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diff --git a/41483-8.txt b/41483-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a93af71..0000000 --- a/41483-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6662 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Yazoo Mystery, by Irving Craddock - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Yazoo Mystery - A Novel - -Author: Irving Craddock - -Release Date: November 25, 2012 [EBook #41483] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YAZOO MYSTERY *** - - - - -Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Eleni Christofaki and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's note - -Minor punctuation inconsistencies have been repaired. Variable spelling -has been retained. A list of the changes made can be found at the end -of the book. - - Mark-up: _italics_ - - - - -THE YAZOO MYSTERY - - - - - THE - - YAZOO MYSTERY - - A Novel - - BY - - IRVING CRADDOCK - - BRITTON PUBLISHING COMPANY - NEW YORK - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY - BRITTON PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. - MADE IN U.S.A. - - _All Rights Reserved_ - - - - -TO THOSE WHO LOVE ADVENTURE - - - - -The Yazoo Mystery - -CHAPTER I - - -THE harbor-master entered briskly but dubiously the room of the ship's -first officer. - -"What about the five men for the _Domus_?" he bellowed. - -"All ready to sign, sir," assured the manager of the employment agency, -pointing toward two saddle colored negroes, a Spaniard, and a limp -figure half asleep, slouching in the corner on a narrow bench, one hand -clutching an expensive leather bag. - -"It is the best I could do on such short notice," assured the agency man -in an undertone, noticing that the first officer's inventory was not -very encouraging. - -"Get them up here to sign. We're anchored in the stream, losing two -thousand dollars every hour we stay here. We need five more -firemen--anything that looks human," he added impatiently, spreading -the ship's articles on the counter that reached across the smelly -water-front den. - -"Come on and sign up, boys," said the agency man with assumed good -nature. - -While the two negroes and the Spaniard were signing, the ship's first -officer went to the sleeping figure in the corner, took up his free hand -and felt of the palm, then dropped it disgustedly as he took the man by -the shoulders and shook him vigorously. - -"Come on and sign up, Strong," he shouted into his ear. - -Strong labored with himself, still holding to his bag, half staggered to -the counter and signed on the line indicated--"Hiram Strong, Jr." - -The signature was plain and businesslike. Evidently the Candidate had -known better days. - -"He's been kicked out or disowned," muttered the first officer to me -while he was signing up. "He won't be worth a cuss. Look--those hands -never did a lick of work--but he will fill the list," he added, walking -about nervously and sizing me up with apparent approbation. - -The agency man came up at once and held the pen towards me, and without -hesitation I signed "Ben Taylor" on the line beneath. While I was thus -engaged Hiram leaned against the counter weak and listless, his bag -between his feet. We had both signed as firemen or stokers on the -steamship _Domus_ for a round trip to an unnamed Gulf, or Mexican port. - -Although pretty well awake by this time Strong did not resent my taking -his arm and helping him a bit. He made no comment at first, but after he -got used to the lively walk along the dock, he began to show signs of -saying something. - -"Old pal," he began, without turning his head, "I--I've got a -headache--top's coming off--and my stomach is all jelly. It shakes as I -walk and makes me sick," he ended under his breath. - -"You'll be all right after you get some sleep." - -"Y-e-s--I think--I h-h-ope so----I've had an awful time--an awful time, -pardee--but this is my last--this is my last," he added, more to -himself. - -His bloodless face and lips, pink lids and bloodshot eyes indicated a -disordered system urgently rebelling against recent abuses. - -After we got aboard the harbor-master's tug, although very weak, he -refused to sit down. Noting that I had found a seat, he lurched over to -me. - -"Old pal, everything looks yellow to me, even the sun looks yellow--sort -of faded. Does it look yellow to you?" he asked, blinking at the clear -setting sun, and although his power to realize was at low ebb, he picked -me out evidently as being different from the others. By that act he -exercised a discrimination that predestined an exciting and almost -unbelievable career. - -"The sun looks all right to me," I told him, smiling up in sympathy. - -"I guess it's me--it's terrible--but this is the last--I'm going to work -now. Little Hiram is going to work for the balance of his life--I got -to, that's all," he ended, with a dogged determination that I hoped -would survive after he recovered from his unsettled and polluted -condition. I steadied him a little when climbing the ladder from the tug -to the ship, which attention he seemed to appreciate. - -"Old pal, I must go to bed. If I don't I will die," said he as we went -forward to the firemen's sleeping quarters. There he tumbled into a -lower bunk, not stopping to remove even the cheap cap he wore. In an -incredibly short time he was "dead to the world" and snoring at a lively -clip. - -Upon returning to the deck I heard a loud grunt from the Siren and at -once the ship began to swing out into the stream, heading toward the -Statue of Liberty and that great sea beyond the Narrows. - -The captain still leaned over the bridge, taking stock of his -nondescript crew of firemen that loitered about, forward. His bulk -evidenced a growing appetite and his almond shaped eyes suggested the -prenatal influence of a Chinaman. It was hard to understand how so much -tallow and bone, in a florid lumpy skin, ever became master of a big -ship. Such luggage as Hiram Strong, Jr. and I had brought aboard might -have told him a story, but he didn't care; all he wanted was thirty-five -human machines, capable of shoveling coal--in four-hour shifts--in a -temperature of a hundred and twenty-five degrees. He knew that his ship -was marked as a "hell," and that no fireman would ship for a second -trip. - -While standing beside the rail and studying the retreating outlines of -Battery Park and its wonderful skyline, I was approached by the -firemen's mess steward, who wore a dirty white jacket and apron. - -"I don't suppose that young feller will want anything to eat?" - -"No--I guess sleep is better now," I replied, interpreting in his round -greasy face evident good-will. - -"The firemen are eating and you had better go in," he said, but -seemingly in no hurry for me to tear myself away. The tip seemed a good -one, so I made an opening for a better acquaintance. - -"Where are we bound, steward?" - -"We're bound out and back to this port, but at how many places we will -call, God knows. I don't! When we start, lately, we never know when -we'll get back. Sometimes we call at Key West, and usually at Galveston -or New Orleans. Don't you know what you signed for?" he asked, without -surprise, but grinning significantly. - -"Yes," I replied, hesitating somewhat. I wondered why he continued to -grin. Then he again asked: - -"Are you coming down to mess yourself?" - -"Yes, I will come right down." - -Following him below, I crowded over on one of the nondescript crew to a -seat on the end of a bench at a narrow, bare table, and received from -the steward a half-gallon of thick soup dished up in an enameled pan -from a galvanized-iron wash-tub. Later I was supplied from the same -laundry utensil a liberal portion of what was intended for a meat stew, -and a war allowance of bread. I was wondering how Hiram Strong, Jr., -accustomed to uptown dining, would relish this atmosphere with its -filthy service and coarse food. The men along the bench beside me -consumed the soup noisily, like Bowery bums, and bit from chunks of meat -on the ends of their forks like swine with their forefeet in a trough. - -Sitting at one end, I was able to size up my fellow-firemen, twenty-five -of whom were devouring food with great relish as they chattered like -magpies, mostly in a foreign tongue. Negroes of all shades, Mexicans, -Poles, Italians, Greeks, all sweated out, thin and bleached to the shade -of a cadaver. I speculated again as to how young Strong would mix with -this motley crew, and why he had allowed himself to choose stoking as a -means of livelihood. - -After eating I went below, but Strong had not moved and it seemed that -his thin white hands and expensive footwear were more out of place than -ever. I wondered if he had any money left. Usually were to be found some -light-fingered gentry among tramp-steamer firemen, so I took a small -chain and padlock from my bag and chained his grip with mine to a bunk -stanchion. - -Returning to the deck, it was something of a shock to note the ship in -complete darkness, no light visible save the red and green signals on -either side. Later I learned that the globes were removed from the -passenger cabins to prevent even a flash from the rooms of any one -disinclined to obey "Lights out" at seven p. m. by order of the Naval -authorities. - -After clearing Sandy Hook and rounding Scotland lightship, by locating -the North Star I saw that the skipper was heading a little east of south -against a sharp, cold wind, close in to the Jersey coast, where lights -were plainly visible. I was rather astonished to see all lifeboats -lowered from their davits to the level of the steerage deck, and by -edging down that way, saw they were provisioned with water, biscuits, -lanterns and all necessary equipment for immediate use. Then I realized -that young Strong had not only chosen an unusual occupation but a -rather unpropitious time in which to sign up for duty on the high seas. - -But with visions of four o'clock in the morning, the hour assigned us to -begin our work, I returned to the bunkroom to go to bed. - -Hiram Strong had moved neither hand nor foot, but his breathing was more -normal. A dark blue light was the only illumination in the place, giving -to everything a mere shadowy appearance. I was glad to notice that the -place was well ventilated, fairly clean, and likely to be free from -vermin. - -At three-thirty in the morning a heavy hand was laid on us, and we were -told to roll out to go on watch. To my surprise, young Strong responded -at once, with much yawning and stretching. Now and then he would sigh -deeply, ending in a sort of dismal moan, hard to tell whether from -resignation or abandon. He spoke for the first time after I had tumbled -out and had begun pulling on my shoes. He seemed to recognize me in the -uncertain light. - -"Do we get anything to eat before we go to work?" he asked, leaning -against his bunk dressed in the correct street attire in which he had -slept. - -"Yes, I think by going aft to the ship's kitchen we can get something; -coffee, anyhow," I replied, stripping down to my underwear. - -"Is that the way you go to work?" he asked, quickly noticing my -matter-of-fact preparations. - -"Yes." - -"Why?" he asked, surprised. - -"Well, it's pretty hot down there; and besides, it's very dirty," I -replied, pleasantly but convincingly. "Shoes, pants and undershirt are -about all you can stand," I added. - -I had to wait a while for him to remove all but those needful garments -before starting for the kitchen, there to find good hot coffee and a -dish of that same thick soup. - -He followed my lead again, silently, deliberately drinking two cups of -coffee and eating the soup. Then it was time for us to go. - -He negotiated the several narrow iron stairs leading down to the -boiler-room like a cat avoiding water, and looked ruefully at his hands -blackened by contact with the greasy handrail. A pink silk undershirt -and polished shoes contrasted strangely with the coarse, black pull-on's -and dingy brogans of those at work. He must have noticed the contrast. -Stripped, he showed a compact figure, with good lung capacity and likely -a good heart, that being an absolute necessity in order to tolerate the -extreme heat of a boiler-room. - -The engineer on watch asked me if I had ever fired, as though expecting -an affirmative. - -"Yes," I replied. - -"But this young fellow is a 'greeny'?" - -"Yes--I think so." - -"You and him take the two end boilers on the left--they are as cool as -any--and give him a few tips, will you, till he gets his hand in? Two -hundred and eighty pounds on the gauge," he added, as a hint to keep the -dial at that notch. He then told Strong I would show him what to do. - -As we moved down over the piles of coal between a battery of boilers -facing the rather narrow corridor between them, Strong remarked to me, -"I'll do the best I can, sir!" - -It did not seem so very hot when we first went in, but I noticed there -was only one ventilator, which came down about midway. - -Strong followed me over to the end and watched me with interest when I -took the twelve-foot poker--a one-inch steel bar with a big eye bent on -one end and spatula shaped at the other--for the purpose of freeing the -clinkers from the grates before shaking them down into the ash pan. - -"I will clean your fire for you this time and you can see how it's -done," I suggested, and proceeded to do so. "You know, the first thing -you do when going on watch is to clean the fire, but it must be done -quickly to keep the steam from going down too much." He listened -attentively and good-naturedly, but still silent, as one about to be -initiated into a college fraternity and was waiting for something to -happen. - -I handed him a scoop and told him to put in a half dozen scoop-loads at -a time and to be sure and get it well back on the grates. I then -proceeded to clean my own grate. - -Taking up the scoop, he filled it brimful, and started for the furnace -door like a girl shoveling snow. He missed the narrow opening and the -coal fell off into the ashes. He did not swear as I had expected but -glanced sheepishly at me, then about him, to see if others noticed it, -but we were all too busy with our own back-breaking jobs to pay heed to -his worries. - -Determined to be successful, he walked close to the furnace door, -exposing his face and hands to the glaring fire, and succeeded in -getting the next shovelful pretty well back on the grates. After -repeating this a half dozen times his face took on a "Turkey red" and he -puffed like a lizard. - -After a few more trials and a little more instruction the novelty of -doing it well seemed to interest him, and two hours wore away. He soon -learned to watch the steam gauge above him and kept it pointing at the -requisite two hundred and eighty. - -At the end of the shift he leaned heavily against the bulkhead next to -his furnace, panting like a race-horse. The perspiration rolled off of -him until even his well-tailored trousers were wet and his pink silk -undershirt a sight to behold. His face was the shade of pickled beets -mixed with coal dust, and his hands the color of the lobsters he was -accustomed to eat after midnight, his palms blistered and sore, from the -friction of the shovel handle. - -His neat black shoes, now grimy and rough, were full of water and -pinched his feet. I did not give him the extra pair of soft cotton -flannel gloves I had brought along for him until he asked me where I had -got mine. Then I showed him how to cool off by standing under the -ventilator, for which he seemed very grateful. He looked curiously at -me, evidently discovering that he and I were the only ones down in the -furnace room not of a hardened class. He seemed inclined to stay under -the refreshing ventilator, and I noted the hands of his steam gauge drop -back to two hundred and seventy, so I opened the door, cleaned the -grates and spread over a fresh bed of coal. - -He came over while I was doing this, and I gave him some little tricks -on how to spread the fuel and not expose his hands and face to the heat. - -He seemed to appreciate this and surprised me by his cleverness in -making use of my tips. For a time he revived and I thought he was going -to pull through his first watch all right, but at the end of another -hour he became shaky on his legs, and his arms scarcely supported the -empty shovel. The intense heat and effort had a telling effect on him -and it did not surprise me when he toppled over on the coal pile in a -dead faint. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -WHEN Hiram Strong collapsed it did not surprise the other firemen. It -was not a rare occurrence for even seasoned firemen to faint. But it did -amaze the engine-room crew at the ease with which I took him in my arms, -for he weighed at least one hundred and sixty pounds. I laid him down -beneath the ventilator, where the others had prepared a place for him. I -then removed his cap and dashed a pail of cold water over his face and -chest, coal dust and dirt having washed up in his black, wavy hair. - -For the first time since I had met him I got a good look at the -youngster's face. Even during this temporary lapse the slightly upturned -corners of his mouth and the red of his lips showed, lending the -impression that he was about to break out into a sunny smile. There was -nothing about his features to indicate the confirmed inebriate or -debauchee. He had a good, honest ear, a clean neck and a generous -breadth of shoulder. After making sure of his respiration and heart -action, I returned to my post to feed his furnace and mine. To maintain -two hundred and eighty pounds of steam on the gauge required constant, -back-breaking shoveling. In a few minutes both furnaces were roaring, -with one blowing off a notice to the engineer that, although one of the -crew had fainted, the boilers were hot. - -It was perhaps a quarter of an hour before Strong raised himself to a -sitting posture and looked over toward me. He was dazed, and blinked -like an owl. I waved to him to stay where he was and rest. For answer he -made a "cat's cradle" by clasping his hands before his knees, unmindful -of the fact that he was seated in a pool of water and saturated coal -dust. - -We evidently had a good head wind outside, for it rushed down through -the big ventilator as though driven by an exhaust fan, thus rapidly -reviving Strong. However, it would not be well for him to remain in the -draft too long, so I crossed over and helped him to regain his feet. He -reeled and stumbled as he walked back to his station, which took grit, -but there was no evidence of self-pity. - -For the remainder of the watch Strong was unable to do much work. First -he tried to shovel coal, but found he couldn't lift it. However, he -insisted on staying around while I shoveled, occasionally opening and -closing the furnace doors. All the while he maintained his attitude of -silence, apparently taking it for granted that I understood the -situation and was willing to help him. At last the eight o'clock relief -crew came, and although still weak, he made the narrow iron stair to the -deck much easier than when he descended four hours before. He was -adapting himself to the conditions the best he could. - -Strong soon washed up and donned clean wear, which seemed to refresh -him, but coal dust still showing about his eyes, ears and brow gave him -the appearance of an actor made up for his part. At mess he devoured -soup with relish, but when he tried the stew, made up of overdone neck, -cuts of fried beef and cold potatoes, he tossed the pan and its contents -overboard. - -"I need sleep more than that stuff," he said, and straightway made for -his bunk. - -Six hours later I found him standing beside me at the rail in the waist -of the ship and he appeared to be much improved. His fine skin glowed, -but his hands looked as though they had been parboiled, with palms badly -blistered. His trousers were dirty, dry, stiff, baggy and wrinkled. On -the upper part of his body he wore nothing but a silk undershirt, and -for his overworked feet he had pulled on a pair of sandals. - -It is quite as impossible to disguise a real man as it is for a -make-believe to pass himself off for a gentleman. Though unaware of how -to go about it, he began taking my measure quite as coldly as I was his, -after which he spoke his first connected words since we came together. - -"It was mighty decent of you to help me out last night," he said, -affably, holding a lighted cigarette contemplatively. Evidently his -decision favored me. - -"Every one has to make a beginning; you did very well to stay there -during the whole of your first watch," said I, ignoring his thanks. - -"Is it always as hot down there as it was last night?" - -"Yes; sometimes more so. You see, last night we had a head wind." - -"After my hands harden, and my stomach becomes accustomed to the food, -I guess I'll be able to stand it all right." As he said this he looked -at the palms of his hands ruefully. The backs were scarlet and glossy. - -"You can if you want to," I replied. "You have the build. The food is -coarse, but perhaps the best for that kind of work. Four hours is not -very long to stand anything; you have not worked lately?" - -"Lately?--never!" Then as though frightened at my reference to his past -or even himself, he surprised me by asking, "How soon do we eat -again?--I believe I could eat some of that horse-meat now." - -"You think it's horse-meat?" - -"Well, if it's not horse-meat, it came off a bull just behind the horns. -However, my grates are clean and there's a good draft; I believe I can -get up steam on it now," he ended with a reckless laugh, indicating -that, although languid from his final fling in New York, he had noted -fully how to proceed with his work in the boiler-room. - -"Perhaps by going back to the galley we can get a bite. It's nearly two -hours before we go on watch, but it's better to give the stomach a -chance before doing hard work," I suggested, leading the way to that -mysterious quarter of the ship where the cook is king. - -This time we inherited mutton stew and the usual bread allowance, which -we ate as we sat on the edge of a hatch. - -Looking across the water, I noted that we were still hugging shore, but -were now far enough south to be free from the chill November winds of -New York. We were now favored with a balmy, invigorating breeze. - -Strong's first question was not unexpected after he glanced at some -curious passengers on the deck above us, amused at our sumptuous meal -and manner of taking it. - -"How do you happen among this gang?" he asked, laying his bread -allowance on the hatch and poising a knife and fork that came with the -ship direct from the builders twenty years before. - -I looked at him squarely and knew I had to give a logical reply. His -straight nose showed the power of logical analysis. The thought came to -me that he had somehow robbed a marble image of Cleopatra of its nose -and clapped it on his own face. There could be no question of his -inherent refinement. Such a person one usually answers civilly, though -the questions be frivolous. - -"Well, you see, in order to get a marine license you must do a certain -amount of sea duty in the fire room." - -"Is a marine license so very desirable?" - -"Chief engineer is a pretty good berth, especially now. Those running in -the war zone get good pay and a big bonus besides, you know." - -"Are we in the war zone?" he asked with some surprise. - -"Yes--don't you see those lifeboats swung out? One of the firemen told -me last night that this line had lost two ships--both torpedoed." - -"And I suppose the firemen get the worst of it on account of being so -far below?" he queried, glancing nervously at the dim shore line. - -"Yes. Then, you know, there are supposed to be mines all along the -coast." - -Without comment he gnawed the last piece of meat from the bone and -tossed the refuse overboard. Two young girls among the passengers above -giggled at that. Strong flushed, but gave no other outward sign of -annoyance. - -"Then we are liable to be plugged any time?" he asked. - -"Yes; there is a possibility." - -"Well, if I get another dose like I got last night I believe I would -welcome it," he laughed, looking at his blistered hands. - -"You will soon learn how to favor yourself, and the work won't be so -hard." - -"But you say the men who do the actual work get the worst of things." - -"Yes--I think so. Firemen are the feet of the ship, you know." - -"I think I was all feet last night," he replied, smiling dolefully. "I -have heard professors rant about the dignity of labor," he replied, -arising with the empty pan, having enjoyed the first full meal he had -ever actually earned. "However, I have signed for a round trip and I'm -going to stick if it kills me," he added, half to himself, as he went -below. - -When he came on watch at four the fire of adventure had taken the place -of Hiram Strong's glassy stare of debauchery. He cleaned and shook his -grates without coaching, heaving the coal well back in the fire-box. I -knew that every bone and muscle of his body was crying out in protest. -Later I saw blood from the blisters show through the cotton gloves, but -he worked stolidly, silent and grim. Surely he was game. - -We were getting farther south, the wind coming hot and the boiler-room -an inferno. As Strong worked he perspired to the point of melting. I saw -him grit his teeth, determined not to show another white feather, and -when we were washing up at the end of that four-hour watch, there was -something of unction in his remark, to himself: "Thank God, it didn't -get me this time!" Sensibly he went to his bunk without eating. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -OUR shift was off at eight p. m. with duty ahead at four o'clock in the -morning. But not feeling disposed to sleep just then, I began to study -our position. Twenty-four hours ago we had cleared Scotland lightship, -and I figured we were something like three hundred miles south of New -York, off the Virginia capes. - -The ship, as on the previous night, was wrapped in complete darkness as -we emerged from the boiler-room, and I could just make out the shadowy -form of the officer on the bridge, who moved about nervously. I glanced -across the expanse of water but no light could be seen in any direction. -The only activity was the sounding lead which was thrown overboard -occasionally. - -We still had the southern head wind which made it too hot for sleeping -below, so I decided to bunk on deck, and went below for a blanket. Young -Strong slept as though dead, even though the quarters were close and -stuffy. I was glad to escape to the deck with my covering. As I laid -down, expecting to doze off at once, I began to hear subdued voices. I -heard some one say: "You know, we passed him this afternoon at three. He -couldn't be over two hours behind us." At first I wasn't sure I was -awake, for the voices were almost inaudible. I was sure I had slept some -time. - -"Did the wireless say all were taken off?" - -I could now make out two officers talking near me, but they were unaware -of my proximity. Then came the answer to the question: - -"Yes; the report came from the shore station where the lifeboats landed, -but if the subs are operating up there, we're probably safe." - -Manifestly they referred to some ship that was torpedoed two or three -hours behind us. - -"That's all right, but you know well enough that mines have been sown -here for the Chesapeake traffic." - -"We're not due there yet, and it's a thousand-to-one shot that we'll get -by. We've passed that spot many times. I believe that talk about mines -is all bunk. Anyway, you know the Old Man changes his course at that -point to keep the supposed mine field shoreward. Go to bed: you'll be -bawled out quick enough if we hit anything." - -Then all became quiet, but now thoroughly awakened, I went down to the -galley to cajole some food from the cook. There, to my surprise, I found -young Strong on the same errand. - -"You had a good sleep?" was my greeting. I needn't have asked, for he -looked rested and bright, even jaunty. - -"Five hours; it's past one now. Where did you sleep?--I did not see you -in your bunk." His voice sounded rather chummy, as the cook relented and -helped us liberally. We told him we had both gone off watch without -eating. - -We took the food into the firemen's messroom, lighted by a single dark -blue bulb, and sat opposite each other, a long, narrow, oak plank -between us, picnic style. The cook enjoined us to shut the door, to -cover even the dim illumination. The closed windows of the messroom were -painted black so that not the slightest trace of light could escape. - -"How do you feel this morning?" I asked. - -"I am surprised at how well I do feel. If it wasn't for my hands I would -feel fine," he replied cordially, sort of self-congratulatory, a half -smile creeping about his non-secretive mouth. - -"Moisten the inside of your gloves with petroleum, and your hands will -soon heal if you are careful," I advised quietly. "The oilers will give -you some." - -"It is the first time in my life that my system has had the nicotine and -other bug juices washed out of it; a cigarette tastes different now," he -exulted, though evidently looking for sympathy. - -"Do you know," he continued, as he cornered a chunk of meat in the -bottom of the pan and tried to sever it with the ancient cutlery, "I -always thought I could work, and now I know it." - -"Then this is really your maiden labor sweat?" I asked, seemingly -incredulous. - -"Say," he began, still laboring with the meat, "I think this ship bought -a job lot of sheep, and there were some granddaddies in the lot." I -smiled an assent. - -"If any one had told me a few days ago that I would be sitting on board -a ship before an oak plank, eating old ram with relish, and out of a -laundry vessel at that, I would have believed him insane." - -I laughed outright and mumbled something about "crises in every one's -life." - -"My crisis came, all right, the other day. It was like the sidewalk -coming up and hitting me in the face, it so upset me--oh, it was -terrible. I am surprised that I can talk about it so soon." There was a -ruefulness and disappointment in his tone. - -I smiled encouragingly as he went on. - -"I knew there was trouble ahead when the Governor called me into his -office--there always was--but I expected, as usual, to win him over. I -found for the first time why men called him a 'Gold-Beater.' I sat -across a long table from him, never before realizing how big a man he -was, his chest seemingly as broad as those of two ordinary men. He -wasn't mad, just cold and immovable. He gave me some money and told me -that was the last. I had to get out and work or starve. What I decided -to do did not interest him. He said he didn't want to see me again and -that he didn't care whether I went to hell or to work." Strong spoke as -one recalling a nightmare. - -"I suppose you have not been able to figure out yet who is right?" I -asked. - -"Oh, I think there is little doubt who is right, but just how long it -will take me to recognize the fact is the question. You see, the -Governor was never stingy or tight with me. That's why he was called a -'Gold-Beater'; he has made money, but he owns the money instead of it -owning him--at least that's what his cronies say. And there's no doubt -about the fact that I should go to work, but in the two or three days I -have had to think about it I can't see why he waited so long. It's -downright wrong to allow a fellow to believe he's got nothing to do but -spend money and get into trouble for years at a stretch, then stop -everything all of a sudden. I think that's where the Governor's wrong. -But, you see, I can work, and I'm going to fool the old man." Bending -over toward me, he added, "But I don't know how I would have come out on -my first try if it hadn't been for you." - -"Oh--I have done nothing but pass on to you what was done for me when I -started. Later on you will perhaps admit that men who work with their -hands, if approached right, are more kindly disposed and even more -generous than others. But I am glad you speak English, to say nothing of -finding a good fellow," I replied, approvingly. - -"Well, I am not only glad to find some one who uses English, but, like -the kid I really am, I am glad you listen to me. I got such a jolt. You -see, it was the first time I ever felt the lash of the paternal whip, -and one or two cuts were enough. I now know why the Governor is such a -power among men--he does things so thoroughly and quietly. There wasn't -any row--he was ready for me and I don't realize yet how well he -prepared things, or how much he apparently knows of my movements----" He -hesitated with a sorrowful shake of his head and resumed eating. - -"You found he was checking you up pretty close?" said I, to urge him on. - -"He must have known just how many breaths I took. He said I was a poor -investment: that since my mother died when I was three I had cost him -about two hundred thousand, and he was closing out a poor proposition. -He informed me that I was to consider myself no more a son of his; was -even sorry I would have to use his name. And the two thousand, his -share of fixing up a man that I, and three others, ran down in the park -with an auto, was the last assessment he would stand; and before I knew -what was really happening I was leaving without even a good-by. I knew I -was going to work, but thought I would have a last grand night and then -pull out. But do you know, that in less than an hour, wherever I went, -every one knew that Hiram Strong, Jr., had been disinherited and kicked -out. I then learned what New York thinks of a 'has-been.' I tried to -drown the thought in liquor, but it floated in spite of my most frantic -efforts. I guess there was a good deal of the last pickle in me when you -saw me first?" - -I laughed and Strong continued: - -"Oh, I'm going to beat it--I've got to beat it," he said, closing his -mouth savagely and tossing the empty pan down toward the other end of -the table. "I guess it's about time for us to go to hell, isn't it?" he -added, lighting a cigarette. - -"Yes--all we need down in that hole is the boss with a pitch-fork tail; -we've got the shovel, coal and heat." - -"Say, Ben--I believe I heard them call you Ben--do you think the 'Old -Boy' with the forked tail gives his furnace men four hours on and eight -off, and great granddaddy sheep stew for eats and makes 'em sleep in -tiers?" he asked, as we laughed our way to the boiler-room. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -HIRAM Strong was in need of oil for his gloves, and, left to myself, my -mind reverted to the conversation I had overheard between the ship's -officers. Shoreward, about a half-mile, I could make out a lightship. -Being somewhat familiar with the coast, I decided it must be the Cape -Charles light. As soon as we were abreast of it, our ship changed its -course several points to the west and seaward, just as the officer said -it would. I observed this and recalled the other officer's cocksureness -that the ship had been running by or through the supposed mine field for -months. Nevertheless I confessed to myself a distinct feeling of anxiety -as we went down into the region Hiram had properly designated as "Hell," -to begin another four-hour draft on endurance and vitality. Though -silent, Strong remained cheerful and never for a moment allowed his -steam gauge to drop. The draft was good, making the work easier. - -There is something about labor in intense heat that calls for silence, -but after an extended stillness there comes an oppressive feeling that -makes one want to break out into a yell. Often in a steel mill a weird -howl will be started by some one, to be taken up by others until a -bedlam is created among the thousands of workers. There is a certain -rhythm in it, a sort of boisterous chant, a good-natured protest against -conditions. Then, suddenly, it will die out just as quickly as it -started and quiet will reign for an hour or two. - -Such a yell had been started by an Italian standing under the -ventilator. Then it was that I learned that Hiram Strong had a voice, -and although more than half our watch had passed, he felt vigorous -enough to join in the general outbreak. - -As though in protest against the riotous exhibition, the engines -stopped, a circumstance that regular firemen secretly desire, for it -means a respite in their conflict with the blazing furnace and grates, -with the excitement of uncertainty added. The pause may continue for a -minute or an hour. At any rate the trouble in this case had been shifted -to the engine room. - -Before the engines first stopped I thought I heard a noise, but it -wasn't loud enough to attract the attention of others, so concluded it -must have been a slight shift in the cargo near us and gave it no -further thought. - -Hiram accompanied me to the far end of the furnace room for water, after -which we returned and sat down on the hot, iron-sheeted floor against -the bulkhead that flanked our station, from which point we viewed the -whole length of the narrow corridor between the battery of blazing -furnaces that generated the ship's power. - -"Did you ever read Dante's Inferno?" he surprised me by asking. - -"Yes, but not recently." - -"A tutor made me read it as punishment. You know, I never would study. I -guess that's what makes the Governor so sore. I tried three colleges and -flunked. I was so infernally worthless that I wouldn't even go in for -athletics; but what I started to say was that I believe Dante must have -known about the furnace room of a steamship, when the engines were at a -standstill." He said all this with a sleepy grin. - -I could see what he meant. The engines had been stopped but a few -minutes when the entire fire-room crew succumbed to a lethargic sleep. A -serrated ridge of coal two feet high extended the entire length of the -room, on which they had disposed themselves in all sorts of -postures--some curled up like animals going into hibernation, others -sprawled out full length, and there were many who lay as though stricken -dead while in a reclining position. Most of the crew who worked in -overalls, with bodies bared above the waist, black and grimy to the -tousled hair now matted with sweat, laid carelessly about as in death -from convulsions. In some cases they were in such a position that the -fierce light from the cracks in the furnace doors gave their faces a -weird, deathly appearance, and after noting this, I glanced at Hiram and -saw that he, too, had succumbed, his head resting heavily against the -supporting bulkhead. - -A sweet, irresistible languor now dulled my perseverance to keep awake. -How long I slept was uncertain, but I do know that I was awakened with a -start by dreaming of an immense wave, much higher than the ship, a solid -perpendicular wall of green sea bearing us down--a veritable tidal wave. -I was sure the ship could not survive. Hiram was tugging at my sleeve. - -"Ben--Ben, wake up; we have struck something and the ship is sinking!" -He did not seem frightened, just urgent. - -"What!