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Show i I DALE UTAH EMERY COUNTY PROGRESS, CASTLE ra e w RE By I ll THE BOSS IS BACK ON THE JOB. Synopsla. Oraham Norcrog, railroad manager, and hi secretary, Jimmy Dodds, are marooned at Sand Creek aiding with a young lady, Sheila Macrae, and her (mail cousin, Malsle Ann. t'ngeen, thoy witness a peculiar train holdup, in which a special car Is carried off. Norcrosa recognizes the car as that of John Chadwick, financial magnate, whom he was to meet at Portal City. He and Dodds rescue Chadwick. The latter offers Norcrotti the management of the Pioneer Short Line, which Is in the hands of eastern speculators, headed by BreckenrUIge Dunton, president of the line. Norcrogi, learning that Sheila Macrae is stopping at Portal City, accepts. Dodds overhears conversation between ftufus Hatch and Gustave Henckel, Portal City financiers. In which they admit complicity in Chadwlck's kidnaping, their object being to keep Chadwick from attending a meeting of directors to reorganize the Pioneer Bhort Line, which would jeopardize their Interests. To curb the monopoly controlled by Hatch and Htnrkel. the Red Tower corporation, Norcross forms the Citizens' Storage and Warehouse company. He begins to manifest a deep Interest In Sheila Macrae. Dodds learns that Sheila Is married,' but living apart from her husband. Norcross does not know this. The Boss disappears; report has it that he has resigned and gone east. I told her about the wreck, and said I was afraid tie hadn't got back yet. I heard something that sounded like muffled and "Oh, dear!" and then she went on. "I have Just had a phone message from Mr. Cantrell, the editor of the Mountaineer, He called the house to try to find Major Kendrlck. He has heard something which may explain about Mr. Norcross. He said he didn't want to put It on the wire." That was enough for me. "I'll go right over to the Mountaineer office," 1 told her; and In Just about two Shakes of a dead lamb's tall, I was standing at Mi. Cantrell's elbow In t. mill-gan- Klrgan's arras and sort of half fainted, It seemed. Because, when I came to, right good again, KIrgan had me up on the fireman's box, with an arm around me to hold me there: Billy Gorcher was on the other side of the cab, niggling at the throttle; aiM the light engine was clicking It oil about fifty miles an hour on the straight piece of track between PortJR City and Arroyo. CHAPTER VIII half-secon- soft-hearte- d ," ll Some Kind." fits little den on the third floor of the .newspaper building across the avenue. "Mrs. Macrae telephoned you?" he asked, pushing his bunch of copy paper aside. "Yes; Just a minute ago." ril give you what I have, and you may do what you please with It. One of our young men Branderby has discovered In some way that he didn't eare to explain over the phone that there was a plot of some kind concocted In the back room of a dive on lower Nevada avenue on the night Mr. Norcross disappeared. From what Branderby says, I take it that the plot was overheard, In part, at least, by some habitue of the place who was too drunk to get It entirely straight and . Intelligible. The plotters were four of Clanahan's men, and, as Branderby got It, they were planning to steal a locomotive. Do you know anything about that?" "I do. The engine was stolen all right, that very night KIrgan, our master-mechanihas known It was been keeping quiet has he but tone, to hopes he'd be able to find the engine without making any public stir about It." The story, as It has been handed on to Branderby, is pretty badly muddled," the editor went on. "There was something in It about an attempt to wreck and rob the Fast Mall, and omclhlng else about sending a note to somebody at the Bullard a note that 'would do the business,' was the may ft was put" I 'That note was sent to Mr, NorI broke In excitedly, taking a cross running Jump at the guess. "If you will wait until Branderby eomes'ln, he may be able to give you more of the particulars," Cantrell was Beginning to say; but good gosh! I was scared stiff 1 couldn't wait. be able to get shouldn't I for fear before KIrgan bark to the round-housengine-rescuinthat on out started c, 1 r e g trip "That's enough," I gasped; "I'm down the two gone l" and I tumbled for the and sprinted stairs of flights railroad yard, reaching the too soon. not one and Gorcher with waa there, KIrgan two firemen. They had a light engine were Mt on the tank track and her with vater. with them Xbey took Mr. Norcross was all I could a the and then I guess my late electric got In lta work to pay for SToulck aprint down- from the new office: for I keeled over Int. per round-Bous- e half-secon- d fill-i- n , l" g Close Call At the "Y" siding we stopped without going on to the gravel track where Gorcher had seen the lost 1016 and KIrgan and I got off with a lantern. This was because, on the way down, I had managed to tell the big master-mechani- c about the Cantrell talk, though I hadn't succeeded In making him believe that It accounted for Mr. Norcross' drop-ouJust the same he humored me