everyman's Share

This switehing-engine mys
terry opens up q field that I've
been trying to get into for some
little time, Mac" the superin-
tendent began. "Sit down and
well thresh It out. Here are
SOME figures showing loss and ex-
pense in the general maintenance
account. Look them over and
tell me what you think"
"Wastage, you mean?" queried
the trainmaster.
THAT is what I have been cali
ing it; a reckless disregard for
the value of anything and every
thing that can be included in a
requisition. The righ-of-way is
Uttered from end TO end with
material thrown aside. But I'm
afraid that isn't the worst of IT,"
The trainmaster was nursing a
knee and serewing his face into
the reflective scheme of distor-
tion. Those things are always
hard to prove. Short of a military
guard, for instance, you couldn't
prevent Angels from raiding the
company's coal yard for its cook
stoves
Lidgerwood swung his chair to
face McCloskey.
well pass up the petty
thieveries. for the present, and
look a little higher" he said
gravely. Have you found any
trace of those two carloads of
company lumber lost in transit
between here and Red Butte two
weeks ago?"
mo"
Lidgerwood's swing chair
righted itself to the perpendicu-
lar with a snap.
and it must have its members
pretty we'll scattered through the
Northumberland have a good
many members. too. believeI
we'll get to the bottom of all the
looting on this switching-engineI
business. They have overdone II
this time. You can't put a locomo-
tive in your pocket and walk off
with it,"
The trainmaster shook his head
in bewilderment.
t'Some years ago there was a
building and loan association
started here in Angels. the osten-
sfbIe object being to help the rail-
road men to own their homes
Ever hear of ft7" Lidgerwood
went on.
yes, but II was dead and
bs1ried before my time"
Dead, but not buried" cor
reeted LidgerwOod. "AsI un-
derstand it, the railroad company
fathered it, or at all events. some
of the officials took stock in Il.
When Il died there was a con-
siderable deficit, together with a
failure on the part of the execu-
tive COMMITTEE to account for a
pretty liberal cash balance"
tI'v heard that much" said
the trainmaster.
Then we'll bring Il down to.
Mta" Lidgerwood resumed. 'sItl
eears that there are twenty-five
d@birty of the losers still in the
e1dploy of this company, and they
have sent a committee to me to
ASH for an investigation, basing
the demand on the assertion that
they were coerced into giving up
their money to the building and
loan people"
"I'v heard that, too" Mcclos-
key admitted. The story goes
that the house-building scheme
was promoted by the old Red
Butte Western bosses, and n O.
man didn't take stock he got him
self disliked. II he did take Il.
Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-05

where, even in our bedroom, we had
to plaster up the windows, drilled
with rifle bullets, to keep out the
draught. Two German officers, whose
nameS "Von der Goltz" and "Von
Reuter-" were scrawled in chalk on
the bedroom door, had had the room
before us, and there was many evil
lcences of -hasty departure. The
landlady told US that morning that
ltwenty-six German officers had break
tasted, compelling her and her hus-
band end all their servants to be up
at dawn and to serve them with the
best the town could provide before
they took the field.
| "Next morning we crossed the river
| by boat. We found the quarters Of
the town on this side of the river in
much worse state. The British shells
had torn great holes in the houses,
some of which were completely bat
tered down. During the engagement
the inhabitants, many of whom had
rot had time to get away, took refuge
in their cellars. The Germans had en-
! trenched themselves in some of the
houses, closing the shutters and max
ing loopholes through which they fired.
There were horrid sights in the
streets | counted about thirty-five
| German dead with blackening faces,
some minus a head, leg, or an arm.
The villagers were dragging the bod
| les away for burial. saw the
smouldering ruins of a fine chateau in
which the Germans had installed their
machine guns and which had been
shelled and set on fire by the British.
"The streets revealed traces Of des-
perate fighting at close quarters.
Pools of blood still stained the grey
cobblestones. The towns people told
me of British soldiers firing down the
narrow streets at Germans nsconced
in houses. Many Of the townsfolk had
picked up helmets and arms which had
been left about the streets, but which
Rad ali been cleared away by the time
we appeared on the scene. We were
told that the Germans had occupied
La Ferte for few days. The officers
mostly paid for what they took, some
times with Belgian money, but there
was some plundering by the soldiers
Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-05