--What's that?" I asked, wondering if I was still dreaming. - -"We've been asleep an hour. The ship's deserted; I can't find a living -soul on board! Passengers, crew, and boats are all gone!" he cried, -catching me by the arm and helping me to rise hastily. "Nobody on board -but the engine-room shift." - -If the effect of this information on me was magical, it was electrical -on other firemen and the coal passers. One and all seemed to hear it -instantly and made a rush for the narrow, iron stairs leading up, which -could accommodate but one at a time. Here they fought, as if in death's -last throes. - -With a fiendishness indescribable, twelve or fifteen men massed -seemingly into one great squirming monster, all legs and arms, kicking, -striking, biting, shouldering and trampling each other, emitting groans -and execrations in all languages. The struggle was to determine who -should ascend the stairs first. - -Young Strong seemed deeply moved by this exhibition, but stood beside -me, superior, contemptuous, little impressed with the danger. He turned -toward me, saying-- - -"Let 'em fight it out; she isn't going to sink at once; she has floated -an hour. It's full daylight and good weather. Did you ever see human -beings so quickly turned into writhing snakes?" - -"Suppose we turn the water on them," I suggested, and we both ran for an -inch hose used to wet down the coal. - -Hiram aimed the nozzle at the struggling mass while I opened the valve -releasing the high pressure stream which shot forth upon their bodies. -This had a cooling effect upon all but two who were lost to their own -safety in the vicious fight over a screaming woman. These we shoved -aside, while the prospective victim escaped. We then hurried up the -three flights of stairs to the main deck where others were attempting to -lower one of two remaining lifeboats. - -Strong, cool and collected, said, "The bow sunk an hour ago. The sea is -washing over it." The damage was located ahead of the forward bulkheads -and the ship would probably float until they gave way. - -"We must get our bags, Strong," said I, starting forward to our steerage -quarters. He followed, though a little dubious about taking the time. -Our quarters, though not flooded, were very wet. - -Strong grabbed up all of his belongings that were outside of his bag, -while I attempted to free the chain that held them to the stanchion -against possible larceny. It seemed an interminable time before I found -the key. Then we hurried back to where a mass of fighting men were -lowering a lifeboat. - -"Good God, Ben; what is this?" exclaimed Hiram, as we rounded the -deckhouse to where the boats had been hanging. All but one had been -lowered and apparently all would be saved but ourselves and one officer -in uniform--he was the captain! There was no mistaking his great bulk, -lumpy skin and small piggish eyes. - -As we approached he turned upon us as though we had done him great -injury and swore like a pirate. He held in his hand a pistol of ancient -pattern as big as an anchor shank. - -"I don't believe they would have stopped if I had killed every damned -one of 'em!" he shouted, as if to overawe us, "but you needn't think you -are going to get away. You've got to stay," he added, gritting his teeth -as he moved toward us, holding the aged shooting-iron down at his hip as -clumsily as the usual officer of a merchantman. - -I was greatly reassured by his presence on the ship, and also the -remaining lifeboat. We were two against one and I was inclined to -consider the humor of the situation. - -"Why should we stay when every one else has gone, captain?" Hiram asked -this question respectfully enough, glancing at me; then placed his grip -against the deckhouse and deliberately laid across it his shirt, coat, -necktie, hat and shoes. - -The captain continued to focus his two ferocious eyes upon us, and took -full time in which to answer Strong's question. - -"Because this ship ain't goin' to sink, and you've got to help work it -over to the beach!" he fairly shouted, unable to control himself. He was -evidently of the old school and as appropriate on a passenger ship as a -pig in a parlor. He was unable to see in us anything more than ordinary -firemen. - -"How can two men run a big ship like this?" Strong asked, keeping -himself well in hand, though there was a glitter in his eye as he -glanced at me, while advancing toward the captain, who still held the -firearm in a hip position against his six feet and two hundred and fifty -pounds of flesh. - -"That's for me to say," he shot back threateningly, "an' if you don't do -it I'll put you in irons." - -"We can't see it that way, captain; besides, I'm afraid----" Then -something happened which indicated that Strong had acquired the art of -jiujitsu. - -With the litheness of a cat he sprang violently forward, struck the -captain's wrist that held the gun, and the immense revolver dropped to -the deck with a thud. Strong quickly kicked it overboard with the same -agility. - -"Captain, I was just going to say that you seemed to handle that gun -awkwardly and I feared it might go off accidentally," he said, as he -jumped back beyond reach. The captain's florid, lumpy face now ran -scarlet, his eyes glaring like those of an old dog in futile rage. He -swallowed hard but could not articulate. - -"You allowed the passengers and crew to leave, but left the firemen down -in that hell hole to drown like rats. We are inclined to hold that -against you, captain," said Strong, quietly enough. "There is one boat -left and we are going along, too," he said, turning to me as I edged -over toward the boat. - -"Didn't I stay?" the captain was finally able to say in a shaky voice, -with some trace of a plea. - -"Yes, you stayed, because you would be put down for a coward if you -hadn't, and if there is any profit or glory you get it. I've traveled on -ships before when I wasn't firing," Strong replied forcefully, but with -no trace of anger, coming over to where I was engaged in placing our -baggage in the lifeboat. - -"But we can save the ship if you'll help--I'm willing to pay you extra -if you'll stay," said the captain, pleading outright now. - -"Well, that sounds different--how much will you give us to stay and take -chances?" Strong asked quickly, assuming a bargaining attitude, but -still assisting me to lower the boat. - -"Why, I'll--I'll give you fifty dollars apiece," he offered, as though -making a tremendous sacrifice. - -"Fifty dollars don't look good to me--how about it, Ben?" he asked, as -we halted the boat a few feet from the water. "The news headlines will -state that the captain went down with the ship, but two firemen drowning -with him wouldn't be worth an agate line." - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -HIRAM STRONG, JR., amazed me. Surely this was an outcropping of the -Gold-Beater's blood. He may not ever be a Gold-Beater as the term was -applied to his male parent, but he was destined to be a gold-getter, for -he displayed evidence of that trait when he stood there actually -dickering with the captain for a sum beyond a month's wages as a -fireman. - -The seas breaking over the sunken bow of the vessel, and a cargo in the -hold worth at least a million and a half, he had only the captain's word -that the ship would not sink at any moment. However, he saw by my -attitude that I also thought that the wreck could be salvaged. - -And he also saw that the ship was wallowing in the trough of the sea, -while the lifeboat was near the water on the lea side, and he knew that -I could handle it. - -"You see, captain, we have only your word that she isn't going to sink, -and we have lost confidence in you. You left us three stories down -there to drown like rats. You got everybody else off and never thought -of your firemen." - -"I couldn't think of everything, and I tell you she is not going to -sink," shouted the captain, coming closer and pounding the rail with his -big fat hand. "I've got to get her to anchorage or on the beach, and -you've got to help. Fifty dollars is enough; that's nearly a month's -wages," he added, trying to avoid his usual overbearing. - -"Why did you let the crew go?" Hiram shot at him. - -"I didn't know the for'd bulkhead was holding then. You know if the -for'd head holds she can't sink," he said vehemently, appealing to me -this time. But before I could answer Hiram was after him again. - -"And you left us to drown! Our lives are just as valuable to us as any -of the rest of the crew, and maybe more than some of them," he said, -looking meaningly at the captain, who squirmed visibly, now realizing -that we were not ordinary firemen. - -"I'll give you a hundred apiece. Now stop talking and come on. We'll -have to run her stern fore-most, and if we can keep the wheel going -enough for steerage way, the wind will blow us in," haggled the captain -like an old market woman. - -"A hundred dollars will not interest me; how about you, Ben?" Hiram -turned to me and began taking the lifeboat's rope from the cleet and I -did the same. "You can stay here and drown if you want to, but we're -going. The water here looks pretty deep, and I understand when a ship -goes down it makes a pretty big hole into which we might fall," he added -as we began to lower the boat. - -"How much do you want? I've got to save her," he pleaded now, walking -back and forth like a caged hyena. - -"If you hadn't let your wireless man go you would have had a tug or -another ship here by this time and they would take as salvage only about -a quarter of a million," suggested Hiram with a cynical smile, stopping -the descent of the boat and making fast again. "We'll stay, but you've -got to pay. Ben here knows something about the engines and I will shovel -the coal, but you've got to give us two-fifty apiece," he added, taking -away my breath and almost prostrating the captain. - -The captain began to pace the deck again, then pausing in front of -Hiram, he said, as though imbued with a big idea: "All right, I guess -I'll have to do it, but you've got to hustle." Moving over to me, he -asked if I knew how to start the engines, to which I nodded an -affirmative. - -"But, Captain," interrupted Hiram forcibly, "it's got to be cash," and -there came to his mirthful mouth a certain hardness that surprised me, -and again started incipient apoplexy within the captain. - -"If I say you'll get it, you'll get it. Isn't my word good for that -much?" he blurted out, trying to control his rage. - -"Captain, you left us to drown just like kittens you would like to be -rid of. Your word isn't worth a counterfeit dollar. I wouldn't trust you -for shoestrings. We've got to have the cash--now!" There was genuine -bitterness in Hiram's voice. - -"I haven't that much cash on the ship," pleaded the captain, but with a -sort of wolfish gleam in his eyes. - -"All right, then. Come on, Ben, let's get out of this. I wouldn't take -his word for one of his firemen's rations of soup and lumpy stew, and if -he gave us the company's I. O. U., we wouldn't get it for a month, and -they'd red-tape it to death," he ended, starting for the ropes again. - -"Wait a minute and I'll see," coaxed the captain, starting up to his -quarters nearby. - -"The old liar; he's got it, all right. Say, Ben, do you really think she -will float--it seems to me the bow is farther down than it was?" he -queried me with something of a chuckle. - -"Yes, I think it will. The sea is a little higher than it was, and that -makes the ship seem lower, but if it gets worse there may be some -danger." - -"Do you think we can afford to take the chance?" - -"I think we can get away in the lifeboat if the ship gets lower. I'll -watch closely, but if we take the money we are bound to take the risk." - -"Oh, if we take the money we will deliver the goods, but hang the money -if the risk is too big." - -"It's a fair bet. If we back in it will take the strain off the -bulkhead, but if it does not hold, we'll have time to get away." - -"Watch this old jockey; he'll come rushing back with part of the money, -saying that's all he could find." Hiram, Jr., had hardly finished when -the captain came rushing down and gave us in bills the exact amount, -cheerfully, and apparently disposed to treat us as equals. - -"Now, boys, we're only about twenty miles off Hampton Roads, and if you -can keep a couple of boilers hot, we'll be there in three hours, and -your job's done. The tide is right and we might be able to get clear -in." - -We hauled the lifeboat up so that the sea would not wash over it, but -left our belongings in it, and then hurried below. There was enough -steam left in the boilers to swing the ship, stern shoreward, and -matters looked well. I hurried to the furnace room, where I found Hiram -stripped to the waist, working as if the ship belonged to him. He had -wisely selected the four boilers beside which was the most coal, and -seemed to forget that his hands were sore and his body all too green for -such an effort. I aided him as much as I could and then ran back to the -engines, repeating this operation for two hours. I noticed that the -lightship off the harbor was gradually growing plainer. The upper part -of our propeller blades were exposed because of the ship's nose dip. We -were losing a great deal of power due to that fact. Soon we picked up a -pilot and in another two hours we slowly made the harbor on less than -one leg, and we were through. - -"The greatest job ever pulled off! No salvage on this ship or cargo," -the captain chuckled, rubbing his hands. "Now, let's go ashore and get -some food," he added as cheerfully as would a miser fingering gold. He -had not left the wheel house or given an order since we started. -However, before we got through washing up Hiram began to droop and was -hardly able to walk to a Turkish bath after we got ashore at Norfolk. - -He did not improve much, even with a good rub-down after the bath, and I -knew it was the hospital for him. Before the doctors got through with -his examination he was in a wild delirium and they shook their heads. It -was a bad case of exhaustion, and nothing but a strong heart would save -him. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -THE newspapers spread on the wreck story next morning and I read about -it while sitting by Hiram Strong's bedside in the hospital. The captain -got the glory and credit, although the man, a mere boy, now tossing -unconscious on the pillow, was the one to whom all credit belonged. In -his delirium he muttered from time to time. Every now and then he would -say--"Ben, he was going to let us drown--drown like rats in a trap!" - -The nurse gently unbandaged his hands to show me their condition. The -palms were cooked--black and seamy--like an overdone roast. But he was -now clean, and handsome, his dark, wavy hair mounting high against the -white pillow, all trace of dissipation having disappeared from his skin. -That was fair and clear, though slightly flushed with fever. The smile -hovering about his mouth appeared to be at the point of breaking out -into a hearty laugh. - -Surely his first attempt at a useful life was not a success, for which -I held myself partly to blame. If I had said "no" to the captain's -proposal we would have come away like the rest of the crew. - -Three days found him much better, and when I came to see him he -delighted me with his cheerful manner. - -"Hello, Ben!" he chanted with an infectious smile. "I would like to -shake, but my hands are wrapped up just like a petrified mummy." - -Naturally I looked pleased that matters were no worse, and he continued -to talk. - -"Say, Ben, it was good of you to stick, bring me here, and then come -every day to see me. I woke up in the night and the nurse--God bless -her--she is a kind soul--she told me all about it." - -"Hiram, as we were sort of partners in crime I had to stick." - -"But say, we brought the ship in, didn't we? Sit around nearer the foot -of the bed where I can see you. My tongue is about the only part of me I -can move. Every bone in my body feels as though it was broken twice, and -every rib creaks when I breathe. Job never had anything on me." He -tried to laugh, but brought up short, ending with a groan. - -"You'll be all right in a day or two if you take things easy." - -"Oh, I'll not stay here long, Doc or no Doc. I'm only sore and that -doesn't count for much. Ben, do you know what I would like to have right -now?--a porterhouse steak, thick as a flagstone, smothered in mushrooms, -and I'm going to have it if there's one in the town. By the way, what -town are we in, Ben?" - -"Better stick here till to-morrow anyway, then we will see how you -feel," I said, ignoring his question. - -"All right, old partner, but not a minute longer--they're mighty good to -me, but I don't like the carbolic odor that comes floating down the -hall. It makes me think of a Long Island fertilizing plant, or a -morgue." - -The next morning he put on his clothes, which had been renovated and -pressed, with many "Oh's" and "Ah's" and "Ouch's," but withal he was -good-natured and smiling. Then we started after the much coveted -porterhouse and mushrooms. At first he toddled like an aged man, -holding on to me. The effort was painful, but in a short time his -locomotion was normal and likewise his good nature. - -After a prodigious meal and a favorite cigarette he again surprised me -by putting a question that was hard to answer. - -"Where do we go from here?" he asked, looking inside his hands, which -were still in a deplorable state. - -"What--so soon?" I parried. - -"Yes--after I came out of my luny funk at the hospital, I had time to -think things over, duly and truly and soberly. You know, I haven't had a -drink since we left New York, and I don't want one. This strenuous life -rather appeals to me now that I have found I have a good body--as good -as any one's--and it's got to work without getting sore or fluffing up -with blisters. Besides, the Governor gave me the toe of his shoe and -said I wasn't worth a 'cuss,' and I am going to show him." There was -great determination in the manner in which he blew out the smoke of his -cigarette. - -"I think we will find an employment office here," I suggested mildly. - -"Take me to it. I'm ready now," he said quickly, though hardly able to -sit up in bed, but when we came to the employment office he hung back, -insisting that I should be the spokesman. The face of the man in charge -was heavy and florid. He might easily have passed for a gambler, -confidence man, or race-horse tout. He sized us up critically before he -replied: - -"The only man I need is quartermaster--ship bound for New Orleans to -take on cotton. You can sign again there for Liverpool if you want to." - -Strong heard what was said and I moved toward him inquiringly. - -"I don't care what it is, so long as you think it's all right. It can't -be any worse than firing." - -I explained to him in an undertone that the quartermaster steered the -vessel, the hardest part of the job being to remain on one's feet four -to six hours at a time, to which he replied quickly: - -"That sounds good if I can do it." - -"I can teach you in a few hours." - -"All right, let's sign," he said, coming over. - -We went to a second-hand store, found a book on practical seamanship, -and I spent the afternoon familiarizing him with his duties, after -which we went aboard. He seemed keen to know everything about a ship. - -The captain, a jolly good fellow, asked us a few questions, seemed -pleased, winked knowingly, and gave us a room to ourselves on deck just -back of the officers' quarters, and told us to arrange the watches to -suit ourselves. It was to be six hours on, six off, and we would sail at -eight that night. - -The next five days went by speedily. Our course was down the coast -through the Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the bar; thence -to the little white lighthouse at the entrance of the Mississippi, over -a hundred miles from New Orleans. - -I wondered at Hiram constantly. He was so alert and apt that he never -came in for a reprimand, never again referred to his father or his -future plans, or craved liquor--an ample supply of his favorite -cigarettes seemed to satisfy him. He had no time for stories, nor did he -speak of women, or of any escapades in which he may have been involved. -He was actually glad to be making his way by toil. With hands all healed -he became quite normal, and was altogether a fine minded man. While -such a rapid change might not be permanent, he appeared not only to have -turned over a new leaf, but to have lost all taste for the habits and -customs of his previous life. - -Things went well with us and we sped along at a lively clip. I was at -the wheel on the last watch that would take us into dock at New Orleans -about midnight. - -"Pop has been talking some"--Strong, from the beginning, had referred to -the captain as Pop--"and wants us to sign up for a round trip to -Liverpool. He says it's sixty dollars and fifty per cent extra for going -the submarine zone." - -"Then I guess we must have done our work all right," I replied, -noncommittal. "What do you----" - -"Ben," he interrupted, "why are you married to the sea?" - -"I never considered that I was--I have never been blessed or cursed by -being married to any one or anything--one has to make a living somehow." -It was perfectly dark in the wheel-house with the exception of the tiny -hooded light over the compass, and I couldn't see Hiram's face. - -"A fireman can become an engineer and stops there?" he surprised me by -putting forth a question in just that way. I paused before replying. - -"Yes--usually." - -"A seaman can become captain, and then his road gets very narrow and -steep toward further advancement?" he persisted. - -"Yes," I replied, wondering what was on his mind. - -"It strikes me a man of your ability is wasting his time at sea--I don't -see any future--what about wireless men?" - -"They get ninety dollars a month," I replied, amused and still -wondering. - -"What about telegraphing?" he then asked. - -"Some of our best men started as operators, Edison, for instance. I am -inclined to think it's the methodical drill they get that helps." - -"Ben, are you going to sign up for the other side?" he asked, as though -expecting a negative answer. - -"Well, I think the subs are getting quite plentiful--more than they tell -us about. Don't you?" At last I knew what he had been driving at. - -"That settles it," said he. "I won't, either. We've got a stake now and -can afford to look around a little." - -"Our stake won't last long unless we get busy," I warned. - -"Oh, I'm willing to work, and I don't expect to go up on an escalator or -an express elevator--but I do want to know that the stairs lead -somewhere worthwhile. Do you get me, Ben?" he laughed. "I'll tell Pop -we're not anxious to play hide-and-seek with the subs." - -I did not reply, but wondered what effect "a stake" would have on an -idle man like him in New Orleans. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -TO Strong's mind satisfactory quarters meant rooms of good size, and -well lighted. We finally found connecting space in a private house. He -seemed anxious to see New Orleans, and started out while I looked up -some old acquaintances, but I found him awaiting me at our lodgings in -the early evening. - -"Ben, I have done it. I've paid out the money, and I'm going to see it -through," was his greeting. - -"Paid for what?" I asked, unable to avoid smiling at his cheerful -optimism. - -"Fifty dollars to learn telegraphy. They say I can do it in sixty days, -and when I have completed my course I will get a job. New Orleans looks -to me like a regular place. I like it." - -For a moment I thought he might have been indulging in some of the -mixtures for which the Southern Metropolis is noted, but it was only the -wine of youthful credulity that did the talking. - -"That's good," I assented quickly. "When do you commence?" - -"Oh, I have already started in. I took my first lesson this afternoon. -How did you make out? Can you get a job here?" There could be no doubt -of his keen desire to have me stay near him. - -"Yes--two or three things turned up to-day." - -"And any one of them better than going to sea, I'll bet?" - -"Yes, as far as the money goes," I replied, reservedly. - -"Bully, old boy!" he shouted, seizing my hand in a vise-like grip. From -then on the days were full of interest for both of us. Hiram's intention -to master telegraphy became almost an obsession with him. From the -moment he started in he seemed to forget everything else, and he worked -as though his welfare in this world and the world to come depended upon -his learning telegraphy in the shortest possible time. He ate, drank, -inhaled, and absorbed the Morse system during every waking moment, and -in less than three weeks he was substituting for a sick operator on the -Yazoo & Mississippi Railroad. - -Strong's was undoubtedly an intensive nature; the height and especially -the width of his forehead clearly indicated power of concentration, -which, apparently, he had done nothing to build up. It was the same way -when he met the girl, Anna Bell Morgan, and when an intensive man meets -a comprehensive girl there is apt to be trouble, or a wedding, or -something equally interesting. If he had spent money with the same -tenacity of purpose that he set about learning telegraphy I do not -wonder that Hiram Strong, Sr., became tired to the bone of his folly and -would have no more of it. - -After working a week as a substitute he blew into quarters one evening -like a cyclone and gave me a thump on the back that made me grunt. - -"I've got it!--I've got it!--I've got it!" he shouted, his face aglow -and his eyes snapping. - -This time I was sure he had broken over into old habits, especially when -I well knew the lure of that celebrated New Orleans gin fizz to which -all newcomers seemed to succumb. But again I was wrong. Strong had -simply boiled over with exuberant spirits and he certainly had a jag on -board. His ardor not in the least dampened by my hesitation, he grabbed -my hand and shook it vigorously, then capered about in front of me as a -boy in his teens might do. - -"Congratulate me, Old Man, I've got it!" he roared. "The Yazoo Railroad -has offered me a station. Quarrytown, Ben--Quarrytown, Louisiana, is my -address after to-morrow!" - -Of course, that was pleasant news to me and naturally I became as -excited as he, so much so that I became fearful we would jeopardize our -joint reputations for sobriety. - -"There's only one thing, and you've got to fix that--eh? I don't know -just how: I must have a surety bond for a thousand dollars and also -three first-class references--can we do it, Ben? Can you do it?" he -repeated. - -I hesitated a moment, wondering how I was going to get three first-class -references for a man who had spent a big part of his twenty-four years -in riotous living, even to the point of being disowned. But there was no -such thing as resisting him now. - -"Oh, I don't have to wait for it; that can be done any time. But we can -fix it some way, can't we, Ben?--I've got to," he added with emphasis. - -"Yes, if we have a little time I think it can be arranged," said I, -soberly, wondering somewhat over the details of the job. But he hardly -waited for my assurance before he seized me by the hand and began -dragging me about the room. - -"Come on, let's get out--out in the air--let's go out and have a good -time," he commanded as he got my hat and jammed it down over my head. -"It's up the river, only about a hundred miles. You can come up Sunday. -It's big enough to have a day and night man, and I get the day job!" he -added, loud enough for the whole house to hear him as we passed -downstairs to the street. - -The following Sunday I went to see him. His station was delightfully -located. There was enough level space between the river and its very -high bluffs for two long sidetracks convenient for the meeting of -freight trains, which made a night and day operator necessary. - -Hiram was expecting me and waved his arms wildly as I stepped off the -train, but as he was busy rushing mail, express, and trunks into the -baggage car, there was no chance for a handshake for the time being. - -The depot looked like the cabin in which De Soto died from malaria and -disappointment in 1539, although somewhat modernized and adapted to the -needs of railroading. - -Quarrytown was a rambling village around D. R. Morgan's General Store, -and he was Anna Bell's father. Near the ancient depot was a considerable -stone quarry, high clay bluffs, and the Mississippi River. Pickaninnies, -starved dogs, mules, razorback hogs and malaria seemed to thrive along -with the willow and pepper trees. The question of moment was how long -would Hiram Strong, Jr., late of Broadway, Sherry's, and Delmonico's, be -satisfied here? In the place of porterhouse steaks there would be -sow-belly and corn bread, and a very dry section to live in. - -As soon as the train was out of the way Hiram came rushing over to me. - -"Ben, old man, you look good to me!" he exclaimed. "I'm getting away -with it; haven't made a bull yet. Excuse me a little bit until I take -this mail over, then I'm through." Thus he greeted me, enthusiastic and -confident, then rushed away with the small mail bag to Morgan's store -and the post office. - -While awaiting his return I examined a two-wheeled baggage truck he had -left standing after being loaded from the train. This contained an old -trunk fastened with a clothes line, a bunch of bananas, some castings -for a cotton gin, three boxes of chill-and-fever remedy, and five cases -of dynamite. - -As Strong hurried across the street his eyes shone with anticipation -from under the visor of a cheap cap that had replaced the jaunty derby. - -"Say, how do you like my new station? All the white people here are -mighty nice," said he, pushing the truck toward the depot. - -I nodded approval and helped him to push the load up a steep incline -into the freight house adjoining the ticket office. - -"Do you get much of that stuff?" I asked, pointing to the dynamite. - -"Yes--the quarry uses quite a bit, but it usually comes by freight and I -don't have to handle it," he said, locking the door and leading the way -to the ticket and telegraph office, located in a small bay-windowed -room facing the track. We walked through a dingy waiting-room, in the -center of which stood a wooden box, half filled with sand, which stood -permanent duty as a cuspidor. - -"You see, there is no hotel here, and Mr. Morgan has kindly taken me to -board with him. The night man stays there also. Sunday is such a busy -day, especially for freights, that I can't leave for my dinner, so they -send it over to me. They'll send enough for two to-day. You won't mind, -will you?" - -Before I could reply the dispatcher called him and he began taking a -train order while I sat down upon the one remaining sixty-nine-cent -chair. - -Opposite the bay-window was the regulation standing-counter, a -ticket-cabinet, and little window opening out to the waiting-room, aged -and dingy, especially the floor. - -"That chair will go down with you some time," I suggested, when he -turned about after copying the order,--and setting a red signal for the -train. - -"It looks as though it had served its full time," he replied, laughing, -as he arose in answer to a tap on the waiting-room door. A darky boy -with a market basket and a white pitcher stood grinning outside with -our dinner. - -"Ben, this dinner is not like some we've had, but it's better than the -soup and mutton stew we got on the boat. Do you know, I would rather be -dead and in torment than fire again on that boat, but I would have -stayed, though, if you had," said he, opening the basket and setting out -a liberal portion of fried chicken and hot biscuit on the small -instrument table. - -"We can tell only by comparison when we are well off," I replied. - -"That's beginning to dawn on me, also," said he, dryly. - -We had hardly begun eating when a big panting Mogul stopped with her -nose opposite the window and the conductor came trotting up and signed -for the orders. He gave one copy to the engineer and scuttled away. - -"I was telling you about the white people here," he began, as we resumed -eating. "Old Mr. Morgan, who runs the store and post office, is about -the biggest man here, and his daughter, Anna Bell! Say, boy, she is as -pretty as any woman I ever saw." Then, for some reason, he checked -himself on the "Anna Bell" subject and became absorbed in the -well-cooked dainties spread before us. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -IT was not what Hiram Strong said about Anna Bell Morgan, but the tone -in which he said it, that raised the big interrogation point in my mind. -Matters as they stood suggested the possibility that the youngster had -plans in mind to "face the Governor" and that Quarrytown was a place -quite good enough to settle down in if Anna Bell said the right word. - -A chicken leg in one hand and a hot biscuit piled with jam in the other, -he stood facing me, with an excited glitter in his eyes. Continuing, he -said in a tense undertone: - -"The night man is half gone on her, but he is a German--at least has a -German name--and this place is intensely patriotic. As I told you, he -boards there and when he is not sleeping he hangs----" - -At this moment a north-bound freight rushed by, and with the noise of -the locomotive and banging of the trucks over a poor railroad joint -opposite the wide-open window, together with the slapping of brake -beams, made further conversation impossible. He turned, watching it as -though expecting something, and as the way car passed something did -happen. I heard a metallic thud on the floor, at which Hiram dropped his -food and began to hunt for the thing that caused the noise. Finally, by -getting down on all fours, he brought out from between the old iron safe -and the letter press a rail spike to which was fastened by a rubber band -a piece of white paper which he carefully unfolded. It was a train order -reporting train No. 192 passing at that time with two cars picked up at -a siding below where there was no telegraph office. Strong sprang to his -instrument and dispatched the message forthwith. I wondered if he -realized the danger to himself from messages thrown in upon him that -way. A railroad spike weighs about a pound, and while he was -telegraphing I speculated on what would happen if one struck him, or if -by any chance it struck one of the fifty-pound cases of dynamite that -had come by express. - -"The conductor drops his reports that way to save time," he said, calmly -resuming his seat. - -Hiram's days were full of things to do, therefore we never had ten -minutes' connected conversation. I would have been glad to learn the -situation inside the fellow's active mind. I don't think he knew. He was -doing honest, useful work, and received its immediate reward in full -satisfaction--his first real satisfaction--that intoxicating lure that -fans a spark of ambition into a flame. - -Later in the day, at a hint from Hiram, the conductor of a refrigerator -train invited me to ride to New Orleans with him. - -"He makes better time than the passenger," said Hiram, who in less than -a week knew all the road employees by their first names. Somehow he took -it for granted that I had satisfactory employment and never asked me -what it was. As a matter of fact I was employed in connection with the -American Defense League, a patriotic organization, which was destined to -throw me in contact with Hiram Strong very often and sometimes -unexpectedly. Ours was not the kind of friendship to end through mere -separation. - -We exchanged letters frequently. He asked me to send him a typewriter, -which, though not required in the service, was "the only way to do -things right," he wrote me. I noted that his letters avoided any -reference to the night man or Anna Bell Morgan. I wondered if it was an -oversight or intentional evasion. - -The Yazoo Railroad had reported, as required by law, that they had -shipped ten cases of dynamite, but only nine were delivered. As soon as -I had time I was asked to look it up, as fifty pounds of dynamite in bad -hands would make a great deal of excitement in or about the shipping of -New Orleans. - -I was astonished to find, upon examination of the papers, that the -explosive had been shipped to the quarries at Quarrytown, together with -an affidavit by the train conductor that he had delivered ten cases on -the platform there. This put it squarely up to the agent, Hiram Strong, -Jr. - -On arriving at Quarrytown I found Hiram as busy as ever, but overjoyed -to see me. He was considerably surprised when I inquired about the lost -dynamite, but he was not worried and evidently had not been. He was -looking splendid; hard work and regular hours had accomplished wonders, -and he seemed completely unmindful of discomforts. As to the explosive, -he took me out on the platform to where it had been unloaded. - -"It came here," said he, "in the evening, along with half a car of mixed -merchandise about the time I was going off duty. I had to work overtime -to put it all in the freight house. The next morning the quarry man came -for it and signed for the nine cases which I had delivered to him. -That's all I could find and I believe that is all that was unloaded, -although the way bill called for ten," he admitted. - -"The stuff was locked up, wasn't it?" I enquired. - -"Oh, yes, I locked the warehouse myself, and carry the only keys," he -replied, as we returned to his office. - -The place looked to me darker and more dingy than before, but the day -was gloomy. The rickety kitchen chair had finally collapsed and was -substituted by a box covered with a burlap bag, with some padding on the -end for a cushion. - -"How about this door?" I asked, pointing to the one leading into the -freight house. - -"That has no lock, but I never leave here until the night man comes on. -It couldn't get away through here." - -"How about this night man; who is he?" - -"He's been here for two years. The company must know he is all right. -His name is Gus--Gus Schlegel. I think he is too stupid to be crooked; -he knows enough to report trains at night." - -At that moment a dark boy came to the ticket window and reported three -cars of granite on the quarry siding, and Hiram sat down on the -burlapped box in front of his instruments and notified the dispatcher -that three cars were ready. He then took up a pad of blank bills of -lading and began to fill them out rapidly, though in the attitude of -listening. - -"One of your chairs went on strike?" I observed, eyeing the artistic -arrangement of the burlap. - -"Yes; Gus's avoirdupois finally carried it down. He found an old -molasses box that was so sticky he had to cover it with burlap. I -believe I like it better than the chair; it requires less room," he -added, looking up, while changing his carbon paper. - -The thought occurred to me that it might be the missing case of -dynamite, but I decided that was quite impossible. If Gus had really -driven nails into a case filled with dynamite, he would be at that -moment in Kingdom Come and an architect busy with plans for a new -station. - -"How is his love affair progressing with Anna Bell Morgan?" I asked, -without great show of interest. - -"Oh, I know she hates his name, and I think--I think she hates him, too; -but these Southern girls are so polite and considerate of one's -feelings, I can't tell for sure; besides, she is pretty deep," said he, -as one having given the matter much consideration. - -Hiram scratched a match on the burlap covering and lit a cigarette. - -"He both sleeps and eats there, doesn't he?" I was beginning to consider -Gus Schlegel in connection with the disappearance of the case of -explosive. - -"Yes, he eats and rooms there, but lately he doesn't sleep much. Why, he -came in here the other afternoon and sat where you are and cried like a -baby. He said he didn't think she cared anything for him, and that he -loved her so much he couldn't live without her--even hinted at suicide." - -Here Hiram Strong, Jr., looked up and laughed--a cynical laugh--as he -glanced at me. His eyes showed that he was in earnest, and evidenced a -combination of amusement and anger. He brushed the ashes from his -cigarette on the box and continued: "I told him the river water was nice -and warm and muddy, and that the alligators would finish the job cheaper -than an undertaker." - -"And do you know," he continued with a smile creeping about his mouth, -"it went completely over his head, didn't even penetrate the tallow. I -don't believe a German has any sense of humor--they only laugh at -something ribald or salacious--they make a terrible mess of simulating -virtue. Then he asked me to advise him." - -"Did you?" - -"Yes--I told him he had been there nearly two years and that was long -enough for her to learn to appreciate him--that the only way was for him -to ask her and thus settle the question for good and all." - -"Did he take your advice?" I asked. - -"He wanted to know if he shouldn't speak to her father first, but I -told him the preliminary skirmish should be with her. He decided on the -spot to do that and if she refused him he was going to leave." - -"I suppose he got his answer?" - -"He went over immediately--what happened there I never learned, exactly, -but I do know he came back in about an hour squealing like a razorback -pig kicked in the ribs by a mule, and wired in his resignation. He was -an awfully poor loser," Hiram added, as he sealed the big yellow -envelope for the auditor. "Why, the poor dub was so sorry for himself, -he snuffled and groaned, and his breath back-fired like a four-cylinder -motor hitting only on two." - -"Who are his associates here, and does he have any one come to see him?" -I asked, detecting something like resentment in his tone. - -"No one has been here to see him since I came. No; he is just a big -boob, with this love-stuff working overtime." - -"Has anything whatever--however insignificant--happened that would -connect him with the disappearance of the dynamite?" - -"No, not the least thing--the claim agent and I went over that several -times. There is a certain low cunning in him, a disposition to be tricky -in small things, but there's nothing to him--just grease. Of course, he -has the wires here all night, and I may underestimate him. By the use of -a code he might pull off something." - -"Did the company accept his resignation?" - -"Yes; they had to." - -"And you don't attach any importance to his going now, further than this -love affair?" - -Before he could reply the train he flagged for orders pulled past the -station. He obligingly took the tissue order pad out on the platform for -the conductor to sign. While he was gone I raised the burlap skirt -covering from the box. It stuck and I had to pull it loose to get it up. -It was undoubtedly a molasses case, a can that had fermented or been -punctured and had run out at the corners, but to be sure I took my -pencil point, gouged some of the stuff off the side, sniffed and then -tasted it. It was mixed with grit and dirt, but it tasted sweet and I -was satisfied. - -"Ben, take a walk over to the quarry switch with me. I've got to get -the numbers of three cars standing there. I will introduce you to the -head quarry man and he will tell you all he knows about it--and that's -nothing at all. Still you might get a pointer there," he added. - -To this I assented without comment, but wondered why he was so careful -to put everything in the safe and lock it; also the office door, when -the big center sash of the bay-window facing the main track was entirely -raised. - -"You have light-fingered gentry here?" I queried. - -"Oh, if anything were left lying around loose it might disappear. I -don't take any chances because I leave that window open so that the -conductors can throw their reports inside. There's one coming now," he -said, looking up the line as we picked our way over the main track and -two switches, toward the quarry under the bluff, about two hundred yards -distant. - -"Hiram, have you any theory at all about the disappearance of this case -of dynamite?" I insisted. - -"I don't believe it ever came here--I know the waybill called for ten -cases, and the conductor of the local checks up everything as it comes -out of the car on the platform, and they're careful and good fellows, -but that day he had a lot of freight; he must have checked in another -case to make up his ten--you know there's a lot of goods packed in cases -about that size. I'm not worried; that case of dynamite never came here, -and will show up somewhere else," he said definitely, and with complete -candor, as we approached the three flat cars loaded with granite on the -short quarry switch. - -While he was taking the numbers I stopped and looked back at the -disreputable-looking station house and D. R. Morgan's store and -residence beyond, the pepper trees along the highway, and the dwindling -sized houses behind them. Two or three mule teams with cotton bales -could be seen creeping toward the station. - -"Do you want to come over to the office and see the boss here? I must go -in and give him a copy of these bills," he explained, looking over at a -board shanty they called an office some distance away. - -"No--I think not. Where do they store their explosives, Hiram?" I -asked, not noticing the usual isolated brick or stone receptacle. - -"They tunneled into the granite bluff about four hundred feet down the -track. This road leads to it," he replied, pointing to a cart-track -which led in that direction. - -"You go and deliver your bills--I will stay and make a little diagram or -map of the place." He glanced up the track at a heavily loaded -locomotive laboring down toward the station, but when the engineer gave -no signs of stopping he went over to the quarry office, while I took out -my pencil and pad to make my map and notes. - -As I drew with my pencil the full length of the pad to represent the -railroad running midway between the river and the bluff, a most -extraordinary thing occurred. I could not believe my senses. The point -of my pencil sputtered like a parlor match, but before it reached the -end of the pad it exploded like a firecracker and blackened the paper. -In an instant I recalled having used my pencil to gouge some of the -sticky stuff off the box Hiram, Jr., was using as a seat. I then knew -positively it was the lost case of dynamite. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -IN an instant my senses were flogged into a stupendous state of -excitement, and my eyes must have bulged when I looked again at the -blackened pad and then at the pencil point that had been blown off as -though it had itself exploded. Then I thought of that crazy, love-sick -Gus who had been driving nails into the case, and I sickened. Surely -there is a Divine Providence that protects fools at least. Hiram had -scratched matches against that case! - -My knees shook and my hand trembled, and I do not think I could have -uttered a sound. I looked for Strong. He was just coming out of the -quarry office. I took one long step to rush back to the station, but saw -the locomotive approaching, laboring hard with its immense load and -throwing clouds of black smoke from its stack that slowly expanded into -an immense dirigible in the still, sluggish atmosphere. - -Should the conductor fling his report in at the window fastened to a -spike or a piece of granite and hit that case of dynamite--what would -happen? This had been done many times, and nothing occurred, but the law -of average must prevail in due time. A sickening sensation took -possession of me, and I became as rigid as stone. I felt as though ten -pounds of lead was in the pit of my stomach; my mind was filled with -monstrous forebodings, for one hundred persons were within easy range of -that case of explosive--including Anna Bell. I could not prevent Hiram's -arrest and trial for criminal negligence if the facts became known. But -Gus was the culprit, if any one. - -As I looked back, Hiram was approaching. Somehow I did not want to tell -him. It seemed unnecessary, and I could save him that much apprehension. -I must have looked strange to him when he came up to where I stood as -one ossified. He took hold of my arm, and said fraternally: "Come on, -Ben; you look as white as if you had seen a ghost." But I could not -move. I only stared at the passing train. - -Hiram plucked my sleeve. "Ben, you look as though you were standing -before a firing squad--just as I must have looked when the Gold-Beater -told me to 'git up and git.'" - -I could only raise my hand warningly and stare at the passing train. It -seemed to me the longest train I ever knew one locomotive to haul, and -though it was moving at least twenty miles per hour it appeared to -creep. - -I raised my hand to my forehead and found it dripping with perspiration; -Hiram grabbed my shoulders with both hands and shook me. - -"Ben, have you gone stark mad?" - -I had forgotten he was there and scarcely heard or felt him. I saw the -way-car emerge from the trees and approach the station. I could not help -raising my arm and point that way and did not lower it until we were -both thrown violently to the ground. - -It is useless to try to describe the crashing of the intonation on my -ears. I thought my hearing was destroyed. Before the concussion threw us -prone there was a fleeting impression of a dense red flame that came -from the station. The instant the way-car passed it was lifted from the -track. I afterward learned it was detached from the cars ahead and -rolled over twice. - -The man who said there are words to describe everything groveled in -ignorance. I saw Hiram running toward the station; he fairly flew, his -legs moving rapidly as though motor-driven. I saw he did not even relax -his speed when he ran around the deep hole where the station had stood a -few moments before, but continued to D. R. Morgan's store and beyond -that to the residence--or maybe he was going to the river to do as he -had advised the love-sick Gus. I only know what he told me about it -afterward. How the conductor and rear brakeman, after being rattled -about in the way-car as dice in a box, escaped with only bruises and -cuts was a wonder to me, and when I finally learned that the fatalities -were confined to a team of mules forced through the front of Morgan's -store, my relief was immense. - -Gus escaped from the Morgan house in his night shirt, and ran down under -the river bank, cowering and cringing, along with most of the black -population. It was difficult to convince him he could go back to bed in -safety. The darkies eventually realized that it was not Gabriel's last -call, and were coaxed away from the protecting bank to help remove the -mules from the front of Morgan's wrecked store. - -When Hiram returned from the Morgan residence he was fairly composed. He -came to me at once. - -"This is pretty bad business; was any one killed?" he asked, bracing -himself. - -"No, but it is a marvel." - -"They will blame me?" - -"Yes, likely, at first. Make no statement to any one. Was your safe -locked? How about cash and station records?" - -"Yes, it is always locked; kept everything there since Gus acted luny; -but hasn't it been destroyed?" - -"We'll go and see." - -The hole where once stood the depot would easily contain a freight house -and more. Rails of the main track were ripped up and twisted as though -made of wheat straw. We found the safe apparently intact, sticking out -of the débris. - -Railroad tickets were scattered about like fallen leaves. When he found -his ticket stamp he was greatly relieved and almost laughed. How had he -suddenly acquired such fortitude and acumen? Was it the Gold-Beater's -blood unleashed by work and decent living? When we found parts of the -new typewriter he laughed grimly, tossing his head backward. - -I thought it best for Hiram that he should not know how it happened -until after he was grilled, as I knew he would soon be. - -The Yazoo railroad did one thing quickly and well. In less than an hour -they had a wrecker on the job, and by utilizing the outside track had -established a detour which let Superintendent Kitchell's "special" -through from the north. - -The wrecker reached into the débris with its long steel arm, picked up -the safe, and swung it into the superintendent's car. He told Hiram and -Gus they were relieved, and to come with him to New Orleans. - -Hiram obeyed the order without a murmur, but nevertheless took plenty of -time to pack all of his belongings. He seemed to know he was through in -Quarrytown. I suspected he was rather deliberate in bidding the Morgan -family good-by, taking some time to do it, and was apparently much -excited and flushed when he boarded the superintendent's car and waved a -cordial good-by to a girlish figure who stood in front of the Morgan -store waving back at him. - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -THERE is something about the duties and ambitions of a railroad -superintendent that make him wish to appear inscrutable. The reason, -perhaps, is the man behind him who wants his job, or the man ahead whose -job he wants--or both. Anyhow, an attempt at inscrutability is the -typical refuge for the ignorant and the smaller the road the more futile -the attempt. Though I established my identity and purpose beyond a -doubt, he at first refused to allow me passage to New Orleans in his -car. He seemed to be suspicious of me, perhaps that I intended to -burglarize the safe, make off before his eyes with a locomotive or some -of the numerous scrap iron along the right-of-way. However, he finally -became rational and reversed himself. - -His car was divided about the center, one end being private to himself -and his clerk. The other part was sort of a reception room, the -"anxious" seat for subordinates. In this apartment they had placed the -safe. - -After we left Quarrytown, his undersized clerk emerged from the private -quarters and requested Hiram to open the safe, which he did promptly and -with a firm hand. The clerk took the contents to the superintendent. -Meanwhile Gus wore a very red face and sighed repeatedly, as though -already on the way to the penitentiary instead of New Orleans. - -After examination of Hiram's records Gus was called in before the -Superintendent and given the third degree. When he came out he was -muchly upset and perspiring. Hiram, disgusted, looked upon him with -contempt, which feeling was intensified when the flabby Gus dropped into -a chair and glared back at him ominously. It may have been because of -the high speed of the light engine and the solitary car, but I surely -saw Gus's knees knock together from sheer fright. He had likely -overstated his alibi in an abandoned and frantic attempt to protect -himself to Hiram's disadvantage. - -When the superintendent's clerk finally came to the door and beckoned -Hiram, the latter's attitude pleased me. Neither defiant nor -disrespectful, he walked into the presence of his superior, and when he -emerged from the interview he had not changed a hair. - -Presently the little clerk stuck his head out of the dividing door and -beckoned to me in the same curt manner he had signaled the two men who -were under suspicion. I had no notion of being placed in the same -category and made it clear to the clerk that such was the case. At once -he became civil and led the way. - -When I entered his sanctum the superintendent sat facing me at the flat -top desk in the corner of the car. He was a short, stocky man, and -evidenced much perturbation of mind by mopping his florid face. A -Flounder had been clapped on his head and when it came away it brought -all the hair under it, leaving only a slight fringe. His lips and -cherubic mouth were pursed and screwed up to simulate an executive air. -As he jerked his thumb indicating a wicker chair opposite him, I noticed -the little clerk sat at a small desk at the side of the car, with -notebook and pencil poised significantly. - -"What have you to say about this matter?" he asked without delay, -withdrawing his eyes and winking violently as soon as they met mine. - -"Nothing," I answered good naturedly. - -"I understand you were here investigating the loss of the dynamite when -the explosion occurred. Have you no theory as to how it occurred?" - -"No, I have no theory: I _know_ how it occurred." - -"Would you"--he hesitated, looking down and bringing his chubby hands -together before him--"would you mind telling me what you know about it?" - -"My information will not be available to the railroad through me, but if -you will dismiss your clerk, I will give you, as man to man, enough -information to ease your mind." In saying this I was thinking only of -Hiram. - -After some hesitation, he nodded to the expectant clerk, who rose -instantly and left the apartment. - -"Mr. Taylor--I believe you said your name was Taylor--this matter has -upset me, and I may have been rude," he apologized, and lapsed into the -attitude of a very decent fellow with troubles of his own. I then gave -him enough details to put Hiram right. He was immensely relieved and -pleased to gain such valuable information. - -"You seem to know something of this young Strong?" he queried. My reply -was that I thought I had a very good line on Hiram Strong, Jr. - -"His cash and station records are as clean and straight as a pin--he -seems to be rather under-classed and is capable of better things. What -are his antecedents?" The superintendent's interest was aroused. - -"My knowledge does not extend beyond his father, a Southerner, now a -prominent financier in New York. It appears he decided that the only way -to make something of this boy was to throw him out entirely on his own -resources, and apparently the old gentleman's reasoning was good." - -"I believe you are right; there is good blood in him. Our big trouble is -in making good railroad men from material without any blood base. We -frequently have to make 'a silk purse from a sow's ear,' which is -generally considered impossible--but we do it. Now the case of this -other fellow--can you conceive of a full grown man with no better sense -than to take a fifty-pound case of dynamite, drive nails into it, and -then use it as a chair? But I am greatly relieved to know just how it -happened, and if I can ever be of any service to you, don't fail to -make it known--will you?" he asked, rising formally, to end the -audience. - -When I came out Hiram glanced at me searchingly, as though he would -learn something from my attitude. He had been absorbing information from -the train conductor. Hiram had developed a penchant for burrowing into -the confidence of every one and getting inside knowledge of their -difficulties. - -At this time we succeeded in running around a freight train that had -been holding us back, and entered New Orleans so fast that conversation -was quite impossible. - -Before we reached the station the clerk came out and told Hiram and Gus -to report at the office at nine the next morning, at which Hiram became -thoughtful, but not downcast. - -He was able to get his old room next to mine, which pleased him, and -after opening the connecting door and cleaning up a bit, he came in and -gave me one of his strenuous whacks between my shoulders. - -"Old man Ben, what do I draw to-morrow morning at nine?" - -"Hiram, I don't know," I truthfully replied, working my shoulders where -he had hit me, "but I think you will be drawn and quartered and made -into good fertilizer; that's all you're fit for." At this he began to -cavort and caper about like a colt. - -"Well, I don't mind telling you how I feel--I don't give a Continental -sou Marquis what I draw. I feel like fighting wild cats and buzz-saws. -Now that Anna Bell Morgan has promised to marry me, nothing else -matters." - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - -HIRAM and I were soon ready for the next thing in order--something to -eat. - -"I suppose now you will want a porterhouse as big as Rhode Island----" - -"And as thick as a London fog, with enough mushrooms to choke an -alligator," he broke in joyously. "Ben--I want you to know right now -that I think you are an infernal scoundrel. You know why my brand-new -typewriter blew up this morning and started the whole of Quarrytown over -into the river, incidentally putting the main line on the bum--and won't -tell me!" he added, squaring himself in front of me. - -"You'd better wait until to-morrow and see what your sentence is before -you begin to accuse me," I replied, with a solemn wink which he couldn't -quite fathom. - -"Oh, I suppose the 'Sauerkraut' and I will get bounced incontinently. -But what do I care? Had it not been for what happened this morning I -wouldn't know that a perfectly sweet and innocent girl really loves me. -I don't care if this part of the world comes to an end, you can't get me -into the doldrums. Besides, I know my hands are clean, and I have done -nothing for which they should blame me, but they may be looking for a -horrible example--a railroad is a railroad--eh, Ben?" - -Then, assuming a more serious attitude, he continued: - -"I've got a trade now--a way of making a living. I can walk up the -street and look any man or woman in the eye, as one who can account for -himself, who can do something useful, and at the same time possess the -love of a good girl--it's great, Ben! Do you know anything about such -things? I shall be no man's dog in the future. Already I've kicked the -can off of my tail, to use a figure of speech." - -"I don't quite understand you, Hiram," said I, recalling the fact that -this was the second time he had referred to some such handicap. - -"I've been up there on the river where it's so quiet that one's own -thoughts are as loud as grand opera, and I have figured it out," he -began, inserting his thumbs in the arm-holes of his vest and moving -over to look out of the window. "Of course, you understand, I used the -word dog as a figure of speech, but what I mean is that the Gold-Beater, -instead of making me work and learn something at the right time, gave me -money to spend, and then, along with old women and maidens, old men, and -gentry in general, he winked knowingly, indulgently, as I was -toboganning to Hades; then of a sudden, inside of a day, I am kicked -out, and told to go to work or--Blazes--he didn't care which--me with my -head as empty as a base drum and muscles as soft as a jelly fish. Oh, -I'm not exactly sore on the Gold-Beater--he did no worse than a million -others, but it's all wrong, Ben," he emphasized, turning his eyes upon -me. - -I preferred not to take him seriously. - -"Hiram, there's a store on the corner where we can get a soap box, and -I'll try to arrange with the police for a place in the square----" - -"Oh, I see you are like the rest of them; your head is like a -cocoanut--a shell that you have to open with a hatchet; then some soft, -indigestible stuff, and real brains no more than the milk space inside. -Come on, let's get some food," he sneered, grabbing me by the arm, and -fairly rushing me out on the street. - -He spent most of the evening talking about Anna Bell Morgan and his -plans. Like every man in love, he gave me a poor idea of her--but I -inferred she was about twenty-two, and from my distant view of her I -knew she did not run to flesh. I was ready to give her a high mark on -that score. - -"Suppose you'll marry her at once?" said I, arching my brows knowingly. - -"Oh, no; not yet; she says I must make good before she will marry me," -he replied in answer to my query, "and besides, she has plans. She wants -to learn something, too. She is coming down to New Orleans to go to -school--her father has promised her that for a long time. Perhaps that -mule team going through the front of the store may delay things, but not -long. Anna Bell has been helping with his books and knows a lot for one -who has always been shut in." - -The next evening when I heard him coming up the stairs four steps at a -time I backed into a corner. When he felt that way I knew I would get a -thump on my back equal to being kicked by an ox. - -"Ben, you scoundrel, come out of there; I want to hit you. I've got -it--I've got it this time right!" he began, reaching for me excitedly, -and playful as a young lion. "I believe it's all your work--I'm -promoted--I didn't get bounced; the big chief did the handsome -thing--right here in New Orleans!" This was as coherent as he was able -to make himself. - -"Sit down, Hiram;--what is he going to give you?" - -"Going to give me? I've already got it; been at work all day. Four -tracks on the wharf. Got charge of all the perishable freight--meat -incoming and fruit outgoing--office to myself on the dock. First thing I -did was to wire Anna Bell--then went to it. Great job, Ben, and I'm -going to like it. Got a new typewriter to replace the one I lost. Beats -Quarrytown, and twice the money. Why don't you warm up and congratulate -me?" he almost shouted, rising quickly from the chair and reaching for -my shoulders again, but I dodged him. - -"Already received a wire from Anna Bell," he continued. "She's a great -girl; the best ever. You sly old dog, you knew it was the box we were -using for a stool; I can see it now, but do you know, I somehow feel -sorry for Gus; he was just love-sick--he didn't know half the time what -he was doing. He was not so much to blame, but Anna Bell wasn't to -blame, either, for she never led him on." - -"What did they do for him?" I interrupted, fearful that he would lose -his breath entirely. - -"I did all I could to save him, and they didn't fire him. They gave him -another night station somewhere in the swamps. But say, I've got to step -pretty lively to keep up with this job--however, it won't be so bad when -I get things straightened out," he bubbled. At first I was afraid he had -been drinking, but it was just Hiram Strong, Jr., finding himself. - -I had something special on for that night, or I think he would have -talked me to sleep. He made me promise to come around the next day and -see his layout. As I left him, he began writing to Anna Bell, telling -her all about everything. - -When I saw him the next afternoon, he had on a hickory jumper and cap, -and was bossing the final cleaning of a long, roofed-over wharf, strewn -with broken cases, trash and dirt--the accumulation of years. - -As soon as he saw me he began to smile. He was full of energy, urging -the negro laborers to take away the last load, so that he could leave on -time. He pointed out how he had charge of the tracks on the wharf. The -worst feature of the situation was that he had to be there at 4.30 a. m. -with Government meat inspectors, to let the packing-house people have -their meat early, but he was through about the middle of the afternoon, -as soon as the north-bound fruit was loaded. - -"That means you must get out about four in the morning?" - -"Yes, but I don't mind that." - -"Hiram, it is not so long ago that you did not think seriously of going -to bed until that time." - -"Yes, that's a fact--but," said he, sobering, "it seems an age and -appears to me now like a nightmare. Say, do you want to make an -investment?" he asked, changing the subject abruptly, and assuming the -air of good-natured bargaining that seemed so natural with him. - -"Yes, what is it?" - -"There is a barrel of filings the agent told me to sell for junk. He -says a foundry can use it to melt up. It's been kicking around here for -years. It weighs seven hundred pounds net; give me a cent a pound and -you can have it," said he, walking over to one side of the dock, a sort -of warehouse, and giving an old dingy barrel, lying on its bilge, a -shove with his foot. - -Mechanically I did the same, and wondered why filings were packed in -that kind of a barrel. I leaned over to examine it more closely, and -noted the word "Filings" marked on each head. Then I suddenly recalled -that very day I had been asked to look inside of a storage place nearby, -the same being suspected of contraband operations, and this would offer -a genuine excuse. I examined the barrel more closely. It was very -strong, and old, scarred, mysterious. I planned to send it to a certain -suspected warehouse, and later would go there to draw a sample, thereby -gaining admittance without revealing my real mission. - -"Will you deliver it, Hiram?" - -"Yes, deliver anywhere you want; will put it on the back of that cart -right now," he replied, with a bantering smile. - -"All right; here is your money; give me a receipted bill as the -railroad's agent," I said, walking around the barrel. - -Hiram grabbed the money from my hand, and after a parting injunction to -the laborers went to his little office in the corner. I gave the heavy -barrel a shove with my foot and rolled it over. I wet my finger, pressed -it close to the chimes on a slight sifting that might be sand, but when -I brought my finger away it had turned black at the point of contact and -violet at the edges where the contact was less firm. - -I was examining it critically when Hiram returned with the change and a -receipted bill. After giving the dray directions where to take the -barrel, and saying that he would be there soon to get the warehouse -receipt, Hiram intimated that he was through for the day. - -"Wait until I change my clothes and I will go with you," he said, -hurrying to the little office. - -"You see, this is a great system," he began to explain enthusiastically, -when he returned in his street attire. "These tracks hold a train of -refrigerator cars containing meat that comes in every morning on -passenger trains. The packing-house agents get it out first thing in the -morning while it is cool, for the early market. Then, you see, fruit -steamers from Gulf and South American ports come alongside the wharf, -load bananas, oranges, and so on, into the same cars. The refrigerator -system keeps them cool in the summer and prevents freezing in the -winter. Then they return north as special, fast, perishable. The -packing-house centers at Memphis, Chicago, Kansas City, and Missouri and -Mississippi River points get fresh fruit each twenty-four to thirty -hours. The train has got to be out of here before three p. m., after -which I'm through. Looks pretty nice when it's all cleaned up," he -enthused, waving his arm about the wide dock about eight hundred feet -long, paralleling the river, now swept and clean. - -A refreshing breeze came from Algiers across the wonderful Mississippi, -now literally jammed with ocean-going and river vessels. - -"I imagine it is very interesting work, but will require great care and -diligence," I suggested, as we walked out to Canal street and started -uptown. - -"Yes, but not so hard. The fruit is easy, but the meat comes in with -three seals--a Government seal, the shippers' seal, and the railroad -seal. Three of us open the cars. A Government inspector breaks the -Government seal, I break our seal and the packing-house agent breaks -their seal. Then the car is checked on the spot. You see, there is not -much chance for error that way; besides, meat is all billed 'Shipper's -weight and count,' but the freight agent--you know I am under the New -Orleans freight agent--has cautioned me to be very careful. From the way -he acts and talks I think my predecessor got into some kind of trouble, -but no more trouble for your Uncle Dudley. What could be worse than -sitting on a case of dynamite every day and scratching matches on it?" - -We had now turned off Canal Street, and arrived at the warehouse where -the barrel was sent. I was given a regular receipt, and we resumed our -way uptown. - -"Hiram, there's something else in that barrel--it's not iron filings; -it's something that may be worth much more, and now I'm going to take -you in as a partner on it. Give me three-fifty, half what I paid, and we -will go fifty-fifty," I said, with little apparent concern. - -Hiram stopped still and looked at me keenly, then gave me the money. - -"Ben, if you were to tell me to jump in the river I would, knowing I -would get out and get something for it--after that deal at Quarrytown. I -started to say what Anna Bell said about you in connection----" He was -abruptly interrupted by our meeting a man from the Department who wanted -me at once, so I told Hiram I would see him later. