Boy's Cinema (1933)

24 j "THE HURRICANE EXPRESS."! (Continued from page 22.) I account of your movements, Gray," lie stated. "In the meantime, Jordan, you might back the express on to the main line." The Watchers. ON realising that there was no hope of overtaking Larry, the two men Barney and Craig had swung their car away from the railroad and driven off through the brush, and it was while they were bumping over a narrow trail which led into the heart of the thickets that two more of the Wrecker's gang re\ealed themselves. They were the ruffians known as Mike and Sandy, and, waving down their accomplices, they jumped on to the run- ning-boards as the automobile rolled to a standstill. From the cover of the brushwood the four crooks saw all that transpired, and they cursed 6avagely when the express failed to pile- itself against the goods wagons in so much shattered wreckage. "Baker saved her," growled Craig. "If it hadn't, been for him, we'd be riflin' the box-car by now!" "I wonder what the Wrecker's next move will be," Barney muttered. "Where's the 'plane, anyhow?" "It dropped outa sight on the other bide o' the ridge," Mike volunteered, jerking his thumb in a northerly direc- tion. There was a silence, during which the gangsters continued to watch the train through the surrounding foliage of the thickets. Their attention was still riveted on it when it was reversed to- wards the main line, with Matthews, Larry, Gray and the rest of the crowd walking alongside it. Once the express was on the main line, Jordan descended from the engine to throw the points into the correct posi- tion, and in the meantime the throng headed by Matthews prepared to ascend into the coaches. It was obvious, how- ever, that Matthews intended to pursue his investigations farther, for after see- ing that Gray was conveyed into one of the Pullmans by two of his subordinates he singled out his assistant, Hemingway, and proceeded to reconnoitre the vicinity. "Reckon we'd better make ourselves .scarce." observed Craig to his confeder- ates. "If them 'tecs " He did not finish the sentence, for Barney suddenly gripped him by the arm and pointed to a figure that had appeared in the narrow gap between the box-car and the first Pullman coach. It was the figure of old Robert Stratton, and with stealthy hands he removed the coupling- pin. Then he slipped forward to the engine and climbed into the cab while Jordan was still bent over the switch- lever that operated the track points. But the Wrecker's hirelings wore .not the only ones who had seen him, for a girl among the crowd of passengers ascending into the coaches had caught a glimpse of him as he had clambered to the footplate, and with a half-stifled exclamation she had detached herself from those around her. The girl was Stratton's own daughter, known in the L. & E. Company as Gloria Martin, the secretary of Edwards, and it was with a sensation of alarm that she ran towards the big locomotive. A blast of steam shot from its funnel even as she reached the tender, and a second later the engine was on the move, hauling the box car after it but May Oth, 1938. BOY'S CINEMA leaving the Pullman coaches at rest. In another moment, however, Gloria was scrambling into the cab. "Dad," she gasped, clutching at her father's arm, "what arc you doing?" The old man pushed her aside im- patiently, and there was more violence in the gesture than ho had intended, for she fell and struck her head against the side of the cab. In tho meanwhile a considerable commotion had arisen among the passengers who were filing into the Pullman cars, but. neither they nor Matthews and his assistants showed any presence of mind, and in the entire, crowd only one individual acted with any promptitude. That one was Larry Baker, and he uttered a ringing shout as ho saw the engine and box-car steaming away from the main portion of the express. "Somebody's clearing off with the gold!" he yelled, and clashed in pursuit of the locomotive. "He raced past Jordan, who stood by the side of the track with a stupefied expression on his face, and with a des- perate spurt he gained the rear of the box-car. The engine was now gathering speed, and smoke was belching from its funnel in rapid gusts, but with a wild grab Larry clutched a hand-rail and an instant afterwards he was shin- ning up an iron ladder attached to the van that contained the shipment of bullion. He climbed to the roof of the car, ran forward in precarious style and then leapt to the tender. From the tender he dropped to the engine-cab, and-, landing immediately behind Stratton. he gripped the old man by the shoulder. "Got you, Wrecker," he began, but before he could say more a girl's voice interposed, and, turning round, Larry recognised Gloria. He had not seen her board the engine, and now he stared at her in