couch. At our cry of "Anglaisw the
younger woman opened the door. To
our request for any thing to drink she
make a mute gesture of despair. She
led the way into the house.
"a scene of destruction met our
eyes. The little narrow room had
been ransacked. The row of bottles
on shelves behind the long bar had
teen smashed. Amid this scene Of
desolation the woman, wife of the
Iinnkeeper, who was with the French
army, told her simple story.
"Three days before squadron Of
German cavalry with a couple Of
officers arrived in the village. They
went to the cabaret. The officers
ordered drinks and walked out with
cut paying, and the men followed
their example After they had drunk
up everything at the bar they demand
ed champagne, and when there was
none-as the woman told us she had
rone to give-they compelled her with
levelled revolvers to lead the way to
the cellar She complied in an agony
of dread. In the cellar the men drank
all the wine in the bottles and theG
turned their attention to the wine
casks. They drank as much as they
could from the casks, took away pail
fuls Ct the wine they could not drink,
and broke up the remainder of the
casks, needless of the woman's fearful
laments. Not content with this wall
ton destruction, the soldiers killed all
the fowls the woman kept, cut off her
water supply and finally carried off
all hel winter supply of frewood.
"a column OF British troops arrived
after the Germans had left. In ac-
cents of warmest gratitude she told
me how the British officers, finding
that she and her old mother were
practically starving, sent soldiers with
ample supplies of BISCUITS and bully
beef, and offered them money, which
they would not accept. Of their own
accord the soldiers restored the water
connection and laid in fresh supply
Of firewood,
"Outside the village we fell in with
two british officers in motor car.
One of them had a face familiar to
me. Then ! remembered where | had
last seen, him. 1t was at the House
Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-05

Some shopkeepers who had had the
sense to place themselves directly un-
der the protection of the German mill
tary commander had received from
him notice in German something to
this effect: These people have moth
ing more to give. Please do noS
touch
That afternoon Thursday we left
La Ferte. Outside the town we found
on Till the grave of Highlander.
do not remember ever to have read
more touching epitaph than that
which the dead mans comrades had
written in pencil on the rough wooden
cross, made of strips torn from an
ammunition box. This is it:
Here lies Private
No. -, - Highlander.
Killed in action,
He was good pal.
"From the cross hung his great
coat, the back all torn by shell.
"We proceeded in the direction Of
Chateau Thierry. A few miles out
side we came across a small British
convoy returning with batch of 120
German, prisoners, including eight
officers, and a, Red Gross doctor. The
British convoy consisted of sergeant
and six men. They told me that they
were returning to fetch supplies when
the detachment of Germans came out
of the woods and stood on the road
with their hands up. They willingly
accompanied the ludicrously small
British force, for they were starving
and had surrendered to get food.
Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-05
BATTLEFIELD ACTUALTIES.
Especial Dispatch by the International
News SerVice)

Especial Dispatch by the International
News Service.)
Paris, Nov. A photographer who
has been on tour of the French bat
tlefields making pictures, has written
the following account Of what he saw:
81 arrived at Crecy about 10 o'clock
on Wednesday night by bicycle from
Pans which, with a companion, / had
left at 10 o'clock that morning. The
previous day there had been an adj
vance guard affair between the British
and the German cavalry, which re-
suited in the latter being driven out
of the town, where the British were in
occupation when we arrived.
"Next morning very early we mount
ed our bicycles again and started of
Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-05
THIS is THE OFFICIAL COUPON
Imperial Valley Press, November 5
] 9l4E'