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - -THE next day I returned to the warehouse, and with great formality drew -samples from both ends of the barrel into small manila envelopes and, as -anticipated, this resulted in quite a talk with the owner of the place, -whom I interrogated closely, for I wanted to learn just what kind of a -business he was doing, although it seemed legitimate enough. The -Department said it was worth seven dollars to get that information, and -I intended to return Hiram's money. - -The presumption was that some frugal machinist had saved his bench -filings until he had a barrel full and sold it as junk. But how did it -get there without an address marking? - -The big interrogation point was up on everything at that time, owing to -the acute stage of the war. Steel filings were not soluble and would not -blacken my finger. The stuff looked more like rifle powder. I finally -decided to mail a sample to a chemist in New York for analysis. - -The whirligig of events took me out of New Orleans the next day to -various Gulf ports and along the coast as far north as New York. In his -first communication Hiram said he was doing fine, and the remainder of a -six-page letter was a laudation of the charms of Anna Bell Morgan. There -in New Orleans she was realizing her lifelong ambition, and taking a -course, but he did not say what kind. Soon after I heard from him again -and he hinted at trouble, but finished with a lengthy encomium of the -Quarrytown young woman. - -The third letter was unmistakably a storm signal, a cry for relief he -was sure I could give were I there; not a wail, but a courageous man's -request for suitable weapons with which to battle. "When did I expect to -get back?" Directly or indirectly he asked this question several times -in his communication, but did not mention Anna Bell Morgan, and by which -token I concluded his trouble lay in that quarter. When we did meet -again there was no mistaking his concern about his troubles, and his -esteem of my ability to aid him. - -Three months had worked a most remarkable change. There was no doubt -that his buoyant optimism and sense of humor had received a shock. -About his up-curving, laughing, clean-chiseled mouth had crept a curious -drooping tendency. Fear, corroding, soul-destroying fear, had found a -footing there. His eyes had retreated under a shelf and his black brows -moved down, while his remarkably straight nose appeared more prominent; -his upstanding, wavy raven hair evidenced neglect, and instead of a -resounding whack on my back came the firm, sure, hearty grip of a man. - -He would not let me look over my hat full of mail, much of which bore -many redirections and additional post-office stamps. I had retained my -room adjoining his while away, and it was there we were now seated. - -"You know, Ben," he began, after leaning his chair back against the -window sill--there was a sort of dogged intensity in the manner he -raised both his feet to the corner of the table--"the general freight -agent hinted at trouble down on the wharf when I went there. I didn't -pay much attention because I knew I could do the work, and, being on the -level, why should I care what had happened previously? - -"Well, for a month or more everything went on splendidly. Then I became -aware that my work was being scrutinized closely. I learned by accident -that all my records were checked and double checked, which was -altogether unusual. I seemed to be getting under a cloud, and the cloud -kept getting darker all the time. The specials came nosing about, first -from the consigning packing houses, then the railroad and finally the -Government inspectors from the Bureau of Animal Industry, under whose -supervision all meat is shipped interstate. I paid no attention except -to be more careful. If I did my work right, why should I care if the -packing-house agents and meat inspectors that break the seals on the -cars with me in the morning began looking at me as though I had horns -and a forked tail concealed about me? - -"I lived quietly--in fact I had to. When you get out at three-thirty in -the morning, you've got to be in bed before nine; besides, the old life -doesn't appeal to me any more. In fact, I experience loathing and actual -nausea when I happen to think of it. And then, while my salary is pretty -good now, I had no money to spend when trying to save every cent. It is -true that for a long time I had my dinners with Anna Bell--you know she -is here--but lately I don't even do that. - -"Now the losses run up into the thousands--and--and I am -suspected--suspected of being a thief, Ben----" - -"How do you know you are?" I asked abruptly. - -"Well, after a lot of this mysterious stuff, the agent, Mr. Powell--who -appears to be a pretty nice fellow--came over to my office and let it -out. He said he believed in me and had decided to tell me, but I think -it was just a smooth plan to trap me--to make me the goat. I was shy and -chary of him, and am yet. - -"He told me that since I came the meat cars were checking up short, and -in one instance fresh hams were short ten or fifteen tons, and the -packing-house people, the Government, and the road's inspectors, who -have been working on it for months, were stumped. - -"No, he didn't accuse me--he asked me to see if I couldn't help find -some clew to the crimes. But, Ben, maybe you can't quite see how much -alone I feel. You were away, I don't see Anna Bell any more, and I -haven't a soul to talk with about it." - -"Where is Anna--Miss Morgan--now?" - -"Oh, she's right here, and that is the devil of it. I was getting along -fine and so was she, and she promised, after she got a little further -advanced and I had saved a little money on which to start, we were to be -married. But, after this infernal thing came up, I not only stopped all -plans, but quit going to see her. I made up my mind not to go near her -as long as I was suspected of being a thief." - -"Maybe you are going too far--are you sure she could not----" - -"This is no youthful escapade, to make young women smile and older ones -nudge each other and the Gold-Beater pull his check book with a half -hearted protest. This is a felony, a penitentiary offense. I may be -railroaded up against bars and perhaps stripes. - -"Anna Bell Morgan is as pure as she is beautiful, and if I don't get out -of this clean, I love her so much that I don't want it known that she -ever knew me. It would be the act of a dog, and a downright -coward--and, I am not a coward." He ended by glaring at me with burning -eyes, as though I might have been the author of his troubles. - -"But, Hiram--it may be you are somewhat morbid, and magnify the gravity -of the matter--there is always a way out for clean hands--pinch and kick -yourself into a normal condition and answer a few questions as though it -were another man's trouble." - -"Well, I will admit at the sight of you I do feel better," he said, -still keeping his feet almost as high as his head, on the corner of my -table. "I am on the rack--go ahead with your third degree stuff," he -said, with a trace of a smile as though daring me, and pulling out a -plebeian pipe, began filling it. - -"When did you see Miss Morgan last?" - -"Five weeks ago to-morrow." - -"Have you written or telephoned?" - -"Neither, I tell you----" - -"All right," I said, raising my hand in tolerant good humor; "you feel -certain there were shortages before your time on the wharf?" - -"Yes, I know it--that's why my predecessor lost his job." - -"But you don't know just what has been done?" I asked, idly fingering my -mail before me. - -"No, I don't; but Mr. Powell, the agent, said the packing-house and -railroad specials were at a standstill, and the government was so short -of men they could not do anything just now. He also said that he had -personally asked the local office of the Department of Justice to take -it up, and while it was something outside of their line, they promised -to coöperate as soon as they had men available. Hang it!" he exclaimed, -passing his fingers through his hair, "it ought not to be so hard to -smoke 'em out." - -"Hiram, I will see what can be done to-morrow. In the meantime lose that -'going-to-hell-sure' long face, and cheer up. I've been living at Barns -& Sheds for three months, taking Greek insolence and grease at Greek -restaurants until I feel polluted inside, and want one of those----" - -"Real porterhouse steaks," he interrupted, laughing as though they had -become only a memory. - -"Give me a few moments to glance over this mail before we go--here, -this ought to interest you, Hiram," I said, discovering one from the -chemist to whom I had sent a sample from our partnership barrel in -storage. - -"Why--how?" he asked, looking sharp as though expecting a joke. - -I tore open the letter, first noticing it was nearly three months old. -The chemist had replied promptly. I read aloud: - - "Your sample suffered a little in the mail and is too small. Will - you oblige me by forwarding a larger one by parcel post? If my - guess is right, the market is particularly bare of this class of - goods, and I can assure a prompt sale at fancy prices." - -"You mean that old barrel of junk--those filings you made me pay -three-fifty for a half interest in your foolishness?" he asked, with an -incredulous smile. - -"Hiram," I began jestingly, "that barrel will make us rich some day; but -seriously, I do know it is not castings nor junk. However, this letter -is now three months old, and perhaps our best chance has gone." - -That night I wired a certain person a code message to the effect that I -was willing to handle the New Orleans case. It was either that or some -day I'd miss being made best man at Anna Bell's wedding. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - -THERE was little trouble getting the assignment; in fact, the -authorities were glad some one was willing to tackle the case, for it -had become a nightmare and a stench, but it was a case of "don't begin -unless you can finish it." Others had given it up, perhaps because of -the press of other work. I was amply warned that it was a hard nut to -crack, and I had a fair chance of making a failure of it. Yes, the -railroad and packing-house people would coöperate and do all they could. -I was told to go over and see Mr. Powell, the New Orleans agent, who all -but went crazy over it, and work out a plan with him. - -Before night I was on the payroll of the Yazoo, with a private office -and a sub-title of some sort under the auditor, having decided to begin -on the perishable freight records, or rather it was necessary for me to -have them under my hand, as they were set down each day, though with -little confidence that they would yield results. - -"I don't know what kind of a clerk I can give you, for the whole system -is short of help, but I will do the best I can," Mr. Powell assured me, -placing at my disposal the voluminous reports on the cases settled, and -those that were still pending, unsettled, with the shippers. - -There was hardly room for the female clerk and myself to move about in -the room after the perishable records were all in there--big volumes of -yellow tissue made it look like a storehouse, though they only extended -back to the time of the first loss. - -In addition to this arrangement it was generally given out that the -night business on the wharf tracks had been so largely increased by the -heavy movement of fruit that an extra man was to be put on to work -opposite Hiram, who went on at four a. m., and came off at three p. m. -As the general office was uptown, more than a mile from the dock tracks, -it was unlikely that I would be noticed working in the dual capacity of -night clerk on the wharf and something or other under the auditor in the -general offices. But in this we soon found we had miscalculated. - -When Hiram learned the arrangement he was jubilant. In an incredibly -short time he had come to look on my capacity to clear up a mystery as -unlimited. The joy of anticipation supplanted fear, but he did not fully -recover his old, buoyant, optimistic self. - -He never mentioned Anna Bell Morgan, but I was sure he thought of her -about all the time he was not busy. - -"Ben," he began one night, laughing, "did you send your friend in New -York another sample of those steel filings on which we are paying -storage? I believe you will soon graduate into the 'Prince of conmen,' -or a second-story worker. I tell you it takes a pretty good man to stop -me in the middle of the street and subtract three-fifty from my jeans -for a half-interest in a barrel of junk." - -"No, not yet, but I expect to soon." - -But after I had been working in the dual rôle of wharf night clerk and -assistant auditor for a week and nothing happened, he began to get -uneasy, but somehow did not doubt the final outcome. - -We usually ate dinner together, then we would come down to his little -office in the corner of the wharf and he would stay with me until his -early bed-time. - -"How long are you going to stand this night-and-day business? I don't -see when you get any sleep?" he asked, evidently edging over for some -information, not volunteered. - -"One doesn't need much sleep on a loafing job like this. You see, there -is little to do here nights, and less in the day time, so I manage -pretty well." I had told him little about my office work. - -"Why can't I stay here every other night for you, so that you can get -more sleep? I can stand it." - -"I don't look as though I was getting thin, do I? By the way, who is -that fat party I notice about here occasionally, who seems to be -interested in loading for Becker & Co.?" - -"You mean that fellow whose face looks like over-ripe cow's liver, and -waddles, and whose clothes are smelly?" - -"Yes, I think that is the man," I replied, smiling. - -"That is Becker himself. He buys all the rejects of the city's provision -inspectors and almost anything that's got grease or fertilizer in it. He -used to load that stuff during the day, but they got to making a fuss -about his taking it through the street and made him handle it at night, -when graveyards hold their noses. Gad, I always hate to see him coming." - -"Becker & Co., fertilizer works?" - -"Yes, somewhere up the river." - -The next morning I was late and was hurrying into the building occupied -by the auditor, in which I had my office. It contained more than four -stories, was about two hundred feet long, with a wide hall through the -center of each floor. The room assigned to me was on the third floor, -and was reached by narrow stairs. - -When I passed the second floor I saw Becker at the far end of the hall -talking to a young woman clerk, and I was sure I saw him pinch her -cheek, and furthermore, I was absolutely certain that the object of his -frolicsome caress was my clerk, who entered the office immediately after -me. She appeared to be somewhat flustered, and her cheeks flamed with -color. - -The incident was not particularly significant, but enough to make me -want to know all about Mr. Becker, of Becker & Co., fertilizer -manufacturers, and also about the young woman who compiled my data and -wrote my letters. - -I recalled that our association had been so perfunctory that I failed to -remember her name. She took dictation well, was a good typist and her -records were neat. Withal she worked hard. Like good oil on bearings, -she made the wheels go round without attracting my attention. - -Ideal office assistants try to make themselves into humanized machines. -Miss Bascom had accomplished this so well that I had to inquire about -her name even after a week's service. - -My desk was near the hall entrance, while hers was over near the window, -partially obscured by stacks of records. She was, on closer inspection, -more than comely, and the way she punched the keys of the typewriter -indicated she was purposeful--not an accident. That she could allow a -greasy, uncouth man like Becker to make up to her seemed absurd. More to -amuse Hiram, I mentioned the matter to him that night. - -"My Heavens," said he, holding his nose between finger and thumb, "it -would take a pretty strong stomach to stand for that fellow--but you -can't tell! Maybe there are enough dollar signs on his face to make up -for his smelly clothes and age. But, even in my palmiest days of riot, -the 'beauty and beast' idea was a shock--too much 'bargain and sale' to -suit me"--and I believe he was wondering if Anna Bell Morgan would ever -succumb to such a love for the sake of money. - -"Hiram, I don't quite sympathize with your attitude toward Miss Morgan. -Are you sure you are doing the right thing?" - -"Perhaps not," he replied, thoughtfully, as we walked down the wharf. -"It may be the pendulum has swung the other way and I am at the farthest -point away from her. But after all, that is something one must settle -for himself. She promised to wait in absolute silence until I had the -matter straightened. And again, perhaps you don't understand--they have -a different code here." - -I waited for him to continue, looking westward across the shipping in -the river at the setting sun, now enlarged into a great ball of dull red -fire. Another moment and it would perish from sight behind the waters of -the Gulf. - -"You see, Ben, down here they have a way of making a man feel he is -either something or nothing. If something, he respects women, and must -protect them. Women are either good or bad. If good they receive every -consideration; it is expected--demanded. The ways of New York would not -be tolerated here, and it is perfectly right they should not be. - -"Mormonism, and other degeneracy, usually dubbed 'Bohemianism,' doesn't -go here. Fathers, big brothers, or next of male kin stand guard for the -women of the South. When they put a bullet through a licentious -scoundrel the judge shakes hands with them. And it's the same way about -honor. If a man's honesty is in question he has no business to -compromise a good woman's name by forcing his attentions upon her. When -he has cleared himself it is time enough to straighten things out. So, -if our love will not stand the strain of waiting it's no good--not love, -at all." - -The next day at the noon hour I saw my female clerk in a certain -situation that led me into all sorts of information. Miss Bascom of the -golden locks was openly dangling her feminine charms before Chief Clerk -Burrell. - -I had only to glance through an open door from the hall on my floor into -a long room occupied by a lot of clerks of which he had charge as chief. -Evidently he was a married man, and of a species easily susceptible. - -I would have continued to think it was a case of old-fashioned man -hunting to win free board and a little credit at the stores, had it not -been reported by a man detailed at my request to see just what kind of -smoke Mr. Becker was making during his stay in New Orleans. There was a -lengthy conference that night between Burrell and Becker, of Becker & -Company, with liberal quantities of gin fizz on the side, in a private -room back of a prominent hotel bar. - -This was exceedingly interesting and filled with possibilities--a party -of three, two men and a woman, an unusually attractive young woman at -that, and all were interested in the movement of freight, with this -difference, that Becker might be the chief beneficiary, and both men -might be rising to the lure of beauty. - -I spent most of that night looking up the antecedents of this -interesting trio and did not go down to the wharf, but went to bed just -before Hiram arose to go to work. Burrell, I found, lived with his wife -and two children and was inclined to be sporty; Becker was a rounder, -and the girl was just a clerk before she came to me. - -I heard Hiram leaving the house and had not been sleeping long before a -messenger came from him, requesting me to hurry down to the wharf. I had -asked him to send for me the instant the next irregularity was observed. - -He was very much excited when I got there, as were also the Government -meat inspector and the packing-house representative. The three of them, -together as usual, had broken the seals of a Kansas City car of fresh -sausages in ten-pound cartons, and about half of it, from the center of -the car, was gone. This could be seen at a glance. - -The four of us went into Hiram's little office at the corner of the -wharf. He was so furious that he had become stoical, even sullen, which -was promptly misunderstood by the Government inspector and the -packing-house agent as proof of guilt. In order to protect him and get -a full expression from them I took the attitude of favoring their view. -He did not quite understand this and felt it keenly. - -Each of them was ready, like dogs held in leash, to spring at his -throat. But it might have been a sorry leap: Hiram was magnificent under -such fire. Surely the Gold-Beater had given him good blood and a -fighting spirit if nothing else. - -"Strong," I began, in a somewhat authoritative manner, "have you -preserved the railroad's seal that was on this car?" - -"Yes--here it is--I have been saving and marking every one." - -Then it developed that the Government inspector and the packing-house -agent had been doing the same thing, and all three were handed to me. -After that, at my suggestion, we went out and removed the seals from the -unopened door on the other side of the car, which I took charge of after -they had been carefully marked. I then suggested they go about their -duties and routine as though nothing had happened. - -I had decided on a secret, drastic inquisition. The ax must fall now -and cut where it would, the details of which shall be avoided, only so -far as they concern this son of a man who was given the credit of -beating gold--who owned the gold instead of it owning him. - -I could still feel Hiram's flesh quiver under my touch when I tried to -assure him, by a pressure on his arm, as I was leaving. - -Notwithstanding the fact that it was four o'clock in the morning, I -began the job by summoning by telephone the rotund and hairless -Superintendent Kitchell from his bed, and reminding him of his promise -to help me at any time. Besides, this was his funeral anyhow, that was -to be held at ten o'clock that morning in Hiram's little office on the -wharf. - -I then demanded the presence of every man who had handled that car--the -loaders, the icers, weighmasters, conductors, dispatchers and the -yard-men between Kansas City and New Orleans, something over a thousand -miles of road. Those who could not be there in so short a time must -telegraph a transcript of their records, in affidavit form. The sworn -records were finally decided on as the only thing possible in so short a -time. - -"I will come down to the general office and start the necessary -machinery, but the time, less than six hours, is too short--it can't be -done," he said, evidently lashing himself out of the drowse and -comprehending the magnitude of the order. - -"The iron is hot and now is the time to strike," I warned. - -"All right, we will do the best we can. I'll get the agent and be there -anyhow." - -"No; that's just what I don't want. This investigation must not attract -attention. Your presence there would only advertise it. After we are -through you can have all the data, and do as you wish," I insisted, -having in mind to assume an attitude that would allow Hiram to work out -his own salvation if possible. The only way is to expose a weak or -yellow spot, so that he would see it for himself. - -Superintendent Kitchell again demonstrated that he was not an accident. -Before ten o'clock that morning he had accomplished almost the -impossible. The wire that Hiram worked for a while was soon hot with -sworn statements from every man who had anything to do with that car, -from its loading until it landed on the wharf. It remained for Hiram, -the Agent of the Bureau of Animal Industry, and the local packing-house -agent to open the car. - -I glanced over the mass of stuff before handing it to Hiram. - -The shipping clerk of the packing-house swore that there was put in the -car six thousand cartons, each ten pounds net weight, of prime loose -sausages. This was verified by the affidavit of a checker, then a second -and third checker, before the doors were sealed by agents of the -Government, packing-house and railroad agents. The railroad -weighmaster's figures on the track scale verified that. It was loaded -and iced in zero weather, so that no delay was necessary for re-icing -all the way to New Orleans. - -A verified transcript of train sheets of all the train dispatchers of -both roads showed that the car came in a solid train of perishable -provisions, over the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad to Memphis, -without longer pause than to change engines at the end of each division, -where it was delivered to the Yazoo and weighed again--which weight -tallied with the Kansas City weight--and traveled into New Orleans on -passenger time. All this without incident or delay of any kind, and -delivered on the unloading wharf track at 2:30 a. m. - -When I took the records to Hiram and told him what they were, I found -him going about his work as usual. His attitude was disconcerting. Were -his hands clean? One could have taken him for a man who had been caught -with the goods. If guilty, I had little chance to shield him. - -He carried his head erect, his stride was sure and determined, but he -had a glitter that indicated a tumult inside, with an attitude of -suspicious aloofness. The erstwhile mirthful smile on his lips was now -supplanted by one of sarcastic severity, but a smile that evidently -meant much. I would have given the world just then to know what. -However, all he would say was: "Ben, this is a devil of a mess and I am -in the center of it." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - -AFTER leaving the sworn records with Hiram I started for my temporary -offices uptown. I wanted him to have time to thoroughly digest them. - -At that time we had not been at war long and the public mind of New -Orleans was in a very excited condition. The big interrogation point was -raised on every person whose acts did not bear instant analysis. -Pacifists and enemy aliens were promptly and vigorously coerced into -outward decency at least. No trifling was permitted. - -These continued thefts from the railroad might mean much more than a -risky enterprise for profit. I was given to understand that while time -enough would be allowed, definite results were expected soon. - -When I reached my office, my clerk, Miss Bascom, seemed to be expecting -me. Her greeting, though intended to be casual, was so gladsome I -wondered if she was trying to practice on me the same brand of coquetry -she used on the chief clerk--Burrell--or was it to be a wheedling -process? Surely I was justified in expecting something and I awaited the -onset with great interest, convinced that she was playing a rôle. One of -Miss Bascom's duties was to prepare for me each day a record of every -car that arrived on Hiram's wharf or departed therefrom. - -The first sheets of outbound records of the day were of cars from Becker -& Co. to Becker & Co., Becker's Landing, Louisiana, and the time of -departure was marked 3:30. I began to wonder if it was purely accidental -that they were on the top; then came an exciting moment when I recalled -that a car of sausages arrived at 2:30. But the insuperable difficulty -of making the transfer, replacing the seals, and the like, reassured me. - -I gave Miss Bascom the two slips and requested her to get me a memo of -the contents of those two cars. As she went about the errand I wondered -how such a refined looking young woman could ally herself with that -carcass of rancid tallow whose very clothing emitted an odor which -advertised his business. - -Miss Bascom returned in a few moments and laid the two slips before me -without comment, hesitating at the end of my desk, indicating interest -and willingness to be of further assistance. On the bottom of each slip -was delicately penciled "Soap Grease." I knew that plebeian soap grease -was worth more than prime lard had been a short time ago, but why the -precaution of shipping in refrigerator cars? - -"Do you happen to know this shipper--Becker & Co.?" I decided to -venture, uncertain whether Miss Bascom knew I had seen them together in -the hall. - -Miss Bascom backed to the end of my desk and laid a very pretty elbow on -top, the better to display her figure--palpable acting, so it seemed to -me. Her speech had a Southern accent which lends itself to -dissimulation. "Yes," she replied, "he is an important patron of the -road, and is about the office considerably. Everybody knows him." She -did not meet my eye, but looked at the door leading to the hall -expectantly. At that moment a boy burst into the room wholly -unannounced, laid a telegram addressed to me on my desk, and was gone as -quickly as he came. - -"I wonder why they ship that kind of freight in refrigerator cars--the -rate is much higher," I said, shoving the telegram back unopened. - -"I think I heard him tell Mr. Burrell one day he could afford to pay -extra in order to receive his freight the same day," she replied with a -naïveté difficult to simulate. - -"Miss Bascom, stop the work you are now on and prepare an abstract from -these records of all freight sent by refrigerator cars to Becker & Co. -during the last twelve months," I requested after weighing the chance -that she might be working with Becker and Chief Clerk Burrell and the -disadvantage of their knowing through her that an investigation was -proceeding along those lines. - -Miss Bascom seemed unwilling to think the interview ended or perhaps was -disappointed it had yielded so little, but finally removed her elbow, -and, nonplussed, passed her small white hand over her eyes and hair, so -unusually bronze that one might suspect that it was "chemically pure." -As she slowly passed behind me to her desk she half murmured to herself, -"I wish I were a man." - -"I suppose you would be wearing a soldier's uniform if you were," said -I, assuming a semi-preoccupied attitude. - -"That's on the basis that a uniform makes a dull person look -intelligent," she rejoined, looking seriously out of the window over her -desk. - -I was reading my telegram and was too much astonished at its contents to -reply. It was from the chemist in New York to whom I had sent a larger -sample from the partnership barrel Hiram and I had in storage. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - - -THE dispatch was very interesting indeed. I was about to go down and -show the telegram to Hiram, the contents of which would astonish him -more than it did me, at least cheer him up a bit, but when I reached the -street something happened to intensify my interest in Becker & Co. I ran -into a man I very much wanted to talk with. - -"Taylor, you are just the man I want to see," said he. "Come to lunch -with me." It was the chief's assistant who grabbed me by the arm and led -me into a nearby restaurant. - -"I have just left the chief," the assistant continued, after we had -seated ourselves, "and he has given me a hard nut to crack; complaints -have piled up from wholesale and retail dealers that bad meat, hams and -lard--even horse-meat--have appeared in this market, which bear the -genuine stamps and tags of the Bureau of Animal Industry, and it has -started a devil of a row," he whispered across the table. "You are still -working on that car robbery case, and I thought you might pick up -something for me. Who is Becker & Co.?" He ended by asking this question -so suddenly that I could scarcely conceal my astonishment. - -"I know there is a concern by that name, with a plant up the river -somewhere. They are quite heavy shippers," I replied easily. - -"You can get the freight records and perhaps give me a line on their -operations, can't you?" - -I knew then that Becker & Co. had been mentioned in some of the -complaints. Before parting I promised to have some information for him -by the next morning. - -I spent the rest of the afternoon obtaining commercial reports on them -and making arrangements to have their mail censored, and I did not reach -my room until dinner time. - -The door was open as usual between our rooms. Glancing into the other -room, I saw Hiram lying on his bed asleep, which was something unusual -for him, and there was something about his color that drew my attention -at once. He did not stir when I came alongside the bed. - -He was lying on his back with his head comfortably pillowed and his -arms relaxed at his sides like a corpse. His face was bloodless, and his -high, wavy black hair intensified by the white pillow. It reminded me of -the time I saw him in the hospital at Hampton, Virginia, after his -fearful experience in firing on the steamer; but his body had now filled -out and was even athletic. - -He was either very tired or--or had he lapsed into drink again--or was -it drugs? - -Though usually a light sleeper, my touch on his wrist did not arouse -him; his pulse was regular, and bending low, I could not detect the -fumes of liquor. No, Hiram Strong, Jr., was just tired out--worried into -fatigue that called for sleep. He was going through the fire that either -refines or destroys. Would he stand it? That was my anxiety as I -returned to my room to prepare for dinner. - -"Ben, is that you?" he called presently in a sleepy voice. - -For answer I came to the door, wiping my hands and looking interested. - -"I fell asleep waiting for you to come, Ben. I want to tell you that I -acted the damned cad this morning." Then coming over, he put two strong -hands on my shoulders and looked straight at me with clear eyes. - -"Ben," he continued, as though suddenly realizing he was taking himself -too seriously, "I know you are on the square with me, I know you are -doing everything you can for me, but your movements are maddeningly -deliberate. You act as though you were an old-stager at the game and was -going sure. But I feel like I was bound hand and foot with these fellows -darting javelins into my skin every time they look at me; and you know I -can't see Anna Bell Morgan until----" He dropped his hands from my -shoulders and looked out of the window. "Perhaps I am expecting too -much--you cleaned up that Quarryville matter so----" - -"But, Hiram, this is a big matter, reaching God only knows how far. It -involves a number of men, clever in crookedness, and perhaps women. -There's more to it than a bone-headed, love-sick German and a case of -dynamite. The amounts involved are big, and it must move slowly. I know -how you feel, but you've got to grin and bear it. But about Anna Bell -Morgan, I think you are foolish. If she is the kind of girl you should -marry she would want very much to stand by you. But if you adopt a -drastic code of your own and insist on living up to it, how can she or -any one help you in that respect?" - -"Ben," he began deliberately, after taking a chair and cocking himself -back against the window-sill, "I know that Anna Bell Morgan wants to -help me. I am nursing the delusion, perhaps, that she would give one of -her hands--make any sacrifice--but I don't believe a real man, under -similar circumstances, would bid for help from the woman whom he really -loves. If this thought proves a delusion I must stand it somehow, but I -don't believe I will ever have faith in a woman again. I am beginning to -see things differently now. I can see more and more why the Gold-Beater -was given that name by friend and enemy. He fought fair and in the open -and took punishment without a whimper. Ben, he made a mistake with me, -but he gave me a decent sense of honor, and lately I realize he has -given me a good-sized body that will stand real punishment. No, sir, my -'drastic code,' as you call it, has got to go. And now, with that out of -my system, I am going to give you a real shock." - -Then, with exasperating deliberation, he lighted his pipe, drew his -feet up on the lower front rungs of his chair, meanwhile watching me as -I walked back and forth before him intensely interested. - -"I am going to quit the railroad and----" - -"No, you are not--not now----" I warned. But he interrupted me as I -paused in front of him, pointing a finger at him, and I soon saw that I -might as well have raised my arm to stay the flood of Niagara. - -"I expected you to protest until----" - -"But they will think----" - -"I don't care a damn what they think now. I've got to do it and you've -got to help me," he said with set jaw. - -"But just now that would be suicide----" - -"No--not after I explain--I don't intend to run away--I am going to stay -right here the remainder of my life if necessary and clear this thing -up; I've got to. But I can't do it working all day until I'm woozy. Now, -you have got to help me." - -"But I think you are hasty----" - -"You won't think so after I have stated my case. I am going to -constitute you the court, attorney for the prosecution and defense, and -the jury; in fact, give you all constitutional rights except my right -of appeal; that will enable a quick decision and that's what I'm after -right now--before we go to dinner," he ended with his wonderfully -contagious smile that seemed impossible only a few minutes ago. - -He continued to sit cocked back in his chair against the window-sill -with his legs drawn up so his feet rested on the lower rungs, blowing -smoke at me, as I paced back and forth before him across the room. - -"Well--go ahead," I said finally. - -"First let me tell you why you've got to help me. You have the know-how -and more general experience, and can do it. I take it you are 'in right' -in New Orleans. You can help me when you are helping yourself. I believe -in you thoroughly--except--except perhaps when you go off on a little -tangent, like you did when you put that barrel of iron filings in -storage, and made me pay half----" He hesitated, smiling broadly. I did -not reply, and he continued, "but even that has its advantages, because -it makes me smile whenever I think of it and that's worth something. And -that brings me to the second reason why you must help me. There is -something about your long nose that seems to smell out things pretty -well, your general attitude toward me and everything, that awakens a -sense of humor. If they put me in jail, and you come to see me, I -believe I could see the humorous side of that, even. Now do you -understand?" he asked, relieved and confident. - -"I am waiting to hear why you propose to resign," I insisted, ignoring -his complimentary terms as directed toward me. - -"I'll make that short enough--as long as I stay at work there I don't -have time or ginger to do anything else. I believe that Becker is the -head of the stealing--I have got several tips lately and I believe he's -the man. Several train-men, who learned I was in trouble, informed me -that his place up the river is queer. In ordinary water it is an island, -between the track and the river, the switch running to it over piles, -and several times when they rode cars into his unloading doors they have -seen things they believe will bear investigation. But it's going to be -hard to get into the old fox's place. He receives by rail from here and -the north, too, but ships out everything by an old boat on the river." - -"Now"--hesitated Hiram shrewdly--"that car of sausage that was short -the other night sat on track One--exactly opposite two cars that were -loaded for him on track Two. The space between cars on those two tracks -is so narrow that I was nearly killed one day between them; the time -between the arrival of the sausage car and the departure of his cars was -only a little more than half an hour, but it was between 2:30 and 3:30 -a. m., when no one was there, and I believe the transfer was made in -that time--do you follow me?" - -"Yes--go ahead. But what about the three seals being intact when you -opened the car?" - -"I knew you would ask that--but I believe, with help from those 'higher -up,' and the seals could be had--stolen of course. There are two hard -nuts to crack; one is the seals, and the other is to get into his -place--and that's where you must help." - -"Now here is another funny thing." Hiram hesitated to bring from his hip -pocket an envelope. "Some one who knew my full name sent this to me, -care of the office," and he read from a typewritten slip of paper, - -"Why does Becker & Co. get freight by rail and ship out only by water?" - -I stopped in front of him and reached for the slip to examine it -critically. - -"Hiram--let me keep this?" It looked like railroad stationery. - -"Yes--help yourself." - -"Have you any plan to get into Becker & Co.'s plant?" I asked, recalling -that I had not mentioned that I suspected them, and that this was the -third definite lead in that direction. - -"He is a foxy old rat and would take any ordinary bait off a trap and -send it to you by mail. The only thing I can think of is a boat--maybe I -didn't tell you it is a fertilizer plant and uses lots of dead animals. -With a boat to take him some of this stock, one might finally get to -carrying his river freight at a cut price and that would open the door -wide." - -"But boats that will carry even a little freight are scarce now." - -"Yes, I know that--but we've got to have a boat. Buy it, build it, or -dig one out of the mud somewhere." - -"You have made out a pretty good case, Hiram. I will think it over--in -the meantime this may interest you," I said, handing him the telegram I -had received from the chemist. Though half fearing it a joke, he sprang -from his chair and took it eagerly. