Show I he I RAILROAD 61 frank n AJo Adopt lt d F From lA tr M ri n Juries Pi Pr Jl Url tj Sip Signal Film Wr and Flail n ma He m nr r. r FIRST EPISODE Circumstantial Evidence Trouble on the Western division was indicated the moment Frost the general superintendent reached his office office of- of fice ice In Mountain Springs that morning It If f he did not press all aU his desk buzzers buzzers buz buz- at once he sank one after another er In very curt succession giving ing his orders rapidly while Wilson Nilson his secretary secretary sec sea and his subordinates hurried In n and nod out cut The moment he lie could get routine matters out of the way he summoned the chief special officer of ot the he division Morton Webb With his assistant Wallace Wallac Burke Webb in his own office was already getting his desk cleared for action The he repeated looting of ot cars on the divisIon and the repeated thefts of ot otway way voy freight had forced the claim department de de- pat to work overtime and Webb was was called this morning to Frosts Frost's office only to find Davidson the general general genral gen- gen eral ral manager reporting by wire the through loss oss through the negligence of ot Arnold Arnold Arnold Ar Ar- nold local agent at Garden City City of of t two wo steers from a shipment of ot the Garden City Cattle company The fourth complaint from Garden City commented Webb grimly Inside in side aide a month And Webb talking fast ast and earnestly to his superior made no secret of ot his suspicion that I Steve Arnold the Garden City agent was vas responsible for all the trouble at that hat point Frost casting the evidence evIdence evI- evI dence up decided It was high time to investigate Arnold and fix once for all 11 the responsibility At Garden City Arnold himself wasat wasat was wasat at that moment entertaining queer guests Outside his own home near nearlie the lie station stood a n group of Panamint Indians They came periodically fr from m the he Io Funeral meral mountains to trade Jerked beet beef eef and b baskets for White hite mans man's food Just Just- why the should be I crazy razy about canned tomatoes no eth eth- has yet et discovered but Arnold Arnold Arold Ar- Ar nold old knew their weakness well YeU and traded profitably on It On this occasion occasion occa- occa sion lon his supply of tomatoes had run short hort short but loosening without scruple the he brake of a merchandise car stand stand- standing Ing ng partly unloaded unload d on the house track rack Arnold worked the car with a n down close to his bungalow To calr carry over half a n dozen cases of ot canned goo goods s bill billed d to local merchants merchants mer- mer chants hants was the work of a moment and nd Arnold was soon driving ng a n good trade rade with the Indians The merest accident interrupted him The fast freight train now due was whistling In the East Arnold had wl unfortunately pinched his merchandise mer- mer chandise car too close to the mainline main mainline line Ine switch The Time engineer of the saw the tae danger too late andas and ana andas anaas as the train came on the heavy Mogul Mogul Mo Mo- gul tore tote a big hole bole In the side of ot the merchandise car Most unluckily frosts frost's private car was attached to the he hind end of the freight train with Webb and Wilson he hurried forward Arnold the brazen agent was abusing the he en engineer when Frost coming up asked why the wrecked car had been left eft to foul toul the main line The brakes wouldn't hold It declared declared de de- Glared Arnold And the west wind blew dew her way down the track Frost and Webb exchanged glances Arnold was ordered to check up his bis way war bills One he be tried to destroy but too late Evidence of his crookedness crookedness crooked crooked- crookedness ness accumulated Webb questioned the Indians when were one and all smeared with tomatoes got a chance to look into Arnolds Arnold's bungalow Tomatoes Tomatoes To To- matoes everywhere told the story This declared Frost icily to Wilson Wilson Wil wn son calls for nothing but a constable Arrest this man lIan Arnold and get the night man here her quick to take the day tt trick Ick The sleepy old constable of ot Garden City after much delay was moved to alow aloes action He Betook took Arnold Into cus ens- tody nut But It was one thing to arrest Arnold and another to hold him As the M fast freight was pulling out the guilty agent tripping the constable constable- who was waa really only a Joke joke flipped flipped the outgoing train and secreting himself him him- self between box cars cars rode safely until the train pulled Into Deers Deer's Head Bead a small town In Panamint valley At Deer Deers Head Helen Belen Holmes Bolmes the dainty daughter of ot the local agent agent- and mown Known owing to tier ber popularity on CD the division he The Daughter Vl of ot i the Road Road acted acted with her ber pet dog dOi ft as AI j I assistant to her father rather David Holmes Bolme I I Il l Helen elen world was Wal all comprised In tho the little desert town and station where she ahe spent her time busied with railroad rail raU road duties This morning It t happened that tho the hamlet of at Deers Deer's Head Bead was already excited when Arnold arrived A gangoff gang of ot confidence men selling cheap watches to the natives had Just been i from town and had camped on oa i the outskirts on the river bottom between between between be be- tween