The Monroe journal. [volume], May 31, 1921, Page PAGE SIX, Image 6

About The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
Tin Mi:nrc jomAu tv.iv. may ai. 1921.
EIGHT PAGES
1
,1
"1
1
;! J
If 5
. . '3
.1"
,1
- -
V :
1.1
' J
i
1
11
i
The
Wreckers
FRANCIS
LYNDB
te bos rt!sapHa ratio with tt.at of J
ihe engine h!ch had been l-ft -nj- !
Ug belew the coal chutes, bat the two J
t 1-.- . ... .
iuiu iftnappeu uiefUKVstt-s legem-!
for me Uke the halve of ad auto
matic coupling, and f couldn't ed;e
them apart.
"An engine evm a little old Atlantic-type
U a pretty big thing to lose.
Isn't it. Kirgan?" I asked.
Kirgan righted bl chair with a
era sh.
"J I mm If, I've sifted this blamed out
fit through an elghty-mesh screen!"
he growled. "With all the devll-to-pay
Gyi1M ay Caa. tola soae
SYNOPSIS.
' CH AFTER I.-Orahro NoriTo. rall-
Kd nmnaavr. and la vriiry. Junil i
ImmHIs. are maroonr-l at j.uJ In-ek id
ilaar with a ounx ladg. S.i.-lla Macra,
js-nd her ama.l couhIh. i i.e.. mi, itiey wii-Te-sa
a peculiar trtui ho-iup, in winch
epecial car ta tarr .! ofl.
1 CHAITKK II.-Nor-r. re. -o'"a lb
cat atuU-n a John v i..iu ck . niimioa:
aaa-:iat. wi.om ne .. to in f ai t'ortal
City. He anj L)odt. rvn w i'liad'i
itTh Utier odtra Nurvro-a the m.oiacr-k-'p
of tii l'iunrr s-iiok Ui. aMt ii
ta ti.e handa of iairii Kiwvui.imr.t.
bird by brai'lienrulK' IXimu'i. prv.
tfer.t ct the line. Ncrvroaa, U-Himn
CtteiU Macrae la atopping ai 1'orUi Ciiy.
cciia.
CHAPTER IlI.-lHxMa oerheara con
Waauon betwern Itufua Haub and Ciua
Uvt HnokL l ortal CUjr UnaiH-K-ra, la (
Which thay admit cuinpiMiy In t hd WK i
kiduaplns. tlieir otJ't being to keep
Ckadwlck from atirndlng a lueeiiiig (
atrectora to reorsanii the liner Huwt i
Lane, erhlck would J-upardii m-'r ninr
CHAPTKR IV. To curb tk munopoly
ee: rolled by Hatch and Hem Wei. tiie Ked
Tewer corporation, .Vorvroaa furnw h
Otiuni' Htorag and Wareliouae cum
Buy. Ha hernia to nianlfeai a d?p In
Urcat Id Sheila Mtura. iHxtd learna
Uat Sheila la married, but litmg apart
tram her hueband. Norcroji due not
kaaw thla.
CHAPTKR V. Halcli, aware that
Ztodda haa knowladi; of hia and Hrnck
la partliipatlon in in Cliada-ick kid
BapmK. offera hi in InUuiemeiili- to leav
Kurcruaa. boo da rvfuae. U-avln the
fflo. ,h la kno-krd aenaclcrw llmov
rinir i on Ioi.ih'. lie leunia tdal ior-
rroai haa din.il'1" ure.l and la Iwiloicd to i
have rijufd and K"ie east.
C'HAlTKlt Vl.-l'old lOiiiuvt.H Nur- j
crcsn diapt'-r.'.i.v fc.tii ni.ichiii ttlmia ,
of l UlIi anu u-.ikkvI, and n ro n.r
tng a:rvnutii uut to aoiv Hie in)- i
ury. '
n
! A
11
J
I
Air am
r
CHAPTER VII
The Lost 1015 1
When Klrjiin told me he wn
thy a wv.i!e lnc(iiinitle. I InvnTi to
ee all port uf Hiv-works. Of course,
tfcer was nothing on enrth to iMiinex t
y ...
ay
aQARETTE
Ten for 10 cents. Hand
size. Dealers carry both.
10 for 10c; 20 for 20c.
