The Ordway new era., 1921-08-12


,,,,,I,y deal and had started to drive
TO the gold camp in an auto 10 se' MS
man. ~,,.. H.. hoa
,,.,i,ten Il letter TO Mrs. Sheiln' Ten
,,- bsr what he was going TO do, ana
nat when he got through with H.
.h, would he free The letter. which
had heen left at the hotel, had 'eeh
Ieloved in delivery-had, in fact Just
hoon sent ont TO the majors house by
the night clerk who had tound IT,
Long before the story couid ger u
self fully told, the different gaps IN
n were filling themselves up FOR me
orl for Mr.. NorcrOss. as well. guess
When Mrs. Sheila came TO the auio,
drive part Of it. the boss whlrled ana
shot an order at me.
..Ii,rmie chase into the dispatchcr's
office and find out the name OF the
man who chartered that following en-
riner' he snapped; and went on the
RIM remembering that in the strike
excitement and hustle it hadn't oc-
Cured to anybody TO ask the man
name or that of the particular "miie
owner" who had chartered the special
train
Donohue got the Strathcona opera
tor in less than half minute nfter
l fired my order Mt him, and the an
swer came almost without break
"Charter OF special train was L" IL
Hatch, of Portal City, and OF engine
4lG TO man named Collingwood.
Gosh but this did settle it! | didn
run back to the office with the news
flew. 1t was like firing n gun amongst
| the three who We're waiting, but 1t
had to be done. The major Sroaned
and said. "oh, good GodM and Mrs.
Shella sat down and put her face IN
| her hands. The boss was the only
| one who knew what to do and he did
[ IL: vanished like shot in the direc-
ton OF the dispatcher's office.
In about fifteen OF the longest min
/ utes I ever lived he came back. shaE-
/ ing his head | knew what he had
/ been doing or trying TO do. There
was one night telegraph station on
/ the hranch-at n mining-camp half
way down the grade on Slide Noun
/ taln-and lie had been trying to get
word there to stop the wild engine.
/ He has either brbed or bullied
4 his engine crew." he told the major.
~ wired and had a stop signal set
/ for them at the Antonio mine, but
they overran it, going at full speed
down the hill"
! II was plain enough now what Col
! lingwood was trying to do. The muir
der mania had got firm hold of its
weapon. Collingwood knew that
Hatch was on the special, and he was
/ going to chase that one-car train until
IL made stop somewhere and ther
smash into 1t for blood. After Mr.
Norcross had talked hurriedly for &
minute or two with the major he Wen
back TO the dispatcher's room ant
l went with him
The boss grabbed up an ofiicia
time-card and began TO study it hur
riedly and TO jot down figures won
dered If he wasn't tempted-just th'
least little bit in the world, you know
Here was n thing itself up-a thin;
for which he wasn't in the least re
sponSible-and If it should work out t,
the catastrophe that nobody seemed t,
be able to prevent, the chief of tn,
grafters, and probably number o
his nearest hackers. would be wipe,
off the books; and Collingwood's death
which, in all human probability, wa
equally certain, would set Mrs. Sheil
free.
He must be thinking of 1t, argued
he couldn't be human man and no
be thinking of II. But he neve
stopped his hasty figuring for sngI
instant until he broke Off to bark ou
at kirgan. who was standing by:
Quick Mart. l want n light en-
gine, and somebody to run 1t! jun
for 1t, mani"
kirgan, big and slow -motioned n
most times was off like n shot. The
the boss hurried back down the har
to his own offices. and again I tapge
him. The old major was standing n
a window with his hands behind hin
!, and Mrs. Shella was sitting lust n
We had left her. with the big terro
still in her eyes and her face as whit
as sheet.
I'VE can't stop him without throw
. Ing a switch in front Of him, and tha
would mean death to him and his tw
enginemen," said the boss, talkin
straight at the major. and as IL h
were trying TO ignore Mrs. Shell,
, I'm going to take n long chance an
, run down the line to meet then
, There's bare possibility that ca
contrive TO get between the train an
the engine. and II I CAN"
Mrs. Sheila was on her feet and st
had her hands clasped as IL she we,
going to make prayer to the bos
And 1t was pretty nearly that.
Take ~ she begged: "ob n,eas