The weekly union record., 1865-12-23

The Railway Chase.

In the bright red glare of the furnace
fire stood Blackjack and Campbell.
Blackjack shoyeled in a quantity of
Goals, and slammed the iron door.
Its like we'll haze q scowry night"
he said, as he looked up into TIE dark
portentous sky. 'Like enough" said
Campbell, sullenly.
Campbell had lad another taste of
the Gift CT God at Perth, and was
unusually morose, and more incl ned to
sleep than talk. After one or two more
unayailing attempts to get up con-
versation, Blackjack drew further into
shelter, and sat down on one of the
sliding seats under the storm board
resigning himself, We may suppose, to
pleasant thoughts of Jenny, and feeling
happy at her being so near him.
Campbell remained standing sullenly on
the footpath to attend to the engine.
They passed Forgandenny and Fort
cviot without stopping. They stopped
at Dunning, where three or four people,
mufiled well up to protect themselves
from the night air, were waiting for the
train. They stopped again at Auch-
terarder, where the station lights looked
CHEEKY by contrast with the darkness of
the night. Here they shunted on the
down line, a little beyond the station, till
the night mail for the West should pass.
The mail came up about FIVE minutes
after, sharp upon its time stopped for
a minute to take in the bags; and then,
with an impatient snort, passed on into
the darkness. Campbell and Blackjack
thereupon prepared to return to their
proper line. They put on the steam
and reversed the engine; but there was
a slight incline at the stop; the train
was heavy, and they could not get it to
move. After one Or two attempts,
Campbell-speaking with thick voice,
for he was half stupid with drink
ordered Blackjack to get crowbar and
put it to the wheel to give the engine a
start. "Nill Sinclair have one ;" said
Blackjack, jerking his thumb toward an
engine they lad passed on the siding
nearly opposite the platform.
He had better 20 and see.
Campbell sluggishly continued his
attempts to start his engine; while
Blackjack went back to Sinclair's,
slancing up, as he passed, at the win
dows Of the carriage where Jenny was,
in hopes of seeing her and getting a
smile. He told Sinclair what he wanted.
Sinclair, who was reading a newspaper
by the light Of an oil lamp, had no
crowbar, but thought there was one in
the shed. As he said so, he looked
carelessly round toward the train which
Blackjack had just left, and saw that it
had got start already, but was moving
in the wrong direction. He continued
watching it for few seconds, expecting
to see It stop and come back; but still
1t kept moving away and away.
Hello. what does the fellow meant"
he cried, jumping to his feet. He's
going off on the down line =
Blackjack looked. and turned as white
as death. The awful truth flashed upon
him. Campbell was drunk, and did
not know what he was about. In an
instant, leaping from Sinclair's engine,
Blackjack ian swiftly along the line in
pursuit of the retreatiug train. 1t was
hopeless. 4 full head Of steam was on.
The train was quickening It's pace every
moment. The heads that had been
popping out from some of the carriage
windows, to see what the cause Of the
detention was, were drawn in. and the