The Argosy, December 1905 — page 171: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BLOCK TOWER SEVEN. with the deep cut in his head made by the sandbag when he was knocked down at the crossing, promised to keep him in his room for some time longer. He really had a bad time of it, and not so much in body as in mind. Dan Crompton was a dogged sort of a fellow, able to stand many a hard knock, but withal thin-skinned. Never a word came directly from Belle. When he was able he asked the doctor (who was professionally exact in calling twice a day upon him, but never showed himself particularly friendly), how Miss Howard was, and learned that she was rapidly recovering from her injuries. The signalman was too proud to ask if she had inquired for him. He was hurt from another cause, too. Bobbett came as soon as Dan was “seeable” at all, and brought him an envelope from headquarters. In this was a curt statement that “ D. Crompton, first signalman Block Tower Seven,” was laid off without pay for ten days; cause: holding up train 63 (fast freight) on evening of such and such date—the occasion when Dan had saved the doctor’s auto from certain wreck and his party from possible death. Well, it was no more than he had ex- pected, or would have expected had his other misfortunes not followed so closely. But who was there to tell Pebble that he was doing Crompton an injustice? No railroad man would care to risk in- juring his own position by pointing out an error of the redoubtable Alonzo. Therefore the days Dan spent housed up in -his room at the widow’s were any- thing but pleasant ones. He was not well enough (or the doctor would not allow it) to go back to the tower when the enforced vacation was at an end, so he applied for another week, briefly stat- ing his reason (backed by physician’s certificate in proper form), and obtained a grudging consent. CHAPTER XXI. THE FINGER OF SUSPICION. Crompton and Lester could never be friends, and yet neither intimated in either word or look the reason. But 149 that. first night in the Fly-by-Night, coming over from Arkane, had been sufficient to keep two rather good fel- lows, who might have been much to each other, apart. After Dan learned that Belle was up and about again he never mentioned her name to the doctor. Ag far as the sig- nalman learned, she sent no word to him—made no inquiry as to his health. Mrs. Corrigan was the only woman who “ soothed his pillow,” if a continual fire of observations upon Raddigan’s untimely death, and her own troubles arising therefrom, could be called at all soothing. It seemed that, although the Benefit, as the railroad men called their associa- tion, had paid over to her the sum due, the Chicago insurance company still haggled regarding the payment of the policy on poor Raddigan’s life. And this fact made the committee of the Benefit doubt the legality of their action, despite. the coroner’s verdict that Raddigan had been murdered. “Ter think they’d have th’ owdacity ter till me mebbe poor Jim suicided hisself!” cried the widow. “’Tis a shame, so it is! Shure, if Billy was only right in his mind, he could till °em more than ony of thim know.” “What do you mean?” asked Dan, with some interest. “Shure, the poor bye loved his uncle, an’ if he’d be lit, Oi belave he could shut th’ vilyan that murdered Jim behind th’ bars!” declared Billy’s mother. “ But Billy’s close mouthed, so he is. An’ he knows they’d not take his wor-r-d in court.” = Having little better to do while he was convalescent, Dan began to think more on the mystery of Raddigan’s death than he had at any previous time. Particularly did he try to figure out Silly Billy’s exact status in the affair. He remembered well enough how the foolish boy looked that morning when he came blundering up the tower stairs to find his uncle lying dead in the mid- dle of the upper floor. Dan recalled, and that with ease, every detail of Billy’s appearance. At the time Dan had thought it was the wreck of the Fly-by-Night that had | COMMICLOOOKS (C@