by having Billy Gorcher stop, and now he was trying to make me take it sort of slow and easy as we stumbled out toward the stem of the "Y." That was Klrgan's way. He was as hard as nails with a gang of men, but he could be as as any woman when a fellow was all In. And he knew I wasn't half "at myself" yet, physically. "Dont get too much hope up, Jim-mlehe was saying, as we humped along around the crooking track of the "Y." "We ain't goln to find anything out yonder but a rusty loggln' track and that broken rail connection. You see, I've been here before, and I know." He was as right as could be. When we reached the end of the "Y" there was the broken connection, Just as he'd said. The old saw-mitrack was still there, leading off In the dark up the gulch, but the two switch rails had been taken out and the switch Itself was as rusty as If It hadn't been used In years. "What you heard from Mr. Cantrell may have been all true enough," KIrgan said, while I stood swallowing hard and staring down at the broken rail connection, "only It didn't have anything to do with the big boss. Them thugs was probably plannln to wreck the Mall, all right, and they came down here to do it. The Lord only knows why they didn't do it; p'raps there wasn't time enough, after they'd got the 'Sixteen in on the gravel track." I only Just about half heard what he was saying. He had the lantern, and Its light fell squarely upon a cross-ti- e a foot or two beyond where we were standing. It was the last tie In the empty string from which the two rails had been taken up to break the connection with the lighter saw-mitrack steel, and what I was looking at was a fresh spike hole; fresh beyond all question of doubt because there was a clean new splinter of the wood sticking up beside It a splinter that had been broken out when the spike was pulled. I took the lantern from KIrgan In my one good hand, and he stood there waltlne for me while I walked on end of the saw out to the chopped-of- f mill track, examining the loose ties as I went along. There were fresh spike holes In some of the others; just one here and there. But that was enough. After I had knelt to hold the lantern close to the rails of the rusty timber track I knew my hunch was all right "Come here, Martt" I called, and when he came, I showed him the new on the holes and new wheel-mark- s old rusty rails of the timber track that proved as clear as daylight that an engine or a train had been over them nway this side of the rains and It Wasn't the Voice of Any Dead Man the snows that had rusted them. KIrgan didn't say. a word not to been so roughly handed that V had The next order me. lie just took one look at the lost count of time. rubbed rails and then jelled back to was shot at the two Hremen. "You boys kick that packing hox to Gorcher to run out on the "Y." What followed went like clockwork. There pieces and then pull the straw out of and a drlv- - that bunk and touch a match to it. were tools, a spike-pulle- r on the light engine's tender, We'll make sure that they'll never lock anybody else up in this d d dog and while the two firemen were throw a made couple hole." ing them off, KIrgan The two y mng huskies obeyed the of swift measurements with hit! pocket In half a minute nromDily. order tape. "These two, right here, boys," he the dry slab 'ituff that the bunks were and the boss ordered, indicating a pair of rails In hnilt of wai ablaze and a minute to us the door, herded the other leg of the "Y," and In less were all climbing Into than no time the two rails were up or so later and relald to bridge the gap of the the cab of he waiting engine. We had to run so slowly down the broken connection. track to the "Y" that there was old I suppose we poked along into the boss to talk, black heart of the Timber range for plenty of chance for the to.- - But apparent wanted had he If before a much as five or tlx miles A t. There Was a Plot of the engine headlight showed us the camp ly remains of the old saw-mivalley from ing In a little pocket-lik- e the sides of which all the mill timber had been cut. The camp had been There were perhaps a ong deserted. dozen shacks of all sizes and shapes, and with a single exception they were all dilapidated and dismantled, some with the roofs falling In. The one exception was the stout log .uildlng w hich had probably served as the commissary and store. The ties at this end of the line were so rotten with age that our engine was grinding a good half of them to powder as she edged up, and a little below the switch that had formerly led In to the mill, KIrgan gave Gorcher the stop signal. After we had piled off, there wasn t any question raised as to what we should do. KIrgan had taken a ham and he mer from Gorcher's tool-bowas the one who led the way straight across the little creek and up the hill to the commissary. When we reached the building we found the windows all boarded up and the door fastened with a strong hasp and a bright new brass padlock the only new thing In sight. KIrgan swung his hammer just once and the lock went spinning off down the