The Argosy, January 1906 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

BLOCK TOWER SEVEN. BY JARED L. FULLER. A railroad story of a signalman’s thrilling experiences in ferreting out the mystery of his predecessor’s murder, SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTERS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. A WRECK occurs on the A. & C. R. R., from which Dr. Lester, Captain Payne Howard and his daughter Belle are rescued by Dan Crompton, an employee of the road. Captain Howard is in litigation with the railway company at this time. It is discovered that Raddigan, the signalman in Tower Seven at Coldspring, is murdered, and that the signals were chang’ed to cause the wreck. There is no clue to the murderer. Crompton is promoted to Raddigan’s position, and takes up his quarters with Mrs. Corrigan and her idiot son, Billy, sister and nephew of the murdered Raddigan. It is not long before he receives a warning of personal danger, and while returning home at midnight is attacked by a couple of men who get aboard a slow freight. bind him and make their escape. He starts in pursuit of them and enters the car where they are hiding. They gag and At the top of a steep slope the train breaks in two. Crompton’s car, with several others, rolls backward. At the end of the slope there is a sharp turn, and the car in which Crompton is confined, jumping the track, rolls into a ravine. He escapes serious injury and is dis- covered by Belle Howard, who braves a forest fire to free him. During an illness of several days Crompton obtains information which leads him to think that this last series of accidents was due to Ike and Jase Howard and that Silly Billy knows more of the doings at Tower Seven than is generally supposed. Crompton is still confined to his room when his substitute, Markell,. brings him a key to the new lock on the tower door. his way. CHAPTER XXII. UNCERTAINTY. See pulled on his coat, seized a hat, and went down the stairs on tiptoe, so as not to arouse the widow. He was really very weak in his legs, but he was determined to go on to the tower; and the farther he walked the more confidence he gained in his ability ~ to keep up. Nobody passed him whom he recog- nized, and when he reached the railroad not a soul was in sight. In the distance the green lamps upon the tail of a train, rounding the curve beyond the tower, were the only sign of activity he saw. Markell’s light in the upper room glowed brightly as Dan approached. The latter was undecided whether to knock and call Markell down, or to see if Silly Billy really had unlocked the tower door and stolen within. Could it be possible that the boy had taken the key for an entirely different *This story began in the September issue of THE ARGOSY. As a test, Crompton gives Billy a chance to steal the key. Billy takes it, and when he leaves the house, Crompton follows him, convinced that some valuable information is going to come purpose from that of which Dan thought? It might be that the foolish youth was under the influence of those who wished to injure the A. & C. road —those who had caused old Raddigan’s death. He approached the tower hesitatingly, arriving in its shadow without appar- ently arousing the attention of the sig- nalman above, and still undecided as to his further course. The door was closed and he heard no sound from within but the occasional rattle of the telegraph sounder. At last Crompton stretched forth his hand and touched the knob. He turned it softly, and then placed his knee against the lower panel. The door sprang open without noise. It had been unlocked. There was not the slightest sound from above, although Dan saw the radi- ance of the lamp flung down the stair- way. By this glow he was enabled to descry objects in the lower room. The four back numbers will be mailed to any address on receipt of 40 cents. Eboo (ele) val ald a é nay AGS