a copy of this report if
he is ever going to be set right before the world. He suspects crooked
work by this time. He suspects mebbe the company is keeping the thing
quiet on purpose, not wanting the public to know that such wonderful
accidents could happen to its faithful employees. So he talks to Charlie
Holzman, the conductor of Number 18, and wants to know would it be
possible to sneak this report of Ben's out of the files over at Tekoa.
Charlie says that wouldn't be possible, but he's going to lay over at
Tekoa the very next night and he'll be glad to make a copy of the report.

Ed says he hates to keep Charlie setting up half the night writing, or
mebbe all night, because Ben has told him the report was a good one.
Charlie says he'll get help if necessary. Ed says get all the help
necessary and he'll pay the bill, and not to leave out even the longer
descriptive parts, because if it's as well written as Ben says it is he
may have it printed in a little volume for sending round to his friends.

The next day Ed is sunning himself on the station platform when Number 18
steams in. He's told a lot of people that Charlie is bringing this report
and he's aiming to read it aloud, just to show 'em what a man can pass
through and live to tell of it. Charlie swings down and hands him one
folded sheet of yellow paper. Ed says, what's the matter--couldn't he get
to copy the report? Charlie says the report is all there on that sheet,
every word of it. One sheet! And Ed had been expecting at least forty
pages of able narrative, even without hysteria. Even before he looks at
it Ed says there is crooked work somewhere.

Then he read Ben's report. It didn't fill even the one sheet--not more
than half of it. It merely says: "Brakeman Steptoe had trouble holding
two cars of concentrates he was letting down from the Tiger-Poorman
mine at Burke. Cars ran to Wallace and left track. Steptoe thrown some
distance. Right leg and arm broken; left shoulder dislocated; head cut
some. Not serious."

It was unbelievable; so Ed did the simple thing and didn't believe it.
Not for one minute! He says to Charlie Holzman: "Charlie, I know you're
honest; and, furthermore, you are a brother Moose. You've brought me
what's on file in that office; so now I know there's a conspiracy to hush
my accident up. I've thought so a long time--the way people acted round
here. Now I know it. Don't say a word; but I'm going to take it up with
Ben at once. Good ol