The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-06-16
\ eW Y T: &C:
MI By FRANCIS LYNDE

Number FOur'--Four was the east
bound "Flyer"-"is five hours off her
time," he explained. "As near as |
can get it. Durgin was going to make
her meet with Number Five at the
blind siding at Sand Creek tank. She
ought to have had her orders some
where west Of Bauxite Junction. and
Five ought to have got hers at Banta.
Durgin says he simply forgot that
the Flyer was running late: that she
was still out and had a meet to make
somewhere with Five
Brief as Morris explanation was,
it was clear enough for anybody who
knew the road and the schedules. The
regular mPeting-point for the two pas
senger trains was at a point we'll east
of Portal City, instead Of west, and
so, of course, would not concern the
Desert Division crew of either train,
since all crews were changed at Portal
City. From Banta to BauXite June
ton, some thirty-odd miles, there was
only one telegraph station, namely,
that at the Crow GulCh lumber camp,
seven miles beyond the Timber Noun
tain "Y' and the gravel pit where the
stolen 10lG had been abandoned.
UnIuckily, Grow Gulch was only a
day station the day wires being han
died by a young man who was half
in the pay of the railroad and half
in that of the saw-mill company. This
young man slept at the mill camp,
which Was a mile back in the gulch
There was only one chance in a thou
sand that he would be down at the
railroad station at ten o'clock at
night, and it was on that thousandth
chance that Tarbeit was rafting the
Crow Gulch call. If Five were max
ing her card time, she was now about
halfway between Timber Mountain
"Y" and Crow Gulch. And Four, the
"Flyer," had Just left BauXite-wlth
no orders whatever. Which meant that
the two trains would come together
somewhere near Sand Creek.
Mr.. Van Britt was as good wire
man as anybody on the line, but it
was the boss who took things in hand.
"There is a ong-distance telephone
to the Crow Gulch saW-mill; have you
tried that?" he barked at Tarbell.
The big young fellow who looked
like a cow-boy-and had really been
one, they said-glanced up and nodded:
"The calls in," he responded: Seen
trail says she can't raise anybody"
For the next three or four minutes
the tension was something fierce. The
boss and Mr.. Van Britt hung over the
train desk, and Tarbell kept up his
insistent clatter at the key. had an
eye on Durgin. He was still hunched
up in the recOrd-man'S chair, and to
all appearances had gone stone-blind
crazy. Yet I couldn't get rid of the
idea that he was MISUNDERSTANDING
as If all of his sealed-up senses had
turned in to intensity the one of hear
ing.
Just about the time when the sus-
pense had grown so keen that it
seemed as if It couldn't be borne a
second longer, Morris. who was sit
ting in at the Office phone, called out
sharply: "Long-distance says she has
Grow GuIch lumber camp"
MIR. Van Britt jumped to take the
phone, and we got one side Of the
talk-our side-in shotlike sentences:
THAT you, Bertram? All right; this
is Van Britt, at Portal City. Take one
Of the mules and ride for your life
down the gulch to the station! Get
that? Stop Number Five and make
her take siding quick. Report over
your own wire what you do. Hurry"
BY the time Mr.. Van Britt got back
to the train desk, the boss had his
pencil out and was figuring on Der.
trans time margin. 1t was now ten