Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

THE PURPLE LIMITED. led inte the despatcher’s office. “ I'll check her up,” he said. “I bet the Limited has gone by the Butte tunnel. She should be at Coetepaxi: Junction.” Lark- and Ragan followed the division superintendent through the doer. Darrah leaned: across the polished: rail. “ Where’s 43?” he asked. The despatcher glanced up from a pile of tiggues, scratched his head, lifted a green eye- -shade, and opened a telegraph- ke « She ought to have been reported at C. J. I don’t remember getting ‘it. Say, Fred—”’ Fred was the second despatcher on the death-trick, from midnight te 8 am. He pushed back a wooden chair and, crossed to the first despatcher’s side. “ Did C. J. repert 432”? demanded the superintendent. “ Leok it up! Look it up!” Lark felt a sinking of spirits when beth. despatchers shook their heads and com- mienced looking over the train-sheets for a ‘second. time. “The Purple Limited went through Green Creek at 12.17; she never reached the siding,” explained the chief despatcher. ‘“ Ghe hasn't been reperted at C. J. yet. It’s—” The operator wheeled to glance up- ward at a standard wall-clock. “ The devil!” exclaimed Darrah. “ Why, she must be in th’ ditch! Call C. J. Find Eark watched J. J. D.’s florid face grow . Fhe division, superintendent climbed over the polished rail instead of going around by the gate, and snatched at a telephone. “Give me Broad River Bridge!” he shouted: “Yes! Yes! Broad River Bridge. This is J. J. D. You know wie I ami” Broad River Bridge was a span with @ draw. across Broad River, There was no telegraph office at the bridge. A telephone line paratieled the telegraph line’en the C. M. and W. This was a precaution in case of strikes by telegraph-operators er severe sterms. Darrah got the bridge connection. Lark and Ragan passed through the gate and steed by the phone Sd “Is this th’ bridge-tender?” asked. the division superintendent. “Hello! This is J. J. D. You know me! When did the Purple Limited go by? Ye-s—43,- going west? Hel-lo—twelve twenty-sev-en—are you sure you saw it?” ‘“That’s. abeut right,” Ragan nai to Lark. ‘“ Green Creek at 12.17. Broad, River Bridge at—12.27. It’s exactly thir” teen miles.” Darrah hung up ‘the receiver. ‘“ The Limited went across the bridge all: right!” he said. ‘“ She’s ‘stalled between the bridge and Tie-Siding, this side of <olopent Junction.” ‘“ There’s suggested Lark. : “No night operater there!” declared J. J. D. “Damn it! They wen’t give: us enough men to find out where eur trains are!” The two despatchers galvanized into sud den life. They began talking te Cotepaxi —Cotopaxi Junction, and other way-sta- tiens beyond Butte Tunnel and the caal- mines. The many telegraph instruments in the despatcher’s room clicked’ metalliely. They poised their aluminum bars and then seemed to clamp their teeth. . Darrah shouted orders like a pump-gun. The big superintendent threw off. his over- coat and sent it flying in the air. He reared. at Ragan: “* Jump. over to. the roundhouse and tell. the night yard-master to. call out the wreck- ing crew! Tell him to hoek on .0o76. She ought to be ready. for the extra, east.” _Lark had often marveled at the grace of detail which Darrah showed. J. J. D was not a theoretical railroad man. He had been almost everything on the C. M. and. W., from call-boy up. He radiated Strength like a high-pressure boiler. ‘“‘She’s probably in the ditch!” he told the chief operator. ‘In th’ ditch seme- the coal-mines,” where on the other side of Broad River. May be at Butte Tunnel or the coal-mines. No word at Cotopaxi Junction?” he asked “None, Mr. Darrah. C. J. says that extra—east—54, came through there at 12.13. There’s three freights on the sidings waiting for the Purple Limited.” Lark did not understand telegraphy. He. S CGOMIIGoOO CO