The spectator., 1921-06-07


 removed from q joint in the left-hand rail and the end of the Gown-hill rail 1 had been sprung out to make a de- railing switch, which was held in posi- tion by the insertion of one of the | fish-plates between the rail-webs. If we had hit the trap, going at even or dinary mountan-climbing speed, there would have been nothing left to tell 1 the tale but heap of scrap at the | bottom of the thousand-foot dump. Under Mir. Van Britt's directions the engineer and fireman of the pilot ell 1 zine brought tools and the break was repaired.
 While they were doing it the boss stood aside with MT. Van Britt, and I heard what was said. Mir. Van Britt began it by saying, I've don't need any detectives this time. You are on | your way to Strathcona to put crmp in the shelter sQueeZe--the last of the Red Tower monopolies-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 1t. This trap was set to catch your special"
 "Evidently." parked the boss; and then: How 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. q thought it might be safer if you had a pilot to show you the way. I guess I must have had a hunch."
 The boss turned on him like flash.
 You had something more than hunch: what was it-a wire?'
 Mir. Van Britt gritted his teeth little. but he told the truth.
 Yes; friend of ours tipped me off-not about the broken track, of course. but just in general way"
 The break was repaired and the men were taking the tools back to them, Mir Norcross said: Just one more question, Upton. Did your wire come from the capital?"
 But at this Mir Van Britt seemed to forget that he was talking to his general manager.
 It's none of your d--d business where 1t came from" he snapped back and that ended it.
 Notwithstanding the slow run and the near-disaster on Slide mountain. we had our meeting with the Strath- coma mine owners the following morn ing; and that much of the special train trip served its purpose, anyway. The boss met the miners good bit more than halfway, and gave them their relief-and the Hatch-owned shelter its knock -out-by promising that our traffic department would make an ore tariff to the independent shelter on the other side of the range low enough to protect the producers.
 It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon before we got away for the return to Portal City.
 We had seen nothing of MT. Van Britt during the day. and until we came to start out I thought maybe | he had gone back to Portal City on the regular train But at the station I saw the pilot engine just ahead of Us again. and though I couldn't be ! quite sure. thought l caught glimpse of our athletic little general superin- tendent on the fireman's box.
 The boss was pretty quiet all the way on the run down the mountain to BauNite. and. for wonder. he didn't pitch into the work at the desk. l could tell pretty we'll what he was thinking about. For six months he had been working like a horse to pull the Short Line out of the mudhole of contempt and hostility into which a more or less justly aroused public enmity had dumped it. and now, just as he was beginning to get il up over the edge, he had been plainly notified that he was going io be killed If he didn't let go
 Just as the way seemed to be open. ing out to better things for the Short Line. mis-set switch or a bullet in the dark would knock the entire hard built reform experiment. into a cooked hat
 There was every reason, now. to hope that the experiment was going to he success, at least, at our end of it. if il could go on just little farther Slowly but surely the new policy was winning it's way with the public. Traffic was booming, and al most from the first the Interstate Com merce inspectors had let us alone, just as the police will jet a man alone where there is reason to believe that he has taken brace and is trying his best to walk straight.
 Also for the drastic intrastate reg ulatlonS-the laws about headlights, and safety devices. and grade cross ings. and full crews, and the making of reports to this, that and the other state official; laws which. If enforced to the letter would have left the rail road management with little to do but