the railroad track and the river Itself Arnold when the train stopped I left It to hunt up something to eat A convenient lunch room afforded a few tey sandwiches and the fugitive sat down on the station platform to enjoy thera The TUP Tho flay day wa Wll warm n the windows were wera o open n. n nl in l n h Helen elen and her fatter father a r worked Within the fife lI office a puff DUa of ot wind A lifting a n paper from the operators operator's desk leak carried It t outside and dropped it near Arnold who was finishing his lunch Picking up the paper he wrapped wrapped wrapped wrap wrap- ped In It his Ws last sandwich and put this In his pocket for supper A livelier live live- Her lier gust blew v other papers from the desks before Helen and the freight crew who were talking with her could reach them To pick these up they ran out on the platform AInold Arnold Arnold Ar Ar- nold alread already had bad a n number of ot reports and telegrams in his hands These he turned over to Holmes and strolled on ou up the yard but not before the freight conductor had seen him Pointing the conductor turned to ms Ills brakeman Drakeman why did you let that crook agent ride up from Garden Cit City I ul didn't know he was on 00 the train was I the he answer See that he be gets no farther The train pulled out but without losing Arnold Again Agal ho he made himself safe sate this time Ume however howe In vain aIn The crew discovered him and n a sharp fight ended in Arnolds Arnold's being knocked oft off a n box car He struck the right of way as luck would have It Just where the disgruntled confidence men were then finishing their own repast The Tho gang gathered curiously about the stunned man and their leader Buck Masters relieved Arnold speedily speedily speed speed- ily 11 of ot his coat vest watch and purse and the gang dragged him over to their camp Arnold recovering thanked thanked thank thank- ed his chance companions and asked incidentally for his coat Ho IIo soon discovered the theft of his timepiece and purse and made no bones about demanding them Masters laughed at nt him Arnold In no wise disconcerted sprang on the cheeky thief The en en- counter was spirited but short in record time the railroad ex man pulling pullIng pullIng pull- pull Ing from his pocket a handful of pepper pepper pep pep- per pel cleaned out not only the leader but his companions disarmed them called for milk to relieve the eye strain he had put upon them and the next instant actually found himself among friends He Be was In effect already the leader of ot the gang He presently scrutinized Masters close closely 1 Youre the living image linage of the agent at Deers Deer's Head he declared n rr r r. r r a aW W im The Tragedy Long Clouded Helens Helen's Life mustache Is a little longer Well We'll hang around for a n day or two Something Something Something Some Some- thing might turn up One Important thing did turn up Arnold tossed his extra sandwich toward toward toward to to- ward the fire Masters took the tho paper from it It to light a cigarette and read it to his companions A Agent Arent nt Deers Deera Head Head Express s shipment seventeen thou thousand and for tor Deers Deer's City National Bank on Number Number Number Num Num- ber Se Seven Senn en If U. F F. Sensation followed follo Everyone saw the possibilities Plans were hastily concocted to rob the train that night and Arnold determined to turn Masters Master's Masters Master's Masters Master's Mas Mas- ter's resemblance to David Holmes Bolmes the agent to advantage antage While Helen Belen In the time all nil unsuspecting was wah busy selling tickets Arnold toll followed owed by Masters Master climbed through a window Into the dark dork baggage room adjoining There they began to knock over boxes one ono after another Helen nelen had meantime meantime mean mean- time gone out to the train Her Bel father ran into the baggage room to Investigate investigate gate the noises Overpowering Holmes Arnold taking his coat and cup cap rigged Masters In them and sent him into tho the office to represent Holmes Bolmes At the train Helen Belen had signed for tor the money package Entering the office she tossed It across the counter to her father father- as she supposed who supposed who took It lt But as the crew went out Masters her supposed d father dodged back Into the baggage room Here Bere the tho gang now v released poor Holmes and money In hand decamped through the window Holmes Bolmes staggered Into the station Ho He told Helen Belen of the robbery Number Seven Seen had gone but Helen Belen Instantly advised ad the dispatchers' dispatchers of ot- Ace fice Webb and Frost were vere sum sum- ironed from ora com Garden City They reached reached reach reach- ed the holdup scene In record time Ume but after atter their morning experience with one crooked agent they were Inno Inno In Inno no humor to listen Us ten to explanations from Helen Belen and ond her still dazed father Under Frosts Frost's relentless orders Webb took Holmes Into custody Your evi evl- evIdence evidence dence deuce alone declared Frost harsh harshly fo to o Helen Belen li is enough to convict him The tragedy long clouded Helen Belen Holmes' Holmes life But cruelest of all washer was waR washer her ordeal of giving the evidence that tha sentenced her own father to imprisonment Imprisonment In the penitentiary The sen sea tence tonce she did not hear she had faint faint- ed END OF FIRST EPISODE |