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - - -STANDING in the middle of the floor Hiram read the missive several -times. He seemed amazed as well as incredulous. Finally, as he read it -with evident desire to grasp its meaning thoroughly, his face lighted up -with joy. "Bully stuff!" he exclaimed. Then he read it aloud: - - "The larger sample of color received. The market just now is - particularly bare of this grade. Can get you unusual price of a - dollar a pound. If satisfactory ship Morgan Line, send memo. of - weight and will forward check at once. - - "MORGENSTEIN & BRUN." - -"Then it's not steel filings--you never told me," he said finally, -laughingly grasping my shoulders. - -"You insisted it was filings, your railroad insisted it was junk, and -you sold it for junk as instructed, so why the argument?" - -"No argument at all, Ben; the Morgan Line steamer sails to-morrow. Sell -the stuff and buy a boat. I've saved some money, but boats are scarce -and high. I haven't enough--what d'ye say, eh?" - -"You haven't found a boat to buy yet, and maybe you will not need -one--besides, if Morgenstein & Brun offer a dollar a pound and are in a -hurry, it may be worth more--I only asked them for an analysis to know -for certain what it was. I didn't ask for a market," I insisted -formally. - -"But you may miss the only chance--and--we need the money. We've got to -have a boat," he said, visibly disappointed. - -"So far we are out less than a ten-dollar bill and can afford to take a -chance--as I say, we must first decide definitely that a boat is -necessary, and then the hardest part comes--everything from a row-boat -up is working overtime now." - -"Maybe you are right, but if it was up to me I would sell it so -infernally quick it would make 'em dizzy," he replied, manifestly -consumed with the single idea of releasing himself from suspicion. - -"Don't resign, Hiram," I said, hesitating, before going out of the room -to dine, "until I have had a chance to speak to the Super to-morrow. I -think I will be able to arrange it so that you can be released to -devote all of your time to clearing up this matter and remain in the -employ of the company. You will see the decided advantage of the plan, -later." - -"All right, Ben--but bear in mind that as soon as I get out of this I am -going to quit 'em for good; there's something else for me to do in this -town. The railroad game is too strenuous at best for the returns. It's -good drill and I'm glad to get the experience and discipline, but the -returns are a minus quantity." - -During the meal he mentioned his father several times, to whom he always -referred as "the Gold-Beater," but he more frequently mentioned Anna -Bell Morgan. In fact, had I not purposely changed the subject he would -have talked of her constantly. I could not tell him I thought it a great -error for him to completely suspend communication with her. A big city -offers enticements that a country-bred girl does not always understand -at first. I could see he writhed under the stigma of being thought a -member of a gang of crooks, and was most powerfully propelled by two -most laudable motives. He wanted to redeem himself in his father's eyes, -but most compelling was his desire to be able to go back to Anna Bell -Morgan with clean hands. His affection for her was deep and sincere, a -mighty thing to him, accounted for in his prominent, broad, round chin, -but difficult to harmonize with his conduct during his first score of -years. - -He seemed to sense my perplexity. - -"Ben," he began, with every evidence of chastened bigness, "I have been -trying to discover one single good reason why I should impose my -personal affairs on you, unless it is because you let me. So far, I have -been unable to reciprocate in a single instance. I feel at times as -though I am a great care and trial to you--a responsibility the -Gold-Beater would assume if things were right. I feel as though I were -on my way but with some one else at the wheel and compass, with a -disturbing and perhaps ungrateful feeling that the navigator is on -uncharted waters, and is himself in doubt. I think I must have a yellow -streak up my back as broad as the moral law." - -At this I chose to assume a lighter attitude. Scanning him smilingly, I -replied, "Can't you see that just now, at least, my professional -reputation is at stake?" - -"That's so, Ben. You take to investigation as a duck to water and I -believe you are much better suited for that than sea life. But, my dear -fellow, you move so maddeningly slow and deliberate," said he; but I -made no reply. I could have said: - -"Real genius and cleverness apparently do move so slow and deliberate -that most any one would feel as though he could do much better." But I -merely laughed as we arose to leave the little French restaurant where -we had dined. - -There was no difficulty in arranging for Hiram's release and also for -transportation good on any passenger, freight or work train of the -entire system, in order to work out a solution of the robberies that had -spread over the entire system from Kansas City and St. Louis to Chicago, -where the consignments originated. - -His first suggestion was that he should take a look at Becker & Co.'s -plant, and he purposely boarded a train that had a car for delivery to -them. - -After he left I went to my office in the main building to find both an -extended report and a short one from a man assigned to watch Becker's -movements while in New Orleans, and as I began to read I could feel my -hair rigidly standing on end. - -My clerk, Miss Bascom, had met Becker in a private room, known to but -few, back of the bar of a prominent hotel. For the purpose of detecting -enemy aliens many dictaphones had been installed by the Government in -such places and with a certainty, almost uncanny, the Government -possessed itself of information that could not have been gained in any -other way. - -As soon as I reached Miss Bascom's name in the report I stopped short -and looked at her at work over by the window, less than twenty feet -away. If she was conscious of my undisguised wonder she gave no sign of -it. She worked so fast and dexterously as to give the impression that -she fully lived up to the axiom promulgated by well governed -corporations: - - "If you never do more than you are paid for, you will never get - paid for more than you do." - -As I looked upon her I decided that although Becker was exceedingly -ambitious, his taste was discriminating, indeed. Miss Bascom in a good -light revealed a velvety skin and a neck, rising column-like from her -plump chest and shoulders as though chiseled from rare white marble. A -tiny ear peeped from under a plethora of wonderful hair, tastefully -arranged, and I noticed that her nose, chin and lips were perfect. I -wondered why I had overlooked these points of feminine charm when she -first came to me. Seemingly oblivious to everything but the work she was -doing, I wondered how she could maintain the attitude after such an -affair as had occurred the night before. There was no evidence of -fatigue or loss of sleep, or over-indulgence of any kind. I was -astounded that a woman of her general charm could fall for the Becker -type, and I shuddered at the knowledge that she had gone with him to -such a place. My next thought was that she might have given out some -very confidential information. There was but one thing to do, and at -once--find out how she came to be sent to me. - -I rushed through the several pages of close typing, then began again for -detail and analysis. - -She drank nothing intoxicating according to the report. His brutal -proposal, that came in due course, she met with astonishing diplomacy -and succeeded in staving off time and place. But the details, recorded -minutely, indicated that she was compelled to submit to his embrace. The -record revealed that the young woman had exclaimed, "Don't--don't, Mr. -Becker," indicating that the fossilized degenerate of fifty years was -trying to caress her. It required little tax on the imagination to know -that his big, greasy hands were drawing her tightly to his huge frame. -Why had she laid herself liable to his advances? What kind of a game was -she playing? I was on the point of calling her over and demanding an -explanation, but there was the second report to analyze--concerning -Burrell, the chief clerk. I decided to wait. - -When Miss Bascom left Becker the night before at the side door of the -hotel, he entered the lobby and joined Burrell in a pretty wet dinner, -spending several hours thereafter at a questionable resort. Evidently -Miss Bascom knew something of their whereabouts, for here she was -standing at Burrell's desk in close conversation with him, occasionally -laughing as though recalling some ludicrous incident. There was nothing -to do but await events. She was up to something and I determined I would -lose no time in arriving at the facts. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - - -WHEN Hiram returned late that night he looked as disreputable as a bull -dog that had been out all night in the rain and mud, defending his title -as a neighborhood boss. He had evidenced some cleverness in preparing -for such a trip, but when he got through he looked as though he had -overdone it. An unbecoming cap of Bolshevik origin, nine cents pre-war -push-cart cost, flannel shirt, open at the neck, and covered with mud -from head to foot, he reminded me of a smuggler or bootlegger who had -taken to the swamps to avoid capture. But his enthusiasm seemed to blind -him to his appearance and to the fact that he had not eaten since -morning. - -"Well," he began, "I believe I am right--not so much on account of what -I saw to-day, but of what I didn't see." - -"Yep," said I. "Go on with it." - -"Their plant is on an island except at very low stages of the river and -then it's swamp on one side. It is a big place but mostly one-story. -Their switch, of course, is on a trestle built by them, and some one has -to come out and unlock a high gate before a car can be set in. The man -at the gate stated that they do this so that there will always be a man -there to warn the train crew that the trestle is not strong enough to -support the engine." He looked at me somewhat knowingly while filling -his pipe. - -"Well, I went inside on the car we had for them and saw all there was to -see--which wasn't much. Their black help live in cabins on the island. -Becker is building a big addition--the car we set in contained cement -for that purpose, presumably. All of the train-men believe that the -place is phony. - -"We saw a packet coming down the river and the train boy slowed up a -trifle to let me off near a landing, but I made a bad jump, rolled over -twice in soft mud and came out like a cray-fish, but I made the packet -coming to town and just arrived." - -"Fine, go on," I encouraged. - -"The fertilizer plant shows nothing from the river but a floating wharf. -On the way down we passed Becker's boat going up. It isn't much of a -craft, and the packet captain said it wouldn't carry five tons and has -hardly power enough to beat the five-mile current of the river, even -when empty. A boat, Ben!--a boat is all we need to catch that fellow, -and he's the boy we're after. If some one would offer to carry all the -material he will need for that new construction he will fall for it--and -say, I believe I am on track of one." - -"But you are not sure of anything yet." - -"Yes--I am sure they got the two refrigerator cars that sat alongside -the car that was robbed of fifteen tons of sausage, and that they use -anything that contains grease. Of that I am as certain as any one can be -without being able to prove it, and we've got to get him, and we can't -get him until we get inside of the plant," he insisted, his jaws coming -together with a snap. - -"He has a regular castle--moat and all," Hiram continued, "and we can't -storm it. His people are all black and speak only Creole." - -"What about this boat you are on track of--but wait, Hiram, don't you -want something to eat?" - -"Yes, I'm hungry as a wolf. I've seen the time I would give ten dollars -for the appetite I now have--but wait till I tell you about the boat. -For some time past there has been an old fellow coming down to the -wharf to pick up bananas, those that break from the bunches when they -come out of a ship on the carriers. After a while I noticed that he -talked good English, Creole, Spanish, French, in fact he seemed to be -able to talk with almost any of the rats that work on the fruit -steamers. After I had talked with him I asked what he did with the -bananas. He said he kept them until ripe and ate them. Later he told me -he lived on a boat as caretaker and had not seen his boss lately. -Evidently he has run out of money. He hinted that if he could get his -back wages he did not care what became of the boat. I saw him again -to-day and he says he has starved long enough, and I am going to see the -boat in the morning. It is not in the river, but is in the canal just -above the Yazoo station. And say, I've got another scheme to make all -the money we want after this matter is settled," said he, coming to his -feet as though unloosed by a steel spring. - -"What is it, Hiram?" I asked, amused. - -"Wait until I clean up a bit. Then I want you to come out with me and -watch a real hungry man eat. I have a long story, and a good scheme. -Your blood will be on my hands if you say it isn't. How much is a -thousand feet of lumber?" he called to me through the communicating -door, just after I heard his wet, muddy shoes go down like a cord of -wood on the floor. - -"A thousand feet of lumber is a thousand square feet an inch thick. In -boards a foot wide and an inch thick they would reach a thousand feet," -I explained. - -"That's what I thought, but I can't recall ever having been told." - -After seating ourselves in the restaurant, Hiram, his mind filled with -many notions, began to talk. - -"I never see a cargo of lumber go by that I don't think of it as -something immensely valuable. I don't understand it, unless--well--of -course, I can't figure out who is to blame, but do you realize I -actually don't know what business my--I mean the Gold-Beater--is in? I -never knew whether he ran a pawn-shop, a gambling-house, or a real -business; my knowledge of his activities is limited to a vague -impression I have, an indistinct memory of hearing him talk one night at -our house with some man--and he was some man, too, if the Gold-Beater -brought him home--about stumpage, stump land and market conditions. I -don't recall much, for then I was about as much interested in it as I -would now be in a divinity student's theory on Heaven and the other -place. - -"I don't know whether it's in my blood, but anyhow, a nice, newly sawed, -clean board of timber looks better to me than anything--except a certain -girl. I figured it out to-day, that she is the only one I don't want to -disgrace. The Gold-Beater has nothing better coming to him--if I have to -go to jail in the clean-up of this gang----" - -"Come to the point, Hiram. You're wandering all around Robin Hood's -barn," said I laughingly. - -"I know I'm long-winded, Ben, but I've got to speak my prologue, or you -won't understand. You know I have stood on the dock day after day and -have seen the river carry down big trees and big logs, some real -saw-logs, some days lots of them, and to-day, up the river, I saw a -great many floating along down stream. Some of the bayous are full of -them. There's a mass of logs in that moat back of Becker's smell -factory." - -"Well,--what is the answer?" I asked languidly. - -"Here's what I propose: Arrest these fugitive logs, cut 'em into lumber -and put 'em to work. I saw logs up the river that will make a thousand -feet of lumber and they tell me even rough lumber is worth fifty dollars -a thousand. It won't take many of them to amount to the hundred and -twenty-five dollars per that I'm pulling down monthly from the -railroad--eh? You know, just as soon as I get out of this I'm going to -marry, and----" - -"But they tell me those logs have been in the water so long they are -dead sea fruit, rotten in the center?" I interposed. - -"I noticed that in some of them, but many are first class--you watch me -after I get out. Do you know, I feel sure this river is going to make me -some money. I'm going to be out to-night, down on the wharf. The packet -men say that Becker's old tub, the one we met going up this -afternoon,--called the _Turgia_--and she is well named--goes up there -every afternoon and brings down a load in the night. I've got to find -out where she lands and what she brings down. I forgot to tell you he -gets dead animals from the city, in barges, and has to hire a tug to -take them up. A good chance for a deal there, if we have a boat big -enough to do his work, don't you think so?" he asked, pausing from his -food. - -"He seems to have an eye for bargains--why not in towing?" I agreed, -much impressed with his determination, amounting to a mania. - -"Now, there is another thing, Ben. Suppose this old half-starved -geezer's story is right, and they owe him a lot of wages, and the boat -is something we can use, isn't there some quick, legal way in which we -can get possession of it?" - -"He would be classed as a seaman, with wages due, and I think there is a -Federal statute to reach such a case quickly--I will find out, Hiram." - -"Do that, Ben, and if I don't show up in the morning you will know I got -knocked in the head by the water-front gang, but I'm going to see what -Becker sends down here in the night, or die in the attempt." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - - -I HAD to be up that night too, and I had not been in long before he -arrived--just before daylight. - -"Ben--Ben, awake, and get up! I've got it--I've got it--see here!" he -persisted, holding a piece of cardboard before my eyes now dazzled by -the sudden light. "Do you know what that is?" he roared, standing on -tiptoes while I gazed at it. He was more energetic and enthusiastic than -the night before, although he had not been to bed. His eyes appeared to -be a bit bloodshot. - -Raising up in bed, I took the piece of cardboard and sat blinking at it -when, all of a sudden, Hiram lost patience. - -"Damn it, Ben, can't you see what it is?--that's a piece of a ten-pound -sausage carton, and it came from Becker's place. Now then, we've got -'em," he said with suppressed voice. What he handed me was -unquestionably a part of a folding box, one of the corner locks, and a -part of the end on which there was tell-tale printing. - -"You see, this sausage that was stolen was in ten-pound boxes, and this -is part of one of them," he insisted. - -"Where did you get this, Hiram?" I finally managed to ask. - -"I had to lie on one of the wharfs upstream until after midnight when -Becker's _Turgid_ came slipping down the current, like a thief, and I -had to leg it hard to keep up with her. About a mile below she slid in -alongside a Mexican, bound for Vera Cruz, unloaded a hundred and fifteen -tubs of something--it went down on the manifest as lard, and I guess it -was grease, anyhow. On her deck there still remained five bales of -something. I wanted to know what it was. The _Turgia_ then slid -downstream to the Southern Pacific docks and unloaded there. They billed -five bales of waste paper to New York. Yes, I got the name of the -consignee--Cassinis & Cassinis, Water Street--but I wondered how Becker -collected waste paper up there in that swamp and I didn't believe it was -waste paper. It was covered with burlap and baled tight. - -"Do you see what this crafty old crook has done? He took the sausage out -of the folding boxes, which he laid out flat, then baled them carefully -and is shipping them to New York to get the best price and put such -evidence clear out of the way. Well, it cost me I don't know how many -drinks of water-front whiskey to get those watchmen in condition--there -were two of them--before I could dig into one of the bales for a sample. -I know it was tough on the watchmen, but there you are, and as sure as -shooting Becker & Co. got the stolen sausages and we've got to get -Becker before he has a chance to try to hang it on me, or some other -boob clerk. - -"Ben, are you awake? do you understand what I am saying?" he asked, -giving my shoulder a tap that made me sway as though kicked by a mule. - -"Yes, Hiram, I understand. Was there a Southern Pacific ship at the -dock?" I asked, rubbing my shoulder. - -"No--the next ship is due to-morrow, and they're always late now." - -"I believe you have something really tangible. I'll stop that shipment -this morning, but you'd better get to bed. And," I hastily added, "we -must have more than empty sausage cartons to make a case against him." - -"I know that, and there is nothing doing in the way of sleep for me -now. The old man is down at a rummy, waiting to take me up to the canal -to see that boat. If the boat looks good to me, will you come and look -it over?" he asked, getting up and walking the floor like a caged lion. - -"Yes--meet me here at noon, and in the meantime I'll try to learn -something about the matter----" But before I had time to finish he was -out of the room, going downstairs two steps at a time. - -When I told Superintendent Kitchell that morning in his office as much -as I thought good for him to know at that time, and especially about -Hiram's plans and what he had already accomplished, his face began to -glow, and he otherwise evidenced intense interest. - -"Taylor," he began, without any attempt now at inscrutability, "I would -give ten years of my life to have that robbery matter ferreted out -quickly. All the other division superintendents on the system are -laughing at me and the General Super and President are raising Hell. It -seems to me that the boy's theory as to how to round up the gang is -good, and I will help you all I possibly can. I've looked at Becker's -plant several times while passing and I think the boy is right. You -can't really get the goods on him without getting into his plant, and -that must be done by starting some kind of trade. Do you think he has -any chance of getting a boat?" - -"He will, or rather may have, something definite about that before -night." - -"I wonder----" hesitated the man of many troubles; "when I was up in -Memphis the other day I met the man in charge of the Illinois division. -He happened to mention that the state was killing whole herds of -tubercular-infected cattle there. I wonder if I couldn't get a few -carloads sent here and let the boy--Strong, did you say his name -was?--get in by boating them up to him--but you are not sure of -obtaining a boat?" - -"I feel sure we can get some kind of a boat." - -"Here is something--Ever since we entered the war Central and South -America have been revolution incubators, especially for Mexico. Some -never hatch but die in the shell, others hatch but die before they can -walk, then once in a while, out of the great number one of them grows -big enough to buy all sorts of ridiculous stuff they think they need or -want, and ship it down here. Then they get shot, macheted, put in prison -or exiled, and a lot of this stuff is never claimed, so we have to sell -it for freight charges. We've got a whole warehouse of that kind of junk -we should have disposed of long ago. Go down and look it over--anything -you can use I will see that you get it pronto. We've had about -everything except industry, virtue and honesty." - -"Wire the Illinois division regarding the slaughtered cattle, and I will -look over your unclaimed freight. I may find something----" - -"And do you think," he interrupted, sore to the bone at the thought, -"that it involves any one in the offices?" - -I hesitated, recalling that I had not mentioned either Chief Clerk -Burrell or Miss Bascom, or their conversations with Becker. "Yes--Becker -couldn't work without some one to give him information about arrivals -and keep him posted at the river." - -"Rotten--rotten!" he exploded; "just think of it, a mess like this -putrefying right under our noses and we don't get wise until they smell -it in Kansas City and Chicago. And now, Ben Taylor, while I feel sure -you are on the right track at last, and are going to make good, you seem -to be moving so maddeningly slow and deliberate." He said this with a -deep sigh from the depths of his waistband, his chubby hand fingering a -number of yellow slips used for official railroad messages and reminding -me of the mysterious one sent to Hiram about Becker & Co. receiving -freight by rail, but invariably shipping out by water. - -"But, Mr. Kitchell, haste in this matter will be fatal to final -results," I said casually. - -"Yes, perhaps--at any rate I hope that's so, but I'm so damnably worked -up over this matter that I am about wild. Then another thing, I don't -quite understand why you have so much confidence in this young Strong, -though I'll admit he shows good mettle. I recall at our first interview -you said he was well connected in the North?" said he, still glancing -nervously over the messages on his desk. - -"Hiram Strong is well connected. He has inherited a great pride and -along with it what seems to be honor. He feels keenly the onus cast upon -him in this matter, but has withal a saving sense of humor. He is -working out his own salvation and feels he is heading off an attempt to -make him the goat--to him it is simply a matter of keeping out of jail. -He has, I believe, demonstrated that he can do head work as well as leg -work, and I feel like giving him room to turn around," I insisted, -perhaps too testily. - -"I wonder if he is kin of this man Hiram Strong, who was reported this -morning as coming in on our system at Chicago in his private car. Do you -know, Taylor, I wish every private car was in hell--as though we didn't -have enough trouble already! Our passenger engines are loaded with every -pound they can keep rolling and every once in a while we get a private -car of some millionaire pork-sticker or quick-rich, who wants to come -down here to shoot ducks or some other fool thing. Do you think it is -the same man?" he demanded. - -"It might be." - -"Do you suppose the boy has got word to him, and he is coming down here -to raise the devil?" he asked, eyeing me as though I might have -something to do with it. - -"As I understand it, from the boy, he was thrown out entirely on his own -resources--disinherited--and as far as appearances go, is completely -estranged from his father." - -"Well, by Heaven, if he shows up here with a chip on his shoulder, I'm -going to turn him over to you--do you understand?--I'll turn him over to -you. You know all about it, and I've had a stomachful of educating rich -men's sons, and all the other troubles I want," he insisted, -disgustedly, as I started to go to my office. - -"I will be glad to do all I can for you, Mr. Kitchell. Let me know as -far as possible in advance." - -"I can tell you that right now. He is hooked to Number Seven, and is due -here to-morrow at 11:15, unless his old special car makes her late." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - - -SO far I had regarded Miss Bascom as one of the hundreds of others that -just chanced to take the place of the men who had been drafted from the -railroad employees. They came from everywhere, cities, villages and -rural districts, and substitutes for man-power were in such demand that -"no questions" was the rule; no disposition to "look a gift horse in the -mouth" or even to see if they had a spavin, ringbone, or inflicted with -"string halt." - -Very likely she may have written the anonymous suggestion to Hiram. I -did know that she entered the back room of a hotel with Becker and had -received his embraces and proposals, which would surely shock a maiden's -ears, but admittedly she did not drink, and she had acted with singular -astuteness. - -I knew she was flirting with Burrell, the chief clerk, and that Becker -and Burrell frequented low places together. Altogether it looked as -though she was playing a double rôle and I was not at all sure just -where I fitted into the planning going on in her head, although I'll -admit the latter was very attractive. - -At once I decided to put her to a test that would make each blonde hair -stand without support, and the opportunity came sooner than I expected. - -As the warehouse to which Superintendent Kitchell referred was not far -away, I went there before keeping my noon appointment with Hiram. It -was, as he said, a veritable graveyard of disappointed hopes and plans -gone wrong--bleached, grinning skeletons of blue-sky finance and -religio-political scheming reduced to the irreducible. They couldn't -even pay the freight to New Orleans, not to mention their Gulf and -Caribbean destinations. - -Shippers always receive money in advance for antiquated or experimental -devices from their "bone-yard" and therefore they had no further -interest. Cannon, more deadly at the breech, airships that would do -everything but fly, rifles rejected by shop inspectors, cartridges that -wouldn't explode, and so on. Threshing machines and engines, sawmills -and agricultural implements, cases of rifles and cartridges and other -war-like material in astonishing abundance--but nothing apparently for -our purpose. I did observe a big case made of two-inch lumber, heavily -iron-bound, that might contain an engine or motor, but I needed help to -reach it. - -When Hiram returned to the room, a little ahead of time, his pep and -ginger seemed to have been largely augmented. His energy appeared to -have no limit, but with it all there was a shade of disappointment, or -apprehension. He began at once about the boat. - -"_Fearsome_ is her name," said he. "She is just what we want, a dandy -for our purpose, but I'm afraid she's too big. While fitted with a -propeller and rudder, and steers from a chicken-coop up front, she has -no power. But she's a peach for size and width!" he exclaimed, with -breath no faster from running up the stairs three steps at a time. "How -the devil are we going to get something to make her go?" he added, -sitting down in front of me, holding his left knee between his hands, -and looking appealingly at me. - -"How big a boat is it?" I asked, suppressing my amusement. - -"About a hundred and fifty feet long and twenty five or thirty beam. -Not deep in the water, but she draws enough. She looks like an overgrown -canal boat. But I brought the captain along; he can tell you more; do -you want to see him? It's only a matter of getting power into her." - -"How much will it cost to get possession of her?" - -"Well, that is another thing--the captain says that it's to be auctioned -for the crew's wages. He hints that the owners may have gone to jail, or -back to the mountains to resume their legitimate business as -highwaymen." - -"Who is the captain you refer to?" - -"Captain Marianna--I told you about him. He's the caretaker, and has -been living on her--starved out, is an Italian, has a shipmaster's -license from the Government. He has it hanging in the boat. I'm sure he -will stay with us if we want him. He is downstairs now--want to see -him?" Then, coming toward me, he asked in an earnest undertone, "Can we -raise the money to put some kind of power in her? I can root out the -Becker crowd, clean my slate and then make a fortune with her if we -can," he insisted with fierce determination. - -"When is it to be sold?" I queried. - -"The time is up now--I'd say to-morrow or next day." - -"I don't know, Hiram, it will be a pretty big lump to swallow. We don't -know how high they will bid it up, but perhaps, with luck, we can manage -it." I knew he was thinking of Anna Bell Morgan, and, as a close second, -the Gold-Beater. - -The captain was undoubtedly an old salt, past middle age, looked -dependable, repeated the same story about the boat, but not within -Hiram's hearing would he tell from whence it came, or how, or why they -brought it through the canal instead of up the river, the usual way of -getting into New Orleans. However, I was doubtful about power. - -As soon as the captain had gone we started for the unclaimed freight -warehouse to investigate further. While we were on the way Hiram caught -me by the arm and, bringing his face nearly in front of mine, half -whispered: - -"Ben, I have some money--I did not spend all the Gold-Beater gave me as -my last dot. I've got the money we pried from the old captain who was -going to drown us, and I have saved my wages, but the heck of it is to -get some kind of power. No one will pay much for the boat. How about -selling that barrel? The last offer was something like seven hundred -dollars, wasn't it?" His tone was of the wheedling variety. - -"Perhaps I had forgotten to tell you, Hiram, that I have had some -favorable news about that barrel of steel-filings," said I, at the same -time giving him a gentle nudge. "But as soon as I can get in touch with -the right market I expect to get a much better offer. I don't want to -sell that just now, but I, too, have saved a little money we can use if -necessary." I then explained the possibility of finding something in the -way of a motor in the warehouse for which we were then bound, and if so, -no immediate outlay would be necessary, but of course that was only a -chance, and besides, we were not sure some fool would not bid it well -up. - -"I don't care how fast it goes, just so it can beat the river current," -he urged. "Oh, she looks tough. No one will bid much, that's certain." - -"Have you figured on the fact that this boat is in the canal, and while -only a mile from the river, you must go a long way by water to get -there?" - -"Yes, I know it is two hundred miles or more, clear out through the -Mississippi and Chandeleur Sound, but that won't take long if she can -move at all," he replied without hesitation. "You see, it is practically -inland water all the way," he added. - -"Hiram, are you still keeping away from Anna Bell Morgan? Don't you hear -from her at all?" I asked this question suddenly, as we approached the -warehouse, and the change of subject appeared to have startled him. - -"No--and, I never shall unless this matter is cleaned up completely. If -I go to the bow-wows I won't take any one with me," he said, looking far -away down the sidewalk. - -"You haven't seen her for some time. Are you cooling off?" - -"No, Ben, not one bit. That girl is the only one who has ever held me. I -don't believe there is a half hour of the time that I am awake I do not -think of her, and I believe it is the thought of her that makes me -fight. I tell you it must be no halfway business. If they try to pin -anything on me and have me arrested, which they may, some people will -always believe me guilty even if I am acquitted. And if that comes to -pass I don't believe I will ever see her again; in fact I told her so. -It is a fearful thing to think of, and while we are making headway, the -delay almost drives me wild when I stop to think about it," he said, -still downcast. - -"You'll forget--most men do." - -"Yes--I may forget--I may not be different from other men, but I don't -feel that way now, and I don't think I ever will," he replied with a -certain convincing firmness. But when we got to the warehouse, the -possibility of failure, suggested by the reference to Anna Bell Morgan, -seemed to lend strength to his body. He lifted big cases with ease and -smaller ones left his hands with a toss until we uncovered the big case -that had attracted my attention. - -A sledge broke the iron binding and I lifted one of the thick planks. -When I told Hiram it was a steam engine, and worthless to us, it was the -first time I ever heard him use voluble profanity, to which I listened, -amused. - -But in uncovering this case, bigger ones back of it were revealed. We -went at them. The next one we opened contained an antiquated automobile, -not worth the expense of packing for sea-shipment. Another case that -had just been unloaded from a car that morning promised something and -our hopes arose; it was much longer and larger than any of the others -and readily answered to the blows of the sledge. It contained the body -of an air-ship. Hiram was about to sulphurize the warehouse again but -sat down instead, wet with perspiration. - -"Ben, that infernal thing contains a gasoline motor--is it possible to -use it?" He