Myton Free Press | 1916-08-31 | Page 2 | "Thieves Took the Pay Roll. They Are on This Train!"

ry V h n. n n J r t 1 M I t Thieves Took the Pay Roll They Are on This Train watched from the farther end of ot th the e camp by Spike who disgraced chafed half halt in iu hiding awaiting some opportunity opportunity opportunity for mischief to turn up Up some some something thing thins that would release from honest hones t Idleness It was to be an Irony of fate that tha t now made of the homeless dog an instrument in instrument instrument strument to serve the purpose of ot th the e restless criminal The puppy alone in the tent refreshed by his nap invigorated invigorated invigorated in in- by his breakfast and t impelled im m Rhinelander would have said by the devil looked about for some something something thing to interest him Seizing the ten telegram tele e gram in his sharp teeth the do de' started started start ed to tear it to pieces At that juncture juncture junc junc- c ture an inquisitive squirrel pausing g before the open door peered sharply sharp V Vinto Into hila the hut To the dog this thia looked like a l form formal ormal al 1 challenge He was vas so overcome b by bythe bythe y the impudence of it that he sprang g 5 from rom the table forgetting to put th the a e telegram back where it belonged belonge I. I A Away way he be dashed telegram in teeth after anel the squirrel There Thore w was s but a single spectator ol of 1 this dash the dash the brooding Spike As th the e dog tore pest Spike the telegram m D carry pay roil 1011 When hen No Xo 4 t pulled into Signal next morning three men dropped oft off the hind end They made up the criminal crim crim- criminal inal gang that tha Spike had hal en engaged aged to rob Rhinelander and knowing the loot was expected on the the train that carried them theca two ot of the men kept kelt the front end of ot the train well in fit view until they had watched L Lyons ons ant and Helen take the package of ot money from the express messenger and anti after receipting receipting re re- for it walk with Rhinelander Into the station Inside of the office Rhinelander examined the shipment of currency I I have no safe at the camp Lyons explained Rhinelander when the agent asked him mini to receipt for tor the package Keep it l here re for me In your safe until until un un- til Ut t tomorrow He pushed the open package of bills back through the wicket of ot the counter but in doing this he lie accidentally overturned a bottle bottle bottle bot bot- tle of ink Helen screamed a little and jumpIng jumpIng jump jump- Ing aside caught up a piece of ot cloth from the letter letter- press letterpress stand wiped the ink ot off the bills hills as best she could and turned them diem over oer to Lyons who took the big package within his charge chargo and placed it carefully in the safe Not however without having been observed b by two of ot the Oceanside criminals who were loitering just then outside the office window Turning awa away before they were discovered discovered dis dis- covered these men men Sykes Sykes and Dan- Dan were joined ined by the third member of their expedition and the three headed heade for Rhinelander's camp to hunt hurt up Spike The They encountered him on tho way over to the station to look for them A consultation was held h in tho the woods The four were wore now assured that the money motley hart harp come and they knew where it had been put To the safe sate expert was left teft the tho details and when these had been arranged to suit SUlt him the quartet scattered That evening they might night have been seen hovering around the station about the Ume that Helen and Lyons were wele closIng closIng clos- clos Ing big up for the night Indeed the latter latter latter lat lat- lat lat- ter had hardly locked the station door ioor before Spike watching his ty signaled his assistants to the tho window This without ceremony they broke open and entering enter enter- ing lag the telegraph office from the took possession of the premises oThe The man known as The Bat Dat the tho master mint of the visiting trio a at once duce got down in rout front of the sate safe for an examination It Il took him only a moment to examine and aud tabulate in lit his mind the kind of safe ho had todo to todo todo do with In another moment lie he threw back tho the bolts and swung the tho door open took the pay roll package lackage out just as Lyons Lons had placed It within the safe But Dut the easy triumph of the expert expert ex ex- pert and the congratulations of his friends did not seem enough to satisfy him To make the job artistic he directed directed di di- his his his' assistants to get to together ether some sonic brown bron paper and add after they had taken taleen the bills from the package he filled it with waste paper rewrapped the package carefully and replaced it ft just as he ho had found It in tho the safe Leaving b by the same way they had entered the tho quartet took their way to camp was asleep and Spike woke him and muttered muttered muttered mut mut- they had hind the money somewhat upset by the size of the company of ot thieves with which he was now tied up kept his own coun coun- sel Ho He listened to all that Spike had to say and at once advised sending the tho three safe blowers back to tho cit city This however