The spectator., 1921-05-27

Just dDOul lHe llIIle WltH ille 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 Crow Gulch lumber campl"
 MT. Van Britt jumped to take the phone, and we got one side of the talk--our Side-in shot-like 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 stationl Get that? Stop Number Five and make her take siding quick. Report over your own wire what you do. Hurry!'
 By the time Mir. Van Britt got back to the train desk. the boss had his pencil out and was figuring on Der tram's time margin. It was HOW ten twelve, and Five's time at Crow Guleh was ten eighteen. The Crow Gulch operator had just six minutes in which to get his mule and cover the rough mile down the gulch.
 There was nothing to do but wait, and the waiting was savage. Tarbell had nerve of iron, but I could see his hand shake as it lay on the glass topped table. The boss was cool enough outwardly but I knew that in his brain there was heart-breaking picture of those two fast passenger trains rushing together in the night among the hills with no hint of warn- ing to help them save themselves. Mir. Van Britt couldn't keep still. He had his hands jammed in the side pockets of his coat and was pacing back and forth in the little space between the train desk and the counter railing.
 At the different tables in the room the saunders were clicking away as if nothing were happening or due to happen, and above the spattering din and clatter you could hear the escape ment of the big standard-time clock on the wall, hammering out the sec onds that might mean life or death to two or three hundred innocent peo- pie.
 In horrible suspense the six minutes pulled themselves out to an eternity for that little bunch of us in the dis patcher's office who could do nothing but wait. On the stroke of ten-eigh- teen, the time when Five was due at Crow Gulch on her schedule, Tarbell tuned his relay to catch the first faint tappings from the distant day-station. Another sounder was silent. There was hope in the delay, and Morris voiced 1t.
 Hes there and he's too busy to talk to us," he suggested, in hushed voice; and Disbrow. the car-record man, added: That's it; it'd take a misute or two 10 get them in on the siding"
 The second minute passed. and then third, and yet there was no word from Bertram. Gall him." snapped the boss to Tarbell. but hsfore the ex- COW boys hand could reach the key. the sounder began to rattle out a string of dots and dashes; ragged Morse 1t was. but we coui all read it only too plainly.
 
 had to crawl and drag game leg Five passed full speed at ten-nine- teen-l couldn't make it."
 saw the boss hands shut up as though the finger nails would cut into the palms.
 That ends it." he said. with a sort of swearing groan in his voice; and then to Tarbell: You may as we'll call Kirgan and tell him to order out the wrecking train. Then have Per kins make up relief train while you're calling the doctors. Van Britt, yor go and notify the hospital over your own office wire. Have my private car put into the relief, and see to 1t that 1t has all the necessary supplies. And you'd better notify the undertakers, too."
 Great Joash but 1t was horrible for us to be hustling around and mak- Ing arrangements for the funeral while the people who were to be gathered up and buried were stih swinging along live and well, half of them in the crookings among the Timber Noun tain foothills and the other half somewhere in the desert stretches be. low Sand Creek
 Tarbell had sent Disbrow to the phone to call Kirgan, and Mir. Van Britt was turning away to go to his own office, when the chair in the cor ner by the car-record table fell over backwards with a crash and Durgin came staggering across the room. He was staring straight ahead of him as If he had gone blind. and the sweat was running down his face to lose it. self in the struggling beard.
 When he spoke his voice seemed to come from away off somewhere. and he was still staring at the dank wall beyond the counter-railisg.
 Did I--did I hear somebody say you're sending for the undsstakers he choked, withsa dry ra:sle in his