slope and fell with a splash into the creek. Then he pushed the door open with his foot, d and shoved In ; and for just one I was afraid to follow afraid of what we might find In that gloomy-lookin- g log warehouse, with its blinded windows a u I looked door. While I was nerving myself and stumbling over the threshold behind Kirgan with the luntern, I heard the boss' voice, and It wasn't the voice of any dead man, not by a long shot! From what he said, and the way he was trimming It up with hot ones. It was evldeut that he took us for some other crowd that he'd been cussing out before. The light of the lantern showed us a long room, bare of furnishings, and dark and musty from having been shut up so tight. In the far end there were a couple of bunks built against he log wall. On what had once been the counter of the commissary there was a lot of canned stuff and a box of crackers that had been broken open, and on a bench by the door there was a bucket of water and a tin cup. The boss was sitting up in one of the bunks, and he was still tearing off language in strips at us when we closed on him. He recognized Kirgan first, and then Gorcher. I guess he couldn't see me very well because was holding the lantern. When he found out who we were, he stopped swearing and got up out of the bunk to put his hnnd on Mart That was the Klrgan's shoulder. ofily break he made to show that he was a man, like the rest of us. The next minute he was the big boss again, rapping out his orders as if he had just pushed his desk button to call us In. "You've got an engine here, I sup pose?" he snapped, at Kirgan. "Then we'll get out of this quick. What day of the week is It?" I told him It was Friday, and by his asking that, I knew he must have ll lng-mau- l, TGr!?"0 S ,n.i,.'t iiatit to. He sat on fireninn's seat, with an arm back of me to hold me on, just as Kirgan nau at on the wav up. and never opened what his head except once to ask me wrappea-uwith my was the matter i.nmi when 1 told him. he made no comment and didn't speak again until we had stopped on the leg of tne i let Kiruan and his three helpers nit the borrowed rails back Into place.You say It's Friday," he began aDou ruptly. "What's been going Monday night, Jimmle? I boiled it down for him into Just as few words as possible; about the letter he had left for Mr. an unit, hmv everybody thought he had re signed, how Mrs. Sheila and the major were two of the few who weren t winChadwick ing to believe It, how Mr. had been out of reach, how the railroad outfit was flopping around like a chicken with Its head chopped off. how President Dunton had appointed a new general manager who was ex pected now on any train, how Gorcher had discovered the lost 1010 on the track a mile be- old disused gravel-pi- t wind to ow us, and, up with, I slipped him Mr. Chadwlck's telegram wnicn had come just as I was finishing my and supper in the Bullard grill-roohose two others that had come ou the knock-ou- t night, and which had been in my pocket ever since. He heard me through without say ing a word, and when I gave him the telegrams he read them by the light of the gauge lamp also without saying anything. But when the men hud the "Y" raiis replaced he took hold of things again with a jerk. "Kirgan, you'll want to see to get ting that dead engine out of the gravel pit yourself. Take one of the firemen and go to it. It's a short mile and you can walk in. Jlmmio and I want to get back to Portal City In a hurry, and Gorcher will take us." And then to Gorcher: "We'H run to Banta ahead of Number Eighteen and get orders there. Move lively, Billy; times prei... ung itto its fighting u cious." We made Banta at a record clip. While he was In the Banta wire office. getting orders for Portal City, Mr. Nor out of its cross took the time-carcage in the cab and fell to studying it by the light of the gauge lamp. Gorcher came back pretty soon with his clearance, which gave him the d red-face- d um H SJ'JS 1 RipW?K What can i and id8; care i,idlnltel tH rnH ,51 uJf: 1 smooth-spoke- he i could i leather into the blee?, do for you?" . legal the other side could hfi so l taa, didn't hate slang I If we were an interstate cnrThould say that the portly man looked when the local courts proved. as if he were going to throw a fit. ne Elpley would find some wa, Norcross Xot not Graham the case out of them and nut stammered. it. to 'Graham' my am "Well, yes; I -. Around homo ii else.' c.w C'.ubf That ' - T' pally Trai r- friends. Anything The portly gentleman subsided Into a chair. "There is some misunderstanding about this," he said, his voice thickeuI with tittle! a thought anger, iug My name is Dismuke, and I am the general manager of this railroad." I wouldn't dispute the name, but your title is away off," said Mr. Norcross, as cool as a handful of dry snow. "Who appointed you, if I may ask?" President Dunton and the board of directors, of course." The same authority appointed me, something like three months ago," was the calm reply. "So far as I know, am still at the head of the com pany's staff in Portal City." The