it was decided after a brief brief conference would not do as Spike needed somebody to help him foment a disturbance next day In the end a compromise was effected effect effect- ed cd by which The Bat Dat was sent to town lawn while Sykes and Dan were kept over night to aid in stirring up Rhinelander's Rhine Rhine- landers lander's men The following day had already been announced in Rhinelander's ers er's camp as aspay aspay aspay pay day When Helen and Lyons arrived ar ar- arrived rived at the office in the morning for dut duty they found Rhinelander waiting to take the money Lyons very willing willing will will- ing to be rid of ot his responsibility opened the safe and unsuspectingly turned over to Rhinelander the package package package pack pack- age he lie had placed In It the afternoon before When the construction boss reached r i ic c i S Sf f t y ye t e t. t A i J f Spike Plied the Grumbling Laborers With Liquor his camp the men were lined up outside outside outside out out- side his tent waiting for their thell I pay ay Passing within Rhinelander cut open the package To his consternation he lie found only brown paper instead of currency Stunned Shunned by the revelation and breathless with amazement he made his way white-faced white back to the station for an eIl explanation Rushing into the office he threw the doctored package down before Lyons and Helen The two paled in turn with excitement and each of cf th the three looked blankly Into the faces of the others L Lyons ons ran to the safe and opened it again Rhine again again Rhinelander Rhinelander lander and Helen watching Nowhere else inside was any money to be found The currency currency cur cur- rency package apparently undisturbed had har been taken b bv by the agent in the tho first instance from precisely precise where he ho had left it and seemingly in the same condition In wh h it had been placed in the safe All that confronted thc the startled trio now was the worthless package of brown paper wiped d his brow and turned dejected from the lie counter He had not the heart to wire wiro Oceanside of the calamity The first thing necessary san sary in an any event was to make an effort effort ef of fort to appease the men and starting to his camp he attempted to do this The men made uneasy b by Rhinelander's Rhineland Rhineland- ers er's sudden disappearance after his promise premise to pay ar were grumbling around Wood o d the foreman who was using his best efforts to quiet them Rhinelander now reappeared eared from the station but empty He lie brought blought with him the rifled rUled package showed this to Wood an and to the men explained explained ex ex- that he ho had been robbed and told the thc men they would have to wait walt Those closest in the group that crowded around him had been primed for a disturbance b by Spike Sf-Ille and bis his two confederates They sneered at Rhinelander's Rhine Rhine- landers lander's statements and told him they wanted their pay Lyons hurrying over from the station reported to Rhinelander that the express company and the tho chief special agents agent's office had been notified of the robbery and detectives de do were on the way But Dut while Wood and Lyons Lons argued with some sonic of ot the flue disaffected Spike and his companions com coin lured others of at them to a buton hut but huton huton on the edge of vf f the cam camp limits where a sort of blind pig was in operation Here Spike spending money freely plied the grumbling lab laborers with liquor and advised them to stand on their rights and refuse to work If their money was not at once forthcoming ing Rhinelander made up his bis mind not to dodge the Issue and he ho assured such Buch of tho rho men men as would listen that 1 if they ther would give him a little time he would replace the pay roll on his personal per per- credit and that no one should lose Jose a cent through the accident Tho The difficulty was to get the men to listen The strike Idea spread through the camp like lIle an infection and reason was for the tho moment completely for for- gotten Spike perceiving the mischief well under way and anxious to get the two city criminals out of at the way before before be be- fore tho the detectives from headquarters should arrive and round up the camp for suspects directed Spike and Dan Danto Danto Danto to beat It back to town on the local lo 10 cal passenger At this time a n. sudden and unexpected ed complication arouse With Spike the thc party returned to the shack for a final drink and when they thoy left it it Sykes and Dan started for the station But a lighted match carelessly thrown to the ground Inside the hut falling among rubbish had Ignited It and almost almost al al- al most before the lie pair reached the station station sta sta- tion the hut but was on fire i Entering the waiting room with his companion Sykes bought hought tickets from Helen for the city elty When with Dan he walked out on the tho platform the local train had pulled in and the crew were looking at the fire In Rhinelander's camp Sykes and Dan boarded the train at atthe atthe the tho moment it pulled slowly out In Inthe Inthe Inthe the office while Helen lichen was putting away the bill with which Sykes had paid for the tickets her he- attention was arrested by a blot of ink on the edge of It With a womans woman's