The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1866-02-23
Chr ganfuek Stffsrsuniaa
The Railway Chase.

League. The train at the beginning
of the extract had just left Perth tor
Glasgow
In the bright red glare Of the fur.
mace fire, stood Blackjack and Camp
bell. Blackjack shoveled in quan.
tity of Goals and slammed the iron
door.
"Its like we'll have scrawny
night" he said, as he looked up into
the dark, portentous sky.
"Like enough" said Campbell sui
lenly.
Campbell had had another taste Of
the "Gift of Cod" at Perth, and was
unusually morose, and more inclined
to sleep than talk. After one or two
more unavailing attempts to get up
conversation, Blackjack drew fur
ther 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 sullen-
Ily on the iootpath to attend to the
engine.
They passed Forgandenny and
Fortevoit without stopping. They
stopped at Duntin, where three or
four people, muilled well up to pro-
tect themselves from the night air,
were waiting for the train. They
stopped again at Auchterarder, where
station lights looked CHEEKY by con.
trast with the darkness of the night.
Here they shunted on to tue down
line, little beyond the station, till
the night mail from the west Should
pass.
The mail came up about five min.
utes after, sharp upon its time, stop
ped for minute to take in the bags
and then, with an impatient snort
passed on into the darkness. Camp.
bell and Blackjack thercupon pre-
pared to reshunt to their proper line
They put on steam and reversed tho
engine; but there was slight incline
on the spot; the train was heavy and
they could not get it to move. After
one or two attempts, Campbell
speaking with thick voice, for h'
was half stupid with drink--orderet
Blackjack to get Nerowbar and put i
to the wheel to give the engine
start.
"Will Sinclair have one?' salt
J Blackjack, jerking his thumb TOWARD
an engine they had passed on the 81
ding, nearly opposite the platform.
"You had better go and see."
Campbell sluggisly continued hi
attempts to start his engine, Will
Blacl ock went back to Sinclair's, CLAN
= cling up as lie passed, at the window
of the carriage where Jenny was, l
hopes of seeing her face and gettin
, q smile. He told Sinclair what Ii
wanted. Sinclair, who was readin
q newspaper by the light of an o
lamp, had no crowbar, but though
there was one in the shed. AS b
said so, he looked carelessly aroun
'ir toward the train which Blackjack ha
just left, and saw that it had got
, start already but was moving
! the wrong direction. He continue
, watching it for a few seconds, eN
pecting to see it stop and come bach
e but still it kept moving away an
away.
"Hold what does that fello
mean - he cried, jumping to his fee
"lIe's going off on the down line y
Blackjack looked, and turned {
, pale as death. The awful truth fasl
- ed upon him. Campbell was drunl
, and did not know what he was abou
y In an instant, leaping from Sir
clair's engine, Blackjack ran swift
of along the line in pursuit Of the II
treating train. 1t was hopeless
p full head of steam was on. I'll
y train was quickening its pace ever
. moment.
d The heads that had been poppin
out from some of the carriage vii
9, dows to see what the cause OF detel
ton was, were drawn IN, and Il
III windows closed again, under the in
preston, no doubt, that the ira
was again on its way. The guar
in the break, as soon as he found Il
train was actually setting OFF on Il
wrong line, began TO make his W;
hurriedly from carriage TO carriai
toward the engine, but missing Il
footing, he fell heavily to the groun
Before he had recovered from I
1, stunning effects of the fall and g
upon his feet again, the train was Q
lite The other. guard had been stan
ing on the platform with the static
- master, waiting till the train shou
come back alongside, The nome
that they saw that it was movi
eat away on the wrong track, they cri
to the pointsmen and the guard rui
10 ed out upon the line.
,oi. The pointsmen shouted, waved
in red lamp, ran and turned on the q
tance danger signal, which fac
north SO that Campbell could see
Sck No attention was paid to these S
W. nails; but away the long train we
. laundering into the darkness.
us Blackjack ran madly along the !
in the desperate hope he might oN
take the train, and in his age
FOR cried God to stop it But the
siea .sIea lights along the line were grow
,use smaller and smaller, and hope
nd gone. Blackjack stood for mon
deci, tsi, like one bereft Of his senses; and I'll
starting, ran back.
,E Sinclair stood on his engine aw