The Adair County news., 1922-06-20

ne knew WneJnor the muSkeS COulu De
spanned.
He spent the morning In his Office,
writing report for the directors. The
news would reach Clayton as soon as
1t could be telephOned, but at least he
would have another chance. 1t was
too late now to think Of changing the
route without throwing the company
into liquidation. And Kitty held con-
troll.
The thought Of that strengthened his
resolve. He could not bring himself
to go to Molly with the dependency
upon him, but busted himself that af-
ternoOn examining Che wreck.
For about q month he had had
strange protege. One evening Jules
Halfhead, the deaf-mute, appeared at
the door of his shack, and quickly as
sumed Che care Of 1t. He was nearly
always to be found there in WiltOn's
absence. Sometimes, however, he
would betake himself back to the port
age, and he was free Of the camp,
where he ran errands and messages for
the engineers, and was the butt of mild
practical jokes.
Wilton came to the conclusion, how
ever, that the Muskegon's mind was as
acute as any mans, and that his appar-
ent simplicity was nothing but the out
ward aspect of his infirmity.
When Jules had cooked WiltOn's sup
per that evening he came into the Office
In state Of excitement. The man had
loved the work. He was often to be
seen on the trestle, clinging for dear
life to a plank as the trucks rumbled
past within an inch Of his head. When
he saw the wreck of the embankment
that morning. the foreman said that he
had burst into tears. Now he was evil
dently trying to describe something to
Wilton in pantomime but Wilton could
not follow his meaning.
Suddenly he seized a pencil from the
desk and, STOPPING, began to draw a
picture of the trestle upon the wall
with remarkable skill.
Wilton's interest was at once
aroused. 'Yes," he said, nodding to
Jules. "What about itY
1t was his habit to talk, although the
deaf-mute could not hear his voice.
Jules had an instructive faculty of un-
derstanding. He looked at Wilton and
nodded back.
He next drew four uprights-the
long, heavy trunks of considerable
girth that were driven into the ground
to support the trestling. Then he made
smudgy line across each. Then he
drew a hatchet. He looked up at VIII
ton In pathetic eagerness, and nodded
again.
"You mean that some one tampered
with the trestling?" shouted Wilton.
Jules, who had watched his lips,
nodded eagerly. But, as he always nod
ded when he was spoken to, little
meaning could be attached to that.
Wilton wondered if that was what
he did mean. If the uprights had been
tampered with before they were set in
to the ground, by ax-cuts or otherwise,
the weight of the ballast would un-
doubtedly have broken them. The
break would not have been immediate
ly apparent, but the trestling would in
such case be practically imposed upon
the surface of the swamp, without sup
port. The ballast would have spread
over the muskeg, causing the entire
structure to subSide.
"Who did itf' asked Wilton, speak
ing slowly and carefully.
T,,1o h inn,
suddenly turned and, with lightning
movements, drew a caricature Of Lee
Chambers on the woodwork Of the
wall.
Wilton looked at 1t and drew in his
breath. Then he nodded. Jules nod
ded in return, smiled, and left the
room. Wilton reflected deeply.
If Chambers was a spy of BOwyer's,
why had he shown him the bedrock at
all? On the other hand, assuming that
Wilton must eventually discover it
himself, BOwyer might have sent
Chambers to make virtue of a neces-
Sity and to secure a position at the
camp, where he could be of service to
him.
In any case, Wilton could afford to
take no further chances with him. 1t
would serve no purpose to accuse him
Of having tampered with the trestling.
He would give him a post somewhere
where he could do no harm, and thus
get rid of him.
Fighting down the burning rage In
his heart, he went down the road to-
ward the shack which the engineer oc-
cupied. This was a reconstructed
shed. There was only one room In it,
but Chambers had asked to have this
rather than share the quarters of the
other engineers.
The men were back in the bunk
houses, but the door of the shed was
padlOcked. Thinking that Chambers
might be in the camp, he made his
way toward the other quarters. But
presently he heard some one calling
him and, turning, saw Andersen run
ming after him.
"Were you looking for Mr.. Cham
bers, sir?" asked the foreman.