Scene 26.
At Mason’s Cut—railroad tracks.
Four bandits arrive, conceal themselves at points of vantage.
Scene 27.
Down railroad track from 26.
Train No. 5 in distance, rounding curve.
Scene 28.
Exterior of station, as in 18.
Black Jack sees poster near door with his picture. Reads: “$1000 reward for the capture, either dead or alive, of Jack Rindge, generally known as Black Jack. Was railroad despatch operator 1898 to 1907. Description:” (Follow with description of Black Jack.) Latter does bravado business, posts Bird as guard, and enters station.
[Two purposes are served by the author’s introduction of this poster. He has let us know that Black Jack is an unusually desperate character from the fact that so large a reward is offered, and, of even greater importance to the story, he has told us that Black Jack is a capable telegraph operator. Both are points necessary to the plot later on and skill is shown in introducing them indirectly now. How unconvincing it would have been to have Black Jack say later to Carson, “I am an old telegrapher operator,” and thus give the audience its first intimation of the fact.]