gentleman who had named him self Dismuke puffed out his cheeks and looked as If he were about to ex , plode. "This is a devil of a mess!" he rapped out. "I understood we all understood in New York that you had resigned !" "Well, I haven't," retorted the boss shortly. And then he stuck the knife in good and deep and twisted It around. "There Is a commercial telegraph wire in the Hotel Bullard, where I suppose you will put up, Mr. Dismuke, and I'm sure you will find it entirely at your service. If you have anything further to say to me I hope it will keep until after this office opens in the morning. I am very busy, just now." I mighty nearly gasped. This I?ls-muwas the new general manager, appointed, doubtless in all good faith, by the president and sent out to take charge of things. And here was the boss practically ordering him out of the office telling him that his room was better than his company! The portly man got out of his chair, puffing like a steam-engin"We'll see about this!" he threat" ened. "You've been here three months and you haven't done anything but muddle things until the stock of the1 company isn't worth much more than' the paper It's printed on: If I cam get a clear wire to New York, you'll have word from President Dunton tomorrow morning telling you where you get off!" To this Mr. Norcross made no and the heavy-footegentleman stumped out, saying things to himself that wouldn't look very well In print. When the hall door below gave a big slam to let us know that he was still going, the bo looked across at me with a sour grin wrinkling around his eyes. "Now you know why I made Gorcher break all the rules of the service getting here, Jimmle," he said. "Possession Is nine points of the law, and in this case it was rather Important that Mr. Dismuke shouldn't find the outfit without a head and these offices of ours unoccupied." He rose, stretched his arms over his head like a tired boy, and readied for the golf cap he kept to wear when he went out to knock around in the shops and yard. "Let's go up to the hotel and see, if we can break into the cafe, Jimmle," he finished up. "Later on, we'll wire' Mr. Chadwick; but that can wait. I haven't had a square meal In four days." right to run to Arroyo as first section of Number Eighteen. The boss blew up like a Roman caudle when he saw that train order. It meant that we were to take the siding at Arroyo with the freight that was just behind us, and wait there for the westbound "Flyer," the "Flyer" being due in Portal City from the east at 9:15, and due to leave there, com ing west, at 9.20. I didn't realize at the moment why the boss was so sizzling anxious to cut out the delay which would be imposed on us by the wait at Arroyo, but the anxiety was there, all right. Billy, it's eighteen miles to Portal, and you've got twenty minutes to make it against the 'Flyer's' leaving time," lie ripped out. "Can you do It?" Gorcher said he could, if he didn't have to lose any more time getting his order changed. "Let her go!" snapped the boss 'I'm taking all the responsibility." That was enough for Gorcher, and the way we hustled out of the Banta yard was a caution. In exactly eight minutes out of Banta we tore over the switches at Arroyo. That left us ten miles to go, and twelve minutes In which to make them. It was easy. A yardman let us In on the spur at the end of the headquarters building, and the boss was off in half a jiffy. "Come along with me, Jimmle," he commanded quickly, and I couldn't Imagine why he wns In such a tearing hurry. Pushing through the platform crowd, made up of people who were getting off the "Flyer" and those who were waiting to get on, he led the way straight upstairs to our offices. Of course, there was nobody there at that time of night, and the place was all dark until we switched the electrics on. There was a little lavatory off the third room of the suite, and Mr. Norcross went in and washed his face and hands, in a minute or two he came out, put on his office coat, opened cp his desk, lighted a cigar and sat down at the desk as though he had Just come in from a hite dinner at the club. And still he had me guessing. didn't have to wait Ions. While I was making a bluff at uncovering my typewriter and getting ready for business there was a heavy stop in the hall, and a portly gentleman with fat eyes atid English came bulging In. He had a light topcoat on his arm. and his tan gloves were oil exact match for his spats. "Good evening," he said, nodding sort of brusquely at the boss. "pm looking for the general manager's of fice." "You've found it," said the boss, crisply. The gentleman looked first at me and then at Mr. Norcross. "You are the chief clerk, perhaps?" he suggested, pitching the query in the general direction of the big desk. The-gues- cloflZ Ing to chock the wheels & W. ith all sorts ofl Franchise contracts road were flashed up were prayed for. and what little sleep he or two was In Pullman can. while he was rushing tag to keep his new & W. folks, out of jail of court lie did it. Hardly," was the curt rejoinder. "My name