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'.! THE REAVER HERALD. BEAVER. OKLAHOMA , ' if ' a The Wreckers CoprrffM by Chtrlet Serlbne r's Sons "YOU'D BETTER NOTIFY Synopsis. Qrahnm Norcross, rn II road manager, and Ills secretary, Jimmy Dodds, are marooned nt Hand Creek siding with a young lady, Sheila Macrne and her small cousin, Malsle Ann. t'nscen, they witness n peculiar train hold up, In which a special car Is cnrrled off. Norcross recognizes tho car as that of John Clindulck, nnnnclnl mngnqte, whom he wan to meet nt Portal City, lie ami Dodds rescue Chadntck. Tlie Intter nrfen Norcross tho management of the I'lonccr Short IJno, which l In thn hnnds of eastern speculators, headed by tireckenrldgo Dunlon, president of the line. Norcross, learning that Sheila Mncnio U (topping at I'ortal City, ncceptn. Dodds overhears conversation be tween ltufus Hatch nnd Uustavc Hciirkrl, Portal City financiers. In which thry admit complicity In Clialwleks kidnaping, their object being tn keep Chadwlck from attending a meeting of directors to reorganize tho I'lonccr Short Line, which would Jeopardize their Interests, To curb the monopoly con trolled by Match nnd Ilenckrl, tho tied Tower corporation, Norcross forms the Citizens' Storage and Warehouse compuny. lie begins to manifest a deep Interest In Sheila Mncrae. Dodds learns that Sheila Is married, but living opart from her husband. Norcross does not know this, Tho Doss disappears; report han It that he has resigned and gono east. Jimmy turns sleuth, suspects he has been kidnaped nnd effects his rescue. Norcross resumes control of the I'lnneer Short I,lnc, refusing to give plnce to Dlsmuke, whom Duntan hns sent to take charge as general manager. Jlmmle follows an emissary of the Ited Toner people, spying on Norcross, to a coal yard, where he overhenrs a plot to arrest the Doss on a murder charge. He frustrates It and thereby drives his enemies to more desperate measures. At the home of Bhclla Macrae Dodds Is witness of strango actions of a man whom he later recognizes as Howard Colllngwood, nephew of President Dunton. A scries of wrecks, Impossible to explain, cause alarm to the Doss. CHAPTER XI Continued. 9 "Good Lord I" cxclnlmed tlie llttlo millionaire? "you don't linve to tell Jii tlmtl If wo ain't stop 'cm, Uncle Dunton will Imvo plmty of Rood rea sons for cleaning us nil out, lock, Htock, nnd barrel 1 I wits talking with Carter, In tin clulin ollkv, this morn ing. Our loss nnd damage nccotint for tliu pust month Is something fright full" "It Is," snld the boss gravely. And then: "Upton, we're not altogether ns bright ns wo mlitlit be. litis It never occurred to you that wo tire liuvtiiK too much bad luck to warrant us In charging It nil up to the chapter of accidents?" Mr. Van Jtrltt blew bis cheeks out until the Btubby. cropped mustache bristled like porcupine quills. "So you've been getting jour point er, too,, have you?" ho threw In. Mr. Norcross didn't answer the ques tion directly. Tut Tarhell on tho Job, nnd If he needs help, let him pick his own men," lie directed. "We wnnt to know why that boulder tumbled down ahead of Number Seventeen, nnd I want to boo Tarbell'H report on It. Keep at It lilh'lit nnd da', Upton. The Infection Is getting Into the rtink and lllu nnd It's spreading like a sickness. If It becomes psychological, wo shnll Imvo . all tho trouble wo need." "I know," nodded tho superinten dent. "I went through n Blcgo of that kind on tho Oreat Southwestern, one winter. It was horrible. Men who liittf been running tmlns year lu and yjiur out, nnd never knowing that they had tiny nerves, went to pieces If .you'd snap syour fingers nt them." "That's It," said tho boss. "Wo don't want tn full Into that ditch. Things nre quite bad enough, ns they lire." This ended It for thothne. Tho 3'ctrollto Canyon wreck was picked up, tho track was cleared, and ouee more our trains wero moving on