The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-03-24

threw a few shoyel-fuls of coal into
the firebox and put the blower on;
and when we were all set, the boss
opened the throttle and we went care
fully nosing ahead over the old track,
feeling our way up the gulch and keep
ing sharp lookout for the Alexa as
we ground and squealed around the
curves.
1t must have been four or five miles
back In the hills to the place where
we found the private car. pushed in
on an old mine-loading track at the
end of the spur. The other members
of the crew were off and waiting for
us; and standing out on the back plat
form, in the full glare of the head
light as we nosed up for a coupling,
there was a big, gray-halred man,
bareheaded and dressed In rough-look-
ing old clothes like a mining pros.
pector.
The big man was "Uncle John"
Chadwick, and If he was properly
astonished at seeing US turn up with
his lost engine, he didn't let 1t inter-
fere with our welcome. Mr.. Chadwick
seemed to know Mrs. Sheila; at any
rate, he shook hands with her and
called her by name. Then he grabbed
for the boss and fairly shouted at
him: "Well, well. Graham l-of all the
lucky things this side of Mesopota-
mia How the dev-how in thunder
did you manage to turn up herer And
all that, you know.
The explanations, such as they were,
came later. As matter Of course.
the talk jumped first to the mysterious
hold-up and kidnapping and the reason
why. There had been no violence
the pistol shots had been merely
meant to scare the trainmen-and
there had been no attempt at robbery;
for that matter, Mr.. Chadwick hadn't
even seen the kidnapers, and hadn't
known what was going on until after
it was all over.
Mr.. Norcross told what we had seen,
and how We had come to be where we
were able to see 1t, but that didn't
help out much, either. From any point
of view it seemed perfectly foolish,
and the boss made mention of that.
II we hadn't happened to be there to
bring the engine back, the worst that
could have befallen Mr.. Chadwick and
the crew of the special would have
been a few hours bother and delay.
In the course of time the conductor
would have walked out and got to a
wire station somewhere, though it
might have taken him all night, and
then some, to get another engine.
Naturally, Mr.. Chadwick was red
hot about it, on general principles l
guess he wasn't used to being kid
naped.
II can't help thinking that 1t is con-
nected with what is due to happen
tomorrow morning, Graham" he said,
at the end of things. There are some
certain scoundrels in Portal City at
the present moment who wouldn't stop
at anything to gain their ends, and
am wondering now If Dawes wasn't
mixed up in it."
"Who is Dawes?"
dawes is a mining man in Portal
City, and before I'd been an hour in
town yesterday he hunted me up and
| wanted me to go over to Strathcona
to look at some gold prospects he's
trying to finance. l said No at first,
because was expecting you, and
thought you'd reach Portal City this
morning. When you didn't show up,
I knew 1 had twelve hours raore on
my hands. and as Dawes was still
hanging on. had our trainmaster
give me a special over to Strathcona,
on promise that I'd be brought back
early this evening, ahead of the
Flyer from the west-the train you
were on"
Mr.. Norcross nodded. .And the
promise wasn't kept"
"No promise is ever kept on the
Pioneer Short Line" growled the big
magnate. And then, with beauti-
full disregard for the mixed figures
of speech: "Once in a blue moon the
chapter of accidents hits the bulls
eye whack in the middle, Graham
When Hardshaw wired me from Port
land, l knew you couldn't reach Portal
City before this morning. at the very
earliest. That was going to cut my
time pretty short, with the big gun
due to be fired tomorrow morning,
and you cut 1t still shorter by losing
twelve hours somewhere along the
road-they told me in the dis
patcher's office that your train was
behind a wreck somewhere up In
Oregon. But 1t has turned out all
right. in spite Of everything. You're
here, and we've got the night before
u.s." Then suppose he nodded to-
ward me, for the boss said:
"Oh, Jimmie's all right; he knew
what / had for dinner this evening,
and he'll know what Tn going to have
for breakfast tomorrow morning"
With the bride or. the big man
went ahead abruptly. cutting out all
the frills.
"You finished your building con-
tract on the Oregon Midland, Gra-
ham and after the road was nnened