New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-06-24

fell with a splash into the creek. Then
he pushed the door open with his foot,
and showed in and for just II half
second | was afraid to follOw-afraid
Of what We might find in that gloomy
looking log warehouse, with its blinded
windows and locked door.
While | a nerving myself and
stumbling over the threshold behind
kirgan with the lantern, | heard the
boss voice. and it wasn't the voice of
any dead man, not by a long shot
From what he said, and the way he
"A trimming 1t up with no ones,
1t was evident that he took us for
some other crowd that he'd been
GUESSING out before.
The light of the lantern showed us
a long room. bare of furnishings, and
dark and musty from having been
shut up so tight. In the far end there
We're a couple of hunks built against
The log wall. On what had once been
the counter of the commisSary there
was a lot of canned stuff and a box
of crackers that had been broken open,
and on "A bench by the door there was
a bucket of water and n tin cup.
The boss was sitting up in one of
the hunks, and he vas still tearing of
language in strips at us when we
closed on him. He recognized kirgan
first, and then Gorcher. | guess he
couldn't see me very well because
| was holding the lantern, When
he found out who we We're, he
stopped swearing and got up out of
the bunk TO put his hand on Mart
Kirgan's shoulder. That was the
only break he made to show that he
was a man, like the rest of US. The
next minute he was the big boss
again, ripping out his orders as if he
had just pushed his desk button to
call us in.
you've got an engine here, | sup
posef' he snapped, at Kirgan. Then
wen get out of this quick. What day
Of the week is it?'
| told him it was Friday, and by
his asking that, ! knew he must have
been so roughly handled that he had
lost count of time. The next order
was shot at the two firemen.
"You boys kick that packing-boX TO
pieces and then pull the straw out of
that bunk and touch "A match to II.
Wen make sure that they'll never
lock anybody else up in this id dog
hole"
The two young huskles obeyed the
order promptly. In half a minute
the dry slab stuff that the hunks were
built of was ablaZe and the boss
herded us to the door, and a minute
or so later we were all climbing into
the cab of the waiting engine.
We had to run so slowly down the
old track to the "Y" that there was
plenty of chance for the boss TO talk,
if he had wanted to. But apparently
he didn't want to. He sat on the
me to hold me On, just as kirgan had
sat on the way up, and never opened
his head except once to ask me what
was the matter with my wrapped-up
hand. When | told him, he made no
comment. and didn't speak again until
we had stopped on the leg of the ~"
to let Klrgan and his three helpers
put the borrowed rails back into place.
you say it's Friday" he began alb
ruptly. whats been going on since
Monday night, Jimmief'
| boiled 1t down for him into just
as few words as possible; about the
letter he had left for Mr.. Van Britt,
how everybody thought he had re-
signed. how Mrs. Sheila and the major
were two of the few who weren't will
ing to believe 1t, how Mr.. Chadwick
had been out of reach, how the rail-
road outfit was Hopping around like a
chicken with its head chopped OF,
how President Dunton had appointed
a new general manager who was ex-
pected now on any train, how Gorcher
had discovered the lost lOl6 on the
old dlsused gravel-pit track a mile be-
low us, and. t. wind up with, ! slipped
him Mr.. Chadwick's telegram which
had come Just ms | was finishing my
supper In the Billiard grill-room, and
those two others that had come on
the knockout night, and which had
been in my pocket ever since.
lie heard me through without say
ing a word, n when ! gave him the
kilograms he read them by the light
of the gauge iamp-also without say
ing anything. But when the mel had
the "Y" rails replaced he took hold
of things again with a jerk.
"Kirgan, you'll want TO see to get
ting that dead engine out of the gravel
Dit yourself. Take one of the firemen
and 20 to it. It's a short mile and
Won can walk in. Jimmie and | want
to get back to Portal City in a hurry.
and Gorcher will take u.s." And then
70 Gorcher: "We1l run to Banta ahead
of Number Eighteen and get orders
there. Move lively. Billy; times pre-
cious."
We made Banta at a record clip.
While he was in the Banta wire office.
getting orders for Portal City. Mr.. Nor
cross took the time-card out of its
cage In the cab and fell TO studying
il by the light of the gauge lamp.
Gorcher came back pretty soon with
his clearance, which gave him the
right to run to Arroyo as first section
of Number Eighteen.
The boss blew up like a Roman
candle when he saw that train order.
II meant that we were to take the
siding at Arroyo with the freight that
was just behind us, and wait there
for the westbOund Flyer" the Flyer
being due in Portal City from the east
at 9:15. and due to leave there, rom
inc west at go. / didn't realize at