"Mr. Scouping of The London Times would like to see you for a few minutes," said the jailor.
"I don't care to see any newspaper man," said Moran, closing his book.
"I knew that," said the jailor, "but this man is a personal friend of mine and in all the world there is not his equal in his chosen profession, and if you will see him just for a few minutes it will be a great favor to me. I feel confident, Dan, that he can be of service to you--to the public at least--will you see him?"
The jailor had been extremely kind to the engineer and when he put the matter as a personal request, Moran assented1 at once and Mr. Scouping was ushered2 in. He was a striking figure with a face that was rather remarkable3.
"Now, what are you thinking about?" asked the visitor, as Moran held his hand and looked him full in the face.
"Oh!" said the prisoner, motioning the reporter to a chair which the jailor had just brought in, "I was thinking what a waste of physical strength it was for you to spend your time pushing a pencil over a sheet of paper."
"Are you sure?"
"Quite sure. What were you thinking about?"
"The trial of the robbers who held up the Denver Limited at Thorough-cut some eight or ten years ago. You look like the man who gave one of them a black eye, and knocked him from the engine, branding him so that the detectives could catch him."
Moran smiled. He had been thinking on precisely5 the same subject, but, being modest, he did not care to open a discussion of a story of which he was the long-forgotten hero. "It strikes me," said Moran, "as rather extraordinary that we should both recall the scene at the same time."
"Not at all," said the reporter. "The very fact that one of us thought of it at the moment when our hands and eyes met would cause the other to remember."
"Perhaps you reported the case for your paper, that we saw each other from day to day during the long trial, and that I remembered your face faintly, as you remembered mine. Wouldn't that be a better explanation?"
"No," said the journalist cheerfully. "I must decline to yield to your argument, and stick to my decision. What I want to talk to you about, Mr. Moran, is not your own case, save as it may please you, but about the mysterious death of Engineer Cowels."
"I know less about that, perhaps, than any man living," said Moran frankly6.
"But you know the fireman's story?"
"No."
"Well, he claims that they were running at a maddening rate of speed, that he and the engineer had quarrelled as to their relative positions in the estimation of the public in general, the strikers in particular. Cowels threw a hammer at the fireman, whereupon Guerin, as he claims, caught the man by the left arm and by the back of the neck and shoved his head out of the window. The engineer resisted, but Guerin, who is something of an athlete, held him down and in a few moments the man collapsed7."
"How fast were they going?"
"Well, that is a question to be settled by experts. How fast will Blackwings go with four cars empty?"
"Ninety miles an hour."
"How fast would she go, working 'wide open in the first notch,' as you people say, down Zero Hill?"
"She would go in the ditch--she could hardly be expected to hold the rail for more than two minutes."
"But she did hold it."
"I don't believe it," said the old driver; "but if she did, she must have made a hundred miles an hour, and in that case the mystery of Cowels's death is solved--he was drowned."
"But his clothes were not wet, and he was still in the window when they reached Galesburg."
"I do not mean," said Moran, "that he was drowned in the engine-tank, but in the cab window--in the air."
"That sounds absurd."
"Try it," said the prisoner. "Get aboard of Blackwings, strike the summit at Zero Hill with her lever hooked back and her throttle8 wide open, let a strong man hold your head out at the window, and if she hangs to the rail your successor will have the rare opportunity of writing you up."
"Do you mean that seriously?"
"I do. If what you tell me is true, there can be no shade of doubt as to the cause of Cowels's death."
"I believe," said the reporter, "that you predicted his death, or that the train would go in the ditch, did you not?"
"No."
"I was not present at the examination, but it occurs to me that the man who claimed to be a detective, and who made the arrest, swore that you had made such a prediction."
"Perhaps," said Moran. "The truth is when that fellow was giving his testimony9 I was ignorant of Cowels's death, upon whose evidence I hoped to prove that the fellow was lying wilfully10, or that he had misunderstood me, and later, I was so shocked and surprised at the news of my old fireman's death that I forgot to make the proper explanation to the magistrate11."
