The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-12-25

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slipped and fell. AS we were yet under
good Roadway, he was much injured,
and was carried off to the hotel insen-
fsible.
according to the presidents instruct
ions, switched off my train, turned my
engine, and stood ready to start back to
| c. at any moments notice.
"Aldrlch's presence was of SO much i'm
pOrtance that the business could not be-
transacted without him; so all those l
had brought out except the president
and Aldrich, went back to c. on the
three o'clock express train. This was the
last regular train which was to pass over
the road until the next Monday. s.a
"Early in the evening I lett the ma
chine In charge of my fireman and went
over to an eating house to see if could
not spend the time more pleasantly than
on my engine. The hours dragged them
selves away slowly. I was playing a
game of5dominoes with the station agent
when in come Roberts, the president, in
a state of great excitement
"'Harry,' said he TO me. 4 want you
to put me down in c. at twelve
o'clock. -.
GAS it was nearly eleven o'clock then,
and the distance was then seventy-tive
miles, I thought he was joking at first;
but when we got outside the door he
caught me by the arm and hurried me
along so fast that I saw he was in earnest.
"tHarry,' said he, IF you don't set me
down in c. by twelve o'clock, | am a
ruined man, and this road is ruined
road. Aldrich is dead, but he told me,
before he died, that he had embezzlea,
from time to time, five hundred Thousand
OF our money; and his clerk is to start
with it on the twelve o'clock boat from
c. for Canada. If we don't have that
money on Monday morning, to make
some payments with, the road goes into
other hands; and if you put me down in
c. at the right time,so that save the
money, you shall have five thousand dol
lars. Understand it, Harry Five thous-
and dollarsp
"Ofcourse, I understood it. I saw now
the reason why the wages had been cut
down; understood it all, and my blood
boiled. [ felt that l would save the
road if I lived, and told Roberts so.
| {" See that you dot, Harry !"he replied
as he climed up on to the steps of the
coach which was coupled to my engine.
II sprang up into the foot board, got
the switch-tender to help my fireman,
opened the throttle, and just as she COM
menced moving, looked at my watch-it
had just struck eleven o'clock, so that
had the hour to make my seventv-fve
miles in.
"From Y to c. there were few
curves on the road but there were several
heavy grades. l was perfectly acauaint-
ed with every rod of it; so that knew
exactly what I had to encounter; and
when saw how the engine moved, felt
very little fear of the result.
"The road for the first five miles, was an
airline, and SO we few along with scarce
Is a pelceplible jar. I was so busy,
posting myself up, as to the amount Of
wood and water aboard, ETC., that we
danced by the first station almost before
l was aware of it, having been five min
utes out, and having five miles accom-
plished.
"'You are losing timer yelled a voice
from the coach. I looked around. and
there stood Roberts with his watch in his
hand.
II knew very we'll we would have to
increase our speed by some means, if we
carried out our plans of reaching G.
by midn1ght,and looked anxiously around
to see what I could do to accomplish that
purpose. She was blowing off steam
tiercely at one hundred and ten pounds
so turned down the valve to two hun
dred, for knew we should need it all to
make some Of the heavy grades which
lay between us and c..
ut was three miles to the next station.
With the exception of few curves the
track was asS good as the last As we
darted around what commonly seemed
to be rather long curve, at the station,
but which was, at our high speed, short
enough, [ looked at nv watch; and we
had done it in two minutes and half.
"'Gaining,' shouted back to Roberts,
who was yet standing on the platform Of
the coach.
| "'Look out for the heavy grades he
replied, and went inside the car.
The next six miles rose gradually
from level the first, to ten and a half
feet grade the last, which lay between us
and the next station. My fireman kept
ner full; and now she began to get hot.
The furnace door was red, and the steam
raised continually, so that she kept her
speed, and passed the station. like a
streak of light, in five minutes.
Snow came nine miles like the last.
over which she kept pace with her time,
and passed the station in seven and half
minutes. -...
Here, for ten miles, we had a twenty
foot grade to encounter; but the worst of
it all was, at that place we would be
obliged to stop for wood. I was just go
ing to speak to Roberts about it, when
looked around, and saw him filling the
tender from the coach with wood, which
had been placed there before starting,
! while he was gone after me.
II believe we would have made this ten
miles at the same speed as before, but
through the carelessness of the fireman,
| the fountain valve, on the left hand side
of the engine. got open and the water rose
in the boiler so fast as to run the steam
down to one hundred pounds before
discovered where the difficulty lay.
| Atsfrst, Roberts didn't appear to notice
the decrease of speed, and kept at work
IinENAhn ~ Coz lo,ul:cn D.a