time. Hut anybody could see Hint tho entire Short l.lnu bad n enso of "nerves." Klrgnn, Klrgnn tho cold-blooded, hhowed It one afternoon when 1 went oxer to bis olllce to return a bunch of blue-prints sent In for tho boss' ap proval. The big master-mechanic bad a round-house foreman "on tho carpet" nnd was harrying him like tho dlrkeus for letting nn engine go out with one of her truck fenfety chains banging ' "loose. ' . . Hver since wo had gono together on tho rescue run to Timber Mountain, Mnrt and I bad been sort of chummy, nud ufter the foreman had gone nwny "with bis foot In his bnnd, I Joshed Klrgnn n little about tho way.be had hammered the round-bouso man. "Had medicine," I told him. "It's worrying tho bosses, too. What's do ing It, Mart?" - "Maybe you can tell," ho growled. "It's u hoodoo that's whnt It Is. Seven engines In the shops In tho Inst nlno doys, nnd three more thnt haven't been fished onl-n tho ditch yet. I wish Mr. Van Hrltt 'd lire tho whole Jumpy ouintl" It didn't seem ns though firing was needed so much us n dose of nerve tonic of some bort. Tnrbell wns work ing hard on tho problem, quietly, and without making any tnlk about It, and Klrgnn was giving him nil tho men he nuked for from tho shops; quick-witted fellows who wero up In nil tho me chanical details, and who made hot ter spotters than outsiders would bo cause they knew tho road nnd tho ropes. Hut It was no use. I saw i-ome of Tnrbell's reports, and they didn't show any crookedness. It hcemed to be Just bad luck ono land slide ufter another of It. Meanwhile, New York hnd waked up ngnln. President Dunton hnd been" off the Job Koinowhere, I guess, but now he was buck, and the things ho wired to the boss were enough to make your hair stand on end. I looked every day" to seo Mr. Norcross pitch tho wholo shooting-match Into the lire nnd quit, cold, . He'd never taken nnythlng llko Mr, ' Dunton's abuse from anybody before, and he couldn't seem to get hardened to it. Hut ho was loyal to Mr. Chad wlck; und, of course, ho knew thnt Mr. Dunton's hot wired wtr meant By FRANCIS LYNDE THE UNDERTAKERS." to nag him Into resigning. Then there wns Mrs. Sheila. I sort of suspected she wns holding him up to tho rnck, every day und every minute of the dny. It was ono evening nfter ho hnd been out to tho major's for Just a llttlo while, ami hnd come hack to the olllce, that he sent fiir Mr. Vnn Hrltt, who wns also working late. There was blood on tho moon, nnd 1 snw It In tho way tlicJboKS' Jaw was working. "Upton," ho began, ns short ns pie crust, "have you thought of any wny to break this wreck hoodoo yet?" Mr. Van Hrltt snt down and crossed his solid llttlo legs. "If I bad, I shouldn't be losing steep nt the rate of five or blx hours u night," be rasped. "There's out" thing thnt wo hnven't tried," th boss shot back. "We've been advertising It ns hnd luck, keep ing our own suspicions to ourselves and letting the men believe whnt they pleased. We'll chango nil thnt. I want you to call your trainmen In ns fust ns you pan get nt (hem. Tell them from me, If you wnnt to that there Isn't nny hnd luck about It; that tliu enemies of this management are making nn organized rnld on the property Itself for the purposo of put ting us out of the fight. Tell them the whole story, If you' wnnt to : how we'ro trying our best to innke n spoon out of n spoiled horn, nnd how there Is nn nrmy of grafters nnd wreckers In this state which Is doing Its worst to knock us out of the box. "If you give tho force something tangible to lay hold of, lf-wlll work the needed miracle. It Is only tho mysterious thnt terrifies. Itiillroad em ployes, ns u whole, tiro perfectly In telligent human beings, open tn con viction. Tho management which doesn't prollt by thnt fact Is lame. If you do this and appeal ,to tho loyalty of the men, you will nut lie. n prlvnto detec tive out of every man In tho train service, nnd every pnd of them