It's toasted.
p Where In Thy Stln?
Aunt Sallle was paying a visit to
the family for the first time in years
and had told them how cute she
thought little Willie was. In similar
complimentary vein, the famiry told
her just how much Willie resembled
her. But the edge was taken out
of the comtltmnt when all of them
heard Willie say, as he went out into
the dark hall on his way to bed :
'Go on, grab, ol' bogey man. I
don't care. They say I look Just like
Aunt Sallie
Rheumatism Skeptics
Be fair lo yourself, you sufferes
from rheumatism no matter what
form. Get a bottle of Rheuma; use
it all. and If you don't think results
arc wholly satisfactory, you can have
your money back, says English Drug
Company.
RUB - MY-TISM
Is powerful Antiseptic and
Pain killer, cures infected
cuts, old sores, tetter, etc.
Relieves Sprains, Neuralgia,
Rheumatism.
Cut Flowers
1
C Flora) design, wedding boqueta, 2
and flowtra of all kinds.
Price reasonable.
We make shipments to Waxhaw,
MarshTllle, Wingato and other t
nearby tewns.
CODE MORGAS
At rnlon Drag Co. Phope tat. i
"I've Sifted This 8:ir Outfit Through
an Eighty-Mrsh Screen."
tlmCa eoin' on over at the head- '
qiiiiricro, I didn't want t b"'hfr Mr.
Van Brht. and I haven't Uvn ad
vertialn in the nesiapr. Hut It's
a holy fact, .liminic The 'Sisteen'a
8ne!"
1 hm trying to pry myself loose
frmn Hie notion I lint the loss of the
engine ait the liosV divi'I'trance
at iilioiit the h.ime tinie were in 'itie
way coniKH'ted with each other. It
was no use; tl e refuse.! to let g.
"I.00U here, Kirg:in." I kIi iv-.- In;
"cnn you tliink of nny p.siMc r.-:i-.i
why Mr. N'iiriTii slimil.l vri:e Mr.
Vim Hrltt a Iett"r s:!ing that he lui'l
ipilt and w;is g.iiiu esist on ije mlil
nitfht train and lli'U h'eiiil eh:iiu:
Ms mind aii'l come down le-re unl ;o
onielere on that engine?"
After I had siiid It, It s.'iilid.'d m
foolish thai I wanted to take It hack.
lUit Kirgan didn't mv:ii to took nl It
that way.
"Well. I'll t) shot!" he xelaline.1.
"l never once thought of that ! Hut
where the devil would kt? go? And
how would he get there without snine
hody finding out? And why In Sum
Hill would he do a thing like that,
anyway? Why, suffeiln' Moses! If
he wanted to go anywhere, all he lind
to do wns to order not his car and
tell the dispatcher, and go.
"I can't figure It out nny better than
you can," I confessed. "Mr. Norcross
Is gone, ami the Ten-Sixteen Is gone, ,
and they both dropped out between
ten and twelve o'clock on the same
night. Mart, I don't believe Mr. .Nor
cross went csst at all! I believe, 1
when we llivl that engine, we'll find
him !"
Kirgan got out of his chair and be
gan to walk up and down la ihe Utile
apace between his hk mid the drawing-hoard.
Heslden being the best buss
mechanic In the West, be was a first- '
class fighting man, with a clear head
and nerve to burn. When be had got
ss far as he could go alone he turned
on me.
"Jitnmie, do you reckon this lied
Tower outfit was far enough along In
Us scrap with the biws to put up a Job
to pas, him out of the KHine?" he de
msnded. I told him It didn't seem to fit Into
any twenlleth-century scheme of
things, and past that I mentioned Ihe
fact that the Hatch people bad taken
the back, track and were now offering
to sell out and stop chocking the
wheels of reform.
"I know," he put in. "Hut I've been
resdln' the pners, Jliniule, and It
ain't all Red Tower, not by a Jugful.
The blf graft In this neek-a wood Is
political, and the Red Tower gang Is
only set a cogs In the bull-wheel. Mr.
Norcross wss gettln' himself mighty
pointedly disliked; ynu know that.
The way he wis aimln' to run things,
It was beglnnln' to look as If maybe
the people of this state might wake up
some !ny and turn In and help him."
"I bc.-v all about thafT" 1 threw In.
"Rut w here are yon trying to land.
