Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-04-04
The
.Wreckers
BY
FRANCIS
LYNDB
oeDy dshs By ChAs. Ssribne,s sonS

an answer: "While you're at Il you'd
better get one for me .. there's the
money 10 pay him. and he tossed n
thick roll of bank bills wrapped around
with a rubber band, over to Tarbeil
al The train desk.
Naturally, the little grand'Stand play
with the bank roll made II diversion,
ana that is why the muftled crash OF
pisto! shot came with a startling
shock TO everybody When We turned
TO look, the mischief was done, Dur
gin had crumped down into Il mis-.
shapen heap on the floor and the sl-lt
we saw was enough 10 make your
blood run cold
You see, he had put the mu2zle OF
the pistol into his mouth, and--but It's
no use: | can't tell about ii, and the
very thought Of that hing that had
Just minute before been man ~
ing there on the floor makes me see
black and want 10 keel over What
he had said about sending for an extra
undertaken was right as right WITH
The top IT his head blown off the
poor devil didn't need anything more
In This world except the huryug.
Somebody has said, mighty truth
fully, that even "A death in the family
doesn't stop the common routine; that
the things that have 10 be done Will
90 grinding ON just the same. whether
ali Of us live or some Of Us die IIIS-
brow had jumped from the telephone
at the crash Of Durgln'S shot ana for
Just second or So We all stood around
the dead dispatcher nobody making n
move.
Then Mr. Norcr0Ss came alive with
n jerk, telling DiShrUw to get back ON
his job of calling out the wrcoE Wagons
hnd the relief train, ana directing
Bobby kelso 10 70 10 another rhpn"
ana call an undertaken 10 com" and
get purgins body TarhelI turned
back to the train desk to keep lhu@S
from getting into worse tangjc than
they already were in, and to wait for
the dreadful news, and the boss stood
by him.
This second wait promised to he the
worst Of all The collision was due
TO happen miles from the nearest wire
station; the news when we should
get it, would probably be carried back
to Bauxite Junction by the pn>hrr on.
CINE which had gone cut TO try 70
overtakc tho "Flycr." Eut even IN
that case il might be an agonjZug
hour or more before we could hear
anything,
In little while Disbrow had clicked
in his call TO Kirgan, and when the
undertaker's wagon came to gather up
what was left Of the dead Dispatcher
the car-Tecord mau was hurricdIy writ
ing off his list Of doctors. and Mr.
Van Britt had gone down TO super
intend the making up of the relief
train True to his theory which,
among other things, laid down the
broAd principle that the public had a
right to be given all the facts IN
railroad disaster, Mr., N0rcroSs was
Just telling me to call up the Noun
taineer office, Wien 1arhelI, calmly
linking time reports upon the train
sheet, flung down his pen and >uatched
ut his key to break the gathering
sOunder.
Mr. Van Britt had come upstairs
again and he and the boss We're both
a., fInrItIt y,rlt. h.,
break cleared the wire. Instantly there
came a quick call. "G-S" "G.S" fol-
lowed by the signature "B.J" tor
B0uxite Junction Tarhell answered
had TO say;
"Pusher overlook Number -Four three
miles west of Sand Creek and has
brought her back here What orders
for her.
Somebody groaned. "Oh. thank God -
and Mr.. Van Britt dropped into a
chair as if he had been hit by can
non ball Only the boss kept his head
calling out sharply to- Disbrow 10 break
off on the doctors list and to hurry
and stop kirgan from getting away
with the wreckng train
When it was all over, ana Tarhell
had been given charge of the dis
patching While n hurry cali was sent
out for the night relief man. Donohne
TO come down and take the train desk
there was little committee meeting
In the general managers Office, with
the boss in the chair. and Nh. Van
Britt sitting IN for the other member.
"of course, you've drawn your own
conclusions, Upton" the boss began,
when he had asked me to shut the
door.
81 guess So" was the grave re-
toinder. I'm afraid il is only too
plain that Durgin was hired to do IT,
What became Of The money!
Il have il here" said the boss. and
he took the blood-mompy bank roll
from his pocket aud removed the rub
her band, Count it. Jimmie" he or
dercd, passing it to me.
ran through The bunch. II was
in twenties and fiftics and there was
an even thousand dollars.
THAT is the price of a mans life"
said Mr. Van Britt, sobprly, ana then
Mr.. NorcroSS said. "Who knows any
thing about Dnrgin? Was he mar
ried MANI"
Mr. Van Britt shook his head.
He had been married, but he and
his wife didn't live together He had