The evening world. Newspaper, August 18, 1915, Page 15

fi Wopgrant, 1912, by Chartes Setitiner's Sons.) SENOVSIB OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, (Coliege professor. gy former ativete) comes West t Stvenaten tes sela_ hime conapitaey of the steal the control of M1 CHAPTER Ul. (Continued.) High Finance in Cromarty { Gulch. 6 SUPPOSE not. But, as you say, you have the ‘come-back’ right thpre under your hand fh those proxies. How will you wet them to New York?” “My chief clerk, Calmaine, will de- livér them in person, He'll meet us at Brewster and go right along on this train, which, by the way, is the next to the last one he could take and make New York oa time, It's all ar- ranged,” The gttest smoked on in silence for @ Uittle time, and when he spoke again it was to ask the name of the Junction station at which the late si * had been made. % Little Butte—where our Red Butte branch comes ih from fhe “You'd been stopping over there? gue asked, “No; I had my car brought down from Red Butte on the local, whieh doubles back on the brafch,.” “Um; little Butte; good name, You people out here run pretty. persist- ently to ‘Buttes,’ don’t you? Did L, or didn't 1, see a funeral at this par- titular Butte as we came along?” “You did, It's Murt mining engineer who has been doing @ sort of weighmnaster’s stunt at the Molly ‘aldwin mine. Died pretty suddenly it night, they say,’ “Large man?” queried the Gov- ernmént chemist, half absently; and Maxwell looked up quickly. “Beefy rather than big, yes. How could you tell?” Sprague waved his cigar as if the Quesiion were childish and the an- swer obvious, t took a doxen of them, more or less, to put him inte car. turned back to his desk, casket, probal he sug "They had our agent wire Brewster for the best that could be going to ship some jittle town in Ken- "re rather a queer lot. the Kentuckians?” outfit. bed York people four years ago, and after the New Yorkers had put two or three hundred thousand into it without. taking anything out, they gave it up in disgust. Then a couple of young fellows from Cripple Creek came along and leased the property. There was a crooked deal somewhere, for the young fellows began to take out pay—big pay—right from the start. Then the New Yotk people wanted to ‘renig’ on the Jease, and dragged the thing into the courts.” “and the courts said no? “The courts straddied. I didn’t fol- low fight in detail, but the final was that the lessees were to \ keep all they could take out each qonth up to @ certain amount. If ‘they oxi that amount the excess shared equally with the Lote of room for shenanigan in ) ae it, “Unless these young Crip- Qreekers are more honest than average Sern at & good bit Ty eg la ighed. arnt was what New Yorkers seemed to think. @ court order allowing of their own Kichdog sunt, They've had wal is etun' vi 1 cone in @ new man every few ‘And apparent! hasn’ " waid Sprague feflectively; and just 2 -drawn wall of the wees announced the ap- i al thy rte oo nbd toneed the @ gue! rose a the fenains of the bad clea! out of ‘Here's w! 1 have to * he was beginning; one day with me, at least. con't fisten to any excuses. ive me your berth check and I'll send y boy up ahead to get your traps Hut of the sleeper, Sit down right and take it eas; You'll find a box of cigars—real oi- xare—in this lower drawer, I'll be back as soon as I've seen Calmain: parently the man from Wash- A ington did not require much urging. He eat down in Maxwell's chalr as the train was slowing into the divi- sion station, and Was rummaging in the desk drawer for the box of cigars when an alert, carefully groomed young man came in through the for- ward corridor and met the superin- tendent as he was going out. There was & hurried conference, a passing of papers, and the two, Maxwell and hie chief clerk, went out together, leaving the big man to go on with his rummaging atone, jhortly afterward came the bump oupitbe touch, Bod the office car, aw! of in the grip of a hing engin raced backward through the yards; backward and forward again, and when it came to rest it was standing on the short station spur at the end of the ratlroad headquarters building, From the oren windows Sprague could see the long through train, with its two big mountain pulling locomo- ives coupled on, drawn up for tt# dirther flint. "Yt ‘was after it bad steamed away into the night that Maxwell returned to his side-trackod to