Mart?"
"Bight here. Mr. Norcross was the
whole show. Take him out of It snd
the wsbole shootln'-matfjh would full
to plecei as Ifa doln'. right now.
They didn't need to slug him or shoot
him up or anything like that: If It
could be made to look as If he'd
Jumped the Job, quit, chucked It all
op. why, there you are. A new bosa
would be sent oat here, and you could
bet your sweet life he wouldn't be
anybody like Mr. Norcros. Not so
yoa could notice It. The New York
people weald take blamed good rare-a
that."
"Too think the Dunton people are
standing In with the graft r
"Nobody could'e grabbed off the
motive power Job oo thla railroad, as
I did. Jlmrale, and not think It and
be d n' aure of It. Why, lxrd '
Heavens, the Red Tower bunch was
nsln' aa Jtst the same at If we be
longed to 'em ! ordering our men to
do their ma'hlnery repairs, helpln"
themselves to any ' railroad material
r.it t c ;:.; I;" I to n-1. a-'n on j
n:" ai.d e..:o-s mi lie-i: li-slu" road
and U.iiie bran- Im .C f
-. .. ....... i .0 '
"You U-t I dill U'lween two days!
They've- Iks-si mukin' venten differ- j
rut kli:-!x uf a car ever ine. but I've :
Lad Mr. Vau Brill and the big boss j
behind me. ro I Just Kboved alu-ad." 'f
What Kir.-an said about the Red
Tower ti-M'le using eur rlliur stock
on their pri-.aie l-ran- h roads net
bee to burning In my brain. What If
they bad alolen the bl8 to use in that ,
way?
"You have a blue print of the Tonal j
division heir, haven't y-'U?" I asked.
"I'ig It up aiM let'k hae a look af It"
At first the fact threatened to bluff .
us. The blue-priut ensineers' map waa
an old one, but It hocd the spurs and '
side-tra-ks. the stations and water
tanks. Siinv the lost engine had been
standing at the western end of the ,
iVrtal t'lty yanls we didn't try to .
trace It eastward. To get out in that ;
dire'tloii it would have had to pass
the round house, the 1ioh, the pas
senger station and the headquarter
building, and, even at that time of
ni.lit. somebody wniild have Ixvn sure
to ee it.
TraeliiK.the other way west ward
we had a cler track for ten miles to ;
Arroyo. Arroo hud no night opera
tor, o we agreed that the stolen en-
gine might easily have slipped past
there without Ix-ltig marked down.
Klght miles beyond Arwyo we came j
to Ranta. the first night station west j
of Torts! City. Here, as we figured :
it, the wild Higlne must have been
seen by the operator. If by no one
else. Ranta was an apple town, aod
the town Itself might have bee-n
asleep, but the wire man at the ata- (
tlon shouldn't have been.
"Let's hold Ranta In suspense a bit,
and allow that by some means or j
other the thieves managed to get by," !
I suggested. "The next thing to be ,
considered Is the fact that the Ten
Slxteeu must now have been run- '
ning without orders, we must remera- i
her against the I'ast Mall coming
east. The Mall didn't pass her any
where not oitielally, at least; If It
had. the fact would show up In some
station's rey-m to the dispatcher's
otlice."
At tills, we hunte 1 up an ofltci.il
tl:ae-ard tin 1 l-ei:i to li;!ire on the
"meet" proposition. The 1'i.si Mall
wus ilue at Tonal City at twelve
twenty, cti-l .n ihe night In ijuestlon
It had been ' mi 1 1 in'. Making due
time iil'.ow.it'i es for inaccuracy In the
yard w ati hmati's story, missing
engine could hardly have left the
lVtal t'iiy jard i.iuh before ten
fortyth'e. The r'nst Mail was scheduled at
forty miles an hour. Its time at l'.nnta
wns clevcn tlfty-three. Allowing the
1010 the sanu rule of s;-ed In the
oplxisite direVllon, It Would have
passed Ranla at eleren-twelve or there
about. Hence there would still he
forty-one minutes running time lo he
divided between the easthound train
and the westbound engine. In oilier
words, the tueellng-poliit, with the two
running at the same speed, would fall
about twenty minutes west of Hants.
