Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-03-15

oHdSltu Gutul, UeIO Wdnu Soul
at the station, which was miles away
from its village; the express didn't
stop before it reached Poughkeepsie,
so that l couldn't leave word to eau
ton, and just then | heardits whistle
a mile or two back. The engineer
heard it too, and laughed . diabolic-
al laugh.
That decided me. | caught up a
wrench and hit him back oI the ear,
and he dropped like dead I drag
ged his body Il did not khow then
whether I was handling corpse or
not) off the engine, and threw it down
by the roadside and jumped on the
engine.
Jimmy said |, the exprsss is af.
ter US, Mack smashed all the lanterns
so we can't stop her. sDur only
chance is running away froh her-so
cram in the wood and III oben every
thing -
knew by observation hf Ito open
and how to shut off, but course
could not graduate the saassl like a
professional. | opened everything
you may be sure, and away we jump
ed. 1t was a curious chase. To be
hunted by a locomotive don't bill to
the lot Of every one. Our engine
was not so powerful a one as tie ex-
press engine, aud our train was quite
as long, so we crammed in th fuel
and depended upon high pressue for
our salvation. OF course | never
thought for a moment of stopping that
side of Poughkeepsie, so we speeded
past the stations all lighted with won
dering faces.
Just after passing the second, the
gong on the engine struck; some one
had pulled the safety rope. Tie fire
mans hand went instinctively to the
whistle to blow brakes, but | caught
it. 1t was the most anxious moment
of my life. i'll did not mind the sig
nal and something was wrong ald an
accident should occur, | should ways
be blamed, even if | didn't blame my
self But if l stopped, the express
might-probably would-run right
into US. The pull didn't sound pro-
fessional-like a brakeman's 1t
probably was a jerk at the rope by a
passenger, who had been carried past
his station; so Id chance it.
All this went through my mini like
lightning, as you may imagine-one
thinks quickly Oh such occasions
and ! caught the freman's arm. He
had never heard of disobeying the
gong, and stared. | was too excited
to speak, but pointed to the fire, and
he put in more wood quietly.
Well, to make a long story short. l
never blew brakes till the engine
was opposite the station. Then |
shut off, blew one whistle, and went
sliding up the road. Just as We
stopped, the express, whose station
whistle | had heard just behind me
came up to the depot and stopped
where the trains usually do. If had
minded the gong or stopped in front
of the depot, I'd been smashed.
You see there was no way to dc
but to run for it. We hadn't a red
light for the rear car; we hadn't a
lantern, and couldn't get one to send
back to signal; the hagmen were OIL
a strike. and the express did not stop
anywhere till it reached Poughkeep
sic, and she had got so close on to US
when the engineer cut up as he did
that we could not stop at a station
and send a man back. Before he
could have got far enough away, they'c
have been SO close that they couldn't
hays broke up in time, but woulG
have come right into US.
| didn't know whether | had killed
Mack or not, and took the "owl train
back and found him all right as re
CARDS death, but very sick from tht
dip had given him.
The company gave me this watcl
when they heard oft.