keeji to bo tho first to catch tho wreckers. You can ndd n bit of n reward for thnt, If you like, nnd I'll pay It out of my own bank account." For u full minute our captive mil Ilnnnlro didn't sny n word. Then ho grinned llko n good-nntured llttlo Chinese god. "Who gnvo you this idea of taking tho pay-roll Into your confidence, Grn hnin?" he asked softly. Tor tho first tlmo In nil tho weeks nnd months I'd been knowing him, tho boss dodged; dodged Just llko nny of us might. "I've been talking to Major Ken drlck," ho said. "Ho Is n wlso old man, Upton, and he hears n good many things thnt don't got printed In tho newspapers." I could fo that this oxcuso didn't fool Mr. Van Hrltt for n single In stnnt, nnd there wns n look In his eyo thnt I couldn't quite understand. Neither could I make much out of whnt ho snld. "Weil go Into thnt n llttlo deeper sonio dny, Graham after this epilep tic nttnek has been fought off. This Idea which you confess Isn't your own Is a pretty shrewd one, nnd 1 shouldn't wonder If It would work, If wo enn get It In motion boforo t)ic hoodoo brenks ur wldo open. And, ns you sny, o accusation Is Justifiable, even If v.. can't prove up against tho Hatch outllt. Thnt turned-over rail In Pctrollto Canyon, for example, might hnvo been helped along by " It wns Kelso, Mr. Vnn Hrltt's sten ographer, smashed In with tho Inter ruption. Ho, wns In his bhlrt-sleovcs, ns If he'd Just got tip from his type writer, nnd ho rushed In with his mouth open nnd his eyes llko saucers. "They they wnnt you In the dis patcher's ofllco I" ho panted, Jerking tho words out nt Mr. Vnn Hrltt. "Dur gln hns let Number Five get by for n hend-onder with tho 'Flyer,' nnd bo's gono crazy I" CHAPTER XII The H.elpleia Wlrqi When Hobby Kelso'shot his news nt us wo nil made n quick break for tho dispatcher's olllce, the boss In the ltMd. Durgln, tho night dispatcher, had been alone on tho train desk, nnd the only other operators ou duty were tho car-record mnn and the young fel low who acted ns n relief on the com mercial wire. When wo got there, wo found thnt Tnrbell hod happened to be In the ofllco when Durgln blew up. Ho wns sitting In nt tho trnln key, trying to get Crow Gulch, tho ono Intermcdlntc wire station between tho two trains thnt hnd fnllcd to get their "meet" orders, nnd this wns the first I knew thnt ho renlly was tho expert telegraph operator that his pay-roll description snld ho was. Durgln looked llko n tortured ghost,' lie wns a thin, dnrk man with n sort of scattering beard and limp blnck, hair; ono of the clearest-headed' dis patchers In tho bunch, and the very Inst man, you'd sny, to get rnttled In, n tnnglc-up. Yet hero he was, hunched lu a chhir at the car-record table In tho corner, n staring-eyed, pallid faced wreck, with tho sweat standing lu big drops on bis forehead nnd Ids bunds stinking ns If ho had tho pnlsy. Morris, the relief man, gnvo us tho particular such ns they were, speak ing In a hushed voice ns If bo was afrnld of breaking In on Tnrbell's stendy rattling of tho key In the Crow Gulch station call. "Number Four" Four wns the east hound "Flyer" "Is five hours offjhcr time," ho c-xplnlncd. "As near ns,.I enn get It, Durgln wns going to make her 'meet' with Number Five ntpire'; blind siding nt Snnd Creek tank.Sllo ought to have had her orders some where west of Hnuxltc Junction, nnd Five ought to have got hers nt Hnntn. Durgln says he simply forgot that the 'Fljer' wns running late: that she was still out and had n 'meet' to make somewhere with Five." Hrlef ns Morris explanntlon wns, It wns clear enough for anybody who knew the road and the schedules. Tho regular meeting-point for the two pas senger trains was nt n point well east of I'ortal City, Instead of west, and so. of course, would not concern tho Desert Division crew of cither trnln, since till crows wero chnnged nt I'ortol City. From Hnntn to Hnuxtte Junc tion, some thirty-odd