Show E between BetWee W a the I 1 flashes A C call all F for H help elp strangely ly sent sen sarge and received aved by THEODORE IV WATERS ATERS ER copyright by theodore Theoa orB waters tva As the sun dropped behind the tha nearby mountain range the telegraph operator of Sll Sil verdale came out of tier her little booth by the siding to listen to the comments of the station loungers who had gathered on the platform across the track she was not a beautiful girl but she was good to look upon tor for the health of the colorado foothills was in her face and form and the sold gold ot of the setting ann was la in tier her hair she leaned against the jamb of the doorway her eyes halt half closed absorbed apparently in the glory of the are tippe tipped apparently e peaks but tier her ears were open to all that passed in the group and once the une line of her lips straighten ed and the gray of tier her eyes turned cold when lem giffort tile the teamster spoke disparagingly of some one who was not present nt a square deal I 1 say pro claimed lem a square deal and richards richard s knows it too here we go lem constituted himself spokesman tor for the town board here we go and give him the fattest mining concession in the township and in return he agrees to light the town free and now dow that hes got the franchise chise clinched he be goes and hides him self belt on a mountain where no one can get at him arid and gives us the leavins learl ns of the power he be uses in his stamp mill look at them lights now look at them and say la Is it square the line of the girls up softened into a faint smile it was true that the electric lights of verdale silverdale Sll Sil bad been tor for several nights past a flickering bickering mockery they had fluctuated between full head and no head bead so constantly that it was hard to say whether they had bad been mostly on or mostly off she bhe thought of this as she gazed at the lofty little plateau on which when the day was fine she could see the glint of a waterfall and in one of whose canyons she knew richards must be at that moment superintend ing the dynamo which supplied the town with light richards was cut off from the world without the canyon as he had bad been ever since the winter snows blocked the trail there bad been a telegraph line over which she had bad carried ou on certain con with the man in the canyon but the big december storm had blown down the wire and it would be spring before it could be repaired lem giffort continued his harangue and in the increasing darkness ot of the evening his bis gestures were alternately revealed and obscured as the lights went uncertainly up and down other aber citizens joined the group and among them came sheriff black an ardent supporter up porter of richards black was a large laree man and his intellect was vigorous rather than acute but his opinion had weight in the community and he opened on giffort without cere bony bay lem giffort 11 be began for a yahoo been brought up on candles candies and coal oil you make me tired you never saw an electric lamp before richards brought ism em to town it I 1 were you id keep my bead shut about it it iles hes done more for this town in six months than youve done in your life the lights arent right but he dont know it or you bet they would be lem giffort gazing at tho the ground wd bald somewhat deprecatingly hell make a fortune out of it well and what it he does returned the sheriff he be deserve it that reservation land laid idle for years and the township never made a cent out of it its got some silver to in it to be ba sure but you know the money that was sunk years ago trying to get it 11 out it cost them 10 a ton to haul coal but richards dont need coal jle its had the sense sensa to make the waterfall run his machine and he be gi gives es the the town light free must be kind of lonely up there in the canyon three moats without word from the out outside bider well joe hutchings Is with him hutch la Is good company yes when hes sober not much chance to get rum mm up there 11 the girl in the doorway still gazed pensively toward the now invisible mountains it was while she stood thus that the ben saw BOW her start violently and immediately afterward take to gazing round her strangely as though seeking the cause of her alarm no ko one spoke poke for the moment then Thenis she he called to the sheriff mr black oh mr blackl black he strode toward her yes yes yea miss coyne what la is it oh the lights look look ile he gazed around and the then back to her my mystified stifled 1 I see nothing wrong ke he said she bhe spoke almost incoherently as though doubting her own mind it may be only an idea but I 1 thought I 1 saw a signal the lights suddenly she grasped black by the arm and pointing to the flickering bulbs cried out yes yes look it Is a signal he to la calling to us tor for help belp there one two three tour four the lights of the town flashed up aud down as she counted that Is 11 there goes the single flash that la is E there see that long drawn out flash that to la L 14 and there live five quick flashes that to la P oh he li Is tailing tor for help blip he has been beed calling for or lais and I 1 never guessed it OK I 1 never ever gues ir tho faces of the men remained blank and even the sheriff did not quite grasp her meaning who la is calling hilss coylie lie as said id you do not mean yes yes from the mountain mount Bin it Is the morse louse code I 1 taught him you know ile ie has bag been flashing those lights up and down arid and calling to us tor for help all these nights arid and no one ODO has heeded it see II E TP L P there do you believe it now oh dear what shall we do what shall we do she turned and ran into the booth and began a wild search for tier her code book she came out turning over the pages of the book and deming some of then them in her excitement exit ement she held up the alphabet where all might see and the thickening crowd following her linger finger as she pointed spelled out the meaning of the flashes for themselves but it was stranger still and awesome when a new word came forth a word which opened with the letters NIAD MAD NI M A D and then terminated suddenly leaving the crowd which had bad been spelling sturdily and the town in darkness it was ten miles to the canyon and toe tile way over the fl was up and up the mountain itself was waa a hard bard climb in summer atil no one had ever attempted it in winter for drifts filled the passes aud and landslides often block ed the trail yet they were not a people ale to stop short of impossibilities they built a great ore on a neighboring hill lu in the hope that it might be seen by the men on the mountain and give thern courage to hold bold out until help arrived then they organized 0 re relief ilef party and before midnight it dozen men led by