The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-07-28
The
Wreckers
By
FRANCIS
LYNDB
CHAPTER XII

The Helpless Wires


when Bobby Kelso shot his news al
Us We all made a quick break for
the dlspatehers Office. the boss In the
lead. Durgin. the night dispatcher,
had been alone on the train desk, and
the only other operators on duty were
the car-rec0rd man and the young fel.
low who acted as 8 relief on the com.
merclal wire. When we got there,
We found that Tarbell had happened
10 be In the Office when Durgin blew
up. He Was sitting In at the train
key. trying 20 get Grow Gulch, the
one intermediate wire station between
the two trains that had failed 10 get
their meet" orders. and this was the
first | knew that he really was the
expert telegraph operator that his
payroll description said he was.
Durgin looked like a tortured ghost.
lie was a thin. dark man with sort
OF scattering beard and limp black
hair: one Of the elearest.headed dis
patchers IN the bunch. and the very
last man, you'd say. 10 get ratified In
tangle-up. Yet here he was, hunched
in a chair at the car-record table In
the corner, staringeyed, pnllid-
faced wreck. with the sweat standing
In big drops on his forehead and his
hands shaking as II he had the palsy
Morris. the relief man gave US the
particulars. such as they were, speak
ing IN a hushed voice as II he was
afraid Of breaking IN on Tarbelfs
steady rattling Of the key in the Grow
Gulch station call.
Number F0urr-Four was the east
bound "Flyer"-'is Eve hours on her
time" he explained. AS near as ]
can get II. Durgin was going 10 make
her meet with Number Five at the
bind siding at Sand Greek tank. =
ought 20 have had her orders some
where west of Bauxite Junction. and
Five ought 20 have got hers at Banta,
Durgin says he simply forgot that
the Flyer was running late: that she
was still OUT and had 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 meetiug-point for the two pas,
senger trains was NJ a point well east
II Portal City instead Of west, and
20. of course, would not concern the
Desert Division crew Of either train,
since an crews were changed at Portal
city. From Banta 10 Bauxite juno
lion. some thlrty-odd miles, there was
only one telegraph station. namely
that at the Crow Gulch lumber camp
seven miles beyond the Timber Noun
tain "" and the gravel pit where the
stolen 1915 had been abandoned.
Unluckily. Grow Gulch was only a
day station. the day wires being han
died by young man who was half
In the pay of the railroad and half
iu that q the saw-mill company This
young man slept at the mill camp.
which was . nile laCs d tiis -u.rh.
There was only one chance IN th9u
sand thar De would De- down al The
railroad station az ten O'Clock al
night. and q was on that thouSanath
chance that TarbeIi was Dttl.ug fhe
Grow Gulch call II Five were max
lHe her card time. she was now about
halfway between Timber Mountain
"Y0 and Grow Guich Aud -Four. the
"Flyer had lust left BauxiJe-with
no orders whatever Which meant that
the two trains would come together
somewhere near sand Greek
Mr. van Britt was as good wire
man as anybody on ne line hut q
was the boss who took things iu hand
There Is long distance Telephone
~ the Grow Gulcb saw-mlil have you
tried thafy" d. barked az Tarbeil
The biz young fellow who looked
ifke eow hoy-aud hal really been
one. they said-rlanced up and nodded:
The calls in- BE- responded. Cen
trar SAYS she can't raise anybody
For the next three - four minutes
the tension was something herce The
hoss and Mr Van Brift hung over the
train desk and TarieH kep, % his
irsstent clatter AZ the Key had an
eye ou Durgin Hs was SIN hunehed
10 On the record.maus chair. and 90
au Appearances haf Esue sturehi'nl
crab. Yet ! couldn't 81 rld q the
idea that he was listening -iistenlng
A. n ali - bis seaiet-up SENSES had
turned n 20 intensity the one q bear
inE
Just about TIE time when the sus-
pens. had growu - keen that Il
s-~ned a. n Il couldn't - borne q
second LONGER. Morris Eho vas ST
ting in st ne ono. phone. csiied out
shnrriy -Iong-9lstau-e ssys she has