miles, there wns only ono telegraph station, namely, thnt nt the Crow Gulch lumber enmp, seven miles beyond tho Timber Moun tain "Y" nnd tho gravel pit where the stolen 1010 hnd been nbandoncd. Unluckily, Crow Gulch wns only a dny station, tho day wires being han dled by n young mnn who wns half lu the pay of tho railroad and half In that of the saw-mill company. This young mnn slept nt tho mill enmp, which wns n mile biclt In the gulch. There wns oirly ono chance In a thoj snnd thnt ho would bo down nt the railroad station nt ten o'clock nt night, nnd It was on thnt thousandth chance that Tarhell wns rattling tho Crow Gulch call. If Five were mak ing her card time, sbo wns now nbout half-way between Timber Mountain "Y" nnd Crow Gulch. And Four, tho "Flyer," had Just left Hnuxltc with no orders whatever. Which meant thnt the two trains would como together somewhero nenr Snnd Creek. Mr. Vnn Hrltt wns as good a wire mnn ns anybody on the line, but ,1 wns tho boss who took things in bnnd. "Thero Is n long-dlstnnco telephone to tho Crow Gulch snw-mlll ; hnve you tried thnt?" ho barked at Tnrbell, ' Tho big young fellow who lookfd like n cow-hoy nnd had really bpfcn "I Couldn't Get Rid of the Idea That He Wat Listening." ono, they snld glanced up nnd nodded : "Tho cnll's In," ho responded: "'Cen tral' says sho can't raise nnyhody." For tho next threo or four minutes tho tension wns something tlorce. Tho bo'ss nnd Mr, Vnn Hrltt hung over the trnln desk, and Tnrbell kept up his Insistent clatter nt tho key. I had an ejo on Durgln. lie was still hunched up In tho rccord-mnn's chnlr, nnd to nil nppenranccs hail gono stone-blind crazy. Yet I couldn't get rid of tho Idea thnt ho wns listening listening as If nil of his sealed-up senses had turned lnxto Intensify the one of bearing. . us nfiout the time when the sus pense' hid grown so keen that It seem 1 ns If It couldn't be borne n secoi A longer, Morris, who wns sit tins' in At the olllce phone, called out hnrblyj "I.ong-dlstnnce says sho has C'rm ulch lumber enmp I" Mr. Vnn Hrltt Jumped to tnko tho plion, .nnd we got one side of tho talk our Eldc In shot-like sentences: "Tfiat,you, Hertrnm? All right; this Is Vsrf Hrltt, nt Portal City. Take ono of tl5e mules nnd ride for your life down1 the gulch to the station! Get that) Stop Number Five and make her 'take siding quick. Iteport over your own wire what you do. Hurry I" Bfr tho tlmo Mr. Vnn Hrltt got back to (lie train desk, the boss hnd his pencil out nnd was figuring on Ber tram's tlmo margin. It was now ten twphc, nnd Five's time nt Crow Gulch was ten-elghtecn. The Crow Gulch oiritor hnd Just six minutes In which toget his mulo nnd cover tho rough mile down tho gulch. There wns nothing to do but wait, arid tho wnltlng wns savage. Tarhell liAd n nerve of Iron, but I could see Ids hand shake ns It lay on the glnss tipped table. Tho boss was cool enough outwardly, but I knew that In his brain there was n heart-breaking picture of those two fnst passenger jralns rushing together In the night nmong tho hills with no hint of warn ing to help them snvo themselves. Mr. Vnn Hrltt couldn't keep still. Ho hnd his bands Jammed In tho side pockets of his coat and wns pacing bnck and forth In the little space between the f trnln desk nnd the counter railing. At tho different tnhlcs In tho room ; tlie sounders were clicking nwny ns If nothing were happening or due to hnppen, nnd abovo the spattering din nnd clatter you could hear the escape mout of tho big stnndnrd-tlme clock on the wnll, hammering out the sec onds thnt might mean life or death to two or threo hundred Innocent peo ple. In horrible suspense the six minutes pulled themselves out to nn eternity for that little bunch of us In the dls pntjiior's olllce who' could do nothing but) wait, pn the stroke of ten-elghtecn, tho time when Five wns due at Crqw Gulch on her schedule, Tnrbell tuned his relay to catch the first