Page:Boys' Life Mar 1, 1911.djvu/4

4 ciently to make it worth while running a regular service of passenger and freight trains. The people of the County of Arundel, through which the line was built, had expected a regular daily passenger train at least when they consented to the law that gave the Sunset line its powers; but they had no legal right to grumble, the law had been strictly and literally adhered to.

"Hello, Jack!" said Colonel Carson, recognizing Jack Fletcher as he came abreast of him "Going out on this train?"

"Yes, colonel," replied Jack. "I'm going through to Denver."

"Holiday, eh? Well, we'll see something of you on the train. Aylward and I are going down the line a bit."

Jack answered Aylward's effusive smile with a brief nod, saluted the colonel with a wave of his hand, and climbed aboard the Pullman. Leaving his friend Webster there he walked through the vestibuled cars, seeking the conductor, Winter, to tell him that he was going through to Denver with him.

As Jack was entering a smoking-car he caught sight of Winter on the platform. Believing that the conductor would swing on to the observation-car at the rear of the train he hurried through to meet him. The observation-car was empty when he reached it. He heard the cry "All aboard!" resound along the length of the train; the starting gong rang out its mellow signal, and the platform began to recede from him.

As the train's speed increased and Winter did not appear Jack concluded that he had climbed aboard higher up the train. Lingering for a few moments to get a last glimpse of the disappearing platform he heard the inner door of the car open and out of the corner of his eye he saw that the new-comers were Colonel Carson and the lawyer, Aylward. That they had not seen him in his corner was quite evident, for they sat down with their backs toward him and continued a conversation in which they had been engrossed.

"This is certainly a great train," said Colonel Carson; "much better than anything we have on the Kansas Central."

"That's so," said AlywardAylward [sic]; "but that's no reason why your line should not have as good in time."

"I don't know," said the colonel; "things don't look over bright with us, and we have not much more money to sink in the line."

"I confess I don't see why you should spend much more," said the lawyer. "You know, colonel," he continued, with a chuckle, "my experience with both lines enables me to see things perhaps a little bit clearer than you can. As your lawyer, now, I might find you some excellent weapons to fight the Sunset with."

Up till this moment Jack had had no thought that he might be eavesdropping; but the lawyer's last sentence, which was uttered in ana [sic] significant tone, caught his ear, and he felt that in the interests of the Sunset he was justified in not disclosing his presence, and putting an end to the conversation.

The colonel seemed to be reflecting, for it was a moment or two before he replied to Aylward. At last he said: "Yes, I suppose you could. Somehow, I have not much faith in our present scheme. I know, of course, that the Sunset people don't watch that branch line through Arundel County. They feel quite secure; but I don't like counting my chickens before they're hatched. Anything may happen to spoil our plans."

Aylward laughed quietly.

"I was not depending much on that," he said, "if the Kansas Central can get the track laid before the Sunset discovers the game I shall be glad, of course; but I've got something better up my sleeve."

"What better scheme can you have?" inquired the colonel, in an anxious voice.

"Why," said the lawyer, "as you have the controlling interest in the Kansas Central you surely ought to have known."

"Ought to have known what?" interrupted the colonel.

Do you mean to tell me," said Aylward, "that you have not examined the law under which the Sunset built its Arundel County branch line? It's a very interesting law, very interesting indeed to a rival line."

"What can you possibly mean?" the colonel's voice displayed a touch of excited interest.

"Well," answered Aylward inpressively, "the truth is that John Fletcher, the clever president of the Sunset line, was not quite clever enough in regard to that new branch line."

"What! Has he left us an opening—anything we can make use of?" asked Colonel Carson eagerly.

"Yes," answered the lawyer slowly; "I rather think he has, and a good big one, too. There's a very considerable flaw in the franchise he obtained from Arundel County, for building that branch line. A mere clerk's error, but a mighty bad one for the Sunset."

The colonel was listening to every word now with tremendous interest.

"You know," continued Aylward, "that the time limit mentioned in that franchise, or law, whichever you like to call it, expires today."

"Yes, of course it does," said the colonel rather testily; "but what has that to do with it? The road has been built two years."

"Quite so," was the composed answer, "but there were conditions; there was a clause to the effect that the Sunset should run a passenger train over the line."

"Well, that's done," interrupted the colonel. "The Sunset has scored there. They ran a passenger train over it. It was rather sharp practice, of course, running only one; but it fulfilled the letter of the law."

"That's just it," snapped the lawyer triumphantly; "they have not fulfilled the letter of the law, and after today citizens of Arundel County are at liberty to destroy the Sunset branch line, to tear up their tracks, and never allow the Sunset to run another train on any part of their territory."

"Aylward!" gasped the colonel, excitedly. "Surely you must be crazy."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Aylward, "I know what I'm talking about."

A moment's pause, and then the shifty-eyed little lawyer disclosed in plain language a piece of villainous treachery to his one-time employers, the Sunset line.

"I know what I'm talking about," he