Evening star., 1922-08-18
The Treasure Train
By Arthur B. Reeve.
The Stars Week End Fiction
Second of Three Insta71n1ents
Then I arm going with you" she

exclaimed.
Kennedy paused and met her eyes.
I do not know whether he read what
was back Of her sudden decision. At
least l could not. unless there was
something about Rodman Lane
which she wished to have cleared up.
Kennedy seemed to read her charac-
ter and know that girl like Maude
Euston would be q help In any emer-
gency. =.
Very we'll" he agreed; meet US
at Mr.. Lanes office in half an hour.
Walter. see whether you can find
Whiting"
Whiting was one of Kennedy's stu
dents with whom he had been lately
conducting some experiments. i hur-
ried out and managed to locate him.
What is 1t you expect?" l asked
when we returned. "A wreck-some
spectacular stroke at the nations that
are shipping the gold?"
Perhaps" he replied, absently, as
he and Whiting hurriedly assembled
some parts of instruments that were
on table in an adjoining room.
"Perhaps?" I repeated. What else
might there be-"
Robbery"
Robbery" exclaimed. "Of twenty
million dollars. Why. man. just con-
slider the mere weight of the metal!'
That's all very WELL" he replied.
Wn,a;ns Warning up a bi. as She he saw thst that
quickly. But 1t needs only. a bit of
twenty millions to make a snug for
tune" He paused and Strengthened
up as the gathering Of the peculiar
electrical apparatus. whatever it was.
was completed. And" he went on
stock market Of the news. That's the
big thing"
1 could only gasp: "a modern train
robbery. planned in the heart of dense
Why notr he queried Nothing
the other fellow unawares. Our job
Is not to be taken unawares. Are
you ready. whiting?"
Yes. sir" replied the student.
shouldering the apparatus. for which
I was very thankful. for my arms
some OF Kennedy's weird but often
weighty apparatus.
We piled into a taxicab and made
a quick journey to the Office of the
Continental Express. Maude Euston
had already preceded US and we found
her standing by Lanes desk as he
paced the floor.
please. Miss Euston. don't CO." he
was saying as we entered.
But want to CO." she persisted.
more than ever determined, appar-
Il have engaged Prof. Kennedy just
for the purpose of foreseeing what
new attack can be made on u.s." he
said.
You have engaged Prof. Kennedy"
she asked. Il think I have a prior
claim there, haven't II" she ap-
Kennedy stood for a moment look
ing from one to the other. What was
there In the motives that actuated
them? Was it fear. hate, love. jeal-
ousy?
Il can serve my two clients only il
they yield to me-" Craig remarked
quietly. Don't set that down. Whit
ing. Which is it-yes or no.
Neither Lane nor Miss Euston look
ed at each other for a moment.
rs it in my hands" repeated Craig.
Yes" bit off Lane, sourly.
And you. Miss EustonT
"Of course" she answered.
Then We all co. decided Craig.
Lane. may I install this thing in
your telegraph room outsider"
"Anythins you say" Lane returned.
Whiting set to work Immediately.
while Kennedy gave him the final in
structions.
Neither Lane nor Miss Euston
spoke word. even when I left the
three was g. crowd. I could not help
wondering whether she might not
have heard something more from the
woman In the tearoom conversation
than she had told US. II she had,
she had been more frank with Lane
him. Certainly she had not told US.
1t was the only way I could account
for the armed truce that seemed to
exist as. hour after hour. our train
carried us nearer the point where we
were to meet the treasure train.
ri kHal
wait for the argosy that was causing
80 much anxiety and danger. It, was
long after the time scheduled that
We left finally on our return journey
late at night.
Ahead of US went a. dummy pilot
train to be sacrificed if any bridges
or trestles were blown up or if any
new attempts were made at produc-
ing artificially broken rails. We four
established ourselves as best we could
in a car in the center Of the treasure
train. with one of the armed guards
as company. Mile after mile we reel
ed OFF, ever southwark and westward.
We must have crossed the state of
Connecticut and have been approach
ing Long Island sound when sud
denly the train stopped with Jerk.
Ordinarily there is nothing to grow
of a train. But this was an unusual
train under unusual circumstances.
Not one said a word as we peered
out. Down the track the signals
seemed to show q clear road. What
was the matter?
Look" exclaimed Kennedy sud
denly.
on a distance ahead I could see
what looked like long row of white
fuses sticking up in the faint star
light. From them the fresh west
wind seemed to blow a thick curtain
of greenish-yellow smoke which
swept across the track. enveloping
the engine and the forward cars and
now advancing toward US like the
yellow wind Of northern China. 1t
seemed to spread thfckly on the
teen or eighteen feet
A moment and the cloud began to
fill the air about US. There was a
paralyzing odor. I looked about at
the others gasping and coughing. AS
the cloud rolled on, inexorably in
creasing in density, 1t seemed liter
ally to grip the lungs.
engineer and fireman had been over
come. though not before the engineer
had been able to stop the train.
AS the cloud advanced the armed
guards ran from 1t, shouting, one now
and then falling, overcome. For the
moment none of US knew what to do.
Should we run and desert the train
for which we had dared SO much? To
stay was death.
Copyright. 1927
CONTINUED in tomorrow's star.)
FREIGHT RATES PLANT.