The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-05-24
TWO MINUTES TOO LATE.

tie telegraph office and dropped into
| the chair before the clicking instru-
ment. CHANGING at the clock above
her head, she noticed that it was al
| most time for her to close the office
for the night, and seek her humble
| home at the foot of one of the dar-
kened streets of the village. The rum
| bling of the train which had just left
the station was growing fainter and
fainter, and the girl listened to it as
| though it was the voice of a friend
who was leaving her for long time.
She did not expect any more mess
ages that night; the engine breathing
| heavily from its great iron lungs on
| the track near her window would not
move until the night express had
passed up, and the engineer, knowing
this, had sought his sweetheart, who
lived in the village.
Tom Gray, the engineer of the train
just departing, was Drucie's lover, and
his intimate friends knew when the
wedding was to take place. He had
not known her long, but that did not
matter, since he was Il true fellow,
who loved her with all his heart, and
with all hers she loved Tom.
The rumble of the train at length
died away, and Drucie was about to
shut OFT the current and leave the
office, when n message began to fall
upon her ears.
She started, for the first word drove
the color from her cheeks, and stand
ing over the instrument she heard this
message:
''NO. 10 switch at Colby till No. g
passes. Six just staTtingW
"SiX Just starting! My God! They
will meet" cried the beautiful Oper-
ator, starting from the table; "what
can do to save him-them?p
And with her eyes staring at the
clock she stood in the center of the
room, thinking of the two trains APP
preaching each other through the
mist that almost hid the moon.
The real situation, enough to blanch
u young girls cheeks, was appalling.
The order for the train which had
just left Fletcher to switch at Colby,
could not he Obeyed now. The tele
graph could not even stop it, for there
was no night office at Colby. 1t was
an unusual matter for No. 6 to leave
Fort Wayne before the arrival of No.
10; but as the latter train was some
twelve minutes behind time on that
particular night, No. &, anxious to
leave on time, TO save connections,
telegraphed to Fletcher the message
which had so startled DTucie Miller
From Fletcher to point four miles
below Colby, the company had COM
pleted n double track, which, when
finished to Fort Wayne, would Obvi-
ate the trouble of switching and pre-
venting accidents.
When DTucie recovered her self
possession. she started from the office
in Il
arrived just two minutes too late, and
Tom Gray, unconscious of its cNiS-
tence, was driving his engine ahead
and thinking of the girl he had lately
kissed adieu. He knew that it was
known in Fort Wayne that he was
unavOidably behind time, AMI thought
that according to custom the express,
waiting there, would not move out un-
til he arrived.
But let us return to DruCie Miller.
She saw the freight engine standing
on the new track already mentioned
and caught glimpse of the young
fireman asleep OF his box.
y determined resolution entered her
head, and the next moment she was
in the engine room with her hand on
the boys shoulder.
"That you, Miss Drucie?n said the
boy, rousing himself with yawn.-
Claws n mercy
acct out and uncOuple the freight,n
she cried. "TOm's moved out, and if
he doesn't switch at Colby, everybody
will be killed. We must catch him!"
The boy, with a cry of horror, left
the engine, and a minute later the
freight cars were standing idly on the
track, while the engine and its tender
were moving out gaining momentum
at each revolution of the wheel.
"What'll Dick say when he comes
back and finds his engine gomez said
the boy, looking up into Drucie'S face
"What do we care what he says
What is Dicks Inconvenience to the
precious lives on the two trains? Jim
how fast can your engine travel?''
"AbOut two miles a minute" the
boy answered, with a smile. "She's
the swiftest bird on the road. But |
don't think we can catch No. 10; we
might if we had Dick with us. He
knows how to handle the Belle"
"And so do l. Wood up, Jim. Fill
the furnace chOck full. We must
catch Tom this side of the tracks, ter
minus Or"
The girl paused and looked at the
pale boy:
"Or what, Miss Drucie?U
t'Or blow up,n
'That's what's the matter" said
Jim, catching her spirit. "And We'll
the furnace is chOck full. GolIy-
whiz! how we are gOing.n
Drucie smiled family at the boy and
noticed the hand of the gauge. The
engine had received new momentum,
which mOmentarily increased, and all
at once Jim, who had been trying to
pierce the haze, said:
'"TwO miles a minute, I'll bet, Miss
Drucie! If it was daylight the teIe-
graph poles would resemble a fine
tooth comb"
But the girl did not reply. She stood
before the lever, wishing that she
could urge the engine to greaterspeCd.
She had calculated that the two trains
would meet in gulch below Colby.
1t was terrible place for collision,
and the loss of life there would be
great. The haze or mist would pre-
vent the engineers from signaling each
ether, and Il collision was inevitable.
The engine, which seemed Uq have
broken loose, rushed nadly on, With
Jim looking at DTucie, whom he was
inclined to believe mad. The cold
mist, slowly turning to driYzle, was
occasionally blown against his FACE by
the wind; it served TO cool his heated
temples, and to make him think
more calmly of his situation and the
folks at home.
So fast were they moving that they
seemed to glide over the rails, scarcely
| touching them in their mad career,
| alid when DrUcie told Jim to listen for
the sound of TOMS train ahead, the
boy pokcd his head out of the window
and held his breath.
"'Pears to ME ] heard a sound" he
said, without turning his head
"Mebbe, Im nistakeu-so many
pear to me just now"
"Thank God" calculated the girl
'fListen with all your might, Jim
Oh. for the speed of bulletH'
Her face was g,CHwing With heat,
and while Jim listened she openI1cHt the
| furnace door and threw in the last
sticks of wood they possessed.
'"The woods gone, Jim, How far
yet can we can go at this rate of
| speed"'
"About fifteen miles," the boy an
swered-"tweIty of 'em, if we must
do it."
"Then We'll catch him. Colby
must he nine miles away yet, and the
! gulch is six miles further on-tifteen
| miles. Jim, can't you hear him yet?'
| "NO: guess j was mistaken awhile