The Dolores star., 1921-09-23
CHAPTER I
At Sand Creek Sidino

AS general proposition, | don't be
heve much in the things called
"hunches." But there are exceptions
TO all rules, and we certainly uncov-
cred the biggest one Of the lot-the
boss and the night we left Port
land and the good old Pacific coast.
1t was this way. We had finished
the construction work on the Oregon
Midland; and were on our way TO the
train when had one of those queer
httle premonitory chilIs you hear SO
much nhout and knew just as well rs
could hr that we were never going
to pu'l through to Chicago without get
ting jolt of some sort The reason
ii you'll call II a reaSon-was that.
Just before we came to the railroad
station. the boss walked calmly under
ladder standing in front OF new
building; and besides that. II was the
thirteenth day Of the month, Fri
day. and raining like the very mis-
chief.
Just to sort of toll us along, may
he. the fates didn't begin on us that
night. They waited until the next
lay, and then proceeded TO shove us
IN behind a freight-train wreck at
Widner. Idaho. where we lost twelve
hours 1t looked as II that didn't
amount to much. because we weren't
due anywhere AT any particular time.
The boss was on his way home for
little visit with his folks in Illinois,
and beyond that he was going to meet
bunch of Englishmen in Montreal
and maybe let them make him general
manager OF one OF the Canadian rail
roads
So Mr. NOrcross was in no special
hurry. and neither was I. had been
confidential clerk and shorthand an
for the boss on the Midland construc-
tion, and he wns taking me along part
ly herHuse he knows cracking good
stenocrapher when he sees one, but
mostly because I was dead anxious to
60 anywhere he was going.
But, II II hadn't been for that
twelve-hOur layout we would have
caught the Saturday night train on
the Pioneer Short Line. instead OF the
train Sunday morning, and there
would have been no meeting with
Mrs. Sheila and Malsie Ann: no tele-
gram from Mr.. Chadwick. because II
wouldn't have found us; no hold-up
at Sand Creek siding: in short. nothing
would have happened that did hap
pen.
1t was on Sunday that the Jolt he
gan to get ready TO land on us. Right
soon after breakfast with the help of
little Pullman berth table and me
and my typewriter Mr.. NOrcrOss
turned our section into business office,
saying that now we had good quiet
day we'd clean up the million or so
odds and ends of correspondence he'd
been letting go while we were tussIing
for the Midland right-of-way through
the Oregon mountains.
From where he sat debating to me
The boss was facing forward and now
and then an absent sort of look came
INTO his eyes while he was talking off
bis letters, and It puzzled me because
It wasn't like him. One of the times
after he had given me a full grist OF
letters and had gone Off to smoke
while typed few thousand lines
from my notes to catch up, ! made
'i'N'NNiSs htl' were TWO people
h Section Five just ahead OF III, n
young woman and II girl of maybe fif-
teen or so. and the Pullman was the
old-fashioned kind. with low seat
backs. put IT hp that in those alb
sent-eyed intervals Mr.. NOrcross had
been studying the back OF the young
woman's neck. ! was measuraby sure
1t wasn't the little girls.
Along In the forenoon | made an ex-
suse to 70 and get drink OF water
cut OF the forward cooler, and on the
way back took good square look
st our neighbors In Number Five The
young woman was pretty enough to
starr stopped clock-only pretty"
isn't just the word. either; there
wasn't any word. when you come right
down to it. And the little girl was
simply peach-a nice. downy, rosy
peach: chunky. round-faced. sunny
haired. jolly: with neat little turned
up nose and big sort Of boyish laugh
Ing eyes that fairly dared the world.
Al the second call to dinner Mr..
Norcross told me to strap up the ma.
rhine md put the files away In the
grips and we'd go eat. He was pretty