Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1915-05-13
CHAPTER xxxvl.
Detail.

Across the plain purple shadows
were 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
nange Of a titanic saucer, silence
brooded and solitude held sway
dwarfing the town Of Detail that &C.
cupied the approximate middle of the
sagebrush waste. to proportions even
less significant than might be inferred
from the candor of its 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
ised completely.
Shortly after nightfall the steel rib
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 1t was pulling after it a string OF
freight cars, both fiat and box.
At Detail the train paused. Its
crew alighted and engaged IN ami
mated argument Detail gathered that
the excitement was due to the unac-
countable disappearance of the ca
boose; none seemed to have any no
tion as to how it could have broken
loose; yet missing 1t conspicuously
was.
In the pause that followed, while
report was telegraphed to headquar.
ters and instructions returned to pro.
coed 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
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 hac
gone on Its way-before, indeed, the
glimmer Of its rear lights had beer
lost among the western hills-a sec
ond headlight appeared in the east
swept swiftly across the plain and il
turn stopped at Detail.
The second of-passage proved
10 be a locomotive drawing a single
cara Pullman.
Hardly had it run past the switch
however, when the brakeman dropped
Town, ran quickly back to the switch
Ind threw 1t open.
Promptly the train backed on to the
Iiding.
Az the Pullman jolted across the
rogs the brakeman, interposing him
'elf between 1t and the tender, re
eased the coupling.
BY the time that the Pullman hat
ome to full stop on the siding. the
locomotive was swinging westward
Ike scared ackrabbit-though nj
UGH milk-and-watery Characterization
Il the traitor passed the lips of any
ne OF the three men who presently
ppeared on the Pullman's platform
nd shook imporent fists in the direc |
ion taken by the fugitive engine.
When the last OF these had run tenn
'orartly out of breath and blasphemy
brief silence fell, punctuated BY
roans from each, and concluded b,
ne sound of voice calling from tn,
Interior OF the cara voice as strange
sonorous Of tone as 1t was curiousI,
Uerulous Of accent.
Inc three men Immediately ran bacl |
ato the car and presented themselve.
nth countenances variously apollo |
etc, to one who occupied a corner
ne drawing room: man wrapped il
steamer rug and cloud of fury.
NOW when he had drained the |
muddy froth Of profanity from his tenn
or 1t left clear and effervesceni
'eli OF virulent humor: the wrath o. |
ne valetudinarian began to vent itseli |
pom the hapless heads of the trio who
tooc before him.
While this was in process. the
erson OF boyish appearance, who hac
cen keeping religiously aloof and In |
onspicuous in the background of De
III ever since that unhappy affail
It'll the trainman. stole quietly up to
le rear of the stalled Pullman
imbed aboard. and creeping down
le aisle unceremoniously interrupted
lie conference just as the invalid was
olish1ng on 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
aculated with candid fervor, loung.
g gracelessly in the doorway.
There's many true word spoken In
rath, Mr.. Marrophat. Father forgot
lily one thing-your mastery way
18th revolver. From what I've seen
that, this day, I'll go bail that the
lily safe place for man you pull a
IN on Is right In front of the muzzle.