The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-04-24

minutes on the road"
"Pretty good speed?' -,
"Yes, but am going to try 1t little |
faster.n
This conversation was held at the very
top of our voices, for no ordinary SOUND
could be heard at the rate at which we
were going. The wind seemed blowing
a gale, although had remarked, before
we started, how very unusually still the
wind was. NV companion now turned
a small crank. with ratchet upon it,
that was attached to the machine Just In
front of him, and sheet-lron cover rose
toward us in o slanting direction, SO as
to break the force of the wind-already
about as strong as we could stand. Il
"Hold on your hair" he said, sand
look out not to move about. am gong
to let her do her prettiest now"
With this he suddenly drew out some,
thing like an organ stop, and realized
for the first time in my life how the IN
habitants of a comet must feel when I'M
der full Roadway. / had been able to
see occasional objects before at no great
distance from the road, and could make
out the horizon very well. But now all
was blank. Sky, earth, woods, water
all were plain mass OF gray indis-
tinctness. Directly my companion look
ed at his watch, and putting his mouth
to nv ear, made an immense effort 10
speak.
"We have probably passed Spear
mint bridget" he shouted-"twenty
miles in eight minutes!"
The words came very family to my
ear, and began to wish that couio
see something, if it was only so as 10
know where we were, and how last we
had really come. / began to feel just q
| little uncomfortable-it seemed some
thing awful to be sitting there in that
silence, seeing nothing and knowing
nothing, except that we were liable to
90 out of the world at any minute!
While these thoughts were passing
through my brain, / heard faint
sound like steam-whistle, and almost
at the same moment q flash of light,
apparently under our wheels, and felt q
slight jar.
AZ am afraid we have run over some
thing! :" yelled my companion.
I "What do you think it is 2" l
shouted.
"Probably locomotivel" he re-
piled.
asked no more questions.
Again / saw him pulling out the little
ivory knob had before noticed, and
immediately / found my seat sliding out
from under me. knew that our speed
was increased, and grasped the handle
with all my strength. A strange hum
ming noise occasionally attracted my
attention and puzzled me much, until l
: found that it only came when i had my
mouth open. 1t was the wind playing
into nv mouth as in the aperture OF a
: humming top, and as it became louder
and louder judged that our rate was
gradually augmenting in swiftness. As
|. we progressed it grew darker also, until
: I could but Just make out the form OF
? INV Jehu dimiy looming up beside me.
\ It was quite impossible to make our
, |, voices heard now, and Notwithstanding
INV monomania for travelling, confess
that my situation was hardly pleasant
one. / did not mind the going much,
but thought that had good reason to
fear the consequences of q sudden stop
page. -
Once more the machinist's hands
; sought the knob, and he raised himself
up u little as if to look over the iror
cover or apron, when his hat, presume,
4 must have caught the wind and gone
: off, for saw him throw up his arm
I toward his head, and as the engine
darted forward every thing became
= dark as pitch. / was terrified now il
4 good earnest. 1 could stand the dark
! ness and silence so-long as coult
: make out the form of my companion
a but now l could see nothing, and m,
J terror got the better of me. put on
!, nv hand to press the machinist's arm
= as signal for him to slacken, when
= Judge Of my feelings, he was not there
= NV hand slid along the seat to the fur
= Their end without meeting any thing
= and comprehended that he had falle
= overheard when he raised mis- arm t
- catch his hat!
~ This would have been avery shockin
a. occurrence, and should have been hol
I rified by the probability Of the awful ns
m ture of his death, had | not been
10 much occupied with thoughts of m
:, own-as now judged, no very remol
event. Totally alone then, in THO
no darkness and utter silence, / sat an
"a awaited my doom. l knew absolutel
:. nothing of the modus operandi of go'
IN erning or regulating the engine, exceI
10 that TO pull out the little knob increase
n the speed, and l had no desire to G
~ faster. The wind, too, was becomir
al insupportable, in spite of the iron apro
Id and altogether the only desire | &c
~ was to die quickly and without pal
he How long went at this tremendo'
speed can not imagine. It seemed
a. year-an age-but don't think it cou
10 have been quite that. Probably abo
nt two hours, but my suspense magnifi,
al the minutes into months, and it real
,st seemed as il should never stop. b
%. did. After q time / found mys'
ri losing sensation in all my members.
could no longer feel the handles in fro
ro of me nor the iron brace under my fee