Gunnison news-champion., 1923-01-12
CHAP TER v
In. Aand N ne AIsIe.


The man v '..E,. Interest In the nas
s-nr.r 'r s.r.a' Three NJ ~" last
sIc,,..- Naz mns' d"0nlfe and under.
stRn'aN'e and. therefore. most openly
scu'. An. GuuIuciur C"un.ry. Con.
merry bad i.a-@"d through the Pullman
several times during the morning. had
seen the hand which hung out into
the Al-!e from t"'wrcn the curtains:
but ,h. Only definite thought that
came to him was that Dorne was
sound sI"rp"r
Nearly all ~" passengers had now
breHkrusi"d. Couu"ry, therefore. took
seat In the diner, hrcakfasted lei.
surely and after finishing. walked
bacs through the train. Dorne by
now mus, be az. and might wish TO
sec tNc conductor.
AS Couurry entered the last sleeper
his gaze fell on the dial OF pointers
which. communicating with the push
buttons In the different berths, tell
the porter which section Is calling him,
and h." saw that while al the other
arrows were pointing upward the ar
row marked ." was pointing down
DOrne WAS up, thcu-for this was the
arrow dcu0tjus his bcrth-or at least
was awake suI had recently rung his
bell
Conu"ry IooE"I In upon the porter.
who was cleaning mp the washroom.
"S"n'!mn Thrvr's getting upT he
asked
NO. Mlstah Conn"ry-not yet" the
porter nn-Horcd.
"What did he ring fcr7" Connery
looked to he dial. and the porter
cam" out Of the Mushroom and looked
at It also.
"Fo, the lAn's sake. didn't hear
no ring MIstah Connery. I, mus have
been when ! was out on the plat
form"
. Answer It. then" Connery directed.
As the negro started to obey. Con.
merry followed him into the open car.
He could see over the negro's shoul.
der the hand sticking out into the
aisle, and this time. at sight of It.
CoHncry started violently. II Dorne
had rung. he must have moved: a man
who Is awake does not let his hand
hang out In the aisle. Yet the hand
had not moved. The long. sensitive
fingers fell In precisely the same posi-.
tion as before, stlfIiy separated
little one from another; they had not
changed their position at all.
"Walt'" Connery seized the porter
by the arm. "Tll answer It myself"
He dismissed the negro and waited
until he had gone. He looked about
and assured himself that the car. ex-
cept for himself and the man lying
behind the curtains of Section Three.
was empty. Walking briskly as
though he were carelessly passing up
the aisle, he brushed hard against the
hand and looked back. excla!m!ng an
apology for his carelesSness
The hand fell back heavily. inertly.
and resumed Its former position and
hung as white and lifeless as before.
No response to the apology came from
behind the curtains: the man In the
berth had not reused. Connery rushed
back to the curtains and touched the
hand with his flnrers. II was cold F!
ne stlGtu tle manu- anu Ieit II all
over; then, gasping, he parted the cur
tains and looked into the berth. He
stared: his breath whistIed out: his
shoulders Jerked. and he drew back,
instinctively pressing his two clenched
hands against his chest and the pocket
which held President Jarvis order.
The man in the berth was lying on
his right side facing the aisle: the ieft
side of his face was thus exposed
and II had been crushed In by a vio-
lent blow from some heavy weapon
which, too blunt to cut the skin and
osinE blood, had fractured the cheek,
bsae and hludxeoned the temple The
proof of murderous violence was 90
plain that the conductor. a. he saw
the face In the light. recoiled with
staring eyes. white with hosroy
He looked mp and down the sisle
Eo assure himself that ne one had