The Dolores star., 1921-02-25

hauled out on the main line2" Bryce
demanded poIntedly.
Pennington, however, was not
trapped. My dear fellow" he replied
patronizIngly. quite impossible, l as
sure you. That old trestle across the
creek. my huy-it hasn't been looked
at for years. While I'd send the light
| switch-engine over II and have no
| fears"
"T happen to know. Colonel, that the
! big mogul Kicked those flats in TO load
| the rails"
81 know 1t. And what happenedf ?
| Why. that old trestle squeaked and
shook and gave every evidence OF be-
| Ing about TO buckle In the center. My
engineer threatened to quit II I sent
him in again"
VERY well. | suppose I'll have To
wait until the switch-engine comes
siguedly. and hung up. He turned n
troubled face TO Ogilvy. Check
! mated" he announced. whipped 10
q frazzle The colonel is lying, Buck.
and I've caught him AT II. As mnt-
ter of fact, the mogul didn't kick those
flats In at all. The switch-eneine did
and | know IT, Now I'm going To
send man over TO Snoop around Pen
ningtOn's rounhhouse and verify his
report about the switch.cnginc being
in The shop"
He did Sc. Half an hour later the
messenger returned with the informa-
tion that not only was the switch-cn-
gine not In the shop hut her fire
box had been overhaulcd the week he
fore and WIS reported TO be in ex-
cellent condition.
"Thut settles It." Buck Ogilvy
mourned. "The Colonel is as suspicious
as II rhino. lie doesn't know anything.
but he smells danger just the same"
Exactly. Buck. So he is delaying
the game until he can learn something
| definite" He drrImmed idly on his
desk for several minutes. Then:
Buck. can you run a locomotiveT'
with one hand old man
1 Fine business. Well. | guess wen
| put in that crossing tomorrow night.
| The Switch-engine will he In the round
| house at Iennington's mill tomorrow
| night, SO we can't steal that hut we
| can steal the mogul. I'll just sen"
| word up to my woods boss not to
have his train loaded when the mogul
comes up late tomorrow afternoon TO
| haul 1t down to our log landing. OF
| course. the engine crew won't bother
| to run down to Sequoia for the night
that Is. they won't run the mogul
! down. They'll just leave her at our
| log landing all night and put up for
the night at our camp"
''But how do you know they will put
| up at your camp all night. Bryce?"
MY men will make them comfort
able, and II means they can lie abed
until seven o'clock instead of having
to roll out at five O'Clock which would
this end of the line. There is n slight
geade at our log landing. know
that, because the air leaked ont of
the brakes on a log train | was on n
short time ago. and the train ran
away with me. Now. the engine crew
| will set the airbrakes on the mogul
| and leave her with steam up to throb
all night; they'll not blow her down.
for that would mean work firing her
In the morning. Our task Buck, will
be to throw off the airbrnkes and let
her glide silently out of our log lnnd-
ing. About Il mile down the road
well stop, get up steam, run down TO
the junction with the main line, back
In on the Laurel Creek spur. couple
onto those fiat cars and breeze mer-
rily down to Sequoia with them.
They'll he loaded waiting for us; our
men will be coAgregated in our dry.
yard Just off Water street near r,
waiting for ns to arrive with the rails
and hing0-we 20 to It, After we
drop the flats. we'll run the engine
back to the woods. leave II where we
found it. return a-fying. You can ge,
back In ample time to superintend the
cutting of the crossinc!''
spoken like mani" quoth Buck
Ogilvy. You're the one man in this
world for whom I'd steal Iocomo.
tive. 'Ata-hoy"
Had either of the conspirntors
known Of Pennington's plans to enter.
tain Mayor Poundstone Mt dinner on
Thursday night. 1t Is probable they
would not lave cheered until those
fiat cars were out Of the woods.
Mayor Poundstone and his wife ar
rived at the Pennington home in Red
wood boulevard at six forty-fve Thurs
day evening. 1t was with profound
feeling of relief that his honor lift
ed the lady from their modest little
"fivver." for once inside the Penning
ton house, lie felt. he would be free
from peculiarly devilIsh brand OF
persecution Inaugurnted by his wife