waited expectantly for a reply. - -"Perhaps; rip off another plank so that I can see." - -Two more blows from the flying sledge sent another plank flying. - -"There you are!" he exulted. - -We were astonished to find a twelve-cylinder motor of standard -manufacture, which I thought might be used in a boat. And, of course, a -self-contained plant, ready for running. - -Hiram's spirits rose to the heights with this information and he began -his habit of cavorting like a colt, apparently forgetting the sad -disappointment of only a moment before. In many respects he was yet a -boy. - -I called Mr. Kitchell on the telephone, told him briefly about the boat -and of the motor in the air-plane. - -"Yes, take it, and anything there you can use; you know we can -requisition anything we want when necessary. Take it quick if you can -use it to get us out of this nightmare," he snapped back at me. "A -complaint from Washington has reached the president of the road, who has -passed it down the line with a stinger in every word. Both the railroad -administration and the Bureau of Animal Industry are riding on my neck -without a saddle. Go as far as you like, only hurry." - - - - -CHAPTER XX - - -HIRAM suggested that he and the captain would get the motor out on the -floor and test it in order to make sure that another crooked -revolutionist had not met a crooked manufacturer. - -While they were doing this I went to my office to get a better line on -the traffic between that very interesting trio--Becker, Burrell and my -clerk, Miss Bascom. - -Captain Marianna helped Hiram, so they soon had the motor on skids, and -'phoned me to come down and try it out. The working test was -satisfactory and after computing its horsepower, we decided it would -drive the boat, and, possibly, at a fair speed. Before leaving the -warehouse Hiram called my attention to a small portable sawmill outfit. - -"If this works out, that's mine, too," he whispered, evidently still -clinging to the idea of capturing logs in the river. - -Hiram was right, nothing like the hull of the _Fearsome_ had ever been -produced before. A hundred and fifty feet long, and over thirty foot -beam, and with a bulwark not more than a foot high about the entire -outside. It looked like an immense skimming dish. Hiram thought it came -from the canals of Mars, possibly a cup challenger there. Captain -Marianna assured us, though she didn't look it now, she was very sturdy -and seaworthy and she did not leak even a little since he had been on -her. No doubt it had previously had gasoline power in it, for there were -left intact the foundation beams. Hiram said that the captain, now -penniless and almost starving, if given some cash and a good job, would -likely be distinctly different from now on. I told him I thought the -fellow was a fair bet, and left them at work getting the motor ready to -move on board. The captain assured me the sale was to take place at nine -the next morning. No one had been around to see it and I felt sure it -would go for very little. - -As I was up all night I did not see Hiram until the next morning. The -sale looked as though it had been arranged for our benefit. The officer -said the claims were nearly a thousand dollars, sold it promptly for -that bid, got away as though in a hurry, and I attended to the details, -leaving Hiram serious but jubilant. - -It was late that night when he returned, tired and hungry but -enthusiastic. He took little interest in a letter awaiting him until he -told me all about his progress in moving the motor and getting it aboard -the boat. - -"We got the motor aboard late this evening and it fits as if made for -the foundation beams, and it will connect with the propeller shaft and -clutch with little trouble. But, say, the captain says we must have an -air compressor for the whistle and an auxiliary gasoline tank,--and, -say," he continued, while stripping down to wash--"I believe the captain -is going to prove a jewel--he's all right." - -"You still think him reliable?" - -"Well, if he is as loyal to us as he was to his old employers he will be -all right--and willing to turn his hand to anything." - -"Did you see the letter that came for you?" - -"Yes, I'm going to read it in a minute--it's nothing, for I don't know -any one who would write to me. I've got something more important to do -now than keeping up a line of correspondence," he said, as he finished -his ablutions and buttoned his flannel shirt at the collar. Then he -reached for the letter and as he opened it his face changed to -astonished resentment. - -"Say, who the devil can it be that is writing me these notes? This is -the second one I have received, not dated or signed by any one. I don't -understand this one at all," he added, handing it to me. - -I took it and read from the same yellow paper and typed as the last one -had been: - - "Becker & Co. know of the Railroad's plan to ship slaughtered - cattle from Illinois to their plant." - -His astonishment was no greater than mine, for instantly I knew that -only some one connected with the railroad and telegraph could learn -anything regarding Superintendent Kitchell's plan. I also recalled that -I had not mentioned anything about the plan to Hiram, or any other -important thing concerning the case. I wanted him to move uninfluenced -by anything I knew or suspected. - -After examining the note critically a few moments, I said: - -"Hiram, these notes may come from a woman--they have such earmarks. Do -you know--have you anything to do with a woman?" I asked, really alarmed -at the moment, and scrutinizing him closely. - -Hiram stood straight before me and looked me square in the eye with -magnificent candor. - -"Ben, I have scarcely a speaking acquaintance with any woman in New -Orleans except Anna Bell Morgan--and I have not seen her or communicated -with her since--well, you know how long--ever since this damned thing -came up like a black fog from Hades, out of which it seems impossible to -get--and----" - -"The plan of getting into Becker's plant is yours. I mentioned it to -Superintendent Kitchell. Getting some slaughtered tubercular cattle from -Illinois is Kitchell's idea. He wired or wrote, or both, from his office -and this is the result. Somebody inside, sure--somebody for them and -somebody for you--who is it, Hiram?" I ended by demanding of him to -speak only the truth. - -"I haven't mentioned one word to a soul other than you," he stoutly -insisted, his face as open as a printed page. - -"Have you mentioned your boat scheme to any one?" I asked, fearful of -the incaution of youth. - -"Not a person knows of it from me but you and Captain Marianna, and he -doesn't know much yet. But this is absolute evidence our finger is on -the right spot," he observed shrewdly, then added, less -confidently--"they must have some organization." - -"Go ahead, Hiram, I still think your boat scheme a very good one, but be -very discreet and see if you can think of any one who would send these -notes to you," I added darkly, much puzzled and annoyed. - -"He is building and must have lumber--he'll fall for some cheap stuff -and the river is full of logs--and it's perfectly feasible to saw -them----" - -"Maybe so, Hiram--provided he doesn't keep on knowing what we have for -breakfast. I will learn more in a day or two--go ahead as fast as you -can about getting ready, but again I ask you to have an interrogation -point in front of you all the time." - -"Ben"--he began, walking about the room nervously, as though he felt his -soul in danger--righteously angered, but as one who showed real -bigness--"I am convinced that they have power enough, so that when they -get ready they can for a time make me the goat. I was in sole charge of -that wharf when the big thefts were pulled off; what would be easier -than to link me up with some poor teamster and send the two of us to -slaughter, and even by arrest plant an imputation that could be cited -against me all my life? I could take this Becker and tear his purple -tallow person into bits with my bare hands and throw the pieces into his -own rendering tanks with pleasure!" he shouted, and he looked as though -he could do it. - -"Yes, Hiram, that possibility is present, but perhaps you magnify it." -Then believing his efficiency would be augmented by a little less fear, -I told him, for the first time, that the provision market was flooded -with spurious goods bearing a genuine government stamp as having been -inspected and passed, and that on this night I was going with a Federal -party in a move against Becker for that. - -"What are you going to do?" he asked quickly. - -"Locate him as soon as he leaves his New Orleans office, then a safe -expert, employed by the government in alien-enemy work, will open his -safe for evidence, and possibly will find the stolen seals, stamps, and -ink of the Department of Animal Industry." - -"I have figured the case in just that way and supposed you had, and that -is why we must get inside his plant. Opening his safe may help--finding -the seals don't prove the larceny--suppose they should secrete those -seals about the wharf, or worse still, put them inside, or under my -desk, in the wharf office, what chance would I have to escape the -implication?" he asked, still walking about the room looking at the -floor. - -"A dog having the bone will not prove he stole the ham," I suggested. - -"But that won't save the dog's ribs when he's found with it," he -retorted, relaxing. - -"It is true, Hiram, their organization must begin in Kansas City--and is -pretty well oiled--but perhaps not as efficient as you imagine; crooks -always forget something with a certainty that suggests fatality." - -"Let us hope so. But these notes--what makes you think they are from a -woman?" He stopped and looked squarely at me. "I don't like it," he -finished with a snap of his jaws. - -"My reason just now is scarcely more than an impression, hardly more -than 'because,'" I replied. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - - -THAT night at dinner I asked Hiram how much he knew about gasoline -engines, and he looked up at me sharply. - -"Not very much; very little, in fact. The Gold-Beater gave me a car -once--a pretty good one--and I was learning about motors fairly fast -when something happened. I knew motors needed water, oil and gasoline, -and that when I did certain things it went, and sometimes it moved -pretty fast. That was the trouble--I met a bigger car and we both went -over in a man's front yard. I lost two wheels and other things--I never -saw it again. The Gold-Beater and the insurance company settled somehow. - -"Do you know," he continued after a pause, "I don't blame the -Gold-Beater much--two thousand was my share for putting an innocent -pedestrian in the park on the bad side--I wonder he didn't get the -marble heart sooner." As he said this his lips curled with -self-criticism. - -"How soon will you have the motor ready to start? I am going to be very -busy to-morrow. Can you and the captain manage to start it alone?" - -"To-morrow at noon we will have everything ready for a try-out and if I -don't feel safe we will not attempt to start without you. Don't want to -take any chances; there's too much at stake," he insisted with rare -judgment. - -"Everything is fair in love and war," is the libertine's comfort in the -case of a love contest--and in war it depends on the kind of an enemy we -have. In this war any means of obtaining evidence against our enemy was -justified. That was my firm belief. That night Becker & Co.'s office was -entered as planned and his safe opened. While there was plenty of -evidence that he was trading illicitly and with the enemy, I was -disappointed in finding no evidence of his thieving propensity, except a -letter he had received that day from the captain of a Swedish ship, -_Sparticide_, then in port, who in poor English explained that he had -"received the sample and thought it would do, though the price was -altogether too high. If he would pack in half barrels and deliver as -suggested, he would take the lot for cash, delivered alongside." - -This letter was carefully copied and replaced. - -When I reached home just before daylight, Hiram, Jr., was fast asleep, -but when I awakened later in the day he had gone. - -I spent the greater part of the morning getting the five bales of waste -paper that had been unloaded from Becker's boat on the steamship docks, -into a private fireproof room in the storage warehouse where we had our -barrel of "steel filings" stored, and secured an affidavit from the -steamship company that they were received from Becker & Co. - -When I found leisure to examine them, I drew samples from each bale and -carefully estimated the number, finding they checked up with the amount -of filled sausage cartons stolen from the car. - -Before leaving the warehouse I had our barrel put into the same room and -secured it with a special Government padlock. Recent correspondence had -developed that it contained a very rare German aniline dye, which -American manufacturers had as yet been unable to produce, and offers for -it had risen to such a fabulous sum I was afraid to tell Hiram about it -for the present. - -When I reached my office, my clerk, Miss Bascom, was out to luncheon, -but I had not been there long before Superintendent Kitchell came in and -formally introduced Mr. Hiram Strong, Sr., whom he had mentioned as -being in transit over the system in his private car, and asked me to -extend any possible courtesy, after which he bowed himself out -obsequiously. - -I knew I was in the presence of a man. He was tall and his full chest -and very broad shoulders impressed me as they had impressed Hiram. His -hair was iron gray and his very hat seemed to be made to order for him. -His eyes appeared to penetrate without effort the object on which they -turned, and one knew instinctively that he could and would note any -discrepancy between what a person thought and what he uttered. - -I saw at once how Hiram, Jr., had come by his nose piece, also his fine, -clear skin and chiseled mouth. - -Superintendent Kitchell, contrary to his boast, had told him all he knew -about Hiram, Jr. He did not seem to want to hear more from me, but did -want some information about getting down the river to the Hunting Club, -where he was going to shoot ducks. - -"I left New York supposing I could dispense with my secretary for a few -weeks anyhow, but in that I am disappointed. Would it be too much -trouble to obtain a stenographer to write some letters for me?" - -Hiram Strong, Sr., like his son, was one to whom anything within reason -could not be refused. - -"Such talent is very scarce in New Orleans now, but if you can manage -with my clerk, Miss Bascom, who is fairly efficient, you are welcome to -her services--if she does not object," was the only thing I could say. - -"I think she will do; in fact, almost any one," he assured me. - -But somehow I felt that I was doing the wrong thing, for it suddenly -occurred to me that Miss Bascom's attitude or position was so clouded -and mysterious that, until I knew more, I should not trust her with -anything important. But Hiram Strong, Sr., was not a man to be refused. - -When Miss Bascom came in I introduced her and was about to explain what -was wanted, when I stopped in amazement. The moment I mentioned the name -"Mr. Strong" her face became white as marble, she raised her hand as -though to advance and greet him, but it fell and she stood as though -petrified, while I explained what he desired. - -"I--I hope I will be able to serve you," she managed to say, while she -gazed fixedly at him. I could not guess whether it was fear or other -excitement. - -"My work is simple correspondence, and I am sure you will be able to -manage it," he replied assuringly, and I was not certain whether he was -admiring her quail-like figure and unusually pretty face, or, like -myself, was trying to divine the unusual excitement under the light -bronze hair. - -"I will do my best," she managed to say, beginning to edge away toward -her desk by the window. - -"Would it be asking too much for you to come out to the car? It is just -under the train shed." - -"Not at all, with Mr. Taylor's permission," she replied quickly, in a -more natural tone. I nodded approval without looking at her, but did not -relax my endeavor to see if Hiram Strong, Sr., had missed anything and -decided he had not. He was not of that sort. - -She went to her desk, obtained notebook and pencils, and stood -expectantly looking out of the window as though steeling herself for an -ordeal. - -"I will undoubtedly see you again before I go, Mr. Taylor--I hope I will -not greatly inconvenience you by taking away your clerk," he added -suavely, going to the door and opening it as a sign for her to go with -him. - -"Anything more I can do for you will be a pleasure, Mr. Strong," I said, -meeting his eye and getting a full message from him. - -After they were gone I remained at my desk endeavoring to reach a -logical conclusion as to the attitude of this girl, who, at that moment, -I was ready to pronounce "infernal," probably because she had so far -baffled me. It is true I had not given her any serious attention; -perhaps I should have done so. I reviewed in my mind her traffic with -Becker and the chief clerk, Burrell, and the fact that I was quite -positive she was the author of the anonymous notes to Hiram. I decided -to put a rod in pickle for her, at once. - -I asked that her movements be accounted for every hour, and something -positive be dug up concerning her antecedents, as soon as I reached the -Department office, which precaution was rewarded sooner than expected. - -The remainder of the afternoon was spent in securing an auxiliary -gasoline tank and an air-compressor, which Hiram, Jr., had said he must -have to complete his running outfit. - -"Old man," he began, as soon as he came in that evening, looking as -dirty and disreputable as a longshoreman, "we have a dandy outfit--the -captain says we can run away from anything. You've got the tank and -air-pump? Fine, old man, we will soon kill off Becker and the whole -crowd. All we need now is that saw-mill in the 'Dead Hoss' warehouse, -and we are ready." He finished with great enthusiasm, stripping his -upper body for a complete clean-up before eating dinner. - -"Did you start the engine, Hiram?" - -"No, but we are all ready. The captain wanted to, but I thought we'd -better wait for you. You've got to go out there the first thing in the -morning,--you can do that, can't you?" - -"Yes, maybe--but don't you think we had better give it a pretty good -try-out before we put anything more into her?--she might prove a -flivver." - -"Never on your life--she's going to run like a wolf--but maybe you are -right about giving her a good trial--suppose we bring her around into -the river?--that ought to be trial enough," he concluded, coming close -and displaying a wonderfully well developed torso that with age would be -as broad as his father's, which I had been admiring but a short time -before. For a moment I speculated on how he would feel if he knew that -his father was in New Orleans at that moment and that I had been talking -with him. - -"Wake up, Ben; you seem to be dreaming. Did you hear what I said?" he -insisted, making me dodge to escape a whack on the back. - -"I believe you said it was over two hundred miles through Ponchertrain -around into the river?" - -"Yes, over two hundred miles by water, but by land, right through the -city, only about a mile. But we've got to get into the river." - -"Yes, if she will go two hundred miles she will go any distance." - -"All right; I'm going to pack up to-night and move aboard to stay until -Becker and his crew are all in limbo headed for the penitentiary--do you -hear me, Ben?" - -I heard what he said, but was lost in considering plans which at that -moment required radical change, and must be done with tact and judgment. - -Hiram became thoughtful and remained so throughout dinner, and as soon -as we returned he began, without further comment, to get his belongings -together and ready for transfer to the _Fearsome_, fully convinced that -his abode there would last for a long time. - -I remained in the attitude of the "immortal," who waited for something -to turn up, and I did not have long to wait. - -A messenger came with two rather startling bits of information; the -_Sparticide_, the Swedish ship, had asked for her papers and wanted to -clear at five the next morning, and the more mystifying knowledge--even -to me--that my clerk, Miss Bascom, had arrived at that moment at the St. -Charles hotel and was dining there with a distinguished stranger. Would -I also check up the stranger? - -Both situations needed immediate attention and I could not be in two -places at the same time. I called Hiram, Jr., from the room where he was -busily packing. - -"Hiram, come here and sit down long enough for me to funnel a bit of -instruction into your think tank," said I, recalling that I had not -mentioned the _Sparticide_ matter to him. - -He came and sat down in front of me, the corners of his mouth slightly -elevated, folded his hands in front of him and waited in a slightly -humorous and bored attitude for some inkling of what he was about to -draw. - -"Hiram, a Swedish ship, bound for Stockholm, is in the stream on the -other side, just below Algiers, and is asking to be cleared to-morrow -morning at five. It is thought she has, or will have to-night, a -considerable quantity of Becker & Co.'s product on board. Foodstuffs of -any sort to Sweden are forbidden, and if taken are contraband. His -clearance papers are blocked until we are satisfied. Principally, what -we want now is a liberal sample of what they take aboard from Becker. -You will be there in an unofficial capacity, so use discretion, but get -the samples. Here is a copy of the captain's letter closing the deal." - -I had not half finished when his eyes began to glitter and dance as -though they might jump from their sockets, and I had barely completed my -instructions when he grabbed the letter, threw on his coat and bounded -down the stairs three steps at a time. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - - -THOSE who say that any man will naturally fall for a pretty young woman -are pessimistic. Age, unspoiled, will crave association with youth, but -a young man will quite adequately fill the bill. - -When I reached the hotel I had no trouble in finding Hiram Strong, Sr., -the Gold-Beater, in a forest of millinery and subdued lights of the -hotel dining-room. He was the most prominent figure in the big room, and -sitting opposite him was my clerk, Miss Bascom. - -He was not a victim or an intended one--a lion who, with playful stroke, -could crush the beautiful flower in front of him. His lids would narrow -occasionally with intense interest or curiosity. I could not get close -enough to hear what was said, but she was quite voluble. I had no -immediate interest in him; he was fully able to care for himself, but my -interest in her was intensified. It seemed to me that I could see on her -beautiful shoulders, now bared in dinner garb, the mark of the huge, -pudgy, filthy hand of Becker, in gross caress. The brand of suspicion -was upon her the moment she had come into contact with him, when he -pressed her to his vile self, and her lips were violated by contact with -his lumpy, purple, filthy mouth as he kissed her. Could her ears ever be -maidenly again after listening to his vile proposals? - -I was not at all sure of her relations with Chief Clerk Burrell, but I -felt sure there was an understanding; nor could I account for her -anonymous notes to Hiram, Jr. But here she sat comfortably dining with -his father after six or eight hours' acquaintance, all of which was most -disconcerting. - -Truly a remarkable young woman, whatever her impelling motive, was my -thought. I felt that the time was fast approaching when I could compel -her to hold up her last page for me to read. - -At a reasonable hour the Gold-Beater put her into a cab and sent her -home. I hurried back to our rooms expecting to hear from Hiram, Jr. His -mission was most difficult and important--would he be successful? - -There was no mistaking his bounding step on the stairs, some time after -eleven, and I was not surprised when he grabbed my foot and dragged me -from the bed where I was dozing. - -"Get up, Ben; I've got it--the Swede was a hard nut to crack, but I made -him open up--I've got a whole barrel full downstairs.--It's the stuff we -want, all right--come on and see it!" he exclaimed, greatly excited, but -suppressing himself with discretion. - -"Are you sure?" I asked, barely awake. - -"Of course, I'm sure--come on down and see it--I wouldn't take his word -for anything. I made him open up before he lowered it into my boat. He -tried to play innocent--jockeyed for some time, but I finally showed him -the copy of his letter and flatly told him, 'No sample, no sail, also -jail and his ship interned.' A half barrel of that stuff is heavy and I -had the devil of a time getting it out of the boat onto the levee. Then -I got hold of Billy Swope's taxi--he's safe--I've known him about the -docks for a long time. Where are we going to put it at this time of -night? Come on--wake up--you act as if you'd been taking dope," he -hissed, coming threateningly toward me, playful but intensely excited. - -"As a matter of fact I was planning, Hiram----Leave it in the cab--go -down and tell the driver he is engaged for the night." - -When Hiram came back to the room he saw me taking two full-sized cartons -from my drawer and asked with great excitement, "Where did you get -them?" - -"From those five bales of waste-paper you saw come off of Becker's boat -onto the S. P. wharf: didn't I tell you about it?" I asked, knowing I -had not told him and that there was still a great deal more I could not -tell him for the present. - -It took us a long time to locate the agent of the packing-house. The -time seemed interminable before we could rout him out of bed to identify -the goods as those that were stolen, but as soon as he knew what we -wanted he was very much awake and ready for all requirements. - -He came out to the cab, drew a liberal sample from the barrel setting on -end beside the driver, took it to the light, felt of it, tasted it raw, -but before pronouncing it solemnly and unqualifiedly theirs, he cooked -and tasted it. We then made him accompany us down to his plant, unlock -his cold storage house and there we left the barrel in his charge to -preserve as evidence, after I had filled a full carton for further use -that night. - -We then drove back to the rooms where I had left Hiram to finish his -preparations for going aboard the _Fearsome_. - -"By Heaven, one man now knows I didn't steal--and the rest of them have -got to know before we get through," said Hiram, wringing my hand before -I left him in order to drive to Superintendent Kitchell's residence and -give him a bad half hour. - -Mr. Kitchell grumbled at first, but when he learned my mission he, too, -was jubilant and unstinting in his praise. I had exhibited the full -carton of sausage and told him as much as I thought necessary. - -"We can have warrants issued at once, can't we?" he asked. - -"No--no, not yet--the most important work is yet to be done. The -evidence we now have would only convict Becker & Co. of receiving stolen -property. How they were able to replace the Government, the railroad and -the packer's seals on the car must be answered before we prove larceny. -Young Strong's idea of getting into their plant is the best, and we are -ready to try it." - -"Of course, you know best--we want to stop it for good and all by -sending every one to the Pen. Taylor, have you made up your mind as to -whom it is in our office that is working with them?" he inquired -guardedly, wrapping his bathrobe about his shins. - -"Yes--pretty sure--but----" - -"Well, as I said, you know best--whatever you say goes a hundred per -cent with me now--what do you want?" his bald spot taking on a deeper -red. - -"Discontinue my office and give out freely that any further effort in -the case has been abandoned as a failure. Besides, the robberies have -stopped now. I am going with young Strong to try and get into their -plant, and hope to secure the rest of the necessary evidence in that -way." - -"Good idea; I will do what you ask to-day." - -"One thing more, Mr. Kitchell, it seems necessary, in fact extremely -important for me not to lose sight of my clerk, Miss Bascom----" - -"I understand--I can attend to that easily," he assented, as I left him -to spend the remainder of the morning getting ready to board the -_Fearsome_. - -Hiram, Jr., was silent most of the time, but moved with such energy and -determination that the thought of failure was terrifying. In fact, I -began to feel almost as though I was getting on thin ice. - -So much depended on the new motor and many other sailing details -impossible to think of at the time. - -Captain Marianna only claimed to be a navigator, but he displayed -considerable knowledge about gasoline motors. He had attended to the -many details and was waiting for us with a confidence that was -reassuring. - -After breakfast aboard, we all took a hand in starting the motor. - -"It runs as though made for the job," exclaimed Hiram, hardly able to -contain himself. He had not shaved for several days and with dirty -working clothes he looked indeed a longshoreman, but was oblivious to -the fact. - -When the motor had run long enough to get warm I told him to throw in -the clutch that started the propeller, which he did without skill and so -suddenly that the _Fearsome_ took up the slack of her lines and before -I could stop the motor or get to the clutch she snapped them and was -free from the wharf. - -Hiram realized he had blundered from inexperience and his face flushed. - -"Ben, will that hold us up? It was a devil of a thing for me to do," he -said, catching my arm, greatly alarmed. - -"Captain, have you plenty of line aboard?" I called. - -"Yes, plenty," he assured. - -"Let's give her a few turns and if she moves all right we'll head for -the entrance of the lake." - -"I think we're safe in that," he replied, and Hiram's look changed to -one of confidence at once, evidently concluding his first blunder was -not fatal to the enterprise in which his whole soul was wrapped. - -The captain took the wheel, while I gave the motor half speed and Hiram -stood in wonder, watching as we moved swiftly up the canal, and when -clear of it I gave the motor full speed and the captain without more ado -squared away towards Mississippi Sound, the gulf to New Orleans on the -river. - -"She runs like a _greyhound_," Hiram said, after watching her go at full -speed for a short time. "How fast is she running?" he asked, apparently -forgetting his first disappointment, and consumed with a fierce -satisfaction that his complete vindication and success was at hand. - -"Perhaps eight or ten knots," I replied evasively. As a matter of fact -we were going over twelve and I had to stand over the new motor with oil -can and grease bucket, so I paid no more attention to him. - -We got out into the sound before noon. It is unwise to run a new motor -too far without stopping, so I advised that we make a port and appealed -to the captain. - -"We can make Gulfport in a short time," he replied, to which we all -assented and he changed his course. When we got there a most unlooked -for incident occurred. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - - -WAS the Gold-Beater's luck going to attend his very vigorous and now -virile son? There is no such thing as luck; follow the smoke of the -so-called "lucky" and we soon conclude that they earn what they get by -sheer force of intense action. - -The captain had hardly reached the Gulfport dock before he was -approached to take on a cargo for New Orleans. Lumber was piled -everywhere, with no bottoms to move it to New Orleans. - -The captain referred them to Hiram, Jr., as the owner. He talked with -them, then the three of us went below. We were bound for New Orleans; -could we take a cargo of lumber? - -Hiram's eyes danced and glistened with the possibilities. - -"Ben, you know about our power; and you, captain, know how seaworthy she -will be." He wisely interrogated both of us at the same time, looking -from one to the other. - -"What do you think about the power, Ben?" - -"I think she will handle a load," I replied vaguely, and added, "for a -thrown-together, patched-up affair, she performs wonderfully." - -Hiram looked at Captain Marianna, as a man born to lead. He wanted that -officer's opinion. - -"Well," hesitated the captain, "I believe she is seaworthy and if you -can get a load of timber we can fill the hold and even take a deck load. -Timber loads and discharges quickly. Our course, nearly all the way is -protected, and if a blow comes we can easily find shelter," he concluded -with suppressed eagerness. - -"That's all right, but how about time? I don't want to lose a lot of -time. We didn't start in to carry freight," said Hiram with -determination. - -"Go and see how soon they can load and be careful to settle the freight -rate," suggested the captain. Hiram sprang to the deck. His mind seemed -to be working like a trip hammer. - -"Ben, can they do that?" he asked excitedly when he returned; but before -I could reply he continued: "do you know, they threatened to commandeer -our craft if we don't take timber to New Orleans. It's for Government -work--can they do that?" - -"Yes, they can." - -"And they say we have nothing to say about the freight rate--that is -fixed," he said, his eyes wide and keen with wonder at the new situation -into which he had so suddenly plunged. - -"The freight rate will no doubt be liberal enough," I suggested. - -"Then we might just as well get the credit of doing it willingly," he -wisely concluded, and was away again. - -In less than half an hour we moved up about a thousand feet, and all the -men available were busy crowding timber into the _Fearsome_, continuing -the work far into the night. The captain looked after the stowage and I -was busy getting an emergency supply of gasoline, oil and sundry -necessary supplies. Hiram provisioned and attended to other details. He -was in an element natural to him and seemed to forget everything else. -By daylight the next morning we had the hold full and a deck-load six -feet high. In fact, the _Fearsome_ looked like a floating, sawed timber -raft, bound and tied together with log chains. - -After breakfast as we were feeling our way out of the river into the -sound, Hiram came down very soberly to where I was attending to the -engine. He was evidently well pleased. Hands that but a short while ago -were manicured twice a week were now broadened, manly, brown and -grease-stained. - -"Don't you think we are short-handed?" he asked. "I tried to get some -one but couldn't. I hate to have you stand by that motor long hours at a -time. Perhaps I can help?" - -"If the weather is good we ought to make the mouth of the river by -night, anchor there, get some sleep and complete the journey to New -Orleans to-morrow in daylight." - -"Ben! do you mean to say we can make New Orleans in two days?" he asked -in open-eyed wonder. - -"If we don't get bad weather." - -"Say, do you think I am awake--pinch me--take something and hit me on -the head to be sure I am not astraddle a 'Night-Hoss,'" he suggested, -pulling himself up on the head of one of the galvanized barrels of -emergency gasoline near me, holding his head between his hands to keep -his nerves from running away with him. - -I looked at him and smiled but did not reply. - -"Do you know we have two thousand dollars' worth of freight here, and -you say we can get into New Orleans in two days? I must be dreaming." - -"But have you figured all the expenses--bar pilotage--river pilotage, -dockage and everything?" - -"No--not all--but it can't possibly be five hundred dollars; and we can -make the round trip in a week. Fifteen hundred dollars a week, Ben; and -they say they have enough timber to be moved to keep us going for a -year! Ben, I'm dreaming--a coke-eater's dream--and if it wasn't for that -infernal Becker matter, how we could clean up!" He charged about -savagely as though he had drunk mixed liquor and cocaine. - -"You were up all last night; better get some sleep," I suggested. - -"Yes, I haven't had a real night's sleep for a long time," he added, -with a note of sadness, "and I don't want any yet." - -Elated with success, the Becker matter was emphasized as a knife in his -heart, and it was keeping him away from Anna Bell Morgan. Success has a -way of trying men's hearts in the most unexpected manner. - -We made the river as calculated and on the second morning were fast to -the dock and the much needed timber going off as fast as it went on. -Although busy and most of the time reticent, Hiram, Jr., never failed to -call my attention to the numerous logs and floating trees in the river, -which he insisted would make good lumber, and just for the taking. I -hurried to our rooms as soon as possible to get my mail. - -There I found several notes of different dates from a man from New York -then in New Orleans and waiting to see me about something very -important. Entirely in the dark as to what he wanted, I arranged by -telephone and met him at once at the Monteleon Hotel. I was disgusted. -Great effort, loss of sleep and singleness of purpose to help Hiram, by -cleaning up the case, made the business world appear as the full glare -of a searchlight to eyes accustomed to thick darkness. It was about the -barrel--he said he had come down from New York about it and exhibited -one of the samples I had sent there. Bluntly, he said: - -"We want the stuff and want you to put a price on it." - -"But I don't want to be bothered about that stuff now." The fellow's -lack of tact half angered me; his nervous eagerness undoubtedly whetted -by his days of waiting for me did not fit in with my mood. - -"Well--we need that color badly on Government fabric orders and if you -refuse to put a price on it we may have to find another way," he said, -with deliberation which, engrossed as I was, insulted me. His New -England drawl grated on me somehow. - -"Oh, if that is all you want, I'll name a price--you can have it for a -hundred dollars a pound," I said, rising. I knew I was needed back on -the _Fearsome_ as soon as possible. - -"Do you know that the pre-war price of that color was about seventy-five -cents?" he quietly asked me. - -"I don't know what the pre-war price was, but that is our price now," I -said, walking away abruptly. I felt that I had much more important -matters to consider then, and hurried down to the wharf where I supposed -the _Fearsome_ was being speedily unloaded. - -Before I got within a thousand feet of where the _Fearsome_ was I knew -something was wrong. The boat was gone; Hiram Strong, Jr., sat on the -end of a pile holding his head between both hands, and as I came still -nearer I noted there was between Hiram's hands and head a paper folded -like a legal document. - -I had lately found myself wondering how Hiram, Jr., would behave when -Dame Fortune landed her knuckles between his eyes with a staggering -blow. I knew it had to come. I had become so attached to him that I -dreaded it as one dreads to see a lovable child punished, though to its -manifest advantage. - -He did not say a word or move until I came up to him. There was -something of a sneer and a contemptuous curl in his face when I looked -the question I hesitated to ask. He sneered openly at the Jinx that had -come to harass him. - -"Well, Ben, I guess we have made the fatal mistake of underestimating -the resources of our enemies--they've got us." