The spectator., 1921-04-29

1 wheels of reform.
 "I know" he put In. But I've been readin' the papers, Jimmie. and it ain't all Red Tower. not by Il jugful. The big graft In this neck-a woods Is political, and the Red Tower gang is only set-a coCs In the bull-wheel. Mir. Norcross was gettin' himself mighty pointedly disliked; you know that. The way he was aimln' to run things. the people of this state might wake up some day and turn in and help him." T know all about that" l threw in. But where are you trying to land, Mart?"
 Right here. Mir. Norcross was the whole show. Take him out. of it and the whole shootin' match would fall to pieces-as It's doln right now. They didn't need to slug him or shoot him up or anything like that: If 1t could be made to look as If he'd jumped the job. quit. chucked 1t all up, why. there you are. new boss would be sent out here, and you could
  anybody like Mir. Norcross. Not so you could notice It. The New York people would take blamed good care-a that"
 You think the Dunton people are standing in with the graft?'
 Nobody could've grabbed off the motivepower job on this railroad, as l did. Jimmie, and not think it-and he d--n' sure of it. Why, Lord q Heavens, the Red Tower bunch was usin' Us just the same as if We be- longed to 'em bordering our men to do their machinery repairs. helpin' themselves to any railroad material that they happened 10 need, usin' our ears and engines on their leggin' roads and mine branches"
 You stopped all this?'
 You bet I did-bctween two days, They've been makin' seventeen differ ent kinds of Il roar ever since, but I've had Mir. Van Britt and the big boss behind me, so l just showed ahead"
 What kirgan said about the Red Tower people using our rolling stock on their private branch roads set bee to buzzing in my brain. What if they had stolen the 1916 to use In that way?
 You have n blueprint of the Portal division here. haven't you?" I asked. Dig it up and let's have q look at it"
 At first the facts threatened to bluff us. The blueprint engineers map was an old one. but it showed the spurs and side-trackS, the stations and water tanks. Since the lost engine had been standing at the western end of the Portal City yards we didn't try to trace it eastward. To get ont In that direction 1t would have had to pass the round-house, the shops. the pas Senger station and the headquarters building, and. even at that time of night. somebody would have been sure to see 1t.
 Tracing the other way-westward- we had clear track for ten miles to Arroyo. Arroyo had no night opera tor. so we agreed that the stolen en- zine might easily have slipped past there without being marked down. Eight miles beyond Arroyo we came to Banta. the first night station west of Portal City. Here. as We figured It. the wild engine must have been seen by the operator. If by no one else. Banta was an apple town, and the town itself might have been asleep. but the wire man at the sta ton shouldn't have been.
 Lets hold Banta in suspense bit, and allow that by some means or other the thieves managed 10 get by" l suggested. The next thing to be considered Is the fact that the Ten Sixteen must now have been run nins-without orders, We mustaremem- ber-against the Fast Mail coming east. The Mail didn't pass her any where-not officially, at least; if 1t had. the fact would show up in some stations report to the dispatcher's office"
 At this, we hunted mp an official time-card and began to figure on the meet" proposition. The Fast Mall was due at Portal City at twelve twenty. and on the night in question It had been on time. Making due time allowances for inaccuracy In the yard watchman's story. the missing engine could hardly have left the Portal City yard much before ten forty-fve
 The Fast Mail was scheduled at forty miles an hour. Its time at Banta was eleven-tifty-three Allowing the l0l6 the same rate of speed in the opposite direction. 1t would have passed Banta at eleven twelve or there abouts. Hence there would still be forty-one minutes running time to be | divided between the eastbound train and the westbound engine. In other words. the meeting point. with the two running at the same speed. would fall | about twenty minutes west of Banta. Tracing the line on the blueprint. we hunted for possible passing point.