faint dippings from the distant dny-statlon. Another sounder wns silent. Thero wns hope In the delay, and Morris voiced it. "He's there, nnd he's too busy to tnlk to us," he suggested, In n hushed voice; nnd Disbrow, the enr-tecord man, added: "That's It; lt'd tnko n inliuite or two to get them In on tho siding." Tho second minute1 pnsscd, and then n thltd, nnd yet thero was no word from Bertram. "Call him," snapped the boss to Tarbcll, hut before the ex-cow-boy's hand could reach1 tho key, tho sounder began to rnttlo out n string of dots nnd dashes; ragged Morse It was, hut we cou'.d all read It only too plainly. "Too lati mulo threw mo nnd I hnd to crnwi nnd drag n gamo leg Five pnssed full speed nt ten-ulno-teen I couldn't mnko It." I saw tho boss' bands shut up ns though tho linger nnlls would cut Into the palms. "That ends It," he said, with a sort of swearing groan In his volco; nnd then to Tarbcll: "You moy ns well call Klrgnn nud tell him to order out tho wrecking trnln. Then have Per kins make up n relief train while you're calling the doctors. Van Hrltt, you go nnd notify tho hospltul over your vnn ofllco wire. Hnvo my private car put Into tho relief, and seo to It that It has all. the necessary supplies. And you'd better notify tho undertakers, too." Great Jouslil but It was horrible for us to be hustling nround nnd mak ing arrangements for tho funeral while tho people who wero to bo gathered up und hurled were still swinging along live and well, half of them lu tho crooklngs among the Timber Moun tain foot-hills and tho other half somewhere in tho desert stretches be low Saud Creek I Tnrbell had sent Disbrow to tho phono to call Klrgnn, nnd Mr. Vnn Hrltt was turning away to go to his own olllce, when tlw chair In the cor ner by tho car-record tnble fell over backwards with a crash and Durgln anno stnggcrlug ncross tho room. He wns stnrlug straight ahead of him ns It ho had gono blind, nnd tho sweat wns running down his faco to lose It self In the straggling beard. When ho spoko his volco seemed to como from nwny off. somewhere, nnd ho was btlll storing nt tho blank wall beyoud tho counter-railing. "Did I did I henr somebody say you'ro sending for tho undertakers?" he choked, with n dry rattlo In his throat; nnd then, without waiting for nn nnswer: "While you'ro at It, you'd better get ono for mo . . . there's the money to pnV him," nnd ho tossed a thick roll of bank bills, wrapped around with a rubber band, over to Tarhell at the train desk. Naturally, tho little grand-stand play with tho bank roll mado a diversion, and that Is why tho muffled crash of a pistol shot came wltii a startling shock ( everybody. When wo turned to look, the mischief wns done. Dur gln hnd crumpled down Into n mis slinpeu henp on the floor nnd the sight w! snw wns enough to make your blood run cold. You see, he hnd put the muzzle of the pistol Into his mouth, nnd but It's no use: I enn't tell nbout It, nnd tho very thought of thnt thing thnt hnd Just n minute before been a mnn, ly ing there on tho floor makes mo see blnck nnd wnnt to keel over. What he hnd said nbout sending for nn extra undcrtnker was right as right. With the top of his head blown off, the poor devil didn't need anything more in this world except the burying. Somebody has said, mighty truth fully, that even n dentil In the family doesn't stop the common routine; that tho things that have to bo done will go grinding on, Just the same, whether nil of us live, or some of us die. Dis brow hnd Jumped from the telephone nt the crash of Durgln's shot, nnd for Just n second or so we nil stood around the dead dispatcher, nobody making n move. Then Mr. Norcross came nllve with n Jerk, telling Disbrow to get bnck on his Job of culling out the wreck wagons nnd tho relief trnln, nnd directing Hobby Kelso to go to nnother 'phone nnd call nn undertnkcr to como nnd got Durgln,'s body. Tnrbell turned bnck to the