The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-09-05
This only added to the danger, for

train bound east"
Nearer and nearer came the train, and
the father and mother stood watching it
as it crept along the rails. 1t seemed as
if it would never come. At last, it
reached the platform and proved to be a
passenger train bound up the Black
River Road and not intended to go in
the direction in which the car had been
blown away. The instant it stopped, the
station-master ran to the engineer and
told his terrible story. The mother,
with quicker wit, found the conductor
and demanded that the engine be taken
off and sent after the children.
The conductor was man of regular
habits, and such bold request struck
him as something extraordinary. Take
the engine off, and leave the train and
passengers waiting at this lonely station?
The idea was preposterous! Some OF the
passengers gathered near and asked what
| was the matter.
Three children lost, blown away in an
empty car Some one said: Eyes, go at
once. We can wait till the engine re-
turns" The conductor said he must
telegraph for instructions; but some one
said the wires are down" and the people
only cried out the more, 'Let the engine
| go?'' so the mother ran to the tender and
began to pull out the pin, that the engine
might start.
"Hold on, marin" said brakeman:
ETH cast her off. You jump aboard If
you want to go, too. Fire up, Jack, and
| make her hum"
| It was all done in a moment, and away
| flew the engine, leaving the conductor
and the station-master staring in surprise
| at this singular proceeding. The station
master did not feel very happy. He had
half intended to go with the engine, but
| it would never do to leave his post.
''Fire steady, Jack" said the engineer
to the fireman. "It's no use to get ex-
cited, for we're in for long race"
'sIt's enough to make fellow excited,
to see that woman" said the fireman.
The engineer turned round, and there
by his side stood the mother, her eyes
straining ahead down the line in search
of the missing ones.
"Oh, sir! open the throttle wide. Don't
try to save coal at such time as this.
eve must keep cool, marm, and go
steady, or we shall run out of coal and
water and come to a stand-still on the
/ line
The woman said not word, but nod
ded mournfuiiy and leaned against the
side of the cab for support, and then the
fireman gave her his seat, where she
could look out ahead over the line. How
the engine shook and roaredi The little
fingers of the steam gauge trembled and
rose higher and higher as the steam pres
sure increased over the raging fire. The
engine seemed to be eating up the track
in front, and behind the track spun out
like shining ribbons in the sun. The
station and train had already sunk down
out of sight, and the grassy horizon on
either side seemed to fly away in a kind
of gigantic waltz. The wind died away
to dead calm, and in a few moments a
little breeze sprang up and blew In at the
front windows.
ssWe are beating the wind" said the
engineer. "If we can keep this pace up
we shall soon overtake them
Chow long have they been gomez"
shouted the fireman above the roar of the
engine.
81 don't know" screamed the woman,
without taking her eyes from the hori-
zon, where the rails met the sky. cit
may have been two hours or more. They
were playing in the empty car"
"How did she get out of the siding?"
(He meant the car).
1 ''Its one of the new switches, said the
engineer. Scars can easily jump out
upon the main line"
Ah! something ahead. Was it the
runaway car! No, the next station,
What a terrible pace! Twenty miles al
ready!
"0h, don't stop!" cried the woman, as
she saw the engineer put his hand on the
throttle-valve.
"I must, madam. We are getting out
of water, and perhaps we can learn
something of the runaway"
The sudden arrival of solitary engine,
containing two men and woman, start
| led the station-master, and he came out
to see what it meant. He seemed to
guess at the truth, for he said:
''After the runaway carp"
eyes, yes. There were three children
inside.'
"Oh, marin, I'm sorry for ye. It went
past here, going twenty miles an hour.
It came downrgrade all the way, but the
upgrade begins about two-miles out.
was inside when it passed, and didn't see
| it till it had gone past the door"
How long it took to fill the tender!
The engine stood hot and smoking by
the water tank, and the water came out
| in slender stream, while the poor
| mother stood looking, fearful and i'm
patient.
| "Good-by! I'll put up the pipe
Heaven help ye!-the upgrade
The rest was lost, for the engine shot
ahead, on and on out over the prairie.
The water-tank seemed to sink down into
the earth, and the shining rails stretched
| longer and longer out behind.
| All? What was that? A cloud of steam
on the horizon far ahead. The engineer
| took out his time-book and studied it
carefully.
| Freight No. 6, bound west, stopping
on the two-mile siding.
How swiftly Freight No. rose from
the grass and grew big along the way
Listen! A whistle. The engineer whis-
tied in reply and shut off steam. Their
engine quickly slowed down, and they
could see men leaning out from the other
engine. as if to speak to them.
&C It's ten minutes back. Running slow
on main-line-road clear"
'sThank Heaven!" said the woman.
The engineer said nothing; but at that
instant the engine gave great leap and
shot ahead at the rate of fifty miles an
hour, up the easy grade. How long the
minutes seemed, and yet each meant al
most mile!
All! A speck-a black dot on the hori-
zon! The car? Yes. It was the car 1t
| grew bigger and bigger. Now they could
see it plainly. But the children? Where