The Elbert County tribune., 1916-09-15


-.ict by the experience of many years.
who first recovered his self-possession
and noted a one-eyed man stealthily
making his way out of a deep and
cavernous fissure in some nearby
rocks. Over one shoulder this villain
ous-faced prowler bore burlap sack
which-gave out a clanking sound as
he felt his way step by step along
the rough trail.
The captain made up in valor what
he lacked in discretion, and, tugging
out his heavy service revolver. he
rushed after that skulking gangster.
loudly calling on him to surrender in
the name of the law. But One-Lamp
Louie had no apparent intention of
surrendering either himself or the
coveted bag of loot to that wrathful
guardian of public morals. Instead.
he coolly dropped to ono knee AMI
lived up to his reputation of being
the handiest gunman in Legar's hard.
shooting gang by sending bullet neat.
ly drilled through the police captains
shoulder.
But he did not know as he lodged
his way among the shadowy tree
trunks that a youthful figure armed
with a heavy police revolver. a reso-
lute-faced girl and an elderly white
haired man were rapidly closing in
on him. AS he broke from cover and
started up the railroad embankment
he ripped out hasty oath as he saw
his pursuers emerging from the woods
a short distance below him. At the
same moment they saw that sinister
figure with the burlap sack and came
toward him on the run.
One-Lamp Louie instantly reached
the conclusion that it was safer to
run than to fight, and he pounded up
the ties with rapid strides
Fifty yards up the track the gang.
ster saw a battered old switching en-.
gine standing by dripping water
tank. He leaped aboard and opened
the throttle.
AS the self-constituted posse came
to baffied stop close by the water
tank they saw an evilly grinning fig
ure leaning out from the cab of the
fast receding engine a figure whose
hand waved a mocking signal of fare
well in true railroad style.
A few feet distant from the water
tank was small, boxlike shanty con.
| tanning the levers manipulating va.
rious switches. In front of this shanty
| stood distraught engineer, volubly
cursing the bold depredator who had
robbed him of his iron charge. Sud.
denly a new look of CONSERVATION
| fl1shed into his eyes and he turned
| in a frenzy of excitement to his grimy.
faced assistant
We've got to throw that devil of
thu main line, Gus" he shouted as he
dived into the boxlike structure. THE
Overland is due any second. They'll
crash together head on"
Almost as he spoke the last words
he jammed over one of the shining
levers with all his strength. At that
moment came a long-drawn screech.
ing whistle, accompanied by the grind
ing sound of hastily applied airbrakes
Down the level stretch of track the
onlookers, gripped in an agony of sus
pense. saw the heavy Overland ex.
press rushing at top speed straight for
the numbering freight engine. The in
tervening space between those speed
|
every second.
With set faces the little group by
! the water tank steeled themselves for
that seemingly inevitable crash of col
lision. But at that crucial instant the
outlaw engine .werved ith incredi
BILE swiftness and shot off into the
long siding, just, as the express thun.
dered past with its dozen coaches of
human freight.
Like a crazy Malay running amuck
tho engine, with the desperate at its
throttle, tore down the siding toward
a startled group of laborers who had
been ripping out defective rail. Amid
a babble of warning shouts the engine
struck that deadly gap, and bereft of
its steel guides, plowed wildly for a
short distance along the ties, and then,
enveloped in swirling cloud of steam,
plunged headlong over the steep en-
bankment. Under that shapeless mass
OF twisted metal which had once been
a staid old switching engine the white
faced pursuers of One-Lamp Louie
found the crushed and lifeless form of
the unregenerate gunman huddled
across burlap sack OF stolen plate.
With gesture of distress Margery
Golden turned away from that repul-
sive. death-stilled figure.
please take me home" she said
wearily to her father, who was stand.
ing near by.