The Dolores star., 1921-10-21
FRANCIS
LYNDE

things.
This detour took us past tb.
house. and when we reached IN. ,SNs @
table lead. the engine of IN. ,us
arrived freight came backln,
the skip-track. Seeing KIrra,
engineer swung down from ,hs -.
at the lead switch, leaving the ho.,
to spot" the engine on the tah,.
knew the engineer by sight. III, n..
was Gorcher, and he WAS a re,o.-.
cow-punch'-with a record for r.,,,s.
out Of more tight places with . ~.
train than any other man on ,h. s'''
sion. wv
Here's looking at you N, n.
gan." he said. with a sort OF H,,..
Hooiigan grin on his smuttv ~
"iou been passin' the word or,..
among the boys to keep an eve % ~
f'r that Atlantic-type that GOT Io,.S wv
the shuttle. amt you? Well, I ,o,',
her" A'
whats that-where?" snapped K,,
gan. in a tone that made noise IT.. |
the pop of whip-lash.
you know that old gravel nj, ,h,
digs Into the hill a mile west a, "A.
old ~ on the Timber Mountain er,s.,
Well. she's there; plumb at III. n,
end o that gravel track, cold ,M
dead"
"Crippled?" Kirgan raped on,
mot as we could see; lust ds,a
She's got her nose showed A nl.,
into the grave, bank. but She Ain,
off the rail-"
kirgnn nodded. "who else 81,
herr"
"NObody but the boys On our trs,
/ reckon"
"All right. Don't spread 1t. w,u
to make little overtlme?"
II ain't kickin' none"
That's business. After you've hd
your supper, call up your fireman and I
report to me here at the round.hous
Wen take light engine and 20 down
along and get that runaway"
This seemed to settle Klrgan's hall
of the puzzle. We hadn't taken ,ba
gravel track into our calculations Sim
ply because 1t wasn't marked on TN
map we had been studying; but TINT
merely meant that the pit had ben
opened some time after the map hal
been made.
When Gorcher had gone into th
round-hOuse to wash up and tell BIB |
fireman to report back, Kirgan and
i crossed the yard and headed ta
town. left the master-mechan!c d
the door Of Greek eat-shop that he
patronized and went on up to th
Bullard. was Just getting around
to my piece of canned pumpkin ph
when the kid from the dispatcher |
Office came into the grili-room, stretch |
ing his neck as II he were looking for /
somebody. When he got his eye %
me he came across to my corner and
handed me a telegram. 1t was from
Mr.. Chadwick. under Chicago dah
line, and It was addressed ITO th
General Managers Office" Just llh
that. There were only nine word
In 1t, but they were all strictly to The
point: whats gone wrong? When
is Mr.. Norcross? Answer quick"
saw In half a second at least
part Of what had happened. Mr.. Chae
wick was back from his CANADIAN
trip, and somebody-the New Yoh
people. perhaps-had wired him thai
a new general manager had been aF
pointed for Pioneer Short Line. Ins
old wheat kings quick shot at ou
office showed that he wasn't In tn
plot, and that. whatever else had Dc
come Of him. Mr.. Norcross hadn't
yet turned up In Chicago
Gee! but that brought on mas
talk-a whaling let of 1t. l mean'
to find out. right away, II MI. 'm
Britt had come back from the sceu'
of wreck. He was the man to an
swer Mr.. Chadwick's wire. But ~
interruption butted in suddenly, ]uA
as l was signing the dinner caec-
The head waiter. who knew me if0u
having seen me SO often with the oo's
came over to say that was wan'''
quick at the telephone. -
1t was Mrs. Sheila on the wire anS
could tell by the way her 'o.'
sounded that she was nightly @
cited.
I've been calling you on eve.
phone could think Of" was the wv
she began; and then: "Where S -
Van Britt?"