Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1880-04-10

attention and puzzled me much, until l
found that it only came when l had my
mouth open. 1t was the wind playing
into my mouth as in the aperture of a
humming top, and as it became louder
and louder l judged that our rate was
gradually augmenting in swiftness. As
we progressed it grew darker also, until
/ could but Just make out the form of
my Jehu dimly looming up beside me.
1t was quite impossible to make our
voices heard now, and Notwithstanding
my 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 sudden stop
page.
Once more the machinist's. hands
sought the knob, and he raised himself
up little as if to look over the iron
cover or apron, when his hat, presume,
must have caught the wind and gone
off, for saw him throw up his arm
toward his head, and as the engine
darted forward every thing became
dark as pitch. l was terrified now in
good earnest. l could stand the dark
ness and silence