Show 1 t i If 1I 1 I I I 11 IBANK HSPEABM AN i ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDRE BOWLKS COFYRICNT BY C6r4SrSC SBNERb cSONS SYNOPSIS Murray Sinclair and Ills Bans Of wreckers wreck-ers worn called out to clear Ie railroad tracks at Smoky Creek McClnuil a young road superintendent caught Sin clair and Ills men In the act or looting tho wrecked train Sinclair pleaded Inv tioccnce declaring It only amounted to a small sumI treat for the men McCloud discharged tho whole outfit and ordered the wreckage burned McCloud became acquainted with Dlcksln Dunning a Klrl of the west who came to look at the wreck Sho gave him a mesince for Sin clair Whispering Gordon Smith told f President Bucks of the railroad of Mc Clouds brave light against a gang of crazed miners and that was tho reason for the superintendents appointment to hIs high olllcc McCloud arranged to board at the boarding house of Mrs Sin clair tho exforemans deserted wife CHAPTER V Continued Betty came with only her colored maid old Puss Dunning who had taken her from the nurses arms when she was born and taken core of her ever since The twothe tall Kentucky Ken-tucky girl and tho bent mammy arrived ar-rived at tho Stone ranch one day In Juno and RIchard done then with bridges and looking after his ranch Interests had already fallen violently In love with Betty She was delicate but If those In Medicine Bend who remembered re-membered her said true a lovely creature Remaining In the mountains was he last thing Betty had ever thought of but no one man or woman could withstand Dick Dunning She fell quite In love with him the first time sho set eyes on him In Medicine Dond for ho was very haild ome In the saddle and Betty was falriy wild About horses So Dick PunnIng wooed a fond mistress and married her and burled her and all within bardly more than a year But In that year they were very happy never two happier and when she slept away her Buffering she left him as a legacy a tiny baby girl Puss brought the mite of a creature In Its swaddling clothes to the sick mother very very sick thenand poor Betty Bet-ty turned her dark eyes on It kissed It looked at her husband anrt whispered whis-pered DIckslo and died Dlcksle had been Bettys pet name for her mountain lover so the father said the childs name should be Dlikslo and nothing else and his heart broke and Boon he died Nothing ele storm or flood death or disaster had ever moved Dick Dunning then a single sin-gle blow killed rim He rode once In a while over the ranch a J great tract by tbt time of 20000 Acres all In one body all under fence up and down bjth sides of the big J river In part Irrigated swarming withy with-y cattle none of It stirred Dick and with little Oicksle In his arms he slept away nls suffering So Dlksle was left as her mother had bean to Puss while Lance looked after the ranch swore at the price of catlo and played cards at Medicine Bend At ten Dlcksle as thoroughly polled as a pet baby could be by a r fool mammy a fond cousin and a galaxy of devoted cowboys was sent In spite of crying and flinging to a faraway convent her father had planned everything where In many tears she learned that there were other oth-er things In the world besides cattle and mountains and sunshine and tall broadhatted horsemen to swing from their stirrups and pick her hat from the groundjust to see little Dlcksle laughy when they swooped past tho house to the corrals When she came back from Kentucky her grandmother dead and her schooldays finished all the land she could see in the valley was hers I J d CHAPTER VI In Marloni Shop In Honey street Medicine Bend stands an earlyday row of onestory buildings they once imule up a prosperous pros-perous block which has long since fallen Into the decay of paintlcss days There Is in Boney street a livery stable a secondhand store a laundry a bakery a moribund grocery and a bicycle shop and at the time of this Story there was also Marlon Sinclairs 1 millinery shop but the better class of Medicine Bend business such as the gambling houses saloons pawnshops restaurants barber Bhopi nnd those sensitive cleanshaven and alert establishments es-tablishments known as gents stores bad deserted Boney street for many years Bats fly In the dark of honey street while Front street at the same J tIiJ hour Is a blaze of electricity and frontier Ifc fron-tier hilarity Tho millinery storo I stood next to the corner of Fort L street The lot lay In an IV and at tho rear of tho store tho first owner had built a small connecting cottage w to live In This faced on Fort street so that Marion had her shop and living liv-ing rooms communicating and yet apart The store building Is still pointed out as tho former shop of Marlon Sinclair where George Mc Cloud boarded when the Crawling Stone line was built whore Whispering t Whisper-ing Smith might often have been seen where Sinclair himself was last seen i i t dive In Medicine Bend Whore DIckslo DunnIngs horse dragged her senseless olio wild mountain night and