train desk to keep things from getting Into n worse tnnglc than they nlrcndy were. In, nnd to wnlt for the dreadful news, and the boss stood by him. This second wnlt prqmlsed to be the worst of nil. The collision wns due to happen miles from the nenrest wire station; the news, when wo should get It, would probably be carried bnck Mi k There Wan an Even Thousand Dollars. to nnuxlte Junction by tho pusher en gine which hnd gone out to try to overtnko tho "Flyer." Hut even In thnt case It might bo nn ngonlzlng hour or more beforo wo could henr anything. t In n llttlo while Disbrow hnd clicked In his cnll to Klrgnn, and when the undertaker's wngon enmo to gather up whnt was left of the deajl dispatcher, tho enr-record man wns hurriedly writ ing off his list of doctors, nnd Mr. Van Hrltt hnd gono down to super intend tho mnklng up of tho relief train. True to his theory, which, among other tilings, Inld down tho broad prlnclplo that the public hnd n right to bo given nil the fncts In n railroad disaster, Mr. Norcross was Just telling me to call up tho Moun tnlnccr office, when Tnrbell, cnlmly Inking time reports upon tho trnln sheet, flung down his pen nnd snatched nt his key to "break" tho chattering sounder. Mr. Vnn Hrltt hnd come up-stnlrs again, nnd ho nnd tho boss were both standing over Tnrbell when tho "G-S" break cleared the wire. Instantly there enmo n quick cnll, "G-S" "G-S" fol lowed by tho slgnnturc, "H-J" for Hauxlte Junction. Tnrbell nnswercd, nnd then we nil heard what Hauxlte had to say: "Pusher overtook Number Four threo miles west of Sand Creek and hns brought her back here. What orders for her?" Somebody groaned, "Oh, thank God I" nnd Mr. Vnn Hrltt dropped Into n chnlr ns If ho hnd been hit by a enn non ball. Only the boss kept his bend, calling out sharply to Disbrow to break off on the doctors' list nnd to hurry nud stop Klrgnn from getting nwny with tho wrecking trnln. When It wns all over, nnd Tarhell had been given chargo of the dis patching while n hurry cnll wns sent out for tho night relief mnn, Donohuc, to come down nnd tnko tho train desk, thero was a llttlo commltteo meeting In tho general manager's ofllco, with tho boss In tho chnlr, nnd Mr. Vnn Hrltt sitting In for the other member. "Of course, you'vo drawn your own conclusions, Upton," tho boss begnn, when he had asked me to shut the door. "I guess so," was the grave re joinder. "I'm nfrnld It Is only too plain thnt Durgln was hired to do It. What became of tho money?" "I have It here," said tho boss, nnd ho took the blood-money Lank-roll from his pocket nnd removed the rub ber bnnd. "Count It, Jlmmle," he or dered, passing It to me, I ran through tho hunch, tt was tn twenties .and fifties, nnd there was an even thousand dollars. "Tluit Is the price of n man's life," said lr. Vnn Hrltt, soberly, nnd then Mr. H or cross st.;d, "Who knows any thing nbout Durgln? Wns he a mar rlcd mnn?" Mr, Van Hrltt shook his head. "He hnd been married, but ho nnd his wife didn't live together. He hnd no relatives here. I knew him In tho southwest two years ngo. He'd hnd domestic trouble of some kind, and didn't mix or inlnglo much with tho other men. But ho wns a good dis patcher, nntf two months ngo, when we hnd nn opening here, I sent for him." "You think there Is no doubt but thnt ho was bribed to put those trains together tonight?" "None In the lenst only I wish wo hnd a little better proof of It." "Where did ho live?" "He boarded nt Mrs. Chnndlcr's. out on Cross street.' Morris bonrds there, too, I believe." Tho boss turned to me. "Jlmmle, go nnd get Morris." I carried tlie call nnd brought Mor ris bnck with me. He wns n cheerful, red-bended fellow, nnd everybody liked htm. "It Isn't n 'sweat-box' session, Mor ris," said tho boss, quietly, when wo came In and the relief operator sat down, sort of half scared, on the edgo of n chnlr. "Wo wnnt to know some thing more nbout Durgln. He roomed nt