Show LL 4 4 Z synopsis CHAPTER I 1 graham norcross railroad manager and ills his secretary jimmie dodds aro are marooned at sand creek siding with a young lad lady sh shella el macrae and her small cousin con 31 unseen they witness a peculiar train holdup in which a special car is carried oft off CHAPTER II if norcross oss lizea the car stolen as john chad wicks financial fiu ancial magnate whom he was to meet at portal city I ile ho le and dodds rescue chadwick the latter offers norcross the 0 of the pioneer short line which is in ili the hands 0 of eastern speculators headed by breckenridge Dull dunton toll president of oc the line norcross learning that shella sheila macrae is stopping stepping at portal city accepts CHAPTER III dodds overhears conversation ersa tion between rutus rufus leaten and gustae henckel portal city financiers in litch they admit complicity in chadwick their object being to keep chadwick from attending a meeting of directors to reorganize the pioneer short line holcli bould jeopardize their interests CHAPTER IV to curb the monopoly controlled by hatch and henckel the red to tower er corporation ration norcross forms the C citizens tf ze natorp storage storage and warehouse company he begins to manifest a deep interest in shella sheila macrae dodds learns that shella sheila Is married but living apart from her husband norcross Nor crosa does not know this CHAPTER V hatch aware that thai dodds has knowledge of his bis and henckels participation in the chadwick naping offers him inducements to leave norcross Nor croaa dodds refu ties lealnd leav ing the ollice office he la Is knocked senseless recovering consciousness he learns learna that nor crosa croaa has had disappeared and la Is believed to havo have resigned and gone east easl CHAPTER VI dodds connects nor crow croaa disappearance with machinations 0 of f hatch and henckel and on t ing inc strength sets seta out to eole tho the mystery CHAPTER VIL with kergan A 1 roads oads r mas master ur mechanic dodds gets 1 a it llie on norcross disappearance the follow a clue given them through a a missing locomotive CHAPTER VIII the rescue party ands aad releases norcross Nor croes from captivity to which he had been lured lurd norcross re bulmes control of the pioneer r snort une line refusing to give to man whom dunton has sent to take charge CHAPTER IX dodds follows an emla emis eary of f the red tower people spring on not ross cross to a coal yard where he overhears a plot to put Nor norcross crosa out of business Dus siness and at the risk of hla his life frustrates it CHAPTER X at the home of shells sheila macrae dodds Is witness of 0 strange actions of a man lie he bellr ves has designs on the lift life of ills his friend and boss he prepares to defend him CHAPTER XI the name on the register so long as I 1 was a holding holdin on to the notion the nian man out outride ade was otte one of Claua Clann lians hans thug hanging around to do the bos a I 1 thought I 1 knew pretty well what nhat I 1 should to do when it came to tile the pinch would I 1 really have hauled oft off and shot r n man inan in cold blood a tough que llon lint but I 1 guess mabb I 1 could collid bave screwed infelt my alt up to the sticking point AS the fellow say sayra etli a 1 bure enough gunman oil the other ide of that window indo ind and the bobs boas life ut fit stake but when I 1 saw that it nas as oung collingwood that aas as a jioie of another color what on oil earth was vas the arnts nep ll epher liev doing do iiii prowling pi around major s house after clenen 0 clock ill fit night flight lugging a pistol and five king into windows I 1 could ef ce 1 allm quite now flow ile he had both hand fiands on tile alie sill bill ani and trl ing ti to pull himself up so that lie see into the end of the room the lift fireplace was just for the there siny fifty danger of a blowup blow up unless lie should break tile the 91 glass 3 in the window ile he get it line on oil either the hops or mrs sheila lf if that t was what I 1 lie was is 0 jo o to do ati a TI the same I 1 kept ailin coveted with the lie into I 1 dinatle st it against the doorjamb while aliv sleain was nil tit at its it worst with lilt the lift nian outside flattening ills his cheek against the lie windowpane window pane banc to get gat tin tile eidew ise slant I 1 heald tile the boget boss lift of ilk his chair and s aa ini im keeping boll ini out of hell bed us 1 usual look nt it that lint clock ill so go mid find wake minniue Jin niue fuld well vanish just is as lie spoke two mo thing imp hap penca pelic pel lc 1 HIM clinked chug geI up to it tin ill gate and ni topped stopped kiil abe mans dinall lice late dk dis appelt ap applaud icI finin tile the window I 1 liand a q quick nick padding or feet as of somo bonic g find and the next cne the ill tattle of a latchkey latch key and oke aikes in fit the lie liall hall to tell ell nie me that aliat the major and it liis folks oro ere getting liolu I 1 lad linely hately time little to coclet tile ristol anti and to drop into n chair I 1 could to ile be asleep mien I 1 felt the boss bos hand on oil my bouldi r COI conic e lie sibil it s time e V ie i e moving along ind and lit in a i lite or in two after lie biad hit sald lid goodnight to lo tin ill major and mis K adrick nd rick ne e sot got