where ndoed for a tlmo the affairs of the i whole mountain division seemed to angle In very hard knots In her lining room which con No man that has over played me dirt can sI1Y here while I stay Sin I clair with a hand on tile portiere was moving from tho doorway into tho nected through a curtained door with the shop McCloud sat one day alone eating his dinner Marlon was In front saving a customer McCloud heard voices In tho shop but gave no heed till a man walked through the curtained doorway and he saw Murray Sinclair standing before him A storm Interview with Callahan and Blood at the Wickiup had taken place just a week before and McCloud after i what Sinclair had then threatened though not prepared felt as ho saw him that anything might occur Mc Cloud being In possession of the little room howqvor the Initiative fell on Sinclair who looking his best snatched his hat from his head and bowed Ironically My mistake he said blandly Come right in returned McCloud not knowing whether Marion had a possible hand In her husbands unexpected unex-pected appearance Do you want tb see me1 I dont smiled Sinclair and to be perfectly frank he added with studied consideration I wish to God I never had seen you Well youve thrown me McCloud Youve thrown yourself havent you Murray From your point of view of course But MoCloud this Is a small country I for two points of view Do you want I tor got out of It or do you want mo to 1 The country suits me Sinclair you I was attending to a customer and had to ask him to wait a moment mo-ment Dont apologize for having a customer cus-tomer He lives over beyond tho Stone ranch you know and is taking some things out for tho Dunnlngs today He likes an excuse to come In hero because be-cause it annoys me Finish your dinner din-ner Mr McCloud Thank you Im done But you havent eaten anything Isnt your steak light Its fine but that man well you know how I like him and how ho likes me Ill content myself with digesting I my temper CHAPTER VII Smoky Creek Bridge It was not alone that a defiance makes a bad dinner sauce there was more than this for McCloud to feed on He was forced to confess to himself I him-self as he walked back to tho Wickiup I that the most annoying feature of tho incident was the least Important namely that his only enemy In tho country should bo Intrusted with commissions com-missions from the Stone ranch and bo carrying packages for Dlcksle Dunning Dun-ning It was Sinclairs trick to do things for people and to make himself so useful that they must like first his obligingness and afterward himself Sinclair McCloud knew was close In many ways to Lance Dunning It was said to have been his Influence that won DunnIngs consent to soil a right of way across the ranch for tho now j H 11 i I i I Here Is the Silk Mr Sinclair room McCloud In a leisurely way rose though with a slightly flushed face and at that Juncture Marlon ran Into the room and spoke abruptly Here Is tho silk Mr Sinclair she exclaimed handing to him a package she had not finished wrapping I meant you to wait In the other room It was an accidental Intrusion returned re-turned Sinclair maintaining hiD irony I have apologised and Mr McCloud and I understand one another better than over Please say to Miss Dunning continued con-tinued Marlon nervous and Insistent that the band for her rldlnghat hasnt como yet but it should bo here tomorrow I As sho spoke McCloud leaned across the table resolved to take advantage of the opening If It cost him his life And by tho way Mr Sinclair Miss Dunning wished mo to say toyou that the lovely buy colt you sent her had sprung hIs shoulder badly the hind shoulder I think but they are doing everything possible for It and they think It will make a great horse Sinclairs snort at the Information was u marvel of Indecision Was he being made fun of Should ho draw and end It But Marlon faced him resolutely as ho stood and talking In the most business llko way she backed him out of the room and to tho shop door Balked of his opportunity oppor-tunity he retreated stubbornly but with tho utmost politeness and left with a grin lashing his tall so to speak Coming back Marion tried to hide her uneasiness under even tones to L McCloud Im sorry he disturbed Crawling Stone line But McCloud felt it useless to disguise tho fact to himself that ho now had a second Keen Interest In the Crawling Stone countrynot alono a dream of a line but a dream of a girl Sitting moodily In his onice with his feet on the desk a few nights after his encounter with Sinclair ho recalled her nod as sho said goodby It had seemed tho least bit encouraging and ho meditated anew on tho only 20 minutes of real pleasurable excitement ho had over felt In his life tho 20 minutes with DIckslo Dunning at Smoky creek Her intimates he had heard called her Dlcksie and he was vaguely envying her intimates when tho night dispatcher dispatch-er Uooney Lee opened tho door and disturbed his reflections How Is Number One Hoonoy called McCloud as If nothing but tho