The Washington times., 1938-02-25
Aate SAID she had.
CHAPTER XXXVI
A TRAIN HOLDUP

CHAPTER XXXVI
A TRAIN HOLDUP
Cardowan rammed the single
empty out of the chamber of his
gun, put a fresh load in, then
carried the sacks out on the right
of way up the tracks a-ways. He
seemed not to notice the weight
of the gold, but under his shirt
the muscles corded and rippled
and his steps were short.
Kate could see the train now,
shaking into view around the bend
up the tracks. Its black plume of
smoke from the diamond-shaped
stack washed back over the two
cars--baggage and passenger-in
a pail of cinders and gassy smoke.
1t pulled in with a gigantic
clatter of raw steel on steel, of
screaming, bucking brakes. Car
dowan waved genially to the engi-
neer and then the high-cabbed
locomotive rolled past them and
Jared to a stop.
A scattering of smoke grimed
and travel-weary pasSe gers
alighted from the coach to stretch.
They were mostly ranchers, some
travelling men in city clothes,
strangely out of place in this
country. An old woman was
assisted out by a tall, gangling
puncher, who appeared to be her
son. Some of the men, invariably
ranchers in cowboots, walked stiff
legged down to the tank and
Soused their heads in the dripping
water.
The brake, in stiff blue gold
braided cap, was in shirtsleeves on
the rear platform.
LOADS GOLD ON TRAIN
Cardowan walked up to him and
passed the time of day while he
pulled out money for the two fares.
Then he said, Mind if load some
stuff on the platform here?"
The brake said he didn't.
Again Cardowan picked up the
dust and heaved one tarp covered
load of it on the railed-in platform,
and then the other.
Whatever that is, it's dang
heavy" the brake observed.
Cardowan grinned and. said,
Samples. Taking them up to Sill
yer City"
"You don't look like a prospec-
tor" the brake offered.
I'm a cowman," Cardowan said,
"but I aim to pull out of it as soon
as I know my way around with
ore."
What do you aim to do with
your wife?" the brake asked and
laughed.
I'm takin' her up to leave her
with a doctor upstate"
The brake nodded sagely, az If
he were used to seeing sick women
and understood the frailty Of the
sex.
The passengers filed back into
the car. When they were all
aboard, CardoWan chose a seat
and Kate sat next the window.
The train bucked to a start and
they were under way.
Kate leaned back against the
hard and dirty red plush seat and
closed her eyes, tired in mind and
body and weary of trying to think
her way out of this.
WRITES A NOTE
She did not know how long she
had slept, but when she awoke 1t
was with a sense that much time
had passed. Suddenly she was
aware that Cardowan was not sit
ting beside her. Slowly, impercep-
tibly, she opened one eye and saw
that across the aisle and down
two seats CardoWan was sitting
with three other men in a poker
game. He was facing her, sitting
next the aisle, and every now and
then he looked up at her.
Behind her a man coughed and
she heard him stir in his seat.
She closed her eyes and shifted
a little lower in the seat as a per-
son will in sleep. When her hand
touched the seat 1t covered neat
pile of burned matches which
Cardowan had placed beside him
instead of throwing them on the
floor. Something started clicking
in her brain. She fought it. but it
would not go.
Kate reckoned that only her
head would be visible to Cardowan
above the seat ahead of her. She
remembered a note which was in
her skirt pocket, a note she had
Scribbled to McCandleS there in
the hotel and which the clerk re-
fused to deliver. Slowly, her eyes
still shut, she drew it out.
She picked up the handful OF
burnt matches and using one as
pencil she wrote on the back OF
the note: "The man with me is
Espey Cardowan, outlaw. Tell the
brakeman and take him. There
is a reward.
She spread it out flat and
lowered it through the crack in
the seat, holding on to the tip OF