Page:Cy Warman--The express messenger and other tales of the rail.djvu/208

Rh sending of this wire, which amounted to almost a miracle, he set himself at once to the task of solving the mystery. He belonged to a certain society whose members delight to delve in things occult, and they were not long in accounting for all that had occurred. It fell out later that the treasurer's clerk was also a member of the Boston society to which the President belonged.

The day's work in a despatcher's office is divided into three tricks. The first trick man works from 8 until 4, the second from that hour to the end of the day, and the third man works the "death trick,"—in which nearly all the ugly wrecks occur,—from midnight till morning.

"You may go now," said Mr. Creamer to the girl, when the second man came in and took his trick at 4 o'clock.

"Shall I—come—back in the morning?" asked the girl with some embarrassment.

"Yes," was the answer, after a moment's thought.

By a sort of unwritten rule, the first trick