Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 67: what you’re looking at

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

SHELBY’S HEAD-ON CRASH. “Does Thornton say he sent me such an order?” “He says so.” “ What does the copier say?” The super smiled in a rather superior way. “Ts this my investigation or yours, Shel- by?” he asked. “ What anybody else has said here doesn’t matter just now. We want to know what you have to say.” ‘“‘T say no order for the 88 was sent to me,” Shelby said. “I touched my key only once when there was any mention of the 88; that was when I O.S.’d her. Thorn- ton didn’t ask for signatures then. He did not say anything. I had nothing for the 88, and I let her by.” “Did you hear thé order sent to Willow Creek for the 89?” “JT didn’t. I wasn’t paying any atten- tion.” na ‘““What were you doing at ten minutes past six this morning?” “¢ Shining my shoes.” “‘ Oh,” said the super, and he glanced at Shelby’s bright shoes as if they might give him a clue. Then he added: “See if Jones has come in, Drake.” The chief went to the door, stood there a moment, and called Jones’s name. “ JO” of Willow Creek came. Shelby half rose. ‘““You may remain, Shelby,” the super said. “ We have about finished.” He turned to Jones. “You took an order for the 80, giving her time against the 88?” the super asked. “Yes, sir.” “* What were the circumstances?” Jones cleared his throat, rubbed his nose nervously, and said: “ Well, Thornton called me and told me to copy three. I took down a book and got the stylus, and Thornton begun to call Trumbull. He couldn’t get Trumbull just then.” Jones cleared his throat and rubbed his nose again. | ‘‘ Go on,” said the super evenly. “Well, he called for a while, and then he gave me the order for the 89. When he had finished he called Trumbull again. Trumbull didn’t answer. Well, then he told me to go ahead.” 57 ‘“‘ And you repeated the order?” ‘Yes, sir.” * And Thornton gave you complete be- fore it had been put out to the 88?” “Yes, sir.” “Did you hear Thornton call Trumbull afterward?” “No, sir.” The super leaned forward, and his eyes were sharper than ever. “Well, did you hear him call Shelby’s office? Did you hear him give that order to Shelby for the 88?” Jones suffered an agony of embarrass- ment. He twisted his-hat in his hands, and failed to meet the super’s eyes. “No, sir, I didn’t hear him give it to Shelby. I took a message on the way wire, and then I swept out the office. I didn’t know anything had gone wrong till I heard the despatcher begin to call An- dover. I knew from the way he was jerk- ing out the call that there was something wrong.”’ : “That’s all, Jones,” the super said. Jones left the room. Shelby sat erect in his chair. He knew that the climax had come. Probably the super had already made up his mind. ‘“ Drake,” he Said to the chief, “ you can see how matters stand. Thornton says he sent that order to Shelby. Osborne says he did, too. Of course, Thornton is culpable for giving the complete to the order to the 89 before he had put out the order to the 88. Still there wouldn’t have been a wreck if the order had been delivered to the 88 at Boynton. Osborne seems to be let out of it. Thornton will have to be suspended. I don’t care for that kind of despatching myself. If he indulges in it again—”’ He shrugged his shoulders and took up a pile of papers from his desk. The train- master and the chief rose. Shelby, too, stood up. His face was as red as his hair now. He was mad clear through. He walked over to the super’s desk and stood in front of it. “Well, what about me?” he asked thick- ly. ‘What do I get?” ““T presume Mr. Drake will have some- thing to say to you,” the super said coldly. comiclboooks C©