find his guest, half asleep, as {tesomes, in the depths of the big wicker easy ohnir, J hope you didn’t think I'd deserted you,” he said, drawing up another of the wicker chairs. “I took time to telephone home. Mrs, Maxwell's di out at her 's, and, if you don't we'll sit here a while and go out be thd Toes later.” re was enough to talk about. The ‘By Franc ‘An expert, taking the job, as wee the big man's passing Dick, Gut adoxwell would mot have it that way, t much, you don't, Calvin, old man,” he protested. “You're going to The Evening World Daily Magazine, Wedntdday. Au Can You Beat It? xetina, ARMA NRHA ORATION. two, who had been college enue | had seen little of ‘each other for a number of yea Maxwell told how he had gone into railroading under Lng and how in his first summey in| the imanyoni he had acquired a gold and a wife. Sprague’s recount-! ing was less romantic. After ieaving | college had coached the varsity | football team for two years and had| afterward gone in for original re-| rch in chemistry, Which had been his “major” in college. Later he had drifted‘into the Washington bureau | Plained later, because it gave him time and frequent leisurely intervals for the! pursuit of his principal hobby, which was the lifting of detective work to thé plane of pure theory, treating each case 48 a mathematical problem to be demonstrated by logical reasoning. “You ought to drop everything else around to thé big man’s pet among) the hobbies. { “No,” was the instant objection. | “That is where you're wrong. A man) does his best work as an arhateur—| in any line. As long as the man-! hunting comes in the way of a recre-/| ation I enjoy it keenly. But if I had to make a busifiess of it it would be different.” Then he changed the sub- Ject by asking about Tarbell, Maxwell's ex-cowboy division detective, who had served as his understudy in the “wire- devil” case a few weeks earlier, “Archer is all right,” he reply, “only he'd like to break away from| me and go with you. He thinks you are about the one only top-notcher; says he'd like to take lessons of you for @ year or so." Sprague was gazing absentiy out of the nearby window. "Speaking of an- gely,” he broke in; “there is Tarbeil, right now, coming down your office stair three steps at a jump,” and a moment later the young man In ques- tion bad dashed across to th rvice ear and was thrusting his face in at the open window. ‘Trouble, Mr. Maxwell!” he blurted oul “The ‘Plainsman’ Just been held up and robbed at Cromarty Gulch! Connolly's getting the wire from Corona, and he started me out to see if 1 could find you. The superintendent leaped up as if ie easy-chair been suddenly elec- 's that you say?" he demand- hold-up?" Then he went into action promptly, as a trained emergency captain should. “Call Sheriff Harding on the phone and teli him to rustle up @ posse and report here, quick! Then get the yard office and turn me out engine and a fie for Harding’s men. Hustle While he was closing his desk he made hurried explanation to Sprague. mus LaF the fone Weber rang. y held up @ train on the main li: over in Utah ten da; my ‘upstairs with me an tacts,” When the superintendent, accom- panied by hi climbed ** spatcher's it, round-faced Dat. jel Connolly was rattling the key at the train-sheet tabi © glanced up @t the door openi jad Tarbell found ty he broke out, with a gasp of re- ef, “I was afraid you'd gone home,” And then he recognized the Square- shouldered one: “How are you, Mr. Sprague? Glad to see you again.” Maxwell went quickly around to the wire table. “Whom have you got?” he asked. “Allen, night operator at Corona. The train is there, and I’ve been hold- ing it to give you a chance to talk with McCarty, the conductor.” “Tell me the story as you've got it; then I'll tell you what to say to Mac,” was the brisk command. “It 'U' Cruger’ engine, and Jenkens train puller, Cruger saw somebody throwing a red light at him. They stopped, and four of the hold-ups climbed on the engines and de them cut off the postal and express cars and pull on around the curve. Then the bunch of 'em broke in the end door of the express car and ecragged little Johnny Galt, the mes- senger. While they were doing that, other bunch went through the train and held up the ngers. After they’d gone through Galt's car and taken what they wanted, they made Cruger and Jenkins couple up again and go on.” “What did they take?” Maxwell asked. “Some little money and jewelry from the passengers, McCarthy says; not very much.” “But from the express car?’ ‘The fat despatcher made a queer face and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “That's the part of it that's hard to believe. Galt was carrying consider- able money, but they didn’t try to blow his safe. They—they smashed up a coffin and took the dead man out of it.” ejaculated the superin- ‘Murtrie’s body?” “[ don’t know who it was—Mac didn't say. But that’s what they did. When the boys got together and pulled Galt out from under the ex- ress stuff where they'd buried him, hey found the coffin open and the a) ne.” egy, aon had been lstening Intent- Tiophia seems to be something worth while,” Maxwell cut in. “How. much time do we have to waste here? a “Just a minute. Go on, Connolly.’ “That's all, id the fat despatehe: “The tvain's at Corona now, TOY they've put Johnny Galt off; and— and ie eoffip. ac’s askl for orders.” “Give them their orders ard | them ¢° nd then clear for my sp ol e sent for Harding and a posse, and we'll chase out after this thing while the trail is warm. You'll go along, won't you, Calvin?” turning to_the stopover guest. The man from Washington laughed genially. “You couldn't scare me off with a fire hose—not until I have seen this little mystery of yours cleared up. Let's be roing, Five minutes farther along the two- ear special train had been made up and was clanking out over the switch- es in the eastern yard, As the last of the switch lights were flicking past the windows, a big beatded man came i from the oar ahead and Maxwell troduced him, | ° Jacqueline o LL GONG FISHING an fun Co CAN Ou BEAT IT MY LOST GOLF BALL antl canny, at times, How tho devil did you find out that those fellows came “If I should tell you that it was pure reasoning, you'd doubt It. never mind the whys and wherefores just now; they can come later. me how long we're going to stay hera Follansbee and hi: “Sprague, this is Sheriff Harding. Harding, shake bands with my friend, Mr. Sprague of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, and then ait down and we'll thrash this thing out. You've heard the story?” The Sheriff nodded. what Tarbell could tell me. He says the biggest part of the naul was a dead man. Is that right?” “It seems to be. tle Government man took electric flashlight from pocket and made it “By George! that's so,” the Sheriff acknowledged. hi But then,” he added, second though’ at tryin’ to cover up a killin’ wouldn't to throw in @ little on the side.” but he made So far from it erve a better while he was flashing the tiny beam of the electric into the coffin's interior, did he speak, and then it was to say to Maxwell; “I thought you said this was a metal- “No,” sald Spragus no further comment. he sat back in his chair and smoke patiently while Maxwell id Sheriff went on with the theor: building, a process which continu: in some desultory fashion until M glancing out of a window, ‘sa: ‘re coming to it; he inference, when “Not a minute longer than you care you want to do?” “I want to see that crippled express messenger who was put off the train a. Also, I'd like to have a look at the dead man's coffin.” “You shali do bot! ing the case you a the only doctor there ts in it, well asserted. Then hi The dead man Is Murtrie, who was supposed to be rep- resenting the New York owners of the Molly Baldwin mine. The re; that he died last ni Was put on the train at Little Butte to be taken Hast to some little town in Kentucky. What's your guess?” “I'd guess that the whole blamed outfit was locoed—piumb locoed,” said Harding. “You couldn't carve it out any other way, could you?” It was Sprague who broke in with a once more, Mr. 2 spoke of the if n required to handle it Of i didn't know anything definite in” to stay. What do Once more Sprague peered into the silk lined interior, stooping to se! the light ray to the foot of the cas which was still hidden under the un- one a the ewiteh of the efully replacing the he nodded briskly It you're take A few minutes later the two-car train slowed down and came to a stand on a sharp curve at the head wooded ravine in the ‘arding ran. forward to it his posse out, and by xwell and Sprague had the ground at the black with men. flashlight and county officer came up: broken box cov to take the train and run on to Corona after Galt. We'll stop here orders when we come back,’ During the short run around the