your plnce, 'didn't he?' Morris ndmltted It, but sald he'd never been very chummy with tho dis patcher; that Durgln wnsn't chummy with anybody. Then the bosa went straight to the point, ns be usually did. "You wero present nnd snw nil thnt happened In the other room. Can you tell us nnythlng nbout thnt money?" pointing to the pile of bills on my desk. Hilly Morris wriggled himself Intl n little better chair-hold. "Nothing thnt would ho wortli telling, If things hadn't turned out Just as they have," lie returned. "Hut now I guess I know. I left Mrs. Chandler's this evening nbout eleven o'clock to como on duty, nnd Durgln wns just abend of me. Some fellow n man In a snuff-colored overcoat nnd with n soft lint pulled down so thnt I couldn't seo his fnce stopped Durgln on the sidewalk, nnd they talked together. "I didn't henr whnt wns snld, hut I snw tho overcoated man pass something to Durgln nnd saw Durgln put whatever It was Into his pocket. Then tho other mnn dodged nnd went nwny, nnd did It so quick that I didn't seo which wny he went or whnt beenmo of htci. Durgln must have run after he left the comer, for I didn't see anything more of him until I got to the olllce." "He wns there when you enme In?" It wis Mr. Norcross who wanted to know. "Yes. He hnd his cont off nnd was nt work on tho trnln sheet. I don't think Durgln left his chnlr, or snld anything to nnyhody until be Jumped up nnd began to wulk tho floor, tnklng on nnd saying thnt he'd put Four and Five together on the single track." There was silence for n little time, and when the boss snld, "Do you think you would recognlzo the mnn In the snuff-colored overcoat, If you should see him ngnln?" "Yes, I might; If he hnd on the snme coat nnd lint." "Thnt will do, then. Keep this tiling to yourself, nnd If the newspaper peo pie como nfter you, send them to Mr, Vnn Hrltt or to me." After Morris hud gone, Mr. Vnn Hrltt shook his bend sort of savngely. "It's h I, Graham 1" ho ripped out, bouncing to his feet and beginning to tramp up nnd down tho room. "To think that these devils would tnke tliu chnnco of murdering n lot of toinlly Innocent people to gnln their endl Whnt ore you going to do nbout It?" "1 don't know yet, Upton; but I nm going to do something. This stnto of nffnlrs can't go on. Tho simplest thing Is for me to throw up tho job nnd let the Short Line drop hack Into tho old rut. I'm hot sure thnt It wouldn't bnve n good mnny lives In the end If I should do It. And yet it seems such n cowurdly thing to do to resign under fire." Mr. Vnn Hrltt hnd his bnnd on tho door-knob, nnd whnt he said modo mo warm to my (lngcr-tlps. "We're nil standing by you, Gra ham; all, you understand to the Inst man and tlie Inst ditch. And you'rn not going to pitch It up; you'ro go ing to stny until you hnvo thrown tha hnrpoon into these high-binders, clear up to tho hitching1). Thnt's my pro phecy. Tho trouble's over for tonight, nnd yon'il better go np to tho hotel nnd turn In. Thijre Is another dny coming, or If thero Isn't, It won't mnko nny difference to nny of us. Good- night." "Mrs. McCrae Isn't a widow at -all." (TO BB CONTINUED.) Had About Given Up Hope. A certain Dormont mother hud oc casion to scold her five-yenr-old son, the tad tnklng tho call-down very much to henrt. After tho operation wns completed, son dlsnppenred. Ills fail ure to renppenr caused tho mother to worry nnd sho begnn looking about to locate the culprit. In tho bathroom sho found him. Thero ho wns, with tho door closed, tnlklng to himself. "Johnny," tho mother heard him say, "you nro n bad hoy. You nro n very, very hnd hoy. You aro too hnd for this family and ought to bo tnken nwny. You nro a disgrace ; you nre a son-of-n-gun." That was enough for the mother. Soon thero wns a hugging match, and sonnlo wns nssured that ho wns nono of tlie' things ho hnd been calling him self. Still, it took somo tlmo to con vince him. Pittsburgh Dispatch, a