Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-06-29
CHAPTER II.

green and purple lights that dotted
the yard; and he carefully avoided
those other lights, the white lights
Of the yardsmen, now bobbing as the
men ran UP and down, now swinging
from the footboard of passing
switcher, that seemed to be unusually
ubiquitous-for the Hawk was secre-
tive, and for certain good and valid
reasons was possessed of an earnest
desire that no stranger should be
reported prowling around the railroad
yard that night.
He reached the roundhouse stepped
close up against the the wall to take
advantage of the security afforded by
the shadows, and began to circle the
building, The Hawk was treading
silently now. Halfway around the
building he halted abruptly, his head
cooked suddenly in a listening atti-
tude toward small, open and lighted
window on level with his shoulders,
and In order to pass which he had
just been on the point OF STOPPING
down.
II think" said the Hawk softly to
himself. Il think this sounds az tho
1t interested me-
He crept cautiously forward, and
from the edge of the window glanced
inside. It was the turner's "cubby-
hole" or office. The door was closed,
and two men were standing there
talking earnestly. The Hawks face
dimly outlined now In the window
light. smooth-shaven, square jawed,
the eyes and forehead hidden by the
brim of the SLOUGH hat that was
pulled forward almost to the bridge
of, his nose, set with curious and
significant smile. 1t was not q bad
place for a private conference! He
had thought he had recognized the
voice-and he had not been mistaken.
The big, heavy-built, thin-lipped,
pugnacious-faced man was Mac
Vightie, the head of the railroad s
detective force; the other. a smaller
man. with alert grey eyes. his fore
head furrowed anxiously, whose
clenched hand rested on the table
was Lanson, the division superinten.
dent.
L don't know, damn it, Macvigh-
tel" Lanson was saying savagely. II
don't know what to think, or believe
II only know that q Pullman hold
up one night q twenty Thousand dol
lar necklace stolen the next, an ex-
press car looted, and several other
little pleasant episodes all jammsd
one on top OF the other, means hell
to pay out here and nothing to pay
it with, unless we can do something
almighty quick!"
Any more of those MESA res 81
inquired Macyishtie-there was an
ominous abstraction in his tones.
"Yes-tonight."
Make anything OF it?"
mo-" said Lanson: .'and I think It's
about time to put q kink In that little
business. whether they mean any
thing or not. This cat-and -mouso
game we've been playing ism
Wen get back to that in a min
ute" interrupted Macvightie quietly.
Here's 9. little something else that
may possibly fit into the combine
ion." He reached into his pocket.
took out his pocketbook, opened 1t,
and handed the division superinten-
dent q crisp new ten dollar note.
The Hawks lips thinned instantly.
and he swore sharply under his
breath.
Whats thisT' asked Lanson, in
surprise.
"Phony!" said Macvightie iaconic-
ally.
Counterfeit" Lanson turned the
note over in his hands, staring at
first one side and then the other.
Are you sure? I'd take it any time"
You'd have, lots Of company with
you"-there was a sudden rasp in
the detectives voice. Pretty good
one, isn't it? The East is being flood
ed with them. Two of them showed
up in the banks here in the city yes
terday and one today"
Lanson frowned perplexedly.
7 don't get you, Macvightie,' he
said.
Suppose they were being stN,ck
off around here" suggested MacVigh-
tie curtly. II don't say they are, but
suppose 1t were So They'd likely be
showed out as far away from this To-
cality as possible wouldn't they
back East. say. They're SO good that
a jag of them got by before they be.
gan to be detected--and now sup
pose we assume that they're Begin
ming to sift back around the country"
'Well?"
''Wel" -MacVightie caught the
superintendent up quickly-"T didn't
say l could prove it; but, coupled
with the fact that I happen to know
that the police have traced the work
back to somewhere west of Chicago.
I've got a bunch that the gang that
is operating around here and the
crowd that is turning out the phoney
money is the same outfit. The Lord
knows"-he smiled bitterly-"they'r
clever enough! And to go back to
those messages now. If there was
anything in them at all, anything
more than some irresponsible idiot
tampering with a key somewhere, we
were face to face, not with mere
gang of train robbers, but with an
organized criminal league as danger
Gus and powerful as has ever existed
in this country-and that's what made
me hesitate. We couldn't afford to
take any chances, to start out after
mares nest, and we had to make
as nearly sure of our ground as pos