thought of a train movement over entered en-tered his head Ilooney Leo paused In his hand he hold a message and ho faced McCloud with evident uneasiness Holy smoko Mr McCloud heros a ripper Weve I lost Smoky Creek bridge Lost Smoky Creek bridge echoed McCloud rising In amazement Burned tonight Seventyseven was flagged by the man at tho pump station Thats a tieup for your life exclaimed ex-claimed McCloud reaching for tho message How could It catch fire Is It burned upI up-I cant get anything on that yet this came from Canby Ill have a good wIre In a few minutes and got It all for you have Phil Halloy and Hyde noti J lied Hoonoy and Heed amid Drill Young and get up a train Smoky Creek bridge By heavens wo are ripped up the back now What can wo do thoro Hooney Ho was talkIng talk-Ing to hhnself There Isnt a thing for It on Gods earth but switchbacks and llvoperrent grades down to the bottom of tho creek and cribbing across It till the now line is ready Wlro Callahan and Morris Blood and get everything you can for me before wo start Ten hours later and many hundreds of miles from tho mountain division President Bucks and a companion were riding in the peace of a June morning down tho beautiful Mohavk valley wHIt an earlier and illustrious railroad man William C Drown Tho three men wore at breakfast In Drowns car A message was brought in for Bucks Ho read It and passed it to his companion Whispering Smith who sat at Browns left hand Tho message was from Callahan with tho nows of tho burning of Smoky Crcok bridge Details wore fow because no i one oil the west end could suggest al plausible cause for the fire What do you think of It Gordon demanded BUCK bluntly Whispering Smith seemed at all times bordering on goodnatured surprise sur-prise and In that normal condition ho road Callahana message Ho was laughing under Bucks scru tiny when he handed tho message back Why I dont know a thing about It not a thIng but taking along a-long shot and speaking by and far I should say It looks something like first blood for Sinclair ho suggested and to change the subject lifted his cup of coffee Then It looks like you for tho mountains tonight Instead of for Weber and Fields retorted Bucks reaching for a cigar Brown why have you never learned to smoke CHAPTER VIII The Misunderstanding No attempt was made to minimize tho truth that the blow to the division was a staggering one The loss of Smoky creek bridge put almost 1000 miles of the mountain division out of business Perishable freight and time freight wore diverted to other lines i Passengers were transferred lunches wore served to them In tho deep valley val-ley and they were supplied by an ingenuous In-genuous advertising department with pictures of the historic bridge as It 1 had long stood and their addresses were taken with the promise of a picture pic-ture of the ruins Tho engineering department de-partment and the operating department depart-ment united In a tremendous effort to bring about a resumption of traffic Glovers men pulled off construction were sent forward In traInloads Dan clngs linemen strung arc lights along the creek until the canyon twinkled at night like a mountain village and men In throe shifts worked elbow to elbow unceasingly to rim the switchbacks switch-backs down to the creek bed Thereby There-by cribbing across tho bottom they got In a temporary line McCloud spent his days at the creek and his nights at Medicine Bend with his assistant and his chief dispatcher advising counseling studying out trouble reports and steadying wherever wher-ever he could the weakened lines of his operating forces He was getting his first taste of tho trials of the hard cst worked and poorest paid man In i the operating department of a railroad tho division superintendent To these were added porsonal an noyanccs A trainload of Duck far steers shipped by Lance Dunning from tho Crawling Stone ranch hat been caught west pf the bridge the very night of tho fire They had been I loaded at Tlpton and shipped to catch a good market and under extravagant promises from tho livestock agent of a quick run to Chicago When Lance Dunning learned that his cattle had been caught west of tho break and would have to bo unloaded be swore up a horse In hot haste and started for Medicine Bend McCloud who had not closed his eyes for GO hours had just got Into Medicine Bend from Smoky Creek and was sitting at his desk burled in a mass of papers but he ordered the cattleman admitted Ho was in fact eager to meet tho manager of tho big ranch and the cousin of Dlcksle Lance Dunning stood above six feet In height and was a handsome man In spite of tho hard lines around his eyes as he walked In but neither his manner nor his expression was amiable Are you Mr McCloud Ive been i here threo times this afternoon to see you said ho Ignoring McClouds nmwor and a proffered chair This Is emir office Isnt It McCloud a little surprised answered an-swered again and civilly It certainly certain-ly is but I have been at Smoky Creek for