out at the lie sale gale ne e found the taxi ai drier doing oni ething to its ills motor with the scan enre front from chich I 1 was still shaking to make inake my ley leg wobble wo blIe I 1 at tin the chance holcli our good angel wm uns apparently holding for us if let s tide ilde I 1 suggested and when we ie got 1 l into lie ilie cat ah I 1 saw a nian man stroll up ill flout tile lie shadow inflow bl of tile lie s sidewalk I 1 1 I c cottonwoods otton cotton woods ind find say something to ali alic adriner something that t got ot him an imitation to ride to town on oil tile front fr 1 it seat scat with mth the calby nhen the lie car annaz wa cranked and started I 1 hall a sight of our extra fares face when lie climbed up and all put his back to us and I 1 knew it was tarbell but mr norcross when we reached the lie dullard bullard the boss went ent right up to his but I 1 had a little investigation to make anil and I 1 sli ed in tile the lobby to put pill it oer on the open page of the lintel hotel giter ie in ill the lie group of el 1 names written Nr itten just after tile the arrival of our train flow lilt west at 1 I found the signature that I 1 was as looking for howard ll oNard col lingwood N Y putting tills anil ani that together I 1 concluded that our oung boung rounder lad come in front from the west which was a lilt bit puy pulling ling since it left the inference that lie detect from new york waiting for a good chance at the flight clerk I 1 ventured a i few quen eions they were answered an promptly enough young mr Colling Nood lad come in ill on oil the but lie had been in portal city a week earlier too stopping oer for a singh da yes ye lie he was nas alone now but lie if been on oil the other occasion there wa wasu man mail with lilt him on the earlier stopover and lie he also registered front from new york the clerk remember the other mans name but lit lie obligingly looked it up for tile me in the older register it was bullock henry eairy bullock I 1 suppose fose suf it was up to me lue to go to bell bed it was as late enough in all conscience anti and nobody knew better than I 1 did tile early rising eaily osce olce opening habits of mr graham not cros G U M just the same saine after I 1 had that mr colling room key was still lit in its box 1 I went ent oer mer to a torner corner of the lobby ind and sat at down determined to keep my ees open if uch such a tiling thing niete hublar fly pu bAble Ible until our rounder t hould allo bliok up cinalli my patience of 01 Wha teXel oil cate caie to call it wis was ieNar ded just alter the lilt baggage hall had finished sing longing his call for tile the night elii cx niesi es westbound my man cattle came lu III on oil the he mil lull when lie rushed over to the counter fill and began to talk fast to tho the night lit clerk I 1 wa rit cry fur far behind him lie ile was u telling the clerk to get ills gill grips down domi front from the dooin adjectively iely quick while the bo boy was gone for lilt cups bip inn man inan made a straight snoot for the bur bar and hen I 1 next jot got a sight or hini from froin behind otte one of the big onyx plated pillars of the hamoodi liar loom colonnade colon lie he was nas pom pouting ing neat liquor down bis throat as it if it bic ie water anti and lie on fire inside that was na about till all there was wa to it by tho tune little collingwood got mackto the clerk s b counter eO unter the bon bo was as down with mill the lie ing bags collin Collingwo okal wl looked tit up sort of nervously at the big clock and paid ili liis bill and ami while the clerk cleric was rotting gotting ills hia change lie grabbed the I 1 IV arn ift it out of the counter inkstand a and n 1 I inide out as if tie lie was shading in it a pl pic etine or oni ething on oil tile the open resistor ter A half minitte later lie was nas gone when lilt HIP taxi pin gutred red awa I 1 turned to the lie legister to see nhat our lini maniac nine had been drawing in it what lie had done was completely to ob signature Ig nature lie biad it or oer until the past master of all tile alie hand haild N wilting intili experts that ever lied HN ed hane hae told what the nune name was wa it was as while mille we nc were nere eating bleak last the next morning in the bullard billiard cafe afe thc jhc boss io find and 1 that we ne got our ali nast t news of the tc wreck the story was nas led aed in the moin bilg it the hatch owned paper and lid besides beide heing being played up good anti and strong lit in the nes columns na was an editorial to back the page scream sc lentil at two to in the morning a fust fim iNest westbound bound freight had left the track in ili cannon and heroic they could get tile the fla flagman out a de eastbound cist bound passenger had collided mth the ruins ruin there were ere no lives live lot lost but it a number of people including the engl engi neman neilian the postal clerks calrk and the lie on the passenger were nere injured the editorial commenting on oil the wire stun stuff was nias sharply critical of the short line management it hinted broadly that there had been no such thing as discipline on the road since sir air shatter had left it that the rank anti and file was running things pretty much as it pleased and with this there was a dig at gemeril managers who