Tracing the line on the blue-print,
we bunted for a possible pnsslng point,
.Mali
Wt Hunted for a Possible Passing
Point,
which, according to the way we had
things doped out, should have been
not more than thirteen or fburteeo
miles west of Rants. There was a
blind siding ten miles west, but be
y Miat, nothing east of Sand Creek,
i - ti was twenty-one miles farther
along: at least, there was nothing that
showed up en the map. The ten-tulle
siding might have served for the pass
ing point, but In that case the crew
of the Kast Mall would surely have
seen the 1010 waiting on the siding as
they came by. And they hadn't seen
It; Klrgso said they bad been ques
tioned promptly the following morn
ing. Though I had been ever the road
with Mr, NorcroKs In his private cur
any number of timet since we had
taken bold. I didn't recall the detail
tonographies tery clearly, and 1
couldn't seem to remember anything
about this tiding tea miles west of
Rtnta. 9o I asked Kirgan.
"That siding Isn't In any such shape
that the Kast Mall could get by with
out seeing a meet' train on the side
track, is ur -
The big master -mechanic shook hit
head. ,
"Htrdly. you'd think. I reckon wt art
up aNttump, Jlmmte. That siding la
part of an old T at the mouth of
f:'h thif ran ba-k Into t!. nei.
i lis fer i.ui)Im- a dewm u .lev ot fa.
V.i.-y tell uie the 'Y was put iu for
the TlmN-r Mountain l.un.lwr o.tht
when they used the fv.l.U mouth for
their shipping IiiT. They had one
of their aw-miila up In the gulch
sH:iewbcre. but the business died out
when they got Ihe tiinlt-r all cut off."
"Tell me this. Mart." 1 put In quick
ly. "Tl-e T!mler Mountain coniiany
is one of the Red Tower monopolies:
did it have a railroad track up that
gulch connecting with our "Y"?"
"Why, yes; I reckon so. Tni not
riht sure that there ain't one there
yet. Rut If there Is. It's been d'e
smiiected (nua the "Y. I'm aure of
that, because I went In on that Y"
-lie day with the wreeker."
You'd tliink this would have settled
It. Hut I bung on like a dog to a
root.
"Say. Mart." I Insisted, "this
siding we're talking alHmt is juk
a round where the Ten-Sixteen ought
to have met ihe Mail; so fur as we
an tell by this map It's the only p'-e
where It could have met It. And the
-Id gulch track would have been a
nighty g'sal hiding-place for the stolen
ligine!"
"There ain't any track there," said
Kirgan. shaking h!s head; "or, least
wise, If theee is. It hasn't any rail con
nection with our siding. Just as I'm
tellin' you. Well have to hJok far
ther along."
Somehow, I couldn't get It out of
my head but that I was right. Our
guesses all went as, straight as a
string to that " aiding ten miles west
of Ranta, and I was sure that If I had
I -ecu talking to Mr. Van Rritt I could
have convinced him. Rut Kirgan was
awfully hard-headed.
"It's iupier time," he said, after
we had mulled a while longer over
the map. "Tomorrow, If yog like,
we'll take on engine and run down
there. Rut we ain't goln' to find any
thing. I can tell you that, light now."
"Yea, and tomorrow we may have
the new general manager, and then
you and I and all the others will be
hunting for some other railroad to
work on," I retorted.
I pretty nearly had bltn over the
edge, but I couldn't push him the
rest of the way to save my life.
"If there was the least little scrap-a
reason even to Imagine that Mr. Nor
cross had gone off on that stolen
eight-wlnvler. It , would be different,
.liinmie," lie unvested. "Hut there
iilnt; nml you know (luc-'oiied well
there ain't. Let's go up-louti and
hunt up something to cut. You'll fis-l
a heap clearer In your mind w hen yon
get a good sijuure iiii'ttl Inside o' your
clothes."
We left the shop offices together,
ami got shut out, crossing the yard,
by a fright that was pulling In from
the west. There was a yard crew
shifting on the other sldo of lh In
coming train, and rather than wait
for the double obstruction to clear Itself,
we walked dow n the shop track, mean
ing to go around the lower end of
things.
