The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-04-29

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ferent think coming.
"Out of sight-quick, Jimmiei' he
whispered, and In another second he
had whipped the young woman over
the big footing timber to, standing
place under the tank among the
braces, and had done the same for
the girl.
What followed was as mysterious
as a chapter out of an Anna Katherine
Green detective story. After doing
something to the switch Of the unused
spur track, the four men separated. One
Of them went back to the auto, and
the other three walked down the main
track to the lower switch of the short
siding, which was on the same side Of
the main line as the spur. Here the
fourth man rejoined them, and the
girl at my elbow told US what he had
gone back to the car for.
HE has lighted a red lantern" she
whispered. II saw 1t when he took
it out of the auto"
guess it was pretty plain to all of
us by this time that there was some
thing decidedly crooked on the cards,
but If we had known what 1t was, we
couldn't very well have done anything
to prevent it. There were only two
Of US men to their four; and, besides,
there wasn't any time. The lantern
carrying man had barely reached the
lower switch when we heard the whis-
tie Of locomotive. There was a. train
coming from the west, and few Sec
onds later an electric headlight showed
up on the long tangent beyond the
siding.
1t was bandit hold-up, all right.
One Of the men stood on the track
waving the red lantern; we could see
him plainly in the glare Of the head
light. There wasn't much Of a scrap.
There were two or three pistol shots,
and then, as near as we could make
out, the hold-up men, or some of them.
climbed into the engine.
Before you could count ten they had
made a flying switch with the single
car. kicking 1t In on the siding. Before
the car had come fully to stop, the
engine was switched in behind 1t, cou-
pied on, and the reversed train, with
the engine pushing the car, ratified
away on the old spur that led off into
the hills; clattered away and was lost
to sight and hearing in less than
minute.
1t was not until after the train was
switched aud gone that we discovered
that two Of the bandits had been left
behind. These two reset the switches
for the main track, leaving everything
as they had found it, and then
crossed over to the auto.
was just thinking that all this
mystery and kidnapping and gun play
must be sort of hard on the young
woman and the girl, but, though my
half of the allotment was shivering
little and smuggling up just a grain
closer to me, she proved that she
hadn't lost her nerve.
did you see the name on that car
when the engine went past to get in
behind it?' she asked.
NO." said the boss; and / hadn't,
either.
Il did," she asserted, showing that
her eyes. or her wits, were quicker
than ours. II had just one little
glimpse of it. The name is .A-l-e-x-a.'
spelling 1t out.
Mr.. Norcross started as If he had
been shot.
1.-THE AIexa? That is Mr.. Chad
wick's private car-they've kidnapped
hint" Then he whirled short on me.
Jimmie, are you man enough to go
with me and try a tackle on those
fellows over there in that auto?'
said / was; but didn't add what
I thought-that it would probably be
case of double suicide for us twosto
go up against pair of armed thugs
with our bare hands. The young wo-
man put in her word.
.You mustn't think of doing such
thing" she protested; and she was
sons why he mustn't, when we heard
the creak and grind of the stolen en-
CINE coming back down the old spur.
After that there was nothing to do
but to wait and see what was going
to happen next. What did happen was
as blind as all the rest. The engine
was stopped somewhere in the gulch
back Of us and out of sight from our
hiding-place. and pretty soon the two
men who had gone with her came hur-
rying across out OF the hill shadows,
making straight for the auto. A min
ute or two later they had climbed
into the machine. the motor had sput-
tered, and the car was gone.