The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-01-21
CHAPTER Sxxvl.
Detail.

| DSGGlIs
Across the plain purple shadows
were sweeping, close-ranked, like some
vast dark army invading the land
nouring on over the rampant Of noun
tains in the east.
Within the rim Of hills that ringed
the plain like the Clipped and broken
hange Of titanic saucer, silence
brooded and solitude held sway
dwarfng 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 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
lied completely.
Shortly after nightfall the steel rib
boas of the Santa Fe began to hum. a
headlight peered suspiciously round q
shoulder of the eastern range, took
heart Of courage 10 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. 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
boose; none seemed to have any no
ton as to how it could have broken
loose; yet missing it conspicuously
was.
In the pause that followed, while a
report was telegraphed to headquar-
tiers and instructions returned to pro-
ceed without delay one Of the train
men spied g. 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
it's heels, losing itself in the darkness,
it uttered a cry Of panied surprise and
protest which drew a wrinkle Of as
tonishment between the brows Of the
trainman.
Sounded like woman's voice." he
mused; then dismissed the suggestion
as obviously absurd.
It was not.
Shortly after the freight train had
gone on its 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 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 ielted across -ths
Kogs the brakeman, InTsf Posing MI
self between it and the tender, r
leased the coupling.
By the time that the Pullman had
come to a full stop on the siding, the
locomotive was swinging westward
like scared jackrabbit-though no
such milk-and-watery Characterization
Of the traitor passed the lips Of any
one OF the three men who presently
appeared 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 a voice calling from the
interior Of the cara voice as strange
ly sonorous Of tone as it was curiously
euerulous 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
the drawing room: man wrapped in
steamer rug and cloud Of fury.
Now when he had drained the
muddy froth Of profanity from his tenn
per it left clear and efervescent
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 kee.Ing religiously aloof and in
conspicuous in the background Of De-
tail ever since that unhappy affair
with the trainman, stole quietly up to
the rear Of the stalled Pullman,
climbed aboard, and creeping down
the aisle unceremoniously interrupted
the conference just as the invalid was
polishing of a rude but honest opinion
of the intellectual caliber Of one Of the
three named Marrophat, who figured
as his rightdhand man and familiar
genius.
amen to that" the boyish person
CALCULATED with candid fervor, loung-
ing gracelessly in the doorway.
There's many true word spoken in
wrath, Mr. Marrophat. Father forgot
only one thing-your mastery way
with revolver. From what I've seen
of that. this day, I'll go bail that the
only safe place for man you pull a
gun On is right in front Of the muzzle.
Th:re's something downright uncanny
il the way you can hit anything but
shat you aim att"
Judith" exclaimed the invalid.
Where did you drop from?"
From that freight" Judith ex-
planned carelessly, neglecting to eluci-
date the exact fashion of her drop. 81
judged you'd be along presently, and
thought I'd like to learn the news.
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