Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 2 — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

312 opened his eyes and looked up. The con- ductor was at his side. “The next station we stop at is Harpers- ville,” the conductor said, ‘‘ and I want all the liriemen on board to get out on the plat- form, and be prepared to step down quick. We're not going to come to a dead stop. You can hop off without breaking your neck, can’t you?”’ ‘““T can try,” Jerry said. He rose and stretched himself and looked at his watch. It marked ten minutes past eleven. He had plenty of time. While he had been sleeping the fast train had passed the slower one, which bore Dayton and his men. Neither Jensen nor the robbers, who were trying to double-cross him, couid have arrived. When the train slowed up at the Har- persville station, he jumped down and stood on the platform while the train passed him. There was no light in the telegraph office, and Jerry remembered now that there was no night operator there. He looked along the track to the siding. He-saw the lights of the pay-car there, burning dimly. The car’s occupants were doubtless asleep. Jerry stepped from the platform and walked across the tracks to a road which ran alongside them. As he came opposite the pay-car, he saw that there was half a dozen freight-cars beyond it. He examined these and found that all of them were loaded except one. This car was the second from the pay-car. Jerry pushed the door back and climbed inside. He realized that it had grown colder as the night had advanced. The box car was dark and the wind whistled about it. Jerry walked up and down to keep warm. In thirty minutes he heard the passenger- train on which Dayton would arrive whistle for the station. The train stopped out there. It was, of course, between Jerry and the station, and he could not see who alighted. He left the car and walked around the pay- car. Four figures were moving toward him through the snow. As they neared him he recognized Dayton as one of them, and he called to him soitly. Dayton hurried over to him. Jerry ex- plained his being there. THE ARGOSY. ‘“{ don’t know about Jensen,” Dayton said, “‘ but that other crew will be here in a few minutes on the other railroad. It ’ll take ‘em ten minutes to walk over here. They’re foxy, not travelin’ on our road. I had a hunch that they would try that trick, and I had a man over at the next station this side of our village, and he saw them get on board. He wired me.” ‘“ There’s a box-car over here that we can wait in, Jim,” Jerry said. “‘ We'll let ’em almost get into the car before we nail ’em. IT wish Jensen and his gang would show up. I want to get all of them in one net.” They got into the box car and stood at the far, dark end of it. “What became of Mamie?’’ whispered. Jerry told him of Mrs. McBride’s death, and of his taking McBride prisoner. ‘Well, that’s too bad,’ Dayton said soberly. ‘ How does that dovetail with your recog- nizing that fellow, Pat?” Jerry asked. There was no answer from Pat. He was standing just beside Jerry, and Jerry turned about to look at him. But in that darkness he could not see Pat’s face. For a moment longer, the sec- tion foreman maintained his silence. ‘“ Where is this McBride now, Jerry?” he sked then. i: Curry has him in the waiting-room at home,” Jerry answered. “ Goin’ to keep him there till we a Dayton back?’ Pat asked. “"Yes:”’ ‘ T’ll take a look at him then,” Pat said. “Tl just take a look at him then.” “Hush!” Dayton whispered. CHAPTER XIV. SETTLEMENT. A SILENCE so complete that they could not even hear each other breathe at once enveloped them. Dayton had heard a slight sound at the car door, and it was repeated while all of them listened. It was like the scraping of a body against the edge of the car floor. Then the body came into view dimly. A man climbed into the car. GOmicioo Cc <S) (C@