The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-09-10

| leaped upon the platform of the guard
carriage, and in a few minutes more the
station-house was far behind us.
In less than an hour we reached Dir
sham, where we took up the passengers
that had come on the Konigsberg railway.
Here | went forward and asked Kroller
how he liked the engine. He replied that
he liked it very much.
'But," he added, with strange spark
ling of the eye, "wait until L get my I'M
provement, and then you will see travelling
By the soul of the virgin mother, l could
run an engine of my construction to tSsee
moon in four and twenty hours" eNs
/ smiled at what thought his failftlote u u
thusiasm, and then went back to my sta
ton. AS soon as the Konigsberg passen-
gers were all on board and their baggage
attached we started on again.
AS soon as all matters had been attended
to connected with the new accession of
passengers, went into the guard carriage
and sat down. An early train from Ko-
nigsberg had been through two hours be-
fore reaching Bromberg, and that was at
little Oscue, where we took on board the
Western mail.
GLOW we go!' uttered one of the
guards, some fifteen minutes after we had
left Dirsham.
''The new engineer is trying the speed"
[ replied, not yet having any fear.
But ere long l began to fear that he
was running little too fast. The car
riages swayed to and fro, and / could hear
ordinations of fear from the passengers.
''Good heavens p cried one of the guards,
coming in that moment, 'what is that
| fellow doing Look, sir, and see how we
are going"
/ looked at the window, and found that
we were dashing along at a speed never
before travelled on that road. Posts,
fences, rocks and trees few by in one un-
| distinguished mass, and the carriages now
swayed fearfully [ started to my feet,
and met a passenger on the platform. He
was one of the chief owners of our road,
and was just on his way to Berlin. He
was pale and excited.
Sir" he gasped, "is Martin Krollcr on
the engine 2"
'Yes," / told him.
"Holy virgin didn't you know him 2"
"Know 7" [ repeated, somewhat puz-
zled. "What do you mean? He told me
his name was Kroller, and that he was an
engineer. We had no one to run ON the
engine, and"
You took him ?" interrupted the man.
"Good heavens, sir, he is as crazy as man
can be. He turned his brain over a
new plan for applying steam power. l
saw him at the station, but did not recog.
nize him, as L was IN hurry. Just now
one of your passengers told me that your
engineers were all-gone this morning, and
that you found one that was a stranger to
you. Then l knew that the man whom |
had seen was Martin Kroller He had
escaped from the hospital at Settin You
must get him off somehow"
The whole fearful truth was now open
to me. The speed of the train was in
creasing every moment, and I knew that a
few more miles per hour would launch US
ali into destruction. I called to the guard
and then made my way forward as quick
as possible. l reached the after platform
OF the after tender, and there stood Krol-
Ter upon the engine board, his hat and
coat off, his long black hair floating wildly
in the wind, his shirt unbuttoned at the
throat, his sleeves rolled up, with pistol
in his teeth, and thus glaring upon the
fuel The furnace was stuffed till the latch
of the door was red hot, and the engine
quivering and swaying as though it would
shiver in pieces.
'Kroller Kroller !" I cried, at the top
of my voice
The crazy engineer started and caught
the pistol in his hand. Oh, how those
great black eyes glared, and how ghastly
and frightful the face looked.
''Ha ha ha P' he yelled, demoniacally
glarlng upon me like o reused lion
| ''They swore that I could not make it.
But see see See my new power. ''oa
my new power. See my new engine. i
made it, and they are jealous of me- ]
made 1t, and when it was done they stole
1t from me. But have found it. Fo1
years L have been wandering in search ot
my great engine, and they swore it was
! not made. But have found it. I knew
1t this morning when saw it at Dantzig
and l was determined to have it. Anc
I've got it. Ho no no we're on the
way to the moon, I say. By the virgin
mother, wen be in the moon in four and
twenty hours. Down, down, villain L
you move I'll shoot youP'
This was spoken to the poor fireman
} who at that moment attempted to rise, anc
the frightened man sank back again
''Here's Little Oscue right at hand,
cried one of the guard.
But even as he spoke the buildings were
at hand. A sickening sensation settled
; upon my heart, for I supposed that W,
were gone now. The houses flew by like
: lightning. knew if the officers here hat
+ turned the switch as usual, we should bt
} hurled into eternity in one fearful crash
closed my eyes, but still we thunderec
L ]