Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

SHELBY’S HEAD-ON CRASH. 66 No.”’ “‘T have. Man and boy, so to speak, I’ve worked on this road for a score of years. Thornton was working days over on the other district when I came here, at the East End double track. Him and me never did get along. He was the despatch- er’s little boy blue at that time, because he always had his finger on the key. He’s a fair operator, and he finally landed in the despatcher’s office, copying. I never knew him to forget anything before. That ‘Il help him, and, take my word for it, he’ll lie about this thing till he’s black in the face.” “ Who’s copying for him?” Shelby asked hopefully. ‘“‘ Jake Osborne,” the other answered. ** But don’t you go banking on Jake. They aré a pair to draw to. Jake’s a bad egg, just between you and me. There’s some- thing crooked about him, though I don’t know what it is for a fact. All I’ve heard is rumors, and I never repeat them. But a blind man could see this: Thornton isn’t going to say he sent that order unless he has fixed things with Jake. You just watch and you'll see that Jake will say the order was sent all reg’lar and proper. When the super looks things over he’ll find the order in the book all shipshape. You are being framed, youngster, and the only thing you can do is to keep your head and see if you can’t find a hole to crawl through some- where.” “ Well,” said Shelby, “‘ he must have put that order out to the 89 along about Willow Creek. Willow Creek will know that he did not send it to me at the same time.” ‘Bd Jones works the third trick at Wil- low Creek,” the operator said. ‘‘ You better get him, and see what he has to say.” For the moment the way wire was idle. Shelby called Willow Creek, and got an im- mediate answer. All the operators would be on deck now to see what was going to happen. Shelby knew that a hundred pairs of ears were listening to what he said. “ What’s Jones’s sign?” Shelby asked the other operator. rT; Jo.” ou “Ts JO tr?” Shelby asked on the wire. “JT, JO,” came the answer. “ Say,” Shelby said, “did you get that order for the 89?” CC L “Did Thornton send it to me at the same time?” Jones opened his key, and held it open for twenty seconds, Then he said “ I.I.1.,” and held it open again. “What the dickens is he _ hesitating about?” Shelby asked the first-trick man. “Ed is married,” the other answered. ‘‘He’s wondering which way the cat is going to jump. If Thornton can bull this through, you’ll be canned. I guess Ed is considerin’ that. It won’t do him any good to line up against Thornton if Thornton is going to keep his job.” “JL,” said Jones again, and then he quickly added: “I’ve got orders to re- port to the super’s office. Can’t say any- thing till then.” Shelby snapped the key shut and jumped up.. “You can all go to the devil,” he said. “Gosh, how that soap smarts my face!” CHAPTER II. ON THE CARPET. HELBY stepped down from No. rr at division headquarters and proceeded to the super’s office. Except King, of the broken leg, the two train crews were there, waiting in the super’s outer office, Shelby sat down beside Sweeney. Sweeney was a big man, carrying an ex- cess of fat on large bones. He was fanning himself with his straw hat, while sweat streamed down his broad face. “ Hot, isn’t it, Sweeney?” Shelby said. “Tt ain’t the heat that gets me,” Sweeney said. “ This is the first time on the carpet for me, and I ain’t very calm about it. I been sprigging around on rail- roads for a quarter of a century, and never no trouble before.”’ “You're not in any trouble,” Shelby said. “All you’ve got to say is that you didn’t get any order. That’s all they’ll ask you, very likely.” comicloool C©