Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-05-24
NoVELIZED FROM THE NOV
ING PICTURE PLAY OF THE
SAME NAME. PRODUCED BY
THE SIGNAL FILM CORPORA.
TON. cognoHr. tais. BY FRAkk \. SPfAsf1AN.


was in the convict's mind.
Il suppose" muttered Seagrue. you
are going after it?"
Then you've got one more suppose
coming" retorted Spike.
Seagrue studied the message. 1T
wouldn't be a bad idea to get hold of
the stuff a while, anyway" he unused.
Its behind time now. l understand;
and hear the men over there are get
ting restless about not getting their
money. if you could hold it up on
Rhinelander few days you might
work up strike"
And if we get caught pinching it"
assented Spike ironically, where do
get OFF,"
You get off," snapped Seagrue,
where you always get off-at the hind
end of the train"
How far do you want to go with
this thing?" demanded Spike, casting
vicious eye on his employer.
Il don't care how far you 60" said
Seagrue, provided you hold up that
pay roll"
Spike left the camp. No more
than a moments reflection was need
ed to suggest an idea to him. Return
ing to the station, he got long dis
lance telephone wire and called up
two of his friends at Oceanside-
Sykes, a convict acquaintance, and a
chum of Sykes, who, in various en-
counters with the law, had lost all Of
his name but Dan"
In jailbird jargon Spike explained
to Sykes, who answered the telephone,
Dan, standing near Sykes in the room
they occupied together, asked ques-
tions and prompted his companion,
who tried to get from Spike-reluc-
tant to talk much on the wire-a de-
scription of the lay of the land. Spike
bluntly told them in the end to stow
it and take the job or leave 1t. as
they liked. However, the two GRIM
inals got enough from him to decide
that a third man was indicated, and
they called into their conference a
crooked safe expert, known only by
his nickname of bat, the Bat" To
him they confided their plot. Nothing
loath. Bat consented to join in the en-
terprise, and following Spikes hints,
the trio made arrangements to leave
for Signal on the train that should
carry Rhinelander's pay roll.
When No. pulled into Signal next
morning three men dropped off the
hind end. They made up the GRIM
inal gang that Spike had engaged to
rob Rhinelander, and, knowing the
loot was expected on the train that
carried them, two of the men kept
the front end of the train well in view
until they had watched Lyons and
Helen take the package of money from
the express messenger, and after re-
ceipting for it, walk with Rhinelander
into the station. Inside of the office
Rhinelander examined the shipment of
currency.
81 have no safe at the camp, Lyons"
explained Rhinelander, when the agent
asked him to receipt for the package.
Keep it here for me in your safe I'M
til tomorrow" He pushed the open
package of bills back through the
wicket of the counter, but in doing
this he accidentally overturned bot
tie of ink
Helen screamed a little, and jump
ing aside, caught up piece of cloth
from the letter-press stand. wiped the
ink off the bills as best she could and
turned them over to Lyons, who took
the big package within his charge
and placed it carefully in the safe.
Not, however, without having been
observed by two of the Oceanside
criminals who were lettering just then
outside the Office window.
Turning away before they were dis
covered, these men-Sykes and Dan
were Joined by the third member of
their expedition, and the three headed
for Rhinelander's camp to hunt UP
Spike. They encountered him on the
way over to the station to look for
them. A consultation was held in the
woods. The four were now assured
that the money had come, and they
knew where it had been put. To the
safe expert was left the details, and
when these had been arranged to suit
him, the quartet scattered. That
evening they might have been seen
lowering around the station about the
time that Helen and Lyons were clos
ing up for the night. Indeed the lat
ter had hardly locked the station door
before Spike, wetching his opportuni-
ty, sigIsled his assistants to the
freighthOuse window. This, without
ceremony, they broke open and enter
ing the telegraph Office from the
freightroom. took possession of the
premises.
The man known as The Bat, the
master mind of the visiting trio, at
once got down in front of the safe for
an examination. 1t took him only a
moment to examine and tabulate in
his mind the kind of safe he had to
do with It was one Of the old-fash-
Toned. way-station kind, with a three
tumbler drive lock. But to open this
without violence-which would not
have suited their plans-it was neces-
sary to work out the combination by
cunning. Proceeding patiently and
methodically, The Bat soon had the
complete combination of the safe. In
another moment he threw back the
bolts and swung tie door open.
They took the pay roll package out
just as Lyons had placed it within the
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