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - - -HIRAM still retained his nerve, but his anger and disappointment had -become stolid as he handed me the paper and pointed to the _Fearsome_ -across the river--the tug still alongside. - -I stood before him, astonished and silent, hastily examining the paper. -It was an injunction the court had issued, restraining him from -interfering with the lawful owners of the boat _Fearsome_, of which he -had obtained possession by an irregular and fraudulent sale. - -"The officer has just left," Hiram volunteered. "The captain and I were -on the dock checking up when the tug came alongside. I thought nothing -until they slipped our lines and she was away before I could walk twenty -feet," he said, letting his foot drop to the dock despondently. - -"Ben, I thought we had a right--she was sold for crew's wages. We had -nothing to do with that. We only bid her in," he began, but with no note -of censure, although I had attended to that detail. - -"We have to know that." - -"And has any one the right to take her--isn't that stealing?" he asked, -suppressing his fierceness. - -"They have her now in their possession and you are enjoined by the court -from interfering," I said, half to myself, trying to think if I had -heard of any hint of this procedure. - -"Ben, do you suppose it is the Becker crowd--have they got wind of our -plan, and are they doing this?" he asked, with wonderful -self-possession. - -"It may be, Hiram, but I doubt it--I am afraid the owners have shown up -and are trying to regain their property in this way, alleging an -irregular sale. They had to make some such showing to get the -injunction." - -"What can we do?" he snapped at me, as though becoming incensed at my -deliberation. - -"My boy--when passing amid rocks the captain must----" - -"I beg your pardon, Ben--you can understand," he said quickly. - -"Whether they are right or wrong to fight the courts means months' and -perhaps years' delay--the only thing possible is to compromise." - -"We must eat out of their hand Ben?" he started to heat up anew. We -were so intent that we did not notice the approach of a quiet, -middle-aged man who asked very politely for "Mr. Strong." - -"Mr. Strong, I come from the office of the plaintiffs' attorneys. They -have decided that they do not wish to interfere with the unloading of -freight for the Government, and we will bring the _Fearsome_ alongside -and let the cargo be discharged, provided you or the captain do not go -aboard her--that is, not to attempt to dispute our possession." - -"I was wondering how they were going to get away with that," Hiram -jerked out impulsively. - -"No, sir--we don't want to interfere that way--and more, Mr. Strong, I -am to say that if you will come to our office possibly something can be -arranged." - -Then it was that impulsive youth and inexperience burst out, and while I -was glad to hear him say it, I knew it was indiscreet. It was perhaps -just what the Gold-Beater would have said at his age, and, in his -present power, likely to do so now: - -"You can tell the attorneys for the plaintiffs to go to hell," he said, -springing to his feet. "This is plain stealing and there's a -penitentiary for them. No--we won't go aboard; that timber must come -ashore," and he posted off to get the crew of longshoremen to work at -unloading again. - -The quiet, polite man from the attorneys' office remarked to me: "The -young man shows considerable mettle. If you are interested you had -better come down to the office," handing me the firm's card and -departing. - -In another half-hour the _Fearsome_ was in full mourning, black -longshoremen swarming over it and the edge of the dock, but the tug -remained lashed alongside. The long timber, sawed ten by ten and twelve -by twelve, seemed to have some means of locomotion as though anxious to -get on the wharf. I could see Hiram had a way of getting things done. - -During this time I sat on the end of the pile where I had found him and -watched the operation, thinking that my job was getting rather -strenuous. I was as completely in the dark as to this last move as was -Hiram. - -Presently he came over to me. He had evidently been both working and -thinking hard. - -"Say, do you still think this move is made by the owners to get value -for their property, or is it a rascally deal to block us?" he asked -doggedly. - -"I don't know--it may be one or the other, or even both--anyhow it's our -next move." - -Hiram rubbed his stubbly chin with one hand and then the other, and -looked at the _Fearsome_ as though in some way it had become a part of -him. - -"Somehow I feel it is the owners--perhaps this is the only way they -could proceed--of course, she is worth twenty times what we paid--if it -is, they ought to be reasonable. The _Fearsome_ lying out there rotting, -without power, and the _Fearsome_ with power and at work, is very -different, but they may rightfully expect more than the crew's back -wages." - -I nodded assent, wondering where his line of reasoning would lead. - -"Now it may be only money they want--as soon as this load is out of her -we can collect two thousand freight--and, Ben--you--you have not said -anything lately about that barrel--is it possible to sell that now? -Whatever it will bring will come in handy to get time enough to pay -this claim--there's lots of timber up there and they want it moved. If -we can get enough help I believe we can make two trips a week instead of -one. Three thousand a week will soon wipe them out--and sooner or later -we've got to pay the railroad for that motor." - -"But, Hiram, what about Becker & Co.? We started out to get into their -place and we must not lose sight of that now." - -"I know--I know--but if these men mean to be fair they must allow us -time. Ben, you are a better diplomat; go down and see these attorneys." - -"All right, I'll go at once--also I'll see what I can do with the barrel -of _steel filings_," I said, rising with a smile, and digging him in the -ribs jokingly--he was in good humor now. But it occurred to me that in -my shabby treatment of the prospective buyer I had been as indiscreet as -Hiram when he invited the attorneys to brimstone land, whereas they -possibly meant well enough. - -Hiram did not smile, but I was sure he felt a little relieved at my -attitude when I left, intending to hunt up my caller from New York, who -emphasized the first syllable of Bos'ton as though born to the manner -of speech used in that great eastern port. - -On my way back to the rooms to clean up a bit, I decided to see the -attorneys first, and was considerably irritated to find the man after -our barrel standing at the foot of my stairs, waiting sentry-like for me -as though I had committed a crime. Something about the undersized fellow -aggravated me, though I knew I had great need of him now. The impulse -was strong upon me to put my foot on his stomach and shove him across -the street into a curio shop. I was sure he wanted that barrel of color, -but I didn't like his face. If I didn't sell it to him I could -elsewhere, so I was obdurate. One hundred dollars per pound, cash, -current funds in hand, take it or leave it, but say so quick, was all he -could get out of me, as I kept thinking all the time of the necessity of -washing up and getting over to see the attorneys. - -He finally took me to his bankers, who told me his credit was -practically unlimited with them, then he said he would take it on my -terms. We went to the warehouse, got the barrel and weighed it -carefully. He even paid me for the odd ounces and it was not until we -went back to the bank and the money was actually in my possession, that -I realized the size of the transaction. He then told me it was a very -rare color and that only a small amount was required for blending, which -was the reason they could pay so much. - -It took most of the day, but I did have time to go to the attorney's -office, and begin more jockeying for position. I soon learned they -wanted money, not the boat, were even willing to take it on the -_excitement_ plan, as Hiram suggested. It was worth more but they would -take twenty thousand dollars. I thought they were distinctly -disappointed when I offered cash. - -I obtained some allowance for what we paid at the sale. I then returned -to the rooms with a bill of sale for the vessel, knowing it would not be -long before Hiram would come. I felt disposed to laugh. Some one's plans -had miscarried. - -I heard his step on the first stair. He came up this time one step at a -time, as though carrying weights on each foot, and when he came in I saw -he was tired and hungry, but mystified and still fighting. - -He came by way of his room, through the communicating door, into my -room, where I was busy looking over a considerable mail, placed a chair -back toward me, sat down on it reverse way, resting his arms on the -back, let fall his big unshaven chin and looked from under the visor of -his cap like a young lion ready to spring. - -"Ben, you old dog, what have you been doing?" quick to gather assurance -from my attitude. "Just before I left the dock the tug and all the men -left, saying they were through so far as they knew." - -"Yes, the _Fearsome_ is released, and all claims against it settled." - -"Yes--yes--but how did you do it?" he demanded. - -Somehow at that moment it occurred to me that it might be best to tell -the whole incredible story of the sale of the barrel of color which had -been a standing joke between us. It was one of those extremely rare -things that could happen only in war times, and I thought the flog of -resistance better for him than the stimulant of easy success. - -"Well, I induced them to cut their claim down some----" - -"Yes--yes," he interrupted; "get to the point--how did you do it?" - -"Well," I began again, "this morning I was too busy to tell you that a -man came all the way from New York to buy our barrel of steel -filings,--he's been waiting about all the time we have been gone on our -trip--when I got through with him I had enough money to release the -_Fearsome_ and----" - -"Ben," he interrupted, his eyes glittering, "you are an infernal--no, I -won't say liar, because I don't believe you would lie--but you are -romancing now to make me feel good, but----" - -"All right, then, have it your way--all you need to know is that the -_Fearsome_ is released and you are free to do with her as you like--but -just now I advise a shave for you and some stimulating food--for -instance a beefsteak as big as----" - -"Ben, it's got to be as big as the state of New Hampshire this time and -as thick as the crust of the earth----" He interrupted himself by -springing over the chair, as I thought to thump me on the back, but -instead he grabbed my hand affectionately. He craved relief from a long -strain; my information took effect upon him like the champagne he used -to take, and at that moment refused to consider what it cost or its -ultimate effect. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - - -WE both cleaned up a bit and went out to dinner. I found he had done a -good deal of planning. He knew what he wanted but did not know exactly -how to get it. He was firm in the plan of getting the saw-mill we had -seen in the unclaimed freight house onto the deck of the _Fearsome_ and -going up the river for the double purpose of making lumber from the -"floaters," but most of all to have an excuse for getting into Becker & -Co.'s plant. He was very sober most of the time, even morose, but -occasionally his youthful buoyancy and humor would break out in the most -surprising and delightful way. - -We canvassed the details of using the motor to run the saw, and decided -that we would try it the next day. - -"But, Hiram, suppose the timber people insist on your going back for -another load? They can force you." - -"They know, or think, we are still tied up with litigation. -Besides--can't you explain to some one--a few days will turn the -trick," he reasoned. "After we get Becker we may want to see them as -badly as they want to see us," he added, with an eye for the main -chance. - -"Hiram, have you seen or heard from Anna Bell Morgan?" I asked suddenly -to surprise him. - -"No, I haven't--but as the time approaches--and you know it is -coming--when I can go back to her with clean hands, I feel as though I -can hardly contain myself. That's what keeps me up and doing; of course, -I want to make out the Gold-Beater as a damned poor prophet about my -future, but the main thing is her. Do you know, I actually feel her -beside me urging me on and making me do things. It will be my happiest -day when I can go back to her clean--actually clean." While he spoke he -was digging away at the remnants of the great steak he had consumed, and -for the first time I saw the harbingers of real manhood as he looked at -me through eyes unabashed and unashamed. - -The next day was a very busy one. He collected his freight and we moved -the _Fearsome_ to dock near the unclaimed freight house. I arranged with -Superintendent Kitchell by telephone to take the sawmill, and by night -it was bolted to the deck, with power from the motor applied. A derrick -with outrigging, so that a log could be grappled and brought to the deck -by power, and laid on the saw carriage to be solidly locked down for its -terrible shining fangs that become invisible in full career, moving -through a dirty, slimy log. - -"Yes," Superintendent Kitchell had said to me when I asked him about my -clerk, "I have taken Miss Bascom into my private office and found work -for her there--perfectly safe any time you want her," he assured me, -after getting a brief account of our progress. - -At the first sign of daylight the next morning we left the dock with our -queer looking craft and started up the river. Through an employment -agency Hiram had secured three additional men, a sawyer and two -laborers. - -Hiram's interest amounted to intense excitement when the first log was -cut. He had waited until he saw an unusually promising one go through. -One of the laborers rowed to it, fastened the grapples and it seemed to -want to come aboard, as though tired of life in the river, and there it -lay quietly, without one flinch before the saw that passed through it. -The sawyer understood his business, four slab cuts were made skillfully, -the log squared and finally reduced to wide, clean, inch boards and -stored below in less than ten minutes. Hiram found it hard to contain -himself. His intense joy and elation threatened his dignity. He had made -something useful, valuable, beautiful, with the delicate odor of the -spring woods, from hitherto waste material. I knew what would have -happened had we been alone. He would have tried to throw on me his now -brawny person and pummel me from sheer exuberance. - -"Ben," he said, in a tense undertone, "over five hundred feet of lumber -in that log that they will mob us to get at five cents a foot." I knew -he wanted to cut a big caper and cavort. "Twenty-five dollars, Ben, in -less than ten minutes. Say, if Becker don't fall for cheap lumber--well, -we'll get him sure with such bait, and the bayou back of his place is -full of logs--we won't be there an hour before he comes for it--just you -watch. We can be there by to-morrow morning," he went on, his eyes -roaming the river on both sides for another good log that had eluded -the lumber men in the long reaches of the Mississippi as far back as the -Great Lakes. - -That night we tied up at a bank across the river and a little below -Becker & Co.'s plant. It had been a busy day and every one except Hiram -was tired and glad to stop for supper. I was sitting aft smoking when I -noticed him come up from below, looking for me. - -"I've been down taking stock and checking up the day," he began, -squatting down before me on his heels, keeping his pipe in his mouth. -"We captured just thirty-nine logs, you know a few of them had rotten -centers, but we've got over twenty thousand feet of clear lumber besides -nearly three thousand feet of culls. Figure it out at fifty -dollars--it's worth more delivered--eleven hundred dollars--first -day--all amateurs--we've got the big idea working." - -"Why do you say we, Hiram? I claim no credit or interest or wages; I'm -paid--it is your plan--don't be so modest." - -"Yes, I did get the idea of capturing this waste, but how far would I -have got alone--a hundred and twenty-five dollars per from the railroad -and a certainty of being accused of stealing. In a thousand years I -never will be charged with ingratitude--if we win, you've got----" - -"The weak spot, Hiram, is that you will soon clean the river of logs, -and then what? Sit still and wait for the once-a-year highwater to bring -them down?" I asked, interrupting him purposely. - -"Wait till we get Becker over there," he said, suddenly sobering and -looking across the river, but making no other sign--something as a wolf -looks at his prey within easy reach. "It's a hundred and fifty miles -from here to the Gulf and lots of logs all the way. But with our big job -done, once get actually free, and we run out of logs, something will -turn up; in fact I've got another idea hatching. Do you see the -foundation he has started over there? That's why he must have lumber. -Doesn't his plant remind you of a quarantine station--or a pest house?" -He asked this question as though he did not expect an answer. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - - -THE next morning it occurred to me that, while our plans were made with -great care, the weak point was, that if Becker himself was at the plant -he might recognize either of us. I mentioned this to Hiram, and for once -since I had met him he laughed loud and long. - -"I don't believe your mother would recognize you in that greasy, -dirt-soaked, bifurcated night dress you wear," he yelled at me, "and the -work you owe the barber, too; but look at me--I am worse yet, covered -with mud and slime. Besides, I don't believe Becker ever had a good look -at me, and if he did he couldn't pick me out as different from any other -deckhand now," he said, grinning. Then he looked himself over, at his -muddy shoes, browned hands, long hair and unshaved face, and it did seem -to him as though, without effort, during the past few days, he had -prepared a genuine disguise. Nevertheless we decided it would be safe to -allow Captain Marianna to be the spokesman, although the captain should -be kept in the dark concerning our real designs. Marianna should sell -Becker lumber, cheap for cash, if he bit at our bait. - -We sawed one or two logs, then crossed the river and began working up -the stream toward the bayou back of Becker's plant, apparently with no -more interest in it than if it had been a cemetery. The bayou was, just -as Hiram said, full of logs--enough to keep us there for a day at least. - -By the noon hour we had worked pretty well into the bayou and in back of -the big fertilizer factory, with no apparent attention from it other -than a terrible offense to our nostrils. If Becker was there he did not -show himself and it began to look as if we would have to make overtures. - -But when we had suspended operations for noon-time, a negro with a boat -made out from the Becker place and came alongside. He clambered on our -deck, but no one paid any attention to him. - -"I wants to see de boss," said he to one of our blacks resting well aft. - -"You wants to see de Captain? He's up dere somewhares aroun' de -wheel-house." We overheard this inquiry and the answer with great -interest. This was likely to be the first nibble at our bait. - -When the captain was pointed out he acted well the part of a trader who -had desirable goods with a liberal demand, but evidenced little interest -in the emissary who approached him hat in hand. - -"Is you de cap'm?" - -"Yes, me da capitan," Marianna replied, assuming strong Italian accent -without effort. - -"Yas'sa--yas'sa," the darky echoed, looking about the boat, wet, dirty -and littered with bark, slabs, and sawdust. "My boss, Mista Becka, wants -to know--would like to know," he corrected, "if you kain't cum ashore to -see him." - -"Whata yo' boss want?--we start upa quick, gotta not much time." - -"Wal, he did'n zactly say, but I done reckon as how he wants to see you -'bout somp'n pa'tic'lar." - -"Go back, tella da boss we starta to work soon--I talka with him here -after we getta da start," the captain said, pointing toward the deck. - -"Yas, I'll tell him dat," replied the negro, fidgeting as though his -mission had been a failure, but immediately started for his boat. - -"You tella heem we be here alla day; he come any time," Marianna called -to him as he rowed away. - -In about an hour the negro made out again, but this time he had the -bulky figure of the man we wanted to see above all others. Of course, -while we were running I had to stand by the engine below constantly, -while Hiram, anticipating Becker's visit, had taken to a boat ostensibly -to look over the logs carefully before fastening the grapples that -brought them aboard. - -Becker had not been aboard long before it was clear that Hiram had -planned better than he knew. There is something about a saw in full -career that the most blasé cannot resist. He stood watching it for some -time. A huge wet and mud-laden log was hauled aboard, laid on the -carriage, where steel teeth clenched it down. In a twinkling four side -slabs came off and it was transformed into a square timber, clean and -white, in strange contrast to the slimy thing it had been but a moment -before. Then the whirling teeth began to travel through it with an ease -that suggested a much softer material, laying out inch boards which -disappeared below. - -Captain Marianna brought him below to see the stock on hand, and it -seemed to fill the bill, but as he was leaving our big motor attracted -his attention. Becker was not the debonaire Lothario he affected to be -when in New Orleans. Now sadly unkempt, it seemed to me that his great -midriff exuded grease, but it might have been sweat. - -He was greatly interested in learning how the big motor, originally -intended for an air-plane, not only propelled a boat and ran a sawmill, -but yanked in the logs, and hauled in our rigging. - -He finally came over to where I stood trying my best to look bored and -tired. - -"Do you ever have any trouble with it?" he asked, jerkily pointing a -pudgy thumb toward the motor. - -"No-o-o--but of course it's got to be watched." - -"I've got one over there running an ice machine, but I don't know -whether its the nigger I've got running it, or whether it's overloaded, -or no good, but it makes lots of trouble." I could see he wished to get -some free technical instruction. - -"It's likely your man doesn't know all about it," I led him on. - -Our talk ended in my promise to go ashore that night and take a look at -it. - -Yes, he wanted lumber and the captain's price seemed satisfactory. In -addition he wanted some lumber sawed half an inch thick for crating--and -more--he would like to have all the sawdust we could save for him. He -needed it in some insulating work on a cooler room--so he said. - -That night we were to come alongside his wharf and he would have his -negroes unload during the night what lumber we had so we would lose no -time next morning. - -"Oh, yes, I've got lots of niggers to do it," he explained when leaving. - -When Hiram heard of the turn things had taken he could hardly contain -himself. He acted like a man who had been in a dungeon for months and -suddenly caught a glimmer of light. As for myself, I saw only that we -were nearing the end of a very unpleasant bit of investigation. - -"Be careful, Hiram," I cautioned, "the least bad move will spoil it. -This man has a low cunning--hypnotize yourself into thinking it is not -of much importance and you have a year to do it. A show of haste will -be fatal." - -Hiram was quick to see the point and began to grin. I knew he was about -ready to jump out of his skin with excitement. - -"Do you know," said he, "it is now only a little after two and we have -sawed more logs and made more good lumber than we did all day -yesterday!" Evidently he was trying to control himself. "The sawyer -tells me he must have nice clear logs to make half-inch lumber on -Becker's order. I guess I'll spend the afternoon picking them out." - -It took longer than we thought to work our way out of the bayou and up -to Becker's floating wharf. As soon as we were tied up he came down with -a lot of negroes, who began at once to unload the lumber, carrying it -piece by piece back near his building operations. Captain Marianna -checked it as it left. - -Now on the windward side of the plant it was possible to eat. It was a -long rambling building, painted the color of a freight car, occasionally -rising to two stories; on one end were the posts driven in the ground -for a considerable addition. - -After supper we sat smoking, well up on the bank. It soon became -evident that Becker did not intend to lose a chance to get expert advice -on his gas-engine troubles. He waddled over to us with some real Havanas -and with little tact reminded me of my promise. - -Though the sun was low, Becker was still in his working togs, bareheaded -and stripped to an undershirt. In this array he was a sight to behold, -with his sagging jowls, from which great billows of fat formed rolls -about his neck. - -"This boy here is my assistant, Mr. Becker--he has found engine trouble -even when I couldn't," I said, pointing toward Hiram, as we got up to go -with him. - -How vitally interested Hiram was in this move would be hard to estimate. -Much more experienced, I could only contain myself and be natural by -refusing to think of the tremendous importance of our acting now, and, -without coaching, I think Hiram did the same thing. The slightest false -move would render worse than useless planning that had consumed much -time and large expenditure. - -Hiram walked beside Becker as nonchalantly as though strolling along -Broadway, while I followed slightly in the rear. Hiram's now wonderfully -developed physique seemed ready for action, ready to break loose with -overpowering ferocity. I watched him furtively out of the corner of an -eye to make sure he did not precipitate an affair that would "spill the -beans." - -Becker led us around the outside of the buildings--I was sure there was -a short cut through them--to a lean-to shed containing the troublesome -engine now laboring with its burden as a locomotive starting to move an -overload. - -"Ben, the engine is overcrowded," said Hiram, as we stood by it, -addressing himself to me just loud enough for Becker to hear. Becker -stood slightly apart from me as though he had turned a patient over to -us for the time being. I was glad his big black engineer was not there. -My policy was never to kill, but my duty was to get what I went after. - -We spent ten minutes examining the details of the engine, narrowly -watched by Becker. Hiram's conduct was wonderful. He acted as though -there was nothing under Heaven or on earth that interested him so much -as discovering how we could help cure the sick motor. We asked to see -the load on the driving belt that disappeared from the driving pulley -through a board partition. - -Becker, fairly assured, took us inside into a dark space to a ten-ton -ice machine, developing about half its capacity because of slow speed. - -Glancing about it for a moment, we returned to the engine room and went -outside as though about to return to the dock, considering it a hopeless -case. Becker followed us, greatly concerned. - -"Mr. Becker, it is a plain case of overload; you must lighten the work -of your ice machine. You are attempting to make the motor do too much. -The engine might be helped a little by readjusting, but that would not -be enough," I said, with a sort of hesitating finality, as we both edged -away in the direction we had come. - -Becker followed and came close up beside us. - -"How can I do that?--you see I am so far away up here I can get no one -to do such things," he pleaded. - -"The only way is to reduce the circulating distance of the ammonia -mixture, and then what you have left will cool more space than it does -now," I said, actually feeling sure that was the case. - -"How can I do that?" he urged, noticing quickly our inclination to -leave. - -"That might be very easy or it might be quite a job. We could not tell -without examining your piping system," I replied as one who had done a -big day's work and was thinking more of sleep than of his troubles, -particularly since he had not offered us anything to remedy. Becker had -enough sense to see this. - -He screwed up his face in a way that brought prodigious wrinkles upon -his forehead. Then followed an attempt to be patronizingly generous. - -"Boys, I'll tell you what I'll do. I know you've been working all day -and are tired, but if you will take time enough to look the whole system -over and help it some, I will give you five dollars apiece--I must do -something or I will have a lot of stuff spoiled--in fact, I have had -some spoil already," he ended half to himself. - -Hiram glanced at me quickly, and Becker thought that this swift movement -to take down his pipe was caused by the lure of his cash offer. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - - -WE spent two hours examining the remotest part of the refrigerating -plant, piloted and aided at first by Becker. As it grew darker he -furnished us with a torch. By this time we had made certain adjustments -to the engine, the necessity of which we had noted on first inspection, -and left it running merrily away with its load like a horse relieved of -a choking collar. Becker saw this, gave five dollars to each of us, and -after the fashion of a boor, tried to appear grateful. Then he paid cash -for all the lumber now stacked on the bank, with the understanding we -were to bring as much more, after which he left us to go, as he thought, -to our beds. But that was not our plan; we had work ahead of too much -importance to think of sleep. - -While we were making the examination of a large part of Becker's plant, -for that is what it amounted to, Hiram controlled himself and behaved -like a veteran, but at times I think he shrewdly guessed that I -displayed more skill than an amateur. In fact, I was so mightily -interested in the outcome that I made no attempt to disguise the fact -that under the guise of gasfitter, steamfitter, electrician, or -refrigeration expert, I had gained access to the very bowels of -buildings and manufacturing plants for a similar purpose. - -When Becker had gone Hiram presented a curious combination--elation and -disappointment. He fairly trembled now with suppressed excitement. He -turned fiercely upon me and whispered hoarsely: - -"Ben, we got a lot, but not the most important. We didn't find the -seals, did we?" He asked this in a suppressed tone, but not until he had -gone forward to make sure all the crew were on deck and asleep. Captain -Marianna was snoring loudly in the pilot house. - -"No--but all those hams, dried meat--horse-meat--and tubs of -lard--renderings from dead animals--were freshly stamped, 'Inspected and -passed,' with a Government stamp, and with Government ink." - -"But the stamps and seals we want, Ben." I could not see his face in the -dark, but his tone indicated that the day's hard work had not abated -his tremendous energy one whit. - -"No, Hiram, but we have everything but the stamps and seals--we can -convict him with what we now know--I mean with the addition of what we -saw to-night--but that would not make a clean job. We have got to get -the rest of the men with whom he must have been working, and who are -most likely in the railroad service," I replied, rapidly analyzing. - -"Where can we go?--what can we do to get them?--the nearer I get to the -end of this thing, I feel almost as though I would go insane," he -whispered, at the same time grabbing me by the shoulder as would a -petulant child, and shook me until I thought his last statement was -conservative. - -"The old fox is very sly--doesn't trust any of his help--the stamps are -not so important--the seals he keeps in or about his office in New -Orleans--our next move is there. Hiram, can you stand a run to New -Orleans to-night?" I replied, as though thinking aloud. - -He sprang to his feet like a cat and leaned over me. - -"I can stand to do anything, without eating or sleeping, if it takes a -whole week," he replied with set jaws. - -The next morning we tied up at the wharf in New Orleans. During the -night I had worked out a plan. There are times when cunning and -strategical violations of the law must be matched in order to secure and -convict criminals and the courts have uniformly justified it. I was -going to take a big chance and finish the job quickly. - -I left Hiram on the boat and went to our rooms for the mail, and to get -other bearings. When I returned he was walking up and down the wharf -like a caged hyena, almost frothing at the mouth. - -"We are up against it again--it does beat the devil--why can't they -leave us alone for a little while, anyhow?" he demanded, his eyes -shooting fire as he stopped stolidly in front of me. - -"What is it now, Hiram?" - -"It's these damned shipping people--they say we can make two round trips -a week to gulf ports for lumber, and if we don't do it willingly they -will make us--just take the boat, that's all," he exploded in righteous -wrath. - -"That pays, doesn't it?" I asked with a smile, more to arouse his sense -of humor. - -"Yes, of course it pays, but haven't we got something more important--at -that, it won't pay half as much as sawing logs from the river--and we -can let the Government have the lumber," he replied--somewhat mollified. - -"Hiram, you will have to go--but let's get some breakfast while we talk -it over there." - -We went below to where a darky was frying two big slabs of ham and a -dozen eggs, also watching a large coffee pot steaming on a three-dollar -gasoline stove. He prepared to serve the breakfast on a table made of -the head of a tobacco tierce, with three square sticks for legs, placed -in an open space back of the engine. The chairs were a four-inch cut-off -from the end of a log, accoutered with legs as was the table, but all -cleaned and trimmed, with good rustic effect. The entire hold of the -boat had been washed, cleaned, and put in perfect order, and the men at -that moment were scrubbing the upper deck. He must have everything clean -and orderly. - -Hiram sat down opposite me at this rustic round table, and placed two -bare arms upon it. A deep pink rim about his eyelids was the only -evidence of fatigue after twenty-four hours of continuous work without -sleep, and while he had combed his hair with his fingers, and still -needed a shave, a novice could see in him a big man, with tremendous -energy that chafed at delays. - -"Well----?" He looked eagerly the question as if to save words. - -"Hiram, have you stopped to take stock lately? Don't you think we have -made pretty good progress in the last ten days?" - -"Indeed we have, Ben--don't think I am finding fault--what bothers me -is--could we have done more?--have we worked up to the limit?