two or three days What have you dono with my cattle cat-tle j The Duck Dar train was run back to Point of Rocks and the cattle wore unloaded at tho yard Lance Dunning upoko with increasing increas-ing harshness By whose order was that clone Why wasnt I notified I Have they had feed or water All the stock caught west of the bridge was sent back for feed mid water by lilY orders It lies all been taken caro of You should have been notified certainly It Is tho business of the stock agent to see to that Let nip Intiulru about It while you nro line Mr Dunning siifiKeatod Mc Cloud ringing for his clerk Dunning lost no time In expressing himself 1 dont want my cattlo held at Point of Racks ho said angrily Your Point of Rocks yards are Infected In-fected My cattle shouldnt harm been sent there Oh no The old yards where they had a touch of fever were burned off tho face of tho earth a year ago The now yards arc notfoctlv sanitary Tho loss of tho bridge has crippled us you know Your cattlo mire being well cared for Mr Dunning and If you doubt It you may go up and give our U < rn any orders you like In tho matter at our expense Youre taking altogether too much on yourself when you run my stock over the country In this way exclaimed ex-claimed Dunning refusing to bo placated pla-cated How am I to get to Point of I Hocks walk there Not at nil returned McCloud rIngIng ring-Ing up his clerk and asking for a pass lilcn was brought back In a moment and handed to Dunning Tho cattle continued McCloud can bo run down unloaded and driven around tho break omorrow with the loss of only two days daysAnd And In tho meantime I lose my market It t is too bad certainly but I suppose sup-pose it will bo several days before wo can got a line across Smoky creek Why werent tho cattlo sent through that way yostorday What have they been held at Point of Hocks forZ I call tho thing badly managed We couldnt got the empty cars up I from Piedmont for time transfer until oduy empties are very scarce everywhere every-where now There always havo been empties hero when they were wanted until lately Ti ores boon no head or tall to anything on this division for six months Im sorry that you havo that Impression I Im-pression Tljat Impression Is very general declared the stockman with an oath and If > ru keep on discharging the only men on this division that are competent to handle a break like this It la lllily to continuo Just a moment McClouds finger rose pointedly My failure to please you in caring for your stock In an emergency may bo properly a matter for comment your opinion as to tho way I am running this division Is of course your own but dont attempt to criticise the retention or discharge of any man on my pay roll I Dunning strode toward him Im a shipper on this line when It suits mo to criticise you or your methods or anybody elses I expect to do so I he retorted In high tones But you cannot toll me how to run my business thundered McCloud leaning over the table in front of him As he two men glared at each other oth-er Hooney Lee opened tho door His surprise at tho situation amounted to consternation He shuffled the corner cor-ner of the room and while McCloud and Dunning engaged hotly again Hooney from the corner threw a shot of his own Into the quarrel On time he roared The angry men turned Whats on time asked McCloud curtly Number One shes In and changing chang-ing engines I told them you were going go-Ing west declared Hooney In so deep tones that his fiction would never have I been suspected Dunning to emphasize without a further word his disgust for tho situation situ-ation and his contempt for the management man-agement tore Into scraps the pass that had been given him threw the scraps on tho floor took a cigar from his pocket and lighted It Insolence could do no more McCloud looked over at the dispatcher dis-patcher No I am not going west Hoonoy But If you will be good enough to stay hero and find out from this man just how this railroad ought to bo run I will go to bed He can tell you the microbe seems to bo working In his mind right now said McCloud slamming down the rolltop of his desk And with Lance Dunning glaring at him somewhat speechless ho put on his hat and walked out of the room It was but one of many disagreeable Incidents due to tho loss of the bridge Complications arising from the tieup followed him at every turn It seemed as If ho could not get away from trouble trou-ble following trouble After 40 hours further of toll relieved by four hours i of sleep McCloud found himself rather rath-er dead than alive back at Medicine Bend and In tho little dining room at Marlons Coming In at the cottage door on Fort street ho dropped Into a chair The cottage rooms wore empty Ho heard Marlons voice in tho front shop she was engaged with a customer Putting his head on the table to wait a moment nature assorted t serted Itself and McCloud fell asleep Ho woke hearing a voice that ho had heard In dreams Perhaps no other voice could have wakened him for ho slept