It was opened by a grey-bearded man smoking a pipe.
Haines covered him. He tossed up his hands and the pipe dropped from
his mouth.
"Who's in the house here with you?" asked Haines.
"Not a soul!" stammered the man. "If you're lookin' for money you c'n
run through the house. You won't find a thing worth takin'."
"I don't want money. I want you," said Haines; and immediately
explained, "you're perfectly safe. All you have to do is to be
obliging. As for the money, you just throw open that switch and flag
the train when she rolls along in a few moments. We'll take care of
the rest. You don't have to keep your hands up."
The hands came down slowly. For a brief instant the agent surveyed
Haines and the group of masked men who sat their horses a few paces
away, and then without a word he picked up his flag from behind the
door and walked out of the house. Throughout the affair he never
uttered a syllable. Haines walked up to the head of the siding with
him while he opened the switch and accompanied him back to the point
opposite the station-house to see that he gave the "stop" signal
correctly. In the meantime two of the other outlaws entered the little
station, bound the telegrapher hand and foot, and shattered his
instrument.
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