sheriff black were halfway to the mount mountains foot they followed the wires straight across the hills on the way that had been blazed by the pole planters but on too the mountain itself they were compelled to take the trail they tied themselves together with a long rope which they had brought for the purpose and went at it like swiss mountaineers tai just before dawn they reached the ber hermits mits seat which Is a flat rock jutting out above the second plateau and here they built a fire that those in the village might note their progress when nhen day broke ibm could see the pipe line which led the water from the falls to the canyon covered with snow and ice and gleaming like n snake in the sunshine they followed the pipe as long as they could and the roar of the water within guided them eier the big tube dipped out of sight bight in a enow bank but presently it got away from them altogether x when hen it ran out on the high trestle that spans the gully between the upper spurs it would be a short cut lf it we could cross that trestle remarked lem git tort fort who made one of the party they were slipping and sliding down the slope elope and the pipe riding on the slender framework was then feet above their heads beads yes remarked ked the sheriff dryly 1 11 I can think of no easier way of committing suicide Bul clde they followed the torrent that crossed the gully and as they entered the canyon they shouted all together to make known their r arrival an answering shout came back reverberate ing like the echo of their own sly god look there it was the sheriff an and d tie he was gazing straight upward at the pipe on the trestle where it left the embrasure in the canyon wall there on the brink two meu men were struggling pulling palling one another backward and forward apparently ly lous to the peril ot of their situation they panted and cursed and the dolse they made came down with the pebbles that rattled ou on the heads of nf the men in the gulch T the 11 e sheriff was quick to net act it Is richards ar and ld joe hutchings he cried had bad a run la jn after roe me boys to the top to the top and with a stentorian yell to the men on the trestle he ran up the slope his bis party following perforce evidently their coming put new energy into the men above tor for the latter t redoubled their efforts once it seemed that the man dian astride the pipe who v was hutchings bad conquered for with a powerful effort he be got richards hards oil off ills his feet und and there as only oaly a loosening grasp between him and eternity but richards w I 1 tb a nimbleness born of 0 his peril loosened his own grip of and burling ing himself violently backward clung sprawling to the wall instantly hutchings turned over and on his lands hands and knees started to crawl along the pipe out over the abyss my lly god richards what Is it all about cried sheriff black as lie he hurried up had alad replied richards stark mad been so for a week tried to kill me and himself several times now kow its something else I 1 was close to it that time look at him nell go off there before he be la is halt half way across crawled steadily out on OD the ice covered pipe the vat hatching ching men trembled for or him but ho he seems seemed devoid of fear the rescue party climbed down the slope and ran across the gulch in the lope hope of heading him off but the distance was too great lie ile got to the other end of the trestle ahead of them and disappeared in the woods the sheriff drew richards aside what did he mean by taking your best wishes to her bo be asked richards dropped hla his eyes and seemed reluctant to reply oil oh just a crazy notion he said evasively no ko that wont do bob replied the sheriff ive got to know what has been going on up bore but on my word black replied richards it la is only that the man Is daffy you silo see T weve ve keen been alone up hf diore re torl hor for three months with will otil 11 soul to wik peak to lo and with will no DO word front it tin after the wire win broke it il ras enough to any anny roan off an poor ioor clutch was wag from fr m tile first we nhouy trl llos leg and ballod other fools and made it up again aci and agam again at first hr t we hid the ai wire ire butwell you see I 1 know knew it 11 little nf r the ode and I 1 id to talk to tin telegraph opera operator for in ID town MI miss coyne you know just to pus pas pu s the lime fline aminy you know ano anil that hint ll 11 pd to mike make liim him wild although I 1 did nor it until afterward said I 1 ais aas milking loie to her over the n ire Wh Ili laiq it matter of fact you were the I 1 sheriff now binek As a a friend yon von must pro promise ulise nut not to bring tier name into ills big I 1 merely eb eh talked to her on topics mid and hutch went off oct hout it it was the decem storm hill I 1 always believed lie he broke that telegraph teke graph wire lie ie seemed pi pally amu ain tied ed mer it used to ask me ED ei morning afterward what was wag ilip ibe news froin the station ile ie pot got violent about it week no ago I 1 had to lie be always alway on guard against him I 1 could not leave him alone and tile the loss losa of sleep was filing me out then I 1 thought of snapping the switches in and out to attract attention in town own I 1 did it for several nights before he saw through it last night while I 1 was signaling lie ile jumped for me ah he be said at it again are you the current went off and we had it out in the dark I 1 saw your ore and knew you weve were coming ant so did he be then he tried to get away I 1 ed him in the switch room but he be broke out just its ai you arrived my boy answered the sheriff 1 I dont believe it will be necessary to mention the ladys name thank you old man V I 1 yes continued the sheriff it will not be necessary she told me all about it before I 1 left what 1 yes I es you must have kept the wire hot between you yon but how a man can T 1 0 TWO TAO ON TH 9 BRINK K brinke love 1 h lonk long distance e transmission beats we me id to get nearer dearer than ten ullies miles richards gildner sil gilD nned ned there was another thing said tho the sheriff yes yes it seems that hutch proposed and wits was refused just juat before lie he came up tip hero here lat last la t fall whitt what well kvell aay she sl tell me that ilow could she nad and him st standing anding at your tin ba k all tho the time poor hutch if I 1 had only known well KO go inside now and flash cash down the news new to her that everything Is 0 I 1 K shell be walting waiting you say well if you yon dont know I 1 cant tell you then lutill lutillus ug to his party the sheriff said hald come buys boys weve got to flad find poo noo ings we must carefully distinguish distl iguls h between thy the albence ali belice of alt nod aud the pros preg principle john Davi davidjohn djon |