Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-12-07

"Why not7"
Smith looked away out Of the one
square window In the shack at the
busy scene on the dam stagings.
Because I'm not exactly a born sim
pleton, Mr.. Williams. There are a
number OF reasons which are purely
personal to me, and nj least one which
cuts ice on your side of the pond. Your
financial DOCTOR as you call him,
would have to be trusted absolutely in
the handling Of the company's money
and It's negotiable securities. You
could, and should, put him under a
fairly heavy bond. I'll not 90 into 1t
any deeper than to say that 1 can't
give a bond"
Williams took his defeat, If II could
be called a defeat, without further
protest.
81 thought 1t might not be amiss to
talk 1t over with you" he said. "You
say It is impossible, and perhaps 1t is,
But It won't do any harm for you to
think 1t over, and If l were you, 1
shouldn't burn all the bridges behind
me-"
Smith went back to his work in the
quarry with a troubled mind. The
little heart-tO-heart talk with Williams
had been sharply Oppressive. 1t had
shown him, as nothing else could, how
limited for all the remainder of his life
his chances must be. That he would
be pursued, that descriptions and pho
tographs of the ex-cashier Of the Law
%renceville Bank and Trust company
were already circulating from hand to
hand among the paid man-catchers, he
did not doubt for a moment. While he
could remain as a workman unit In an
isolated construction camp, there was
some little hope that he might be over
looked. But to become the public char
acter of Williams suggestion In a
peOpled city was to run to meet his
fate.
1t is said that the flow Of a mighty
river may owe its most radical change
In direction to the chance thrustlng Of
a twig into the current at some critical
instant In the rise or fall of the flood.
To the reincarnated Smith, charting
his course upon the conviction that his
best chance Of immunity lay in isola-
ton and a careful avoidance of the
peopled towns, came the diverting twig
In this wise.
On the second morning following the
unofficial talk with BARLEY Williams
in the iron-sheeted headquarters office
at the dam, n delayed consignment Of
cement. steel and commissary supplies
was due at the sidetrack a mile below
the camp. Perkins, the timekeeper,
called Smith from the quarry and gave
him the invoices covering the ship
ment.
81 guess you'd better go down to
the siding and check this stuff In, so
that wen know what we're getting"
was his suggestion to the general util-
ity nan
When the c~rookings Of the tote-road
let Smith get his first sight of the side
track, he saw that the train was al
ready in. A few minutes sufliced for
the checking. He sent the unloading
gang back to camp with the teams,
meaning to walk back himself after he
should have seen the car of steel and
the two cars of cement kicked in at
the upper end of the sidetrack.
While he was waiting for the train
to pull up and make the shift, he al
commenting idly upon the clumsy lay
out of the temporary unloading yard,
and wondering If Williams were re-
sponsible for 1t. The siding was on
the outside Of a curve and within a
hundred yards Of the river bank.
There was scanty space for the unload
ing Of material, and a good bit of what
there was was taken up by the curv-
ing spur which led Off from the siding
to cross the river on a t%restle, and by
the wagon road itself, which came
down a long hill on the south side Of
the railroad and made an abrupt turn
to cross the main track and the siding
fairly in the midst OF things.
AS the long train pulled up to clear
the road crossing, Smith stepped back
and stood between the two tracks. A
moment later the cut was made, and
the forward section Of the train went
the upper switch, leaving the rear half
standing on the main line.
One OF the men OF the unloading
gang, a leather-faced grade shoveler
who had helped to build the Nevada
Shore Line, had Jagged behind the de-
parting wagons to I'LL and light his
pipe.
Wouldn't that Jar you up right good
and hard fr a way to run a railroad"
he said TO Smith, indicating the wholly
deserted standing section Of the freight
with the burnt match-end. 'Them fell
lies We all gone on up ahead, a%-leavin'
this yere hind end without a sign Of
a man r a flag to take keer Of IT,"
Smith was listening only with the
outward ear to what the plpe-lighter
was saying. Somewhere In the west
ward distances a thunderous murmur
was drOning upon the MINDLESS air OF