The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-03-25

gineer's box, to put the key back IN
place. Then, with one TO boost anu
the other to pull, we got our two
passengers up into the high cab,
threw few shovel.fuls Of coal into
the firebox and put the blower on
and when we were all set the boss
opened the throttle and we went care
fully nosing ahead over the old track,
feeling our way up the gulch and keep
ing q sharp lookout for the AleXa as
We ground and squealed around the
curves.
II must have been four or five miles
back in the hills to the place where
we found the private car, pushed IN
on an old mine-loading track at the
end of the spur. The other members
OF the crew were or and waiting for
US; and standing out on the back plat
form. In the full glare of the head
light as we nosed up for n coupling,
there was big, gray-haired man,
bareheaded and dressed in rOugh-looE-
ing old clothes like a mining pros
pector
The big man was "Uncle John"
Chadwick, and IL he was properly
astonished at seeing US turn up with
his lost engine, he didn't let 1t inter
fere with our welcome. Mr.. Chadwick
seemed to know Mrs. Sheila; at any
rate, he shook hands with her and
called her by name. Then lie grabbed
for the boss and fairly shouted at
him: "Well, well, Graham !--of all the
lucky things this side Of Mesopota-
mia How the dev-hOw in thunder
did you manage to turn up here!" And
all that, you know.
The explanations, such as they were,
came later AS a matter Of course,
the talk jumped first to the mysterious
hOid-up and kidnapping and the reason
why. There had been no violence
the pistol shots had been merely
meant to scare the trainmen-and
there had been no attempt at robbery;
for that matter, Mr. Chadwick hadn't
even seen the kidnapers, and hadn't
known what was going on until after
9tawas all over
Mr. Norcross told what we had seen,
and how we had come to be where we
were able to see it, but that didn't
help out much, either. From any point
OF view it seemed perfectly foolish,
and the boss made mention of that.
II we hadn't happened to be there to
bring the engine back, the worst that
could have befalIen Mr.. Chadwick and
the crew of the special would have
been a few hours bother and delay.
In the course of time the conductor
would have walked out and got to
wire station somewhere, though it
might have taken him all night, and
then some, to get another engine.
Naturally, Mr.. Chadwick was red
hot about it, on general principles. /
guess he wasn't used to being kid
naped.
II can't help thinking that it is con-
nected with what is due to happen
tomorrow morning, Graham" he said,
6tl sl4lC Sltu VI lAlASSs 4AitlS ctA Y oOttlS
certain scoundrels in Portal City al
the present moment who wouldn't stop
at anything to gain their ends, and l
am wondering now if Dawes wasn't
mixed up in it"
"Who is Dawes7"
.'Dawes is mining man in Portal
City, and before I'd been an hour in
town yesterday he hunted me up and
wanted me to go over to Strathcona
to look at some gold prospects he's
trying to finance. said NO at first,
because was expecting you, and
thought you'd reach Portal City this
morning. When you didn't show up,
knew I had twelve hours lnore on
my hands, and as Dawes was still
hanging on, had our trainmaster
give me a special over to Strathcona,
OH promise thatTd be brought back
early this evening, ahead of the
FLYER from the west-the train you
were on"
Mr. Norcross nodded. "And the
promise wasn't kept"
mo promise is ever kept on the
Pioneer Short Line" growled the big
mNgnate. And then, with a beauti-
full. disregard for the mixed figures
Of speech: "Once in a blue moon the
chapter of accidents hits the bulls
eye whack in the middle, Graham
When Hardshaw wired me from Port
land, l knew you couldn't reach Portal
City before this morning, at the very
earliest. That was going to cut my
time pretty short, with the big gun
due to be fired tomorrow morning
and you cut 1t still shorter by losing
twelve hours somewhere along the
;road--they told me in the dis
.patcher's office that your train was
behind a wreck somewhere up in
Oregon. But it has turned out all
right, Ia spite of everything. You're
here, and we've got the night before
u.s." Then I suppose he nodded to-
ward me, for the boss said:
:: "Oh, Jimmie's all right; he knew
.sahat l had for dinner this evening,
and he'll know what I'm going to have
for breakfast tomorrow morning"
with the bride. off, the big man
went ahead abruptly, cutting out all
Ehe frills.
ssYou finished vOur building con-