This detour took s past the round
house, and when we reached the turn
table lead, the engine of the Just
arrived freight came backing down
the kklp-track. Seeing Kirgan. the
engineer swung down .from the step
at the lead switch, leaving the hostler
to "spot" the engine on the table. I
knew the engineer by sight. His name
was (lurcher, and he was a reformed
cow-punch' with a record for getting
out of more tight places with a heavy
train than any other man on the tllvl-1
slon,
"Here's looking' at you, Mr. Kir
gan," he said, with a Mirt of Happy
Hooligan grin on his smutty face. '
"You been pussln' the word, quiet,
among the boys to keep an eye out
fr that Atlantic-type that got Ust In
the shuffle, ain't you? Well, I found
her."
"What's that where?" enaped Kir
gan, In a tone that made a noise like
the pop of a whiplash.
"You know that old gravel pit that
digs Into the hill a mile west of the
old 'Y' on the Timber Mountain grade?
Well, the't there; plumb at the far
end o' that gravel track, cold and
dead."
"Crippled?" Kirgan rapped out.
"Not as we could tee; Just dead.
She's got her nose shoved a . piece
Into the gravel bank, but the ain't
off the rail."
Kirgan nodded. "Who else taw
her?"
"Nobody but the boys on our train,
I reckon
"All right. Don't spread It. Want
to make a little overtime?"
"I ain't klckln' none."
"That's business. After you've had
your supper, call op your fireman and
report to me here at the round-house.
We'll take a light engine and go down
along and get. that runaway."
This seemed to settle Kirgln's'htlf
of the puxzle. We hadn't taken the
gravel track Into our calculations lim
ply because It wasn't marked on the
map we had been studying; but that
merely meant that the pit had-t)'
opened tome time after the map htd
been made.
When -Gorcher bad gone Into the
round house to wish up and tell hit
J! reman to report back, Kirgan and
1 crossed the yard and headed for
town. I left the master-mechanic at
the door of a Greek eat -shop that he
patronised and went on up to the
Bullard. I waa Juat getting around
to my piece of canned pumpkin pie
when the kid from the dispatcher'!
office came Into the grill-room, stretch
ing his neck at If he were looking for
somebody. When he got hit eye on
roe he came across to my corner and
handed me a telegram. It wit from
Mr. Cbadwlck, under a Chicago date
line, and It wat addressed "Tt the
General Manager1! Office." Juat Ilk
that There were only nine wordt
In it, but they were all strictly to the
t point: "What'f gone wrong? Where
la Mr. Norcross? Answer quick."
I saw la half a second at least a
part of w hat bad happeued. Mr. Chad
w Ick was back from his Canadian
trip, and nomelHHly the New York
people. wrhap had wired him that
a new general manager had been ap
Miiited for Tioiieer Short Line. The
old wheat king's quiet shot at our
ortiee mow. s ihiit he wasn't In the
plot, and that, whatever else had be
imief him, Mr. Non-nw-t l.adn't as
vet tuinisl up in Chicago!
iJcv! but that brought mi more
lai a whaling lot of it. I meant
to lln.l i.h. riubt away. If Mr. Van
Brill bad come back from Hie scene
of a wreck. He .- the man lo an
swer Mr. OiniIw let's wire. I'.ut an
Interruption hutted In suddenly, Jut
a I was siunlilg the dinner check.
The head waiter, who knew me fro:u
having s-en me so often with the Imss.
came over to say that I was wanted
quick at the telephone.
Itwas Mrs. Sheila on the wire, and
I could tell by the way her-voice
ounded that she was mightily ex
cited. "I've been calling you on every
phone I could think of," was the way
she began; and then: "Where I Mr.
Van Rritt?"
I told her about the wreck, and said
I was afraid he hadn't got back yet.
I heard something that sounded like
a muffled and half Impatleut. "Oh.
dear!" and then she went on. "I have
Just had a phone message from Mr.
Cantrell, the - editor of the Moun
taineer. He called the house to try
to find Major Kendrlck. He hat beard
something which may explain about
Mr. Norcross. He said lie didn't want
to put It on the wire."
That was enough for me. "I'll go
right over to the Mountaineer office,"
I told her; and In Just about two
shakes of a dead lamb's tall, I wat
standing at Mi. Cantrell't elbow In
his little den on the third fiiHir of the
newspaper building across the avenue.
"Mrs. Macrae telephoned you?" he
asked, pushing his hunch of copy pa
per aside. ,
"Yes; Just a mi mile ago."