hills to the small min tion Sprague sat uffing steadily at quiet suggestion. Harding,” he said. Sheriff put his h paren and made the effort, “That's all for the present. If I were you I'd have this coffin nailed up in its box, just as it is, without disturbing anything, You can mi you, young man?” turning short upon track-side was Sprague laughed we're not depending up- hod of ‘readin, “Whatever t nounced their arrival he got 1 followed the superintendent in! messenger, ht operator's cot r on the held-up tri his wounds, and recoveréd conaclousness. was @ mere amplification of the wire report which had unscheduled stop but before he cou! e bad up. at that cussed. id mine—and I believe they Maxwell's smile was grim, “It seems to me we're just about as far off as ever,” he commented; “un- less you can carry it along to the body-snatching in some way. Why should they’— Corona office, Galt, the ex ing on the ni e telegraph 0: ed again when a man broke out their leashes. a Dit about ourrcivilisation and the ad- et, in the rel ter of running down a criminal, ws haven't got very far ' beyo! methods of the Stone Age. of an intelligent being, with a hu- man brain to rely upon, falling back upon the instincts of a couple of ely simple mat coffin, you know, and pairing it will do to use again—say when we have found the man It be- r, rondered at, the the gulch’ curve, open his door to ital and express cars In, and he had wasn't through. man, and anoth ody so it won't somebody hanged. Murtrie was sick; because woo Strader went out to the mine to see him day before yesterday. I was talk- with Strader about It, it looked like @ case of ptomaine While the night operator, the porter and the two enginemen were carrying the wounded express iow fip and get door had been battered ti found himeel¢ trying to couple of masked men who were forc- Then somebody hit him on the head and that was the end of It, #0 far as he was coricerned, Following this the Corona night o1 it on the question ra He knew only what the trainmen had there was nothing missing out of the express car save the dead man's body. While the train was waiting, he, ator and the conductor had careful cheok of the contents car from Galt's waybills, and, him comfort able in Maxwell's own sta‘oroom the superintendent's curiosity gut the bet- “Oh, hold on,” Maxwell protested “Those dogs have run down a good many crooks, first and last. Follans- bee will take any bet you want to make, right now.” @ would lose,” was the confi- wer. “But come on; let's see what's going to happen.” The chase, with the dogs runnin, upon a comparatively fresh scent, le up through the pine wood at the head Beyond the wood was @ wa table-land, with ite summer-bal soil dried out to almost rocky yards from the gulch tinct road skirted the mesa edge, and the dogs began to run in circles. ing an entrance. “You're not saying much, Calvin,” you found any clue po: it wasn’t natural; sup- posin’ it was the other kind o' po! they'd have to get rid o' the body, some way or other, wouldn't t! run the risk of h. “lues? Yes. I've found plenty of them. They're slightly tangled as yet, but we'll get hold of the proper thread in @ little while, When do we start back?" in’ It dug up and looked into, after Murtrie’s friengs bare, high-lying “Any time, if you've seen all you w Til have Allen ight now If you say “That bein’ the case, they'd have to ead an indis- call In some sort of outside help; they couldn't handle it al of BSeott Weber's hanging around in Brewster within the last few days. fellows at the Molly Baldwin put up a job with Scott to make this play with Murtrie’s body?" Harding—I half believe ‘ou've got it! Maxwell exclaimed; ut the chemistry “We can tell bet ide while the Corona operator called the despatcher and obtained th order for the return of the two. special to Brewster. of routine was finished he made an- other suggestion, “I'd like to know, in 8 many words, exactly what was taken from the pas- ngers on the train, Dick,” he said. young man catch everything was there was no panic; pretty well quieted down by the time the train reached Corona, & good many of the passence: got out at the statior bodv was curtous to see the coffin. “You took the coffin off?" Maxwell the seare was But after the bit Supposin’ these ‘Wait a minute,” be sug dy-snatchers probably had a The dogs will get the ascent queried the ex} Then he drew his companion “Can't you have