astonish- ment. "Gloria," he exclaimed, "what arc you doing here? I " He was interrupted once more, this" time by a stunning blow that landed on the back of his head and brought him to the floor of the cab. As he fell, Gloria scrambled to her feet with a cry and staggered across the footplate to where her father stood. "Why did you do that ?" she panted. " Oh, dad, have you lost your reason ? What's come over you, to make you act this way ?" "I can't afford to take any chances." tho old man jerked. "I don't know who this young fellow is, but nobody's going to interfere with my plans." He kept his hand on the engine throttle, and stared doggedly ahead as Gloria moved still closer to him. "Your plans!" the girl said. "Is it part of them to steal the gold shipment? Oh, dad, why are you doing it—Vvhv? You've always maintained that you were wrongfully sentenced for a crime you never committed, but now you're giving the law; real cause for convicting you !" "Gloria." Stratton answered, "you don't understand what I'm doing. I'm not stealing this gold—I only want it so that I can strike a bargain with the Railroad Company." "Strike a bargain with them?" tlie girl reiterated. "How do you propose to do that?" "The L. & E. withheld evidence at my trial that might, have cleared me," Stratton muttered. "I'm going to send word to the company that they've got to produce that evidence, or they'll never see the gold again. In the mean- time, I'm going to hido th& bullion. Believe me, Gl° r ' a > h.'s going to earn mo my complete freedom, for it gives me the whip hand over the Railroad.-" Every Tuesday "Dad," the girl said miserably, "you're taking an awful chance. If anything should go wrong " "Nothing will go wrong," he inter- rupted. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Engine and box-car were now a mile or two from the spot where the Pull- man coaches had been disconnected, and bad passed from the view of tho railway detectives and the abandoned passengers. But Stratton continued to hold the throttle wide open, and the giant locomotive was travelling at head- long speed over an expanse of level plain when Larry Baker began to show signs of recovering. Ho opened his eyes, and looked stupidly into space for a few seconds. Then his glance wandered towards the controls, and, as he saw the figure of (he man who was handling them, every- thing came back to him. He sprang up with an exclamation, and pounced on Stratton fiercely. Next instant ho had grasped the man by tho throat and dragged him from the throttle, and he was forcing him to his knees when he felt Gloria clinging to his arm. "Let him go, Larry," tho girl ap- pealed. "Let him go! He's—he's my father!" Tho youngster's grip relaxed, and. recoiling from the older man, he stared at Gloria in bewilderment. "Your father?" he mumbled. "You mean—he's—he's the Wrecker?" "No, no," she protested, "you mustn't think that. Larry. He isn't connected in any way with the Wrecker." The young airman frowned, and then turned towards the girl's father. The latter was nursing his bruised throat, and eyeing Larry askance. "I don't understand." the youngster said. "If you're npt tlie Wrecker, why are you trying to steal the gold." "I'm not trying to steal the gold." old Stratton retorted, with some eva- siveness. "I'm—I'm making sure that it doesn't fall into the hands of the inaa they call' the Wrecker—that's all." "Then you're actually working for the Railroad," Larry put in. Stratton glanced furtively at Gloria. It was clear that Larry had not recog- nised him as the escaped convict for whom the police were searching, and neither father nor daughter enlightened tho young pilot. "Working for the Railroad.?" the 61 d man stammered. "Oh. yes, that's right, and I'm sorry I struck you down when you came into the cab. I—I thought you were one of the Wrecker's gang." ~"I guess we are both guilty of making a mistake," Larry declared, "but, since .you're out to defeat the Wrecker, you can count me in with you." "Thanks," Stratton murmured, with- out much enthusiasm, and then ho turned towards the throttle again. Larry was still somewhat, puzzled, and. though he had no reason to suspect Gloria and her father of any underhand designs, ho was tempted to ask ques- tions. But he had no opportunity of prying deeper into the affair, for all ;.t once the occupants of tho cab becamo aware of a familiar sound, audible above the racket of tho train's wheels. "A 'plane," breathed Stratton, in a strangely agitated tone. ! Larry moved to the edge of the foot- plate, and, looking back, he saw tho dark shape of a sky-liner flying through tho starlight. "It looks like one of Gray's machines!" he said crisply. "The same machine that was hovering around when tho express hit the freight-wagons." "Larry," Gloria faltered, 'do you (Continued on page 28.)