Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1917-03-30

ured to the shock and tumult Of con-
-.tct by the experience of many years.
who first recovered his self-possession
and 10ted a one-eyed man stealthtly
making his way out of a deep aud
cavernous assure in some nearby
rocks. Over one shoulder this villain
ous-faced prowler bore a 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, Juggling
out his heavy service revolver. he
rushed after that skulking gangster.
loudly calling on him to surrender in
the name of the !av. But One-Lamp
Louie had no apparent intention Of
surrendering either himself or the
coveted bag OF loot to that wratnful
guardian of public morals. Instead.
he coolly dropped to one knee and
lived up to his repakation OF balng
the handiest gunman ID 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 youthful figure armed
with 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 bs saw
his pursuers emerging from the woods
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-
CINE standing by a dripping water
tank. He leaped aboard and opened
the throttle.
AS the self-constituted posse came
to a baffied stop close by the water
tank they saw an evilly grfnning fg.
ure leaning out from the cab OF the
fast receding engine. a figure whose
hand waved hooking signal OF fare
well in true railroad style.
A few feet distant from the water
tank was a small, boxlike shanty con-
tanning the levers manipulating va
rious switches. In front of this shanty
stood a distraught engineer, volubly
cursing the bold depredator who had
robbed him OF his iron charge. Sud-
denly a new look of CONSERVATION
flashed into his eyes and he turned
in a frenzy Of excitement to his grimy.
faced assistant.
We've got to throw that devil ca
thu main line. Gus" he shouted as b
dived into the boxlike structure. The
Overland is due any second. Theyn
crash together head on"
Almost as he spoke the last words
he damned over one of the shining
levers with all his strength. At that
moment came a long-drawn screeca-
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 eE
press rushing at top speed straight for
the numbering freight engine. The In
tervening space between those speed
ing iron-clad monsters lessened with
every second.
With set faces the little group by
the water tank steeled themselves for
that seemingly inevitable crash of coli
lision. But at that crucial instant thu
outlaw engine swerved with incredi-
BILE swiftness and shot OF into the
long siding, Just as the express thun-
dered past with its dozen coaches of
human freight
Like a crazy Malay running amuck
the engine. with the desperate at it's
throttle, tore down the siding toward
startled group OF laborers who had
been ripping out defective rafi- Amid
babble Of warning shouts the engine
struck that deadly gap. and bereft Of
its steel guides. plowed wildly for Q
short distance along the ties, and then.
enveloped in swirling cloud Of steam,
plunged headlong over the steep em-
bankment Under that shapeless mass
OF twisted metal which had once been
staid old switching engine the white
faced pursuers Of OneLamp Louie
found the crushed and Hfeless form Of
the unregenerate gunman huddled
across burlap sack OF stolen plata.
With a gesture of distress Margery
Golden turned away from that repu.
sive, death-stilled figure.
please take me home" she SAID
YEARLY to her father. who was stssshs
ing near by.