The Argosy, Vol. 82 No. 2 — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

per by William Wallace Cook A TWO-PART STORY—PART ONE. CHAPTER I. A CASTLE IN THE IVE battered railroad cars lay on a sid- F ing at Rocky Spur in the desert. Two of the cars were sleepers of an ancient and discarded pattern, another was a made- over coach used as a ‘‘diner,” and the other cars were of the “box” variety—evidently veterans of the freight service. Along the sides of this short but very special train were banners lettered in red, “Castle’s ’49 Camp.” The various members of the ‘‘camp” had gone to sleep among the semaphore lights and the clattering activities of a treight-yard of some importance; and they had awak- ened next morning to look out upon the great and forbidding loneliness that walled in that desert siding. , There their five cars had apparently taken root. Even Pop Handy, hardiest of the Forty-Niners and supposedly immune from nervous shocks, shuddered and wanted to know what it meant. Rocky Spur afforded thirsty engines a chance to drink good water. On one side of the main track was a station about the size of a hat-box; on the other side were a water-tank and a shed that housed a fussy little gasoline engine that did the pumping. Nothing more. Overnight the population of Rocky Spur had been increased to the extent of twenty Forty-Niners—and Mr. Amos Rebbins. AIR, And every man and woman—except Amos Robbins and, presumably, Gordon J. Castle —was wondering why. It was common knowledge that Castle had expected a concession for his camp from the Zone at San Francisco, only to find that his claim had been pre-empted by a similar organization. Then Castle had tried desperately to secure frontage on the Isthmus at San Diego, but without result. Forced out of the big fairs, he had reared his stockade and planted his shanties in the environs of Los Angeles. The public did not seem to be interested, and Castle’s Camp found itself on a financial reef and rapidly going to pieces when Amos Rob- bins suddenly appeared and averted dis- aster. Robbins and Castle had a private con- ference. What passed between them they kept a close secret; and, on the following day, the Camp pulled up stakes, loaded live stock and paraphernalia in the box-cars, climbed aboard the sleepers and traveled East. - - Robbins went along. One fact stood out clearly enough in all that maze of mystery, and this was that Robbins was captain of the new venture and furnished the money to keep it going. Colonel Chet Hungerford allowed that they were going to Denver. Gentleman Jim rather opined their destination was the White City of Chicago. Mrs. Bobbett, and Lady Ann Bobbett, 285 Go .OO AMUG S (C@