th the train somewhere and In conductor to find out for Maxwell nodded and gave Allen the “Tell MeCarty direct to me at hy i and then, as the train was ready, the start was made for the return. curve tn Cromarty Gulch they found only Tarbell awaiting them. ex-cowboy had climbed aboard and the homeward run was re- sumed Tarbell made his report. Hard- ing and his posse were following the automobile tracks on foot. the sheriff's theory that, sooner or later, the men in the machine would @ have to stop somewhere, whereupon the dogs would once more be able to Harding was con- vinced now that he was trating the Weber gang, and he believed that the es 4 toward Brewster was only a “Yes, it's In the freight room.” Sprague had taken no part tn the examination of the man. listened only eursorily to Galt's story. But now he became as curious any of the morbid passense' been. Allen, the opetator, I lantern and led the way to the freight room. The coffin was lying upon a It was encased in an “Yes, it's the old wagon road from the Reservation into the park. vay would you go toward “That way,” said the superintendept, go a@ little way to- necessary dire: to the old Re: they way they went with {t. Maxwell had been absetly mark- ing little squares on his desk blotter The Sheriff's theory was ingenious, but it failed to account for all the facts, “There's more to it than that, And then he ap- pealed to the silent you think so, Sprague “I'm waiting to hear unts for the raid on the sald the blg man mbd- “One would think that a ¥-shalchers would hi do one thing at a time.” barkage truck. ordinary shipping-box, covet of which had been 't The lid of the coffin had been broken, split into three pieces; the pieces was missing. rather expensive affair, wooden not metaliig, of the kind known a. silk lined, and with a slid- ‘The lass had y his het on his dogs. well out of the dog- area, the chemistry and struck @ mate! id; and Maxwell, im, saw the broad track le ti you think the a the scent of that?” he in- Maxwell stood up and shoved his bands into his pockets. “Calvin, and light upol thing, comes mighty \near being ua- of an autom ing %lass face plate. been broken, and the framm: lying inside on the small silken pil- take up the trail, Harding acco' Sprague bent to examine the allant witness of the mysterious robbery, and the operator offered his lantern. way you hop across the one only Sprague smiled again at the men- tion of the dogs, gust 18, 1915 ™ ry ern any Mane eR URNoInY ‘WENT WEEN'S COMPLETE NOVEL IN THE EVENING pee of ROUSSEAU | By VICTOR we ‘TOR “How far is it to Brewster? he hed. “About® thi miles, by the wagon 5 muessed. 3 i P= rid of Mr. people, and of Fol- Ngbee and his dogs, for some litte u T take it. iow we are free tu do a little business on our own ae- count. I want to know everything tell _mé@ about this man Mur looked like, what h @ sort of thankless job to ‘cap @ dead man,” Maxwell de- “Just the same, Murtrie looked to me like a hired an- sassin—the kind you ae the vaude- ville stage, you know. He wi big, face and @ ght or dark?” “Dark: black eyes and & heavy, drooping mustache, To tell the tru he looked as little like an expert min- ing engineer as anything you ca i ine. Woulda’t you eay so, Tar. ‘The sober-faced young man who had mado his record running down cattle thieves In Montana nodded gravely. “What time he put in up et the lly Baldwin wouldn't count for much,” was Tarbell’s comment. “Mighty near any hour o’ the day or night yould find him tryin’ out his stem’ at Bart Molladay’s faro G leastways, when be wasa't ing’ round the railroad depot.” owners to keep cases on the gold out~ questioned Spra, in, jut you didn't believe it?” queried Sprague, turning upon the ex-cow- boy. didn’t know just what-to be- " was the frank admission. “me y: was mighty thick with Calthrop and Higesins, the two fol lows ‘that are operatin’ the Molly Baldwin under the lease; but, as I say, he didn’t stay j there none to aj of. And as for his tho bein’ a minin’ sharp—I don't know about that Ld I do know that he was jor. a8 xy. atow. do you id Sprague quickly. “How do you ha ppen to know that, Archer?” I caught bim more thai at the commercial the chemist shrewdly. f you Was an operator yourself, you'd know, Mr. Spri my word i. it, all ri the application of sesh tate dite Be tae moked in reflective & ra at or two. Finally he are a much better i adi bit more for us Where did. ra ay he