McCloskey's scowl was grotesquely horrible.

"Bullying or bribery," he said shortly. "They've got Dix hid away uptown
somewhere. But there was a message, all right, and with your name signed
to it. Callahan saw it on Dix's hook this morning before the boy came
down. It was in code, your private code."

"Call up the Copah offices and have it repeated back," ordered the
superintendent. "Let's find out what somebody has been signing my name
to."

McCloskey shook his grizzled head. "You won't mind if I say that I beat
you to it, this time, will you? I got Orton, a little while ago, on the
Copah wire and pumped him. He says there was a code message, and that
Dix sent it. But when I asked him to repeat it back here, he said he
couldn't--that Mr. Leckhard had taken it with him somewhere down the
main line."

Lidgerwood's exclamation was profane. The perversity of things, animate
and inanimate, was beginning to wear upon him.

"Go and tell Callahan to keep after Orton until he gets word that Mr.
Leckhard has returned. Then have him get Leckhard himself at the other
end of the wire and call me," he directed. "Since there is only one man
besides myself in Angels who knows the private-office code, I'd like to
know what that message said."

McCloskey nodded. "You mean Hallock?"

"Yes."

The trainmaster was half-way to the door when he turned suddenly to say:
"You can fire me if you want to, Mr. Lidgerwood, but I've got to say my
say. You're going to let that yellow dog run loose until he bites you."

"No, I am not."

"By gravies! I'd have him safe under lock and key before the shindy
begins to-night, if it was my job."

Lidgerwood had turned to his desk and was opening it.

"He will be," he announced quietly. "I have sworn out a warrant for his
arrest, and Judson has it and is looking for his man."

McCloskey smote fist into palm and gritted out an oath of
congratulation. "That's where you hit the proper nail on the head!" he
exclaimed. "He's the king-pin of the whole machine, and if you can pull
him out, the machine will fall to pieces. What charge did you put in the
warrant? I only hope it's big enough to hold him."

"Train-wrecking and murder," said Lidgerwood, without looking around;
and a moment later McCloskey went out, treading softly as one who finds
himself a trespasser on forbidden ground.

The afternoon sun was poising for its plunge behind the western barrier
range and Lidgerwood had sent Grady, the