let old and time tried department heads go to make room for their rich and incompetent college friends which was meant to be a slap at mr van britt our own and only millionaire lion lio alre unhappily tills this faultfinding fault ault finding had a good bit to build on in one way As I 1 have said we were having operating troubles to beat the band with tile the rank and file apparently doing it its leel best ta help out in the ne new public hc be program it seemed is as it if we ne worry vorry through a single lingle week eek without Nit hout smashing something latterly Lat lerl een the newspapers neb papers that were ere friendly fil endly to the norcross management opre anere beginning to coni comment ment on ili the epidemic of disa disasters and nothing in the world but the boss bobs polley policy of taking fill all the editors into lit ills confidence when hen they talley wanted to investigate vesti Neti gate kept the rising storm of criticism somewhere within bounds mr norcross had read the paper before lie handed it over to me file and afterward after waid aid lie he hurried ills his break breakfast fat a little when lie he reached the alie office sir mr van britt was nas waiting for the chief wee got it in the neck once more inore lie gritted gritter grit ted flast flashing illig up ills ili 0 own ai I 1 did you read thai editorial copi cop or of the lie herald did aou ou read that editorial never mind the nev newspaper paper talk how flow had bad ig is the trouble tills time pretty bad the freight is iq practically a total loss a good half of it is iq in III the iier kirgan says he can pick the freight engine up and rebuild it but the passenger machine Is EL a Y wreck reek now how lid did it happen it its s like a good many funny of the others nobody seems se erns to know ciok maii inan put lift freight frel glit engine crew on tile the rack and they say ay there was nas n H small boulder on tile lie track that it lolled down the canyon idone ahead of them is as they buining a curve they struck it and both men siy say that the engine knocked it into the river apparently without hurting anything an tiling but lo 10 seconds later the entire train left the track anti and piled idled up all over the lie right of way the boys boss was sitting hack back lit in ills chair and ni akl wa lit ic ate aln angs gs 6 tin n me fite 55 blotter with alth the point of his letter opener upton these knock knoek knockouts outs have got to he be stopped 9 good lord exclaimed tile the little millionaire you dont hae aae to tell me lite that eliut it if we ne cint cant stop eul cm uncle dunton will have plenty of good ren rei sous sons for cleaning us all out lock stock and barrel I 1 was talking with carter in ili the claim ottice this 1106 morning mornin in our loss and damage account for the past month is something bom ething fl Ight ful it is said the boss bobs gi avely and then upton were not altogether a as bright as we e might be ilas has it never occurred to you that we are having too much bad luck to NN warrant arrant in ill charging it all up to the chapter of accident mr van britt blew ills his cheeks cheek out until the stubby cropped mustache Inist bustled led like porcupine quills so youve been getting your our pointer too have boulo you lie threw in ili mr Not cross eross answer anser the tile tion directly put tarbell on oil the job and if lie needs help let him pick ills his on men li lelly it lir directed we want nant to know why vi that boulder tumbled down ahead of number seventeen Se enteen and I 1 want cant to to see maibell Ta ibell N b leport on it keep ill at it night flight anti and lay day upton the Infect infection iOl I 1 it getting into the rank and lite hie and it s 4 spreading bili cading like a sickness if it becomes psychological P e shall have live till all the trouble we e need 1 I know nodded the lent dent 1 I went through a siege of that kind tin oil the hie great mouths efteni one inter it was hoi horrible men lien who had been lunning near ear in ili lull and out find and nener neer knowing kno NNing that they had any nerves nerve went ant to pieces if oaid snap our fingers lit at them thein thais it said the bos we dont want ant to fall into that ditch thing lie quite had enough a is the a are re ended it for lilt lie little lime the Pet ah elite iolite canyon wieck na pinked up the track wis was d and once more oin tiala were nere moving on time hut but an abbod bod could see that the entire line had a case cae of nerves kligan gilgan lilt cold blooded showed it one afu when lien I 1 went 0 oer er to lit ills ollice office to return a bunch ot lilue prints print sent in ili for tile hie boss bos ap ino viii the big mastai mechanic lind had a lound house houe on the carpet 1 a I nd lid was ns harrl tig liim lihn like tile MCI zens for letting fill an engine go out with otte one of her ciuck safety safely chains z hanging looe 1 er binn e u had biad gone together on ili the lil rescue run to timber mountain fountain 1 mait mail and I 1 lad been sort ort of find and after the fo foreman lad had gone away ills foot lit in ills land hand I 1 jo joshed I il kirgan a 1 I little about the way ay iy lie lind hammered the lie bonnil house man isad bad I 1 told him blin it its 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