Dept, plmeclt chiely—ia joint, with faro continuous in the back rooms, and half a dosen poker games workin’ time upstairs 800, 1d Sprague thoughtfully; “or rather, I'd like to see, Maybe, be- fore I go home, you'll take a little time off some evening, Archer, and a free-for-all drive me 0] to tile Foe house. It's Tarbell grinned. “All you got to do is to give the ‘barkeep’ the high FY Me go in and blow yourself. nybody’s money's as good as any- b iT to Bart.” when the train shrilled to a stand at the station the com- pany ambulance was waiting to tak u wounded express messenger out i to the hospital. Alno, was w 4 young man from The Tribune office, who was anxtous to get the ta story of the sensational hold-up oF % Allen said he could and proceeded tot! do it, after which. under Spra, rection, the case was trund! the platform, and the three of them, with Maxwell's private car porter to help, loaded the coffin upon the front platform of Maxwell's car, “We'll take it back with us," sald the Government man, with a sober twinkle t! ly good ith a little re~ “Flying Plaineman.” entered, long enough to hand uperintendent a freshly written telegram, man” conductor, and it was dated from Aue 5 “To R. Maxwell, G, 6., “Brewster: “Can't fi that anybody lost any- thin HA od-up in Pullimane wes picpea, weant to keep passengers biufted while the others w: express car, “MO, - Sprague nodded slowly when the telegram was handed what I auspected; in fact, I was morally certain of it, but I thought it would do no harm to mgke sure.’ ‘Then he turned to the chubby epatcher, who hh his train-order. ‘Mr, ony one been here to ask qui io about this hold-up—since we left, I mean?” CHAPTER IV, The Fight. IONNOLLY looked his aston- ( ishment and nodded an af- Ormative, “Two men from out of woren't they?” at was only his respect for the big man that kept him frem asking how the incident could possibly be known to,one who had been thirty miles away at the moment of its happening, “Go on and tell us about it,” Sprague directed, and at this Connolly found his tongue. “It was them two fellows that are operating the Molly Baldwin mine, Calthrop and Higgins. They'd heard of the hold-up through the Operator at Little Butte, they sald, and they drove n in their auto. They seemed to be a whole lot atirred Up about the taking of Murtrie's body; sald they felt responsible to bie friends in the East, They wanted to put that gown. op i It was from McCarty, the “Plaina- gn § the supposition is tile body. Golden Rive know partiediarly what wo were Ing about it, and if there wae ehal of or catching up with * body -wnateh of Kis Ec alt RE “nl went pt; hing glanced at hip tra! te at Atroyo utes. It ain't a stop, but T can the operator flag her down.” “Good. Do it, and send thi sage to McCarty, conductor. ready?” And When the quickly calling thewstation tion, signalied bis readiness, went om detail « Gad B your train and have clerk, come to the vires aig Maxwell's name-that’s afl fan't it, Maxwell?” “Anything you say ie all ign & wan the quick response, "It won't ball raed as iia Your train a few mit al x ‘ “Connolly will see to that. nae « time now and running on orders, way.” "Then we can sit down q and . walt tp hear from L capable young man honor to be your chief ae ‘es Al hoar from Arroy F e of to Seah fn SS a I swiped Ai . It was while ho was holding the teh to the cigar that the pranete to clléi, Me trans fapidt his chair, “Good " Calmaine isn’t on the an ‘al a ony: ie ner meade caiit to. tatoos Cereannenn course hot. vide up with Mr. hem go and fi bare car; we’ pig coe. with ig one, one thing other it ts little, Sane hy you! should get hi in “ when bi ission was so yitall ‘eae Bartent rai.ce you su; rd ecome of him " “I can't begin to what is driving me of up fi ~snatel some way, But why should be? ihe devil beds | Cal every art ping out of it?” “I don't know,” rejoined the big with a head-wagsing of doubt, simulated. “One of the Cad a things to protigunetoe migh' only one whic! to come the -tube ‘ormudlesnte Just jiven man will do under certain lenly sprung conditions. It is the problematical element which ever en-° tera into these pussle-solvings of mine. 1 baven's the gioerane of oe aequaintance with your but trom the littte I've seen of fim i should say unhesitatingly that he young man for an emergency, @ to think, and f as quick I'm banking on hoping that he hasn't Sprague shouldn't be it is knowledge,