for a fow minutes n deathlIke Bleep At all events DIckslo Dunning was In tho front room and McCloud heard her She was talking with Marion about the burning of Smoky Creek bridge Every one Is talking about It rot Dlckslo was saying If I bad lost my best friend I couldnt have folt worso you know my father built It I rode over thoro tho day of the fire and down Into the creek so I could look up whore It stood I never realized before how high and how long It was and when I remembered how proud father always was of his work there Cousin Lanco has often told meI sat down right on tho ground and cried How times have x changed in railroading Imveut they Mr ainclajr was over just the other night and he said If they kept using this now coal In tie engines they would burn up everything on time dl vision Do you know I havo boon watt Ing lu town three or four hours now for Coiiolii Lance I feel almost llko a tramp Ho Is coming from the west with tho stock train It was due hero hours ago but they never seem to know when anything la to got hero tho way things aro run on the railroad now 1 want to give Cousin Lanco some mall before ho goes through The passenger trains crossed tho creek over the tnvltchbacks hours ago and they say tho emergency grades tare flrstrate said Marlon Sinclair on the defensive Tho stock trains must have followed right along Your cousin Is sure to bo here pretty soon Probably Prob-ably Mr McCloud will know which train he Is on and Mr Leo telephoned that Mr McCloud would bo over hero at three oclock for his dinner Ho ought to bo hero now Oh dear then I must gol I But ho can probably tell you just when your cousin will bo In I wouldnt meet him for worlds You wouldnt Why Mr McCloud Is delightful Oh not for worlds Marlon You know ho Is discharging all tho best ol the older men the men that have made time road everything Ills and ot course wo cant help sympathizing with them over our way For my part I think It Is terrible after a man bas given nil of his life to building up a railroad that he should bo thrown out to starve In that way by neW managers man-agers Marten McCloud felt himself shrinking within his weary clothes Resentment seemed to have died Ho felt too ox I ° L 1Gis II r5 q t i r I aq it e x I j J 7 a t I Oh Mr McCloud Is It You haustnd to undertake controversy even If It were to be thought of and It was not Nothing further was needed tq complete com-plete his humiliation Ho picked up his hat and with the thought of getting get-ting out as quietly as hohad come In I In rising he swept tumbler at his elbow from the table The glass broke on tho floor and Marlon exclaimed What is that and started for the dining room It was too late to get away Mo Cloud stepped to tho portieres of the trimming room door and pushed them aside Marlon stood with a hat in her hand nnd Dlcksle sitting at tho table was looking directly at the Intruder at ho appeared In tho doorway She saw In him her pleasant acquaintance ol i the wreck at Smolty Creek whose name she had not learned In her surprise sur-prise she rose to her feet and Marlon spoke quickly Oh Mr McCloud Is It you I did not hear you come In Dicksles face which had lighted became a spectacle of confusion after she heard the name McCloud conscious con-scious of the awltwnrdness of his position po-sition and tho disorder of his garb said the worst thing at once I fear I am Inadvertently overhearing your conversation Ho looked at DIckslo as he spoke chiefly because ho could not help It and this made matters boneless She flushed more deeply I cannot can-not conceive why our conversation should invite a listener Her words did not of course help to steady him I tiled to get away he stammered when I realIzed I was t a part oMt tIn In any event sho exclaimed hastily hasti-ly If you are Mr McCloud I think It unpardonable to do anything like I that I am Mr McCloud though I should rather be anybody else and I am sorry sor-ry that I was unable to help hearing I what was said I i Marlon will you bo kind enough to fi hx give me my gloves said Dlcksle iii holding out her hand Marion having tried onco or twice 1 to Intervene stood between the firing i1 lines In helpless amazement Her exclamations i ex-clamations were lost tho two before I her gave no heed to ordinary Inter x ventlon McClouud flushed at being cut off but ho bowed Of course ho said If you will listen to no explanation I can only withdraw l Ho went back dinnerless to work tall t-all night but tho switchbacks wore doing capitally and all night long v trains wore rolling through Medicine Bond from tho west in an endless string In tho morning the yard was nearly cleared of westbound tonnage Moreover the mall In tho morning brought compensation A letter came from Glover tolling him not to worry himself to death over the tieup and ono camo from Bucks telling him to mako ready for tho building of the Crawling Stono line McCloud told Roonoy Lee that It anybody asked for him to report him dead and going to bed slept 24 hours TO BB CONTINUED < |