--and it -does worry me to think we have not done away with this man Becker, and -squared away to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities, and--and -you know the other thing--perhaps you cannot understand how fearfully -anxious I am to go back to Anna Bell, clean--and successful." - -"I do believe I understand. We--well, I'd rather say you--you have done -it pretty much yourself--you have been successful." - -"Heavens, yes--a month ago I was working for a hundred and twenty-five -per, and no immediate prospects--and I would have been there yet, unless -railroaded to prison as a goat for this crowd that you have----" - -"No more of that, Hiram," I interrupted, raising my hand in -protest--"let us talk of our immediate movements--the way matters stand -now. You are so near out of the woods you can easily see the clearing, -but there is more work getting through the underbrush--where there may -be some snakes or other reptiles--but that ought not to worry you. -Everything comes to those who hustle while they wait." - -"But you have done the most----" - -"Never mind now who has done the most--we can talk of that later. The -way the case now stands, we have been to the butcher, the baker and the -grocer for the goods to provide a sumptuous meal for Becker and his -crowd, and perhaps we have the cook, but to make 'em eat will require -just a little more time and strategy. As far as your being clear of -implication, every one knows it now--it remains only to make it a matter -of record. - -"My plan for the next move may take a week or more, but doesn't require -your presence, and as long as you are compelled to go anyhow, make a -virtue of the necessity. Get away for Gulfport as soon as possible -and--temper your anxiety and impatience by making money. Fifteen hundred -a trip--two trips a week--is not so bad, is it?" I asked, smiling, as I -saw a shade of old-time exuberance creeping about his mouth. He had -followed my review with rising spirits. It may be that the great piece -of ham and the half dozen eggs and steaming coffee set before him helped -a little. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - - -WE sat and eyed each other for several quiet moments. Finally Hiram -spoke. Said he, "Do you think I can help you here? If I can, we'll let -them take the _Fearsome_--they'll have to pay well--then we can get -another one. I won't rest well until this matter is cleaned up, lock, -stock and barrel----" - -"No, my boy, that would be an unnecessary sacrifice--boats with any such -carrying capacity and speed are scarce; in fact, are now unobtainable. -While I am not going into details now--truth is, I haven't yet worked -out the details--I think seeing you twice a week will be enough." It -really seemed to me that he would be only in the way, but I thought it -unwise to mention that to him. - -While I was looking up an engineer to take my place on the boat, Hiram -went to the shippers and drove a hard bargain, arranging for loading and -unloading at night so that he could make his run by daylight, requiring -only one shift of the crew. Thus he surprised me again with his keen -sense of things commercial. One would have thought he had spent years -about the docks and shipping. In fact, Hiram Strong, Jr., had been a -continuous surprise. - -When I returned with an engineer to explain and show him about, general -merchandise was pouring into the _Fearsome_, with black stevedores -swarming about like ants. - -"You see, I am going to take just enough of this merchandise to pay -expenses of the trip, then our lumber freight will be all velvet--the -freight will come out at one end while the lumber goes in at the other -and we won't lose any time, see?" - -Yes, I did see, but didn't say much, for I was busy planning. I remained -until I saw him off and waved to him as the _Fearsome_ headed down -stream. I afterward learned that when they reached the locks into Lake -Borgne, they found the _Fearsome_ could squeeze through and save over -two hundred miles on the round trip and be running in inland water all -the way. Surely nothing got away from that boy. - -I returned to my old room in the general railroad office and took -possession again. I sent at once for Superintendent Kitchell, whom I -knew was exceedingly anxious to hear of my progress. Nothing had been -removed from my office except Miss Bascom's desk and typewriter. - -The superintendent came in puffing, and was slightly indignant that I -had not come to him, until I explained that I did not want to take the -slightest chance of our conversation being overheard. - -"We have been successful in getting pretty well all over Becker & Co.'s -plant and have secured enough evidence against them to convict, but to -finish the job and get the railroad men implicated I need some help from -you," I said, as he looked at me with undisguised astonishment. - -"Mr. Taylor, anything but the road-bed is yours, to help you clean up -this infernal mess. Only this morning the general superintendent wired -me asking if I had anything new to report. I suppose he was only -'passing the buck' that started away up--with the Government maybe----" - -"Tell them not to be in too big a hurry--it may clear up soon, and it -may take time yet. Mr. Kitchell, can you invent a plausible excuse for -sending your man Burrell out of town, some distance, for a few days?" I -asked, casually. - -Had the points of a dozen pins been suddenly introduced into the bottom -of his chair, the effect on him could not have been more electrical. He -sprang to his feet, indignant and angry to the point of apoplexy. - -"You don't mean to say--you mean our chief clerk--you should be very -cautious how you attempt to besmirch--do you actually mean him?" he -fairly shouted, moving toward me menacingly. - -"He is either used as a tool or is directly implicated, and with him out -of town I propose to find out which. If implicated, I want to know just -how far, but he must be sent on a half-hour notice--without even a -chance to telephone." - -"Well----!" he exploded, and began to polish his bare cranium with a big -handkerchief. "I'll see--that must be arranged--it can't be done in a -hurry----" - -"Just as soon as you can without arousing suspicion will do, but I can't -move, however, until that is done," I interrupted. - -"I'm so astonished I can't think now--give me a little time." - -"All right--and another thing, I wish you would have Miss Bascom -transferred back here to me immediately." - -"That's easy--I will have that done at once--the girl is all right, but -Burrell," he said, shaking his head sadly--"Burrell takes my breath," he -added as he went out, leaving the impression that the bed of a railroad -superintendent was not bowered with roses. - -I went out to luncheon and, although in a crowd, not a face appeared -distinct. I was so absorbed in formulating plans to force an immediate -issue that I didn't know what I was eating. - -Upon my return I found Miss Bascom's desk in its accustomed place by the -window. She bowed and greeted me as one whom she had not seen for a long -time. I couldn't decide whether it was pleasure or disappointment. I was -delighted to find a note from Superintendent Kitchell, saying he had -found a way to hurry Burrell out on the twelve-thirty on a special -errand to Kansas City that could be lengthened at will. - -Glancing over at Miss Bascom, I noted her hands in front of her as she -sat looking out of the window, waiting for me to give her some work. I -felt that her knell had rung, the supreme moment had arrived. Knowing -that, I pitied her, for I proposed to tear away the mask and reveal to -her the duality of her life. - -The sunlight fell on her reddish brown hair, which appeared unusually -attractive that day. I smoked half of my cigar in an endeavor to keep my -poise and steel myself against the pity I would have for her during a -fiery ordeal. As I had promised myself, I would force her to hold up the -last few pages of her life for me to read, and I would use her as a -lure, an instrument, with which to fasten a crime where it -belonged--even if upon herself. - -Swinging squarely about, I attracted her attention. She nodded, and -supposing she was to take dictation, gathered her notebook and pencils -and came to me at once. I had the decided advantage of a full light upon -her face, while mine was shaded. - -"Miss Bascom, it is not letters I want, but a somewhat serious talk, and -while I may ask some exceedingly personal questions, I would like you -to feel it is not a desire to pry into your affairs." - -She took the advantage of remaining silent, looking fully and frankly at -me, and I thought there was the slightest smile about her delicate lips -which I had believed--but now wondered--if Burrell had ever touched -them. - -"Miss Bascom, you know a Mr. Becker who has a plant up the river?" - -Her eyes only evidenced the shock of hearing his name, but without -outward sign she replied simply--"Yes." - -"How well do you know him?" - -"I don't think I know him very well," she replied with attempted -frankness. - -"You had not been here with me long until you knew I was investigating -these railroad thefts, and that he was suspected?" - -"I was not quite sure--you let me know so very little," she replied with -an ease that was somewhat exasperating. - -"Yet, during that time you were with me in--well, rather a confidential -capacity--you went out with him to public places, drinking places, and -could not be in ignorance of his real purpose; in fact, his proposals -were outright?" - -"Y-e-s," she faltered, raising her eyes, now lighted with a fire I -thought impossible. I could not determine whether from resentment toward -me or the recalling of certain indignities she had experienced. - -"What is your attitude toward him now?" - -"The same as it has always been," she replied, her bosom heaving as a -result of her mental agitation. - -I knew I was master now, so leisurely lit another cigar and blew a cloud -of smoke between us, contemplatively. - -"What is his attitude toward you?" - -"I think the same as it has been." Then, looking down at her pretty -hands in her lap, she half murmured, "Such a man does not change much." - -This admission sounded to me like a cannon shot and I immediately asked: - -"You say that your relations with him are the same as always, but you do -not say what they were." - -This time she looked down at the toe of a very small, neat shoe which -she raised slightly to contemplate. She remained silent for some -moments, the veins in her forehead swelling until they showed blue -through her delicate skin. - -"I--I--would like to see him punished--it seems to me that is what you -want to know," she said in a low voice in which I thought there was -resentment, but whether directed against me, Becker or some one else I -could not determine. "I would do _anything_ to have him punished," she -added with suppressed emphasis. - -"Miss Bascom, what are your relations with Chief Clerk Burrell?" I asked -suddenly. - -Taken completely unawares from this quarter, she drew a very short but -deep breath, recovering quickly. - -"They--well--I know Mr. Burrell," she admitted slowly. - -"You have carried on quite a flirtation with him?" - -"Yes--of course, you do not know--it would be hard to make you -understand----" - -"Does Mr. Becker know of your attitude--rather, I mean, your relations -with Mr. Burrell?" I interrupted. - -"I--well, he knows that I am well acquainted with Mr. Burrell, but I -don't think he quite understands all," she admitted with some show of -humility, inclining me to the conclusion that she loved Burrell and -would save him. But I didn't care whom she wanted to save. - -I was perhaps somewhat brutal in saying, "I have your word you would do -_anything_ to reach Mr. Becker--of course, with the understanding that -you will be protected?" - -She opened her mouth, showing pure white teeth, then drew her lips -tightly until no red was visible, all the while looking squarely at me -as she repeated slowly, knowingly-- - -"Yes, _anything_. I would go through Hell Fire!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - - -SPIRITED, maidenly purity will work itself into a sort of ecstatic, -swaggering turbulence, similar to a hardened degenerate, frequently to -the chagrin, disappointment and dismay of the most practiced. - -When through with Miss Bascom, I will confess I could not tell in which -class she belonged. War had brought to our shores hideous flotsam, whom -I did not care, did not want, to know. I wanted trap bait, and why not -her? Had I mentioned my belief that she had sent the anonymous notes to -Hiram, or that she had been seen dining with the Gold-Beater, Hiram -Strong, Sr., after six hours' business acquaintance, her attitude would -have instantly developed. - -A certain cold-blooded brutality in what I proposed must be admitted. I -wanted to clear Hiram and finish a long-drawn-out case, and one doesn't -want to know the pedigree of the lamb used as bait for a lion. But I -proposed to save her from the fate of the lamb in such cases, although -she had consented, without duress, to act. I felt that it was Burrell -she wanted to save. - -I gave her some work that would occupy about all the afternoon, and took -measures to prevent her leaving the building or telephoning without -being overheard. - -Becker was in the city and about his office. His business was -flourishing. - -With the coöperation of the hotel management two communicating rooms on -the second floor were arranged for at the hotel frequented by Becker, -and these were prepared for my purpose. - -At four o'clock when I asked her to dress for the street and come with -me, she did so without hesitation--in fact, she seemed eager--but I -could not be sure of that. - -As we walked silently down to the hotel she appeared to be sure of -herself, and if she was surprised when we entered the ladies' entrance -and walked up the one flight to the rooms, she gave no evidence of it. I -felt assured she had the necessary self-control. - -She was quick to notice that the door between the two rooms was open, -but made no comment, and apparently as though in her own lodgings, -removed her hat, to make herself comfortable. She went to the glass, -touched her wonderful hair here and there as though to add something to -its alluring arrangement, impressing me anew that she was in point of -beauty, at least, a most attractive girl, and I again complimented -Becker's ambitious taste and selection. As for throwing herself away for -the married, sporting Burrell, I pitied her for her lack of -discrimination. - -She took the chair I pointed to in front of a writing desk on which was -the room telephone. The way she rested her elbow on it and half turned -toward me suggested that she awaited my signal of "what next?" - -"Miss Bascom," said I, taking a chair facing her, "I feel like warning -you that you are undertaking a most delicate, difficult, and even -dangerous enterprise. If you fail through inability, it will be -understood, but if you fail by reason of half-heartedness or any sort of -treachery, I will not be responsible. I am positively in no mood to -condone such an offense, besides I am not the only one involved in this -arrangement--there are others who are less likely to be trifled with -than myself." I spoke good-naturedly and with something of a plea for -her own welfare. - -"Mr. Taylor," she began, in quiet, sweet, Southern accent, "I have -consented to act a part in good faith, and if I fail it will be because -it cannot be done." Then, with charming assurance, she glanced into the -other room and at the telephone before her, and said, "Explain just what -you want me to do." - -She seemed almost too willing and a certain nervousness in her tone left -some doubt. But we had arranged for duplicity, and though I felt the ice -a little thin, decided to go ahead. - -"Miss Bascom, your motive in maintaining relations with Mr. Becker is -something of a conjecture that I am not much interested in now. It may -interest you, however, to know that I know of your meeting with him in a -wine room of this hotel." Then taking from my pocket a typewritten -report of the meeting, I continued, "The least sound that was made in -that room at that time is here recorded as nearly as possible in words -and sound of voice. I know what you drank, what he drank, that you -submitted to his caresses, kisses, that he made salacious proposals, -and there may have been subsequent meetings of which we do not know." - -She started visibly at this and moved uneasily in her chair, laid her -chin in her palm and looked straight at me with eyes burning like -fire--I thought slightly mixed with alarm and amusement, but she did not -utter a word, so I continued: - -"In order that you proceed intelligently in this matter I will tell you -that Becker is a criminal and that we have ample evidence to convict -him, but in order to make it easier, and to reach others, I want you to -get him to come up here to this room, then actually lure from him what -we want." - -She made no sign and I went on: - -"There are times when fire must be met with fire, crime sometimes has to -be uncovered by finesse, strategy, trick, even downright subterfuge, and -this seems to be one of the times. His weakest point is his penchant for -pretty women." - -Miss Bascom evidenced intense interest in what I said and seemed to -weigh every word I uttered. But she did not appear to want to reply or -suggest anything, though she seemed to take on an exultant attitude. - -"We have ample evidence to convict him of robbing cars of meat -products, and to do this he must have in his possession the seals of the -United States Bureau of Animal Industry, and the shippers of the goods -in Kansas City, as well as the railroad seals, and the instruments for -adjusting. These we want. - -"We believe that he has them secreted here in New Orleans. The plan is -that by your protestation of interest, affection or whatnot, you will -induce him to place them in your hands for safekeeping. We are certain -he has been furnished these things with help from Kansas City. Do you -think you can do it?" I ended by asking suddenly. - -"What will happen if I fail?" she surprised me by asking. - -"If you fail and can show a clean slate, nothing unpleasant will -happen," I replied rather coldly, suggestive of what might happen if the -reverse were true. - -"_I--think_--I may be able to make some headway, but it may take more -time than you anticipate," she warned me quietly. - -"I don't care how much time you take, or how much expense, but it must -be a continuous performance--nothing more than an intermission will be -allowable. This telephone will be permanently connected with mine in the -next room. If he wants you to drink, do so, and nothing containing -alcohol will come to you, and though he is copper-lined, we will -contrive to put him at a disadvantage and you can easily use the 'phone -to ask for instructions when you are not sure." Then contemplating her -critically for a moment, I added--"You said you were willing to do -_anything_." - -"I know I did--and I will--and I begin to feel safe--you will protect -me, won't you?" she asked me with a delightful appeal in her eyes that -could not be refused. - -"Every precaution has been made for that--you will not be disturbed; the -waiter who serves you is one of our men--but you must act, you must -succeed. Becker is probably in his office now; call him up," I added, -giving his number. - -There was no doubt about her eagerness and distinct intention to -succeed, to do _anything_, but I could not decide whether she was moved -by fear or a genuine desire to coöperate, get revenge, or to save -Burrell. - -Becker fell incontinently during the first round. - -There was in every word a purr, a coo, an invitation--she assumed the -attitude of permitting him to come up, to see her for just a little -while at the hotel. - -Her low laugh of triumph was more of a chuckle as she turned to me for -approbation. - -"Fine--so far very good," I commented as though the result was no more -than expected and prepared to go into the other room and lock the door, -where she did not know I could overhear every whisper that passed, -though she may have suspected something of the sort. - -Becker's haste to get there was evidenced by the speed with which he -came, and his entrance was Falstaffian. But the real Falstaff had no -such intrigue arranged for him. He was not a criminal. - -The meeting between Bascom and Becker lasted over six hours. The -stenographers at the dictaphone in my room made over a hundred pages of -evidence to be used at the trial. - -When it was over, just before midnight, and I led Miss Bascom out of the -hotel to a cab, her sturdy body seemed a wreck. She leaned heavily on me -and seemed to have aged greatly. As she was about to enter the vehicle, -she looked back into the building, horrified, as though reason was -unseated by wild imaginations that she was pursued by a legion of -dreaded devils. She did not utter a word until she was seated inside, -when she reached her hand, delicate and soft, for mine, and with gentle -pressure, exclaimed as though waking from a terrible nightmare: - -"Mr. Taylor, I have lived a hundred years in the last six -hours--but--but"--she hesitated, gasping for breath--"I have done what -I--we--what you wanted me to do." - -Of course, when Becker first came the overture was drink; it always is. -Having full control of that through the waiter we saw that the first -ones had more punch than he expected, but we gave her a mere counterfeit -of what he thought she was drinking. The sumptuous food he ordered was -carefully served. Later we had to weaken his potions so that his mad -desire would run at its height, waiting on neither discretion nor -reason. I heard every word, every sound. Her acting was perfection. The -indignities she suffered were terrible and could not have been endured -except for the reason that they were fortified by a deep, enduring, -sacrificial tendency to be loyal. This conclusion forced itself upon me. -His protestations were repeated over and over and merged into a plea for -sympathy. - -Her generalship was superb. He promised her everything. She patiently, -cautiously led him to the point where she told him, that by reason of -her position in the office she knew he had been _led_ into certain -transactions that might lead to her disgrace, in view of the alliance he -proposed. - -"But that is all stopped," he reiterated a dozen times. - -Then, with wonderful acumen, she let him understand that she knew of the -existence of various stamps and seals, finally that their very existence -was a menace and she could not feel any security in his promise until -she knew they were destroyed. - -"I will put them at the bottom of the river to-morrow morning." - -"But if you are really in earnest and mean well, you will do that now, -this very night--let me see you do it, or bring them to me," she coaxed, -wheedled, insinuated. - -And then finally with the blood fired by alcohol and that quality that -makes men putty in the hands of beauty and sex lure, he ordered a cab -and in an incredibly short time returned with quite a large package -wrapped carefully in burlap. He left the room for a moment in his -preparations for the anticipated night. I opened the door between the -rooms, admitted her with the package, about all she could carry, and he -never saw her again. The mad, inflamed bull was stalled with a ring in -his nose. - -This blazed the trail to Kansas City, where I started on the next train, -and did not return for more than a week. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - - -AS soon as I saw Hiram I knew he was a different man. It was not -necessary for me to tell him. Details were published in every daily -paper. He had gone back to Anna Bell Morgan clean, unsullied, -unbesmirched--his conception of what a man should be, and prosperous -beyond dreams. A solid, forceful man, ambitious without limit, he was -much interested in the brief information I gave him of how I had -successfully uncovered and apprehended in Kansas City all the others -involved in the crime, who evidenced a power of organization which, if -directed in legitimate channels, would have made them rich. - -He had rented and furnished offices, where I found him at work. - -"Had to have headquarters, Ben--just one room, with an adjoining one for -you--let me introduce you to it," he said, putting his hand -affectionately on my shoulder, leading through a connecting door into a -big, well-lighted, expensively furnished office. - -"Sit down and see how it seems to have a home of your own," he went on, -pushing me into a big leather chair and throwing up the top of a -commodious mahogany desk. Everywhere showed evidence of the feminine -touch. - -"You see, Ben, I could not have done so well. This is Anna Bell's idea -and selection--I have told her so much of you she feels, in fact acts, -as though she knew you as well as I do, but you will meet her soon and -she will tell you about that herself. I never would have thought of the -carpet, but she said carpet, and there was carpet," he mused -reminiscently, as he pulled up a chair and sat down near me where he -could look out of the window. - -"I've got to leave to-night again on the _Fearsome_ and there is so much -to tell you--something I want to ask you about." - -I was too astonished and delighted with the enterprise and zeal of the -fellow to know what to say. - -"Ben, why don't you say something--don't you like this?" he asked -solicitously, leaning toward me and scanning my face. He was the boy -again. - -"Hiram, give me a little time--I was wondering how you managed so -quickly to do all this----" - -"There--that's better," said he, a relieved smile creeping about the -upturned corners of his mouth. "I told you I didn't--I couldn't--have -done it alone--you see, Ben, I am making three trips a week to Gulf port -instead of two, and carrying enough general merchandise back to pay -expenses," and then turning his chair so as to look squarely at me, he -continued. "It is pouring prosperity, though we are making a willing, -patriotic sacrifice while doing it, and we must hustle like sixty until -the rain is over." - -I looked at him more astonished, as I felt sure something bigger was -coming. Was there no limit? - -"We are making money pretty fast now, but this won't last--I know now -the logs in the river will disappear soon after we get at them again, -and you know we have got to look ahead. I can buy a tract of timber up -there at Gulfport--cheap--enough timber to keep us sawing for years. Now -don't look so alarmed--it will take a lot of money, but we've got to do -it if it is possible. I've opened a bank account here and talked to the -president about it--but everything now is going into Liberty bonds and -you can't blame them--but it's got to be done, Ben," he repeated in a -tense undertone, bringing his hard hand down on my knee with a loud -slap. - -Looking at him in wonder for a moment, I finally asked, - -"How much will it take, Hiram?" - -"Now don't fall over when I tell you--that's why I got a big chair with -a soft cushion, so that you could sustain a shock once in a while -without injury. Ben, it will take about a hundred thousand dollars to -get it, but it's got to come," he ended, passing his hand rapidly over -his chin as though glad it was out. - -"You have not forgotten, Hiram, that you must settle with the railroad -for the engine in the _Fearsome_ and the sawmill, too?" - -"I know we have, but I've got enough in the bank for that and more -besides," he replied quickly. "What do you think, is it possible?" he -asked, making me feel he was not to be resisted. - -"I don't know, Hiram; you are placing a pretty big order--we'll see--I -don't believe I told you just how much I sold that barrel for, did I?" -turning to him with an affected smile of derision. - -"Yes, I know you will have the laugh on me as long as you live about -that barrel; in fact, I will laugh myself every time I think of it even -if I am at a funeral, but that couldn't happen again in a million -years," he replied, getting up and pacing the room, finally halting in -the opposite corner, where he catapulted a question as though he might -be coming along with it. - -"How much did you get for it, Ben?" - -"It was as you say, Hiram, a thousand-to-one shot that could not have -happened and never will happen again--I don't claim any credit, except -in discovering it was not junk, by a little leakage through the chimes -which discolored my fingers." - -"I know--I know--you never claim anything," he interrupted. - -"You see, we had to pay something like twenty thousand to clear the -_Fearsome_." - -"Yes, I know that." - -"Well, I think there is a balance in the bank of something about forty -thousand more----" - -"You are joking again, Ben," he interrupted, charging over toward me, -incredulous, as I took from my wallet a credit slip which he grasped and -began to cavort and cut capers on the expensive carpet, much the same as -he acted at the first signs of good luck, months before. - -"Ben, you are a mascot--you have been one to me, anyhow--now in another -month--before this deal can be closed--I can pay the railroad claim for -the motor and the sawmill, and every other stiver we owe. And we'll have -at least ten thousand more to bring our balance up to fifty thousand. -Now, how can we raise fifty thousand more?" he asked, fairly excited--he -pronounced _fifty thousand_ as though he was used to dealing in those -figures all his life--as though it was no more than the price of one of -those famous beefsteaks he liked so well. He must have inherited it from -the Gold-Beater--as he did the love for new, clean lumber and the lumber -business. Hiram admitted he knew so little of his father that he was -unaware I knew he was a Lumber King. - -I took out cigars, thinking hard, and offered him one. - -"No, thank you, I prefer a pipe," said he producing one at once as -something he had overlooked. - -"Hiram, give me a little time--you say you leave this afternoon?" - -"Yes, I ought to be on the dock now," said he, blowing a cloud of smoke -and scanning me as though to learn just what I was thinking. "I will be -back day after to-morrow," he added, anticipating the question. - -"I'll see"--I said, moving back a little in my big chair and -contemplating the end of my cigar--"perhaps when you get back I may have -something--maybe there is a way----" - -"Don't say maybe--say you will do it," he prodded. - -"Hiram, I still say _maybe_," I answered firmly, wondering whether the -Gold-Beater was still down the river shooting ducks, and if I could get -into touch with him before Hiram returned. - -Early on the morning he was due back, a messenger came to say I was -wanted on the telephone by some one at Lake Borgne Locks. I knew it was -Hiram--he had probably been calling Anna Bell Morgan to tell her of his -arrival and knew he would catch me in my room. - -"What news?" he asked as though tired of waiting, and more, as though -he expected it to be favorable. - -"The news is all right." - -"Oh, I knew it would be," he broke in, not waiting for me to finish. -"Say, I will be up to the docks at eight, and be at the office at -ten--meet me there," and he hung up abruptly. - -This suited me exactly. I was through and had made reservation on a -train leaving for the North--for home and a little rest. - -I had cleaned up everything except a little writing and was doing that -in the office that had been so generously provided for me, when I heard -Hiram enter his adjoining room. The door between was not tightly closed, -and I was aware at once he was not alone. He had evidently made an -engagement also with Anna Bell Morgan. I could hear his voice easily, -and as I was aroused from the preoccupation of my writing, I could hear -her voice, and as I listened closely there came a shock, a slow, leaden, -enervating, numbing shock on recognizing the voice of Miss Bascom, my -clerk. The whole thing swam slowly before me. I knew now why she had -acted her rôle with such intensity and risk. I felt an impulse to grab -my grip and bolt through the door into the hall and take my train -without meeting them together, but I didn't have time before he came -bursting through the door leading her proudly to me. - -"Mr. Taylor, I introduce my wife. I forgot to tell you we were to be -married at nine." I arose, took her extended hand as she looked at me -squarely, radiantly, but with a plea. I got her message, but I think I -made a failure of the greeting and congratulations. I was afraid Hiram -noticed it. In fact, I felt sheepish that I had not discovered that she -had assumed a name and underwent the disgusting experiences with Becker -and Burrell to help him. - -"Not going away, Ben?" Hiram asked, noticing my grip--he never -overlooked anything. - -"Yes, Hiram, I am going to leave you now--I am through here." - -"You--you don't mean--when will you be back, Ben?" he asked, glancing in -alarm first at me and then at his bride of an hour. - -"I don't know when I will return, Hiram. Just now I have to answer the -call of others. I may come back to testify at the trial." - -"You don't mean you are not going to stay here with me--when things are -just getting started right?" he began, coming over and placing one hand -on the back of my chair and bending forward to look in my face to see if -I was ill. - -"Sit down--both of you," I interrupted, looking at Anna Bell's radiance -changing to disappointment too, as he brought chairs up near me. "I have -a confession to make, and I like to do the unpleasant things first and -have them over with." - -"But say, old fellow, you can't leave me now--I need you in so many -ways--you see, we have been through so much together----" began Hiram, -leaning well forward in his chair. - -"It cannot be--just now anyhow--and perhaps you will not want me to do -so when I admit to a certain sort of duplicity--but at which I hope in -the course of time you will look upon tolerantly, forgivingly--I don't -want you to think badly of me--as I have in the last few months become -deeply attached to you." - -"What are you getting at, Ben--I will never believe you have -deceived----" - -"Wait till I tell you why I came here--left New York with you, was paid -a definite sum and expenses for doing so for a definite purpose, and -that purpose is now accomplished, and the Government, engaged in a -gigantic war, calls me to other activities. I must----" - -"I don't care what you have done or been, though I don't quite -understand," he began, his voice almost failing; "we are doing work for -the Government just as important as any--and I need you." - -"You may have needed me, Hiram, but you don't now--you are nicely -started and you have better help now than I can give," I broke in, -looking at Anna Bell, who was as much affected as Hiram. "She is -courageous, a natural diplomat and wonderful at plans, and besides, you -can now stand alone and must learn to rely on yourself, and besides, -more than two in a firm often complicates matters." - -"I know--I know--I can see--but you don't explain--what is this you are -hinting----?" - -"Hiram, it may be better for it to come to you gradually. Now let us -talk about money for my train goes soon and I find I need some money, -and I must give you the big check necessary to pay for the timber land. -First of all, will you cash these checks for me? These are my salary -checks I have never used," I explained as I took them out, turned to the -desk and endorsed them, aware that Hiram and Anna Bell were looking at -each other and trying to understand. - -"Ben, I am sure this is only a misconception--a feeling of -delicacy--that you may be interfering----" - -"No, Hiram, my plans are definite; I cannot change them if I would," -said I, handing him the checks as soberly as though not anticipating his -astonishment when he saw them. - -At first he did not look at them, but laid them on his knee as a mere -matter of detail. He was too busy trying to divine what was going on in -my mind; finally glancing down at them, he became aware there was -something familiar about them, and then his excitement knew no bounds. - -"How the devil"--he began, raising half out of his chair, tapping the -checks wildly--"how did you get these? Why, these are like the ones I -used to--now I understand," he said, subsiding, quite overcome. "Ben, -were you paid by my father? My God, is it possible--then he didn't kick -me out--it was just his way----" - -"Just his way to teach you to work and make amends for his neglect, and -here is another one, the big one for fifty thousand signed by him, -too--you may be surprised to know he is now down in the lower reaches of -the river, duck-shooting. When I saw him yesterday, I had no difficulty; -everything seemed to be prepared for the proposition," I said; looking -quizzically at Anna Bell. Mixed with her delight was a shade of fear and -apprehension. I tried to make her understand that she must tell him -herself about her captivating the Gold-Beater, securing his approval and -further support, of the Becker episode, her assumed name--and all to -help Hiram. In fact, I did not have the courage to do it. - -"I can hardly conceive my father----" Here his voice broke completely. - -"And you can hardly credit that the _Fearsome_ might have been placed -conveniently in the canal----" - -"Oh, heavens, and I thought we were doing it--and did he plan all that -trouble in the river--did his men, the lawyers, take her from----?" - -"Yes, I guess he did, Hiram; he wanted to try you out--a last real -trial----" - -"And the barrel, Ben, did he have anything----?" - -"No, Hiram, that was a piece of just dumb luck that will always be with -you--send me a check for half of it when you get things straightened -out," I said, grabbing my grip and bolting. As I rounded the corner of -the hall for the elevator, I glanced back. They stood out in the hall, -their arms around each other, watching me go. - - -THE END - - - - -Corrections - -The first line indicates the original, the second the correction. - -p. 196: - - an anxiliary gasoline tank - an auxiliary gasoline tank - -p. 295: - - before Him returned - before Hiram returned - -p. 299: - - and expenses for dong so - and expenses for doing so - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Yazoo Mystery, by Irving Craddock - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YAZOO MYSTERY *** - -***** This file should be named 41483-8.txt or 41483-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/4/8/41483/ - -Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Eleni Christofaki and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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