Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 2 — page 106: what you’re looking at

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

206 The robber finally returned even the vio- lated letters to the pouch, picked it ap and threw it back into the car, remarking: ““There’s you’ mail, and little damage.” ‘Keep yo’ eye on the gent while I fix his car,” said the other man, speaking for the first time, and with that he raised the greasy, bespattered hood of the old boat, and, taking a pair of pliers from his pocket, worked swiftly for a minute. Then as he stood back from the car Munro found his voice. “Don’t take that, mister!” he cried. “She won’t go a danged lick without it, and Ill be late with the mail.” “Sorry, son,” replied the highwayman, as he stood with the commutator in his hand, “but I need this. You can look about and find a tarrapin shell to take its place. I’ve heared you could make that old Seven-League Lizzie run without her giz- zard. This ‘ll be a good chance to try it.” Here Kinch Bedloe spoke again: “Sit in the car now, until we get out of sight, or you won’t,be able to even try to get away from here.” With that the two men turned and walked to the big machine that stood across the road, looking back from time to time as they went. Four other men stepped out of the brush, and Munro wondered, with a shudder, if they too had kept him covered with their guns all this time. The six men climbed into the car. Munro heard the low whispering purr of the motor, as a master hand set the car in motion to- ward Twin Hills. There was no longer any doubt of their purpose. He sat staring at the car until it disappeared, keeping to the _ very letter of his instructions. Finally, when he could no longer see the fleeing robbers, he climbed trembingly down, and stood by the side of old Lizzie. When an automobile is dead, it is admitted- ly the most hgpelessly dead thing in the world. Not only was Lizzie dead, but her side was open, her viscera exposed to the vulgar gaze, the inclement weather, and the like, while one of her vital organs had been snatched away by a ruthless hand. Any other part of the car Munro would have undertaken to make, but this delicate little shell was unique and irreparable. It THE ARGOSY. was twenty miles to a place where he could find any sort of assistance. It would take him at least six hours to walk it, and prob- ably longer, for he had used his legs but little for several months. Yet something must be done. One little thing was spurring Munro on, almost to the verge of independent think- ing. The president of the Twin Hills Na- tion had gone on his bend, and he felt a — greater responsibility to the banker than to the Government. The bank was going to be robbed that night, and it was up to him to get word to President Volney. With these thoughts in mind” Munro stood looking sadly at the exposed and mu- tilated internal system of Lizzie, and per- haps wondering at the change a mere trifle like the stopping of the heart could make in the going proclivities of anything. A cold wind was blowing from the north- east, and there was a humming sound. Munro looked up and saw the long-distance telephone line that ran from Twin Hills to Salton. This rensinded him that there was a telephone at Hale’s, but again he thought oi the distance. The bank would probably be robbed before he could walk there. He remembered that a wire branched off from the main line, about a half mile back the road. Where did that wire go? To some ranch- house, probably. How far was it? Cer- tainly not more than twenty miles, perhaps far less than that. Munro was about to develop dormant reasoning powers. In a few minutes he began dragging the mail bags into a thicket. When they were all safely hidden he put on his old mackin- tosh,. crawled under the* wire fence, and trudged off. He followed the branch wire over canons, through thickets and cactus- beds, for what seemed an interminable dis- tance. At last, just as darkness was com- ing on, he saw a ranch cabin,- and noted that the wire ran into it. He approached and hailed the house. There was no answer to his call. Munro was miserable. body and racked in mind, he called again and again. Still there was no answer. He had to get to that telephone. If he went Chilled, hungry, tired in- in, and there was any one at home, the fel- | (C@) mie SS .OO (C@