The Ely miner., 1915-02-19
CHAPTER xxxvl.
Detail.

we're sweeping, close-ranked, like some
vast dark army invading the land.
pouring on over the rampant Of noun.
tains In the east.
Within the rim Of hills that ringed
The plain like the Clipped and broken
tange of a titanic saucer, silence
brooded and solitude held sway
awarfing the town of Detail that oc'
cupied the approximate middle OF the
sagebrush waste, to proportions even
hess significant than might be inferred
rom the candor of It's christening.
A platform, siding. water tank. a
Wells Fargo office and telegraph and
ticket office, backed by three rough
trame buildings; that is Detail item
lzed completely.
Shortly after nightfall the steel rib
bons of the Santa Fe began to hum. A
keadAaht peered suspiciously round a
shoulder Of the eastern range, took
heart Of courage to find the plain still
wrapped in peace. and trudged stolid-
y toward Detail, the engine whose
EYE it was pulling after it string Of
freight cars, both fat and box.
At Detail the train paused. It's
crew alighted and engaged In ami
mated argument. Detail gathered that
The excitement was due to the unac-
countable disappearance of the ca
soose; none seemed to have any no
bose; yet missing it conspicuously
vas.
In the pause that followed, while a
report was telegraphed' to headquar-
ters and instructions returned to pro-
ceed without delay. one OF the train
men spied 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
yaingloriously into the night. ...
AS the figure alighted and took to
ts heels, losing itself In the darkness,
tt uttered cry of panied surprise and
protest which drew q wrinkle of as
tonishment between the brows OF the
Erainman.
Sounded like woman's voice." he
unused; then dismissed the suggestion
ss obviously absurd.
1t was not. -. - '-
Shortly after the freight train had
gene on its way-before, indeed, the
glimmer Of its rear lights had been
lost among the western hills-a Sec
und headlight appeared in the east,
swept swiftly across the plain and In
turn stopped at Detail.
The second bird-of-passage proved
TO be locomotive drawing a single
cara Pullman.
Hardly had 1t run past the switch.
however, when the brakeman dropped
down, ran quickly back to the switch
and threw 1t open.
Promptly the train backed on to the
aiding.
As the Pullman tolted across the
frogs the brakeman. iuterposing him.
self between 1t and the tender, re.
leased the coupling.
BY the time that the Pullman had
come to full stop on the siding, the
locomotive was swinging westward
like a scared ackrabbit-though NO
such milk-and-watery characterization
Df the traitor passed the lips of any
Dpe OF the three men who presently
appeared on the Pullman's platform
and shook impotent fists in the direc.
lion taken by the fugitive engine.
When the last of these had run tenn.
Dorarily out of breath and blasphemy
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
ty sonorous of tone as 1t was curiously
Ruerulous OF accent.
The three men Immediately ran back
into the car and presented themselves
with countenances variously apollo.
setic. to one who occupied corner OF
The drawing room: a man wrapped In
steamer rug and a cloud of fury.
Now when he had drained the
muddy froth OF profanity from his tenn
per 1t left q clear and effervescent
well of virulent humor: the wrath OF
the valetudinarian began to vent itself
upon the hapless heads Of the trio who
stood before him.
While this was in process. the
person Of boyish appearance, who had
been keeping religiously aloof and in
conspicuous in the background of De.
eail ever since that unhappy affair
with the trainman, stole quietly up ia
the rear of the stalled Pullman
rlimbed aboard, and creeping down
The aisle unceremoniously interrupted
the conference just as the invalid was
polishing of a rude but honest opinion
sf the intellectual caliber Of one of the
three named Marrophat, who figured
as hia right-hand man and familiar
genius.
Amen to that" the boyish person
calculated with candid fervor, loung.
ng gracelessly In the doorway
There's many q true word spoken in
xrath, Mr.. Marrophat. Father forgot
snly one thing-your mastery way
with q revolver. From what I've seen
II that. this day. I'll go bail that the
snly safe place for q man you pull q
sun on is right in front Of the muzxle
There's something downright uncanny
n the way you can hit anything but
What you aim att"
Judith" exclaimed the invalid
Where did you drop from?"
From that freight." Judith AZ