Gunnison news-champion., 1919-12-26
CEkPT ER I.
~ ~ q IA. LIrI.es.

tiy, and -au over toward IA" disused
-r,igh, sh,d h,-sId.. the LDrdshurg sta
don FI,r m.rIt,-- hsf"rr he had been
Al .-Tr;.-. r.Lanl,.. we'll -pn.-rd railroad
nass..ns,r ,u-.n,,-r. but N" suspicious
orr-rrprar.I '-lp. 81 dminutlve.
satla-ru.u-.I man currylnC milk be
t.,r.r. 'h.. -'l'Iuu rs--faurau' and the
IId ,h,I excited him fn pl'ch whore
rule. rrEula'"U- and even dement's
counted f"r nothing
There wr- -nrG"'hluE peculiarly FUR
tive ald wnry about n" little brown
mans ,rrni'hy look ar"und-a mystcri-
ouS unexplained air of wa,ChfuInrss-
~ r .~IarI.u. -nru.. secret. the nature
o' vl.h I,r..r'r,rr could not Imagine.
WI, s,..I hat suraky looking
I.r.,. .a.. .. .r-slnr milk into that
zh..t- -..a himself az N" first
III; ."t. l.' n~ drink It In IA"
r,s- $40 lI' nrri fond Of
II, u- e. |... a rh. I.u"r and -7Izz'r
It da1n un't l" h4,t7-!l that's his
gam
The SECOND Journey between the two
points aa~ oven NOR" my-lfyluE to
III" en-. l-rr. AS the Gonr 70 III" ram
shanalr structure closed hrhul the
mus '.ar.- Tom Irrhrd rn follow him
-l I.' O. r.Ha, G...ur lu a rrn'aTo
he a'nr drinking lt h.m-.'f" hu srunt-
ed. sliding from his sent fn the TuDmy
guuEwuy h,'u,ru rh. n.lrr aud III"
tender "Isr -um-hult.- dr.ukug 1t
-Ihaf'~ ..r.h He aIrr buying milk
down in his desert Country 10 spin II
AROUND rrml-ru"us asr Hut II he
amt drinking IL himself who ISL And
II s,u,.boty else is liking II. why
Is h. l.du- out Iu thur old shackf"
The -roicnI nEur, was padding back
nraIu toward 'hr restaurants evident
Is intent on procuring stl more lac
teal huId Then lr was that Tom
dropped to the ground and shot over to
th" d.-Usrd building.
II. popped his head Into the open
door nud Withdrew II with a celebrity
winch would hnyo made his train on a
Etrni ghtawny two. percent dOwn-grade
resemble a haudcar climbing hill pro
PEELED BY lone section hand.
Ills fireman. Patrick Mahoney, from
the opposite sid" of the great machine
observed DuycupurJ's action with pro
found amnzrm"ut. 1t was not only
r-ains' rhe rul"s-It was unprecedent-
,i unhrard-Of.
whats matter?" demanded Ma.
honey. aS his obese chief climbed back
into tn" cab with Il speed as marvel
Gus as unwoutcd.
Davenport swung TO his seat without
d"igning reply. His face was very
pale. He did not look toward his run
ming matc-instead. his Mortified gaze
might be said to have been frozen 10
the door Of the old freight shack. al,
lowing. of course. for the Intervening
distance.
He intcatly watched the return OF
the hrOwn-skinned atom of humanity
with something between apprehension
and awe and studied him Intently as
lie again entered the tumble-down
building for the third time
The conductor emerged from the
telegraph Office. clutchlng n train or.
der simultaneously with the reappear,
Hnce of the sspia-colored gentleman
from the former freight house Tom
saw that he was now carrying a small
round. covered basket OF odd shape.
Not until then did the engineer seen
to rouse from the fascination which
the little brown man had thrown over
him. and even rs he waited the start
Ing signal he leaned from the cab win.
dow so far, as he followed the strange,
with his eyes. that Mahoney feared he
would fall out.
AS he turned to look across the cab
at the fireman Davenport did not have
the appearance Of man who Is still
possessed of curiosity; but what he
Ind seen he evidently had no intention
of revealing.
"Give her the gun, Paddy" said he
In harsh. unnatural voice. Were
fifteen minutes late now, and II we
don't want TO be dancing on the carpe,
in the super's office In FL Paso we've
got to make up that time II We burn
out crown sheet to do It."
Mahoney nodded as he reached for
the firing-valve and shot another pow
erful Jet of oil against the sides OF
the "wrinkle-belly" firebox, while hs
opened the blower to its fullest capac
Us. ne WIS ueDalng What had come
over his phlegmatic superior.
The thick. black smoke roared out
Of the short stack as Tom leaned agair
from the window, wondering why HI
did not get the starting signal. Tn,
conductor wns standing expectantly OF
the platform fidgeting with his watch
Impatiently the engineer was reach
ing for his detention card to note tn,
new loss of time as q partial measur
Of self.protection, when a tall, lIthe
athletic young man rushed across tn
platform and leaped up the steps o
the Pullman. simultaneously the all
whistle sounded, and Tom yanked hi
throttle-lever with obvious disgust.