intuition sho she realized almost at once that the Ink Ink- stained bill bm was one of those stolen from the express package the night before Run Running out on the platform she told Lyons of the discovery Helen frantic as she saw the train pulling away with the burglars around for help Nothing seemed to offer In any direction and she turned distractedly distracted back to the office to wire e Oceanside when her eye fell tell on a ea speeder car With a start she turned to It it tool took c hold of the handles pushed the car ca r forward a length found it responded d to her touch and hardly giving givin g thought as to whether she could manage man manage age the machine conceived as it began began begar be be- gan gar to pick up speed that possibly sh she could overtake the departing train This Idea once in her head she ha had d only to jump into the seat and in another another another an an- other moment she was in pursuit o othe of l the train train then then traveling through a zone of fire from the burning camp Catching at the inflammable material material mate mate- rial with which Its path was freely spread leaping from tent to tent an and d hut but to hut licking up tip the canvas and an d eating rapidly into the flimsy wooden n structures that barred Its way engulfing engulf ing hug machinery wagons and equipment t in its quick advance the fire lire fanned b by bythe bythe y the north wind and its own suction tore along like a whirlwind wit with h hr Rhinelander and his gang sang doing the their r best to check It D By the thc time the train trait i had bad reached the tine vicinity of the camp the fire had jumped the track and the flames names rose on all sides as the local loca 1 headed through them Close behind the train Helen hlelen running running running run run- ning the lineman's speeder was doin doing g her utmost to attract the attention o othe of i the train tram crew Their eyes were fixed d on the tho fire Helen sped through ill the e angry fire and gained on the last last- moving train until but a slight ga gap p separated the tho nose of her speeder r from Crom the rear platform Then mounting mount ing big on tho footboard of the roaring littie little lit tle tie motor mater she sho sprang with all he her r strength to the observation platform m of ot the lie rear roar car The Conductor and brakeman lookIng look look- Ing tug back at that lint moment from rom tho the o coaches to watch the fire firo discovered d the pursuing speeder The two started 1 back for the rear platform and the they y reached it just as Helen landed lauded f in n front of them from her jump What in the world 1 demanded th the e conductor as he looked from the flue excited excited ex cited girl to the deserted lineman lineman's s car now falling back in tho the race it ha had d maintained with the train What it in n thunder he again demanded of Helen in simple good faith are you OU trying g to do Miss Holmes Helen short of breath and wild will with 1 excite excitement ent tried to explain explain- Mr Ir Rhinelander sh sho sh said between gasps was robbed yesterday Thieves too took k his pay roll from our safe sate last night They left loft bunches of or brown paper i iu in n the package They are both on this train she sho cried They have the money We must get et them or hell he'll be bo ruined If It he be isn't ruined by this terrible terrible ter- ter torn fire You must help belp me conductor conduct tor both hoth of you Followed by br the brakeman the two walked forward It was rather a long train The conductor could not be bo hurried and the search went all too slowly for Helen who feared what did In fact presently occur Sykes and Dan Dann uneasy uneasy uneasy un- un uni easy In ht the thc fear tear of special agents on their trail were on the alert They sat near the front door of the smoker and as Helen lichen and the tho conductor began a tho rho rear end of the car to look over the passengers Syl Sykes es espying Helen quietly slid through the front door door door- left open to let the smoke out out to to the platform Dan following They sat down on the tho steps looking for a good place to jump off art While the conductor tor was walking forward with Sykes casting furtive glances at him through the front window the the- train drew near the San Pablo river Im off oft here growled Sykes to his confederate briefly y Dan protested a Jump was not to his taste but Sykes the big Cell fellow OW did not hesitate The train was crossing crossIng cross cross- Ing the tho San Pablo Sykes leaped from Crom the st step p Into the lie river Dan reluctantly following suit stilt Helen through an open window of the smoker saw saw Sykes' Sykes Jump She caught the conductors conductor's arm and begged him to stop the tho train He pulled the cord and with the conductor and an d brakeman after her Helen ran to flu the e front platform Tho The train slowed I Ithe In Inthe Inthe n the river Sykes and Dan Dau were swim wing ming Helen made mado ready to drop oft off The conductor and brakeman tried t to dissuade her they could not have to go alone I cant can't leave this train shouted the conductor tor to her Helen only waved her hand as she dropped to the ground Luckily she had not been seen b by bythe bythe the men she sho was after arter but a further obstacle threatened Tho convicts ha had