The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-06-03

reused him, and he was up and dressed
and coming along beside The engine
When he came up, Maclse told him
WHY we were stopping. He didn't say
anything about the rail break but he
did ask, sort Of sharp and quick, what
engine that was up ahead.
| don't know what MacliSe told him.
Chandler turned 20 go back to his en-
CINE. ana tie rest Of us were moving
along the other way, the boss setting
the pace with Maclise at his elbow
Three ral-lengths ahead Of the stopped
Light engine we came to the break.
The head engineer and another man
were down on their hands and knees
examining it, and when they stood up
at our coming, ! saw that the other
man WAS Mr. van Britt,
"NYhat? said the boss you hereY
Our only millionaire nodded. Il
ride the line once in a while-just 10
see how things are going" he re-
turned crisply.
The boss didn't say anything more
but he lmelt 10 look at the break. 1t
was a trap, all right, set, beyond all
question of doubt, to catch the private
car special. The lsh-plates had been
removed from q joint in the left-hand
rail- and the end of the .dOwn-hill rail-
had been sprung out to make a de-
railing switch, (which was held in posi-
>tion.' by the insertion Of one Of the
fsh-plates between the ratl-Webs. II
we had hit tie trap, going ut even or
binary Notwithstanding speed there
would have been nothing left 20 tell
the tale but Il heap Of scrap at the
bottom of the thousand-foot dump
Under Mr.. Van Britt's directions the
engineer and fireman of the pilot en-
cine brought tools and the break was
repaired.
While they were doing it the boss
stood aside with Mr., Van Britt, and
I heard what was said Mr.. Van Britt
began it by saying. "We don't need
any detectives this time. You are on
your way to Strathcona to put crilnp
i'm The Smelter squeeZe-the LAST or
the Red Tower mmopolies--so Dawes
told me- He was probably foolish
enough to tell others, and the word
was passed to scrag You before you
could get to it, This trap was set to
catch your special"
Evidently" harked the boss and
then: allow did you happen to be
here on that engine, Upton?'
I've been ahead of You all the way
up from Portal City" was the calm
reply. Il thought it might be safer
if YOU had a pilot to show YOU the
way. l guess i must have had a
bunch"
The boss turned on him like fash.
You had something more than a
lunch: what was tia wife?'
Mr.. Van Britt gritted his teeth a
little, but he told the truth.
Yes; a friend Of ours tipped me
or-not about the broken track of
course. hut just in a general way
TIC break was repaired and the
men we're taking the tools back to
the engine. AS we turned to follow
them, Mr.. NorcroSS said: "Just one
more question. Upton Did your wire
come from the captal?'
Gut of this Mr.. Van Britt seemed
10 forget that he was talking to his
general manager,
ITS none OF your id business
where it came from, he snapped back ;
and that ended II
Notwithstanding the slow run and
the near-dsaSter on Slide mountain,
we had our meeting With the Shath-
coma mine owners the following MORN
ing: and that much of the special train
trim served its purpose, anyway. The
boss met the miners a good bit more
than halfway, and gave them their
relicf-and the Hatch-owned smelter
its lnock-out-by promising that our
ttaflic department would make an ore
tariff to The Independent smelter on
the other side of the range low enough
| 10 protect the producers.
II was nearly three o'clock in the
afternoon before we got away for the
return 10 Portal City
We had seen nothing OF Mr.. Van
Britt during the day, and until We
came 10 start out thought maybe