The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1915-01-23
Continued From Last Monday
CHAPTER XxxVI.
Detail.

vast Ozark army Invading tHe ldHu
pouring on over the rampant of noun
tains in the east.
Within the rim Of hills that ringe6
the plain like the Clipped and broker
f1ange Of a titanic saucer, silence
brooded and solitude held sway
dwarfing the town Of Detail that oc
cupied the approximate middle Of the
sagebrush waste, to proportions even
less significant than might be inferred
from the candor of it's christening.
A platform, siding, water tank, a
Wells-Fargo Office and telegraph and
ticket office, backed by three rough
frame buildings; that is Detail item
lied completely.
bons of the Santa Fe began to hum. A
headlight peered suspiciously round a
shoulder of the eastern range, took
heart of courage to find the plain still
wrapped in peace, and trudged stolid-
ly toward Detail, the engine whose
eye it was pulling after it string OF
freight cars, both fiat and box.
At Detail the train paused. It's
crew alighted and engaged in anil
mated argument Detail gathered that
the excitement was due to the unac-
countable disappearance of the ca
boose; none seemed to have any no
ton as to how it could have broken
loose; yet missing 1t conspicuously
was.
In the pause that followed, while a
report was telegraphed to headquar-
tiers and instructions returned to pro-
coed without delay, one of the train
men spied a boyish figure lurking in
the open door of an empty box car.
Cunningly boarding this car from the
opposite side, the trainman caught
the skulker unawares and booted him
vaingloriously into the night.
AS the figure alighted and took to
its heels, losing itself in the darkness,
1t uttered cry of panied surprise and
protest which drew a wrinkle of as
constituent between the brows of the
trainman.
Sounded like a woman's voice." he
unused; then dismissed the suggestion
as obviously absurd.
1t was not.
Shortly after the freight train had
gone on it's way-before, indeed, the
glimmer of it's rear lights had been
lost among the western hills-a sec
ond headlight appeared in the east,
swept swiftly across the plain and In
turn stopped at Detail.
The second bird-of-passage proved
to be a locomotive drawing a single
cara Pullman.
Hardly had it run past the switch
however when the brakeman dropped
down, ran quickly back to the switch
and threw it open.
Promptly the train backed on to the
siding.
AS the Pullman jolted across the
frogs the brakeman, interposing him
self between it and the tender, re
leased the coupling.
By the time that the Pullman hac
come to a full stop on the siding, the
locomotive was swinging westward
Ike d SCdl gu JdChl dOOlt -IlOA5h 1AS
such milk-and-watery characterization
OF the traitor passed the lips of any
one OF the three men who presently
on the Pullman's platform
and shook impotent fists in the direc
ton taken by the fugitive engine.
, When the last of these had run tenn
porarily out Of breath and blasphemy |
a brief silence fell, punctuated by |
groans from each, and concluded by |
the sound of voice calling from the
interior of the cara voice as strange
ly sonorous Of tone as it was curiously
1uerulous of accent.
The three men Immediately ran back
INTO the car and presented themselves
with countenances variously apollo
getic, to one who occupied a corner OF
he drawing room: man wrapped in
steamer rug and cloud of fury.
Now when he had drained the
muddy froth of profanity from his tenn
)er it left clear and effervescent
veil of virulent humOr: the wrath OF
he valetudinarian began to vent itself f
pom the hapless heads of the trio who
tooG before him.
While this was in process, the
erson of boyish appearance, who had
cen keeping religiously aloof and in
in the background of De-
all ever since that unhappy affair !
18th the trainman,. stole quietly up to
re rear of the stalled Pullman,
Iimbed aboard, and creeping down f
lie aisle unceremoniously interrupted 8
le conference just as the invalid was :
olishing off rude but honest opinion !
the intellectual caliber of one of the
lree named Marrophat, who figured
!, his right-hand man and familiar .
,nius.
Amen to that" the boyish person Z.
aculated with candid fervor, loung-
g gracelessly in the doorway.
There's many true word spoken In
rath, Mr.. Marrophat. Father forgot !.
ly one thing-your mastery way
th revolver. From what I've seen
that, this day, I'll go bail that the
ly safe place for man you pull q
d on is right in front Of the muzzle.