is Norcross. CJ' i' 5 U ITIIPRE' ijj FRANCIS LYNDE u CHAPTER VII. Continued. selling the Red Citizens' Storage 4 w . after the boss got went Into the discard in.?1 the Consolidation outfit H ke reply-whatever- , d migl" Kid Between V days, as you might Say, soon after Mr. Norcross gotm bact acquired a new chum on the bj! reboot - a- the cor L to come th ires are U h the Cmwu wami T;te for ot the cruci rti must., clubroo ofew m 4e start that eu, for fflke jrfen unsuuau goffer, d crucifers. cabl,a! iUA Mis was aband of the P a,, v Men cabbage was bau'y "Your Title Is Away Off," Norcross. Said Mr, quarters force. He was a young fellow named Tarbell, who looked mi Just talked and acted like a In from riding line. He was carried on Mr. Van Britt's payroll as an "extra" of "relief" telegraph operator; though w never heard of his being sent out to cow-punc- h relieve anybody. I sized this new young man up, right away, for a "special" of mhm sort, and the proof that I was right came one afternoon when Ripley tiropped In and fell into a cnair to ran himself with his straw hat like a man I wfto had just put down a load that ho f had been carrying about a mile and I half farther than he had bargained to. "Thank the Lord, the last of those he injunction suits is off the docket," waand breath a long saldy drawing boss. gging his neat little Jiead at the "I'll say ne thing for the Hatch peo pie, Norcross; they're stubborn figh- m ters. "WeTl beat "They're got C. S. & W. game?" "Flnr stock Is 'em," predicted the boss. to let go. How about our friends? Are they still Clubroot asserted the lawyer. "Th had been everywhere, over-subscribe-d and C. S. & W. is a going concern. The building boom is' on. I venture to say there are over two thousand mechanics at work at the different for centers, nishing up the buildings ion moment the new plants, at this Norcross. ought to have a monument, J scheme It's the most original ever now, breaking a devised." monopoly that was that h fers veeds. Clubroot In earl; top may Is ahvaj present taken mai is fror swell! an indie I ease. out of chewlM absently, The boss was looking window sort ot his cigar, which had gone out "Ripley, I wonder what you'd sajB n I should tell you that the Idea is pause. little a miner he said, after "Not yours?' With everybody supposing he had of it, "No; it, or at least the germ resigned and left the country, I guess w" woman; was given to me by a there were all kinds of a Buabout more no man who knows wonder In Portal City, and all driving along the Short Line, when the word went siness details than you do about white elephants." "in mai .ir. ivircross was back on the wiw "I'd like to be made acquainted job and running It pretty much the with a tireo M i.j-same as It nothing had w happened. "Such gems ore After supper, on the night of his Httle smile. lumwr valuable to he wasted on mere return. from the hide-oulie had sent and I a long code message to Mr. yards and fruit packeries Chadwick, elevators and the like." , and a short one to President Dunton "You'll meet her some day,' lagD and ih.mzl. I didn't see the reply to the boss, with a sort of happy either. I guess Mr. Chadwlck's ansic his voice that fairly made me swer, at least, was the right kind, tw knowing knowing what I did; and our track renewing iwlWW he campaign Then went into commission again with a he didn't know It "About n. slam, and all the reform policies took the subject abruptly: know you I a fresh start and begun to other matter, Ripley: had w hump themselves, with .Tunemaa work-in- s been pretty busy, but you've have J What week. a bell nearly the newspapers to a finish. found out?" We heard nothing further ' situ" from Mr. Ripley briefed the general Dismuke, the portly gentleman in the of the on the as stood night it tan spats, though he still stayed on at theft in a few terse sentences, a the Billiard. We saw him occasionalfrom the fight on Red Towt ly at meal times, and twice he wns solidated, the new railroad; poiu 1 'nting at the same tahle with Hatch were" threatening to upset aii the ami Henckel. That placed him all honored political tradiUs richt for us, though I guess he didn't . state. An machine-governe- d need much placing. rat the and . was ...1 approaching, i "oouerci a nttie at first th,,r Mr vote and Influence nyst be,wu' l Norcross didn't aive tne c ue that into line. As the grafters viewe Branderby, the Mountaineer' was a reporter - .... o m.u uar loose on the the threatened revolutioni tint mB man government auu " , . . ..wl !"intr thti uuu He didn't-o- r could be removed) the danger w imp Fr'om didn't seen, t0. t, vanish. of the first day he was up to his pushing things for the new company farmed for the purpose of putting Tower out of business, and he re wouldn't Tor God', sake, take a minute's time for Cf course, lt says Itselfanything that Hatch aever made any more proposals about nine-minute- s' 1 jears by wi lag may ftown In variably poor hea! Anothei knot of i Injurious tountry i the mor be impos knot the iiie t, ; be-au.- se sure-enouu- h J T Roo go. t year ton toe? |