We presently decried lonely fig
Ere hobbling along the long white road.
When we came up it was a corporal
of an Irish regiment. He had been
wounded i'm the foot, and was using
his rifle as crutch. Where are you
going said. Sure, and Pm going
to the front, he replied. How do
you expect to get there? It's about
fifty miles away 'Ah, now, if can
get to the next village maybe I'll be
finding a wagon to give me lift, if
not, I'll go on tramping.' | gave him
tobacco and little money, and left
him hobbling along, CHEEKY and con-
tent.
81 skirted Chateau Thierry, and from
there retraced my steps to Paris. On
my way back | traversed the battle
field of Meaux, where peasants were
busy with great funeral pyres. There
were miles and miles of trenches
marking the German positions strewn
with thousands and thousands of
empty cartridge cases. About 6
o'clock on Sunday evening / reached
Lagny, where / found enormous
crowds of sightseers from Paris in
the happiest of moods walking to and
fro over the pontoon bridge across the
Marne, loud in their admiration for
the skill of the French engineers, who
had luilt it, inspecting with intense
interest the shattered houses in the
town and the broken bridges across
| the river.
Cut flowers and floral designs.
| Raldridre DrIn Ctorn -Adu
Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-05

in the direction of La Ferte- sous
Jouarre, in perfect weather. Half an
hours pedalling brought us to little
village, st. Blandin, where we en-
Coun.ered the first signs of German
war making in France. The village
street was silent and deserted. We
halted outside the only cabaret (tav-
ern) in the place. The shutters were
up. The door was closed and remain
ed closed to our knocking.
"Peering through the window we
deserted woman standing seemingly
helpless over an old woman on a
Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-05

of Commons. The officer was Sir
Mark Sykes, MP, who was on the
road with dispatches.
owe passed on through innumerable
French villages, sad and silent, all
showing signs Of destruction; here and
there an old man musing at his door
or a group of frightened children flee
ing at our approach, with now and
then knot of dumb peasants labor
iously burying dead horses. Towards
evening we were cycling up the long
slope leading to the village of Signy
Signets, where a roughly constructed
cross caught my. eye. 1t surmounted
q simple grave dug on the hillside
Under the shadow of a hystack and
cutie close to the road. 1t was the
| first British grave we had met. There
was cr indescribable solemnity about
the last resting-place of this British
soldier whose name and regimental
number and friendly hand had rude
ly scrawled on little cross of wood.
1t lay quite remote in the absolute
silence of perfect summer evening.
the simple cross standing out against
the purple sunset. All around it lay
the evidence of the battlefield. Half
finished hayricks, abandoned haycarts
and pitchforks left on the trampled
ground showed where the haymakers
had been surprised by the approach
of the battle. Dead horses, English
soldiers caps, huge rents torn in the
earth by shells and cartridge cases
such marks Of war were to be seen
on every hand, and in the air there
was = subtle suggestion of the charneI.
house.
dusk was gathering fast when
about four miles outside of La Ferte
sous-Jouarre the sound of cannon.
which we heard intermittently all day.
became more clearly audible. The
Marne runs through the little town
which lies on either side of the stream
in valley. AS we reached the out
skirts weird spectacle broke on our
gaze. 1t was a perfect picture of
war, in all its horror, in all its
majesty, in all its picturesqueness
From the hills to the right the Brit
lsh artillery was Smelling the retreat
ing Germans on the other side of the
river. The shells were bursting with
jets of flame that broke orange in the
gathering darkness; couple of
houses, wreathed in flame, burned
fercaly, the light rejecting in the
peaceful waters of the Marne which
IAN Al our feet past two bridges blown
up and shattered in lamentable state.
when the sounds of firing had died
away we quietly slipped down into the
town. Complete darkness had set in.
The Germans on retiring had cut off
the water supply and the electric
light, and the only light in La Ferte
that right was afforded by the lamps
carried by the soldiers. Down by the
river the British engineers were put
ting the finishing touches to a pantoon
bridge-a bridge they finished, all
complete, in about two hours. Our
troops were already preparing to
cross. So swiftly does the British
army move that when we arose with
dawn the next morning we found our
troops had melted away in the night. !
Even the pontoon bridge had disap-
peared.
That night we found quarters in the
Hotel de Paris, little inn where shells
had torn away part of the roof, and