Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-06-09

GAS it was nearly IL o'clock then,
and the distance was seventy-fve 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 saw he was in earnest.
"'Harry,' said he, if you don't set
me down in c. by IL 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 embezzled
from time to time, five hundred thousand |
of our money and his clerk is to start
with it on the IL 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 you put me down
in C at the right time, so that l
save the money, you shall have five
thousand dollars Understand it, Harry?
Five thousand dollars =
"Of course, l understand it. | saw
now the reason why the wages had been
cut down I understood it all. and my
blood boiled. I felt that would save
the road if l lived. and told Roberts SO.
"'See that you do it, Harry! he re-
piled as he climbed up on the steps of
coach which was coupled to my engine.
81 sprang up into the foot-board, got
up the switch. tender to help my fireman.
opened the throttle, and just as he COM
menced moving. looked at my watch, it
was Just II o'clock, so that | had one
hour to make seventy-fve miles in.
"From Y to c. there were
few curves on the road, but there were
several heavy grades. was perfectly
acquainted with every rod of it, so that
knew exactly what had to encounter,
and when I saw how the engine moved,
I felt very little fear for the result.
"The road for the first few miles was
an airline and so smooth that my engine
flew along with scarcely a perceptible
jar I was so busy posting myself up
as to the amount of wood and water, ETC.,
that we danced by the first station al
most before I was aware of it, having
been five minutes out and having five
miles accomplished.
"You are losing time !" yelled voice
from the coach. I looked around, and
there stood Roberts with his watch in
his hand.
81 knew very well that we would have
to increase our speed by some means. II
we carried out our plans of reaching
c. by midnight, and looked anxious
ly around to see what / could do to &C,
complish that purpose. She was blow.
ing off steam fercely at one hundred
pounds so | turned down the valve tc
two hundred. for l knew we should neeG
it all to make some of the heavy grade:
which lay between us and C.
1t was three miles to the next station
With the exception of few curves. th'
! track was as 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, shor
: enough, looked at my watch !; and W.
. had done it in two minutes and half.
Gaining I shouted back to Rob
erts. who was standing on the platform
t of the coach.
r "'Look out for the heavy grades b
e replied, and went inside the car.
r The next six miles rose gradual
e from level the first, to ten and a hal
e feet grade the last, which lay betwee
us and the next station. My fireman
!; kept her full and now she began to ge
+ hot. The furnace door was red, and tn
n steam raised continually; so that sh
s kept her speed, and passed the station
e like streak of light, in five minutes.
h Here, for ten miles, we had twer
ty-foot grade to encounter; but the wors
1t of it all was. at this place we would b
Il obliged to stop for wood. l was JUS
% going to speak to Roberts about it. whe
If looked around and saw him filling th
e tender from the coach with wood whic
d had been placed there before starting
1t while he was gone after me.
II believe we would have made th
y ten miles with the same speed as before
D. but, through the carelessness of the fir
y man, the fountain valve. on the lef
IN hand side of the engine, got opened, ar
le the water rose in the boiler so fast
q, to run steam down to one hundre
er pounds, before I discovered where Il
r difficulty lay.
u cat first. Roberts didn't appear
notice the decrease of speed. and kept
g work at the wood as if for dear life B
~ presently, he looked up and seeing tn
TX the speed had decreased. he shouted
Harry, we are stopping 7 and then col
u ing over to where was, he said, .Wh
Oe here we have been ten minutes
the last ten miles, and I believe /,
10 will come to dead stand if somethil
is not done. The speed is continual
st Stacking What is the matter p
le al exnlained the nanse He was a