Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-04-29

arrived freight came backing down
the skip-trae elk. Seeing kirgan, the
engineer swung down from the step
ut the lead switch, leaving the hostler
to spot" the engine on the table. !
knew the engineer by sight. His name
was Gorcher, and he was a reformed
cow-punch'-with record for getting
out Of more tight places with heavy
train than any other man on the divi-
/ sion.
Here's looking at you, Mr.. Kir-
| gam" he said, with sort Of Happy
Hooligan grin on his smutty face.
You been passin' the word, quiet,
among the boys to keep an eye out
f'r that Atlantic-type that got lost in
the shuttle, amt you? Well. found
her"
whats that-where?" snapped Kir.
gan, In a tone that made noise like
the pop Of whip-lash.
you know that old gravel pit that
digs into the hill a mile west of the
old ~ on the Timber Mountain grade?
Well, she's there; plumb at the far
end O that gravel track, cold and
dead"
"CrippledT Kirgan raped out
"Not as we could see; just dead.
She's got her nose showed q piece
into the gravel bank, but she amt
off the rail-"
Kirgan nodded. "Who else saw
herr"
"Nobody but the boys on our train,
I reckon"
"An right. Don't spread it. Want
to make little overtime7"
II amt kickin' none"
"That's business. After you've had
your supper, call up your fireman and
report to me here at the round-house.
Wen take light engine and 60 down
along and get that runaway"
This seemed to settle Kirgan's half
Of the puzzle. We hadn't taken the
gravel track into our calculations SIM
ply because 1t wasn't marked on the
map we had been studying; but that
merely meant that the pit had been
opened some time after the map had
been made.
When Gorcher had gone into the
round-house to wash up and tell IFS
fireman to report back, Kirgan and
I crossed the yard and headed for
town. I left the naster-mechanic at
the door Of a Greek eat-shop that he
patronized and went on up to the
Billiard. was just getting around
to my piece Of canned pumpkin pie
when the kid from the dispatcher's
Office came into the grill-rOOm, stretch.
ing his neck as II he were looking for
somebody. When he got his eye on
me he came across to my corner and
handed me a telegram. 1t was from
Mr.. Chadwick. under a Chicago date
line, and it was addressed ITO the
General Managers Office" just like
that. There were only nine words
in it, but they were all strictly to the
point: whats gone wrong7 Where
Is Mr.. Norcross? Answer quick"
saw In half a second at least a
part OF what had happened. Mr.. Chad.
wick was back from his Canadian
trip, and somebody-the New York
people, perhaps-had wired him that
a new general manager had been ap-
pointed for Pioneer Short Line. The
old wheat kings quick shot at our
Office showed that he wasn't in the
plot, and that, whatever else had be-
come Of him, Mr.. Norcross hadn't as
yet turned up in Chicago!
Gee! but that brought on more
talk-a whaling lot Of 1t. meant
to find out, right away. II Mr.. Van
Britt had come back from the scene
of a wreck. He was the man to an.
swer Mr.. Chadwick's wire. But an
interruption butted In suddenly, just
as I was signing the dinner check.
The head waiter, who knew me from
having seen me so often with the boss,
came over to say that was wanted
quick at the telephone.
It was Mrs. Sheila on the wire. and
could tell by the way her voice
sounded that she was nightly ex.
cited.
1--WE been calling you on every
phone ! could think Of" was the way
she began; and then: ".Where is Mr..
Van Brittv'
told her about the wreck, and said
was afraid he hadn't got back yet.
l heard something that sounded like
muffled and half-impatient, "Oh,
dear" and then she went on. II have
just had phone message from Mr..
Cantrell, the editor Of the Noun.
taineer. He called the house to try
to find Major Kendrick. He has heard
something which may explain about
Mr.. Norcross. He said he didn't want
70 put 1t on the wire."
That was enough for me. "Tll 60
right over to the Mountaineer Office,
I told her; and in just about two
shakes of a dead lambs tail, l was
standing at Mr.. Cantrell's elbow in
his little den on the third floor of the
newspaper building across the avenue.
Mrs. Macrae telephoned your" he
asked, pushing his bunch Of copy pa
per aside.
"Yes: just a minute ago."
"I'll give you what have, and you
may do what you please with 1t. One