"Why not make that explanation now? These are trying times and men are not expected to be as guarded in their action as in times of peace."
"If you hope to learn from me that I had anything to do with Cowels's death, or with the placing of the dynamite12 upon the locomotive, I am afraid you are wasting your time. Suppose you are an army officer, the possessor of a splendid horse--one that has carried you through hundreds of battles, but has finally been captured by the enemy. You are fighting to regain13 possession of the animal with the chances of success and failure about equally divided, but you have an opportunity, during the battle, to slay14 this horse, thereby15 removing the remotest chance of ever having it for yourself again, to say nothing of the wickedness of the act,--would you do it?"
"I should say not."
"And yet, I venture to say," said the prisoner, "that there is no love for a living thing that is not human, to equal the love of a locomotive engineer for his engine. To say that he would wilfully and maliciously16 wreck17 and ruin the splendid steed of steel that had carried him safely through sun and storm is utterly18 absurd."
"But what was it, Mr. Moran, that you said about the train going in the ditch?"
"I have a little motto of my own," said the engineer, with his quiet smile, "which makes the delay of an express train inexcusable, and I was repeating it to George, as I had done scores of times before. It is that there are only two places for an express train; she should either be on time or in the ditch. It may have been rather reckless advice to a new runner, but I was feeling a mite4 reckless myself; but, above all the grief and disappointments (for the disgrace of my fireman's downfall was in a measure mine) arose the desire that Blackwings should not be disgraced; such is the love of the engineer for his engine."
The old engineer had shown much feeling, more than was usual for him to display, while talking about his engine, and the reporter was impressed very favorably. "This has been most interesting to me," said the journalist; "and now I must leave you to your book, or to your bed," and then the two men shook hands again and parted.
* * * * *
It was almost midnight when a closed carriage stopped at the general office of the Burlington Company, and the man who had been representing The London Times stepped out.
The Philosopher, who was still on duty, touched his cap and led the visitor to the private office of the general manager.
"By Jove, Watchem," said the railway man, advancing to meet his visitor, "I had nearly given you up--what success?"
"Well," said the great detective, removing his heavy coat, "I have had a talk with Moran. Why, I know that fellow; he is the hero of the celebrated19 Thorough-cut train robbery, and he ought to be wearing a medal instead of irons."
"What! for attempting to blow up an engine?" asked the general manager.
"He never did it," said the dark man positively20. "He may know who did do it, but he will not tell, and he ought to be discharged."
"He will never be until he is proved innocent," said the railroad man.
"One of the conditions," began the detective deliberately21, "upon which I took charge of this business was that I should have absolute control of all criminal matters and I am going to ask you to instruct the prosecuting22 attorney's office to bring this man before Judge Meyer to-morrow morning and ask that he be discharged."
"The prosecuting attorney will never consent," said the general manager. "He believes the man guilty."
"And what do I care for his opinion or his prejudice? What does it matter to the average attorney whether he convicts or acquits23, so long as his side wins? Before we proceed further with this discussion, I want it distinctly understood that Dan Moran shall be released at once. The only spark of pleasure that comes into the life of an honest detective, to relieve the endless monotony of punishing the wicked, is the pleasure of freeing those wrongfully accused. Dan Moran is innocent; release him and I will be personally responsible for him and will agree to produce him within twenty-four hours at any time when he may be wanted."
The general manager was still inclined to hold his ground, but upon being assured that the Watchem detective agency would throw the whole business over unless the demands of the chief were acceded24 to, he yielded, and after a brief conference the two men descended25, the Philosopher closed the offices and went his way.
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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mite
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| n.极小的东西；小铜币 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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wilfully
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| adv.任性固执地；蓄意地 | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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prosecuting
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| 检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师 | |
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acquits
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的第三人称单数 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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acceded
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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