The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-06-24
baek among The coke in the tender,

! A1E alOuE 0k q hO4AA1~ E1NS W-A- ~ NNA
behind her; going, too, not South TO Rip
pinghprsb but along the msin line to tn
north, as 1 saw when 1 looked around, fo
the night WAS fine and the stars shont
brilliantly, and ] was familiar WITH every
ttrn and feature OF the lsndscaps. Mel
lingshsl was ten miles away, and two sta
tions had been passed already I had bu
Just time to mako these observations WbeI
the stont gentleman turned TO address ma
"Qstting round again, I perceive" SAID
he "you will be right in another quarter
of an hour. Here, take 3 dram OK thit
brandy; you Will ind it 20 improve you
wonderfully. You will 1 am sure, fo-givt
me the little rudeness l perpetrated q few
minutes ago. Necessity compelled me- e
act as I did. You are better already,
see. Aud now 1 will yield up my post 0.
driver to you, having every confidence in
yCuc ability to conduct me and my friend
safely TO our journeys end"
"And where may that bsf 2" asked !,
somewhat sullenly. q This is not the road
to Rippinghurst."
nJust so. It is the line to the north or
which we are now travelling-I whistled
twice at the j~uc.ion, according 70 your
instruc.ions-and it IS northGard thst I
wish to 90. My friend and 1 were too
late for the mail vi could not afford to
wait for II .oxt train, which in fact does
not start til ,ix'o'clock tomorrow morning;
so we were compelled, in this rude ana
| violent fashion, to invent a special for
ourselves"
Fool that I wssl hew egrogiously I had
allowed myself TO be decoiFodl l had &C
tuslly taken one OF these men for that sw-
full parsonage, q railway director; whereas
the two of them we're probably nothing
better than a brsco OF swindlers. With
what dire punishment 1 should to visited
| when 1 got back to Mellingshsll, l burst
not then pause 10 contemplate. Il was
true that l was heing carried away against
my will but I had been wrong In the first
plaza, in allowing e strsnSer to get on to
the engine, and so render it possible for
any one to usurp tho command placed tenn
p~srarily in my hands. Tho mail would be
delayed; and when it was discovered that
L had absconded with the engine, they
would put ne down IS s lunstic at once.
But q few minutes more would bridg us g
Fallowdene station, at which place l w0alt
stop and give the two strangers into Gu to
dy, and prove my innoce at the same time
"This sort of thing may soem q pleasant
game to YOU" l said, turning 10 the stout
stranger; "but it's deucedly unplessGnily
for me. You've delayed the nail, and Iun
away with the engine-stOlen il, in fact
and laid yourselves open to an indictment
for felony. But we shall be at Fallowdaue
in three minutes, and then you will have
an opportunity of explaining TO some one
higher in authority than mt, the meaning
of your singular conduct for l don't in
tend TO drive you any further"
"YOur n~GiUsIe, my young friend, IS really
amusing" said the stout stranger with 8
grim laugh. "UnderstsRd, once for ali,
that l, and not you, am master efthe situa-
ton; and that it IS for you to obey my or
ders implicitly. Refuse TO do so, or attempt
to play AIRY fools tricks with the engine,
and l will scatter TO tho winds what little
brains you possess, and scrunch y0uc bones
under the wheels Of your own engine y
At the same instant 1 felt the cold barrel Of
d pistol pressed TO my temples; and 1
staggered back, and should have fallen
from the engine, had not the stout man
caught me by the collar end dragged me
back.
"There now" said b, gooi hQmoredly,
you owe me some thanks for having saved
your life. Do as I tell you, young msn,
and you have nothing 70 fear. 1 pledge
you my word to restore you insafeiy 10 the
arms of your disconsolate friends"
L saw at once that further resistance just
then would be useless; 1 had bsttor make
up my mind to obey the orders Of the mys-
FERROUS stranger, keeping meanwhile, both
eyes and cars on the alert So, with 2 shriil
whistle, we few past FalloWdoWns Of full
speed, and then l showed p lot Of coke in
to the furnace, and poured 8 little oil here
and there among the Joints Of the mschin-
cry, and went quietly about my work, as
though no strangers were present, bat al
ways ksenly o%bservsnt Ct what my com
psnions were doing.
~ am glad 10 find that you have come
to your senses so readily" said the stout
man. "Keep your engine up to tho mark,
and our journey will be done ell the soon
or" So saying, he proceeded TO fasLen 9
white weOllen comforter round his throat,
and TO put on q travelling esp in place OF
his hat after which he lighted . cigar and
turned to his friend.
The slim MAE gentlemen I call them
no longer) had taken no part in the con-
versati0n but seated from the first in one
corner, with the dispatch box between his
knees, had seemed to take 3 very despon-
dent view Of his position. Him, the stout
now turned to address; but when he
spoke, it wss in the French langusge, eyi-
IDENTIFY that 1 might not Understand what
was said; neither Of them deeming that the
black greasy looking stoker beside them
was acquainted with more Languages than
his own.
allow melancholy you lock to night, my
friend" said he; "one would think you
were IN love, so foIlorn as you sit there.
All cur plans AVG succeeded and although
VIC missed the train, that Is q matter Of lit.
tie mcment, since, thanks TO our clever coaP
dc main, we shall not be above half an hour
late st our destination; and Peter will
surely wait that short time foT me. This
night, Of all nights in tho year, you ought
to be as merry rs 8 tlackbird for now you
have accomplished your revenge-that re-
venge for which you have been signing,
day and night, for six months past. So
cheer up, my child, and be Iighj-hearted,
% | am let the future take care OF itself
YiUelG bagatelIe!
at is so cold sitting here" replied tie
slim man with q SILVER, with nothing 70
occupy either ones fingers or thoughts
at is because your thoughts are SO busi-
ly occupied, my friend, that you are so
gloomy and distracted. But you said you
were cold here, drain this flask, choice
cognac, 1 assure you not o heGdache in q
bucketful of it )" and unheeding the re-
monstrsnces of the other, the stout man
slipped ont of his great-cost, and indicted
his friend into it; then poured s quantity
of cognsc into the cap OF his flask, snd
made him swallow thst and finished up
by insisting that he should try q cigar, But
ia spite OF these friendly attentions, and the
cheering words which accompanied them
the slim man remained silent and SILVER
ing, brooding over some dark secret known
only TO himself and friend. When the
stnnt man found that all hise&5Tts 10 cheer
the other were UnsYsiling, lac turned awsy
with a muttered execratioD, end troubled
himself no further in the matter, but went
on smoking his chercots, and watching al
my movements attentively, SIS though he
feared 1 might play him false.
He asked me the name Oh each station
that we passed, and its distance from Mel
lingshall; and he became temporarily ex-
citod once or twice, when the red light
(the signsl to stop) was exhibited at soma
station. of which Tina I hsd Ia slacksn