"I'll give you what I have, and yoti
may do what you please with It. Due
of our young men Brasalerhy ha
discovered In some way that hedldu't
cure to explain over the phone that
there was a plot of some kind con-
"There Was a Plot of Some Kind."
cocted In the back room of a dive on
lower JS'evada avenue on the night
Mr. Norcross disappeared. From what
Branderby says, 1 take It that the
plot waa overheard. In part, at least,
by some habitue of the place who wat
loo drunk to get It entirely straight
and Intelligible. . The plotters (were
four of Clanahan's men, and,' at
Rranderby got It, they were planning
to ateal a locomotive. Do you know
anything about that?"
"I do. The engine was stolen 'all
right, that very night. Kirgan, our
master-meclugilc, hat known It wat
gone, but he has been keeping quiet
In hopes he'd be able to find the en
gine without making any public ttlr
about It."
"The story, at It hag been handed
on to Rranderby, Is pretty badly mud
dled," the editor went on. "There
was somethAig in It about an attempt
to wreck and rob the Fast Mall, and
something else about sending a note
to somebody at the Bullard a note
that 'would do the business,' was the
way It wat put."
"That pole was tent to Mr. Nor
cross!" I broke, In excitedly, taking a
running Jump at the guess.
"If you will wait until Branderby
comet In, he may 4e able to give yon
more of the particulars," Cantrell waa
beginning to say; but good gosht
I couldn't wait. I waa scared ttlff
for fear I ahouldn't be -able to get
back to the round house before Kirgan
started out on that engine-reaming
.trip-
"Thtt't enough,", I gatped; "I'm
goneP and I tumbled down the two
fllghU of ttslrs and aprlnted for the
railroad yard, reaching the round
house not ont htlf-tecood too soon,
Klrgtn wat there, with Gorcher and
two firemen. They had a light engine
' out on the tank track and were fill
ing her with water.
"They took Mr. Norcrost with them
on the Ten-Slxteen!" was alkUcould
say and then I guess my late pfcrric
knock-out got In Its work to pay for
the quick-sprint down from the new-
paper office, for I keeled over Inte
5 Kir?"' arnrs and tort of balf fainted.
It see ued.
Bemuse, when I came to, right good
again, Kirgan bad me up on the flro-
man's box. with an ana around me to
1 hold me there: Billy Gorcher wat oo
j the other tide of the cab. niggling at
the throttle; and the light engine waa
clicking It off about fifty miles as
hour oo the straight piece of track
between Torial City and Arroyo.
(Continued la the next Issue.)
To Prevent Baldness
Baldness can be prevented easier
than It ran be cured. Stop filling
hair and dandruff and prevent bald
nest by using Parisian Sase; bet f 5
tlie hair. English Drug Co. sells it
with guarantee of nion-y back It not
satisfactory.
666
will break a Cold, Fever and
Grippe quicker than any
thing: we know, preventing:
pneumonia.
I - aa
! Ice I
! Cream
VANILLA
PINEAPPLE
CHOCOLATE
STRAWBERRY
TUTI-FRUITI
PEACH
a
: $i.:o ,
$1.20 ...
Gallon J
. Gallon i
. - m
Delivered at lour
r a
uuor
Sunday Morning.
Tl m.- r t . ..
nace i our uraer
on Saturday if
Possible.
HAWN :
Ice Cream Co. .!
DR. P. M. ABERXETHY
VETERINARIAN
Offire FOWLER & LEE STAELJC
MONROE. N. C.
Phone 308.
, Reetdence Pho:ie 153-J.
DR. S. A. ALEXANDER
VETERINARIAN
Office Phone 113. Res.5o-J
Dr. Kemp Funderburk
DENTIST
Office over Waller't Old Store, "
R. L. PAYNE, M. D.
Office Ovor Union Drug Co.
Residence Phone 466
Office Phone 466
GORDON INSURANCE
t-ndV '
INVESTMENT CO.
i
INSURANCE EXPERTS
Phone 2C3.
Parmera A Merchant Aak
BnUdinf. ,
R. H. GAREN, M. D.
Practice Limited to TroaioMtit f
Dtteatf of j
EYE. EAR, NOSE ASD THROAT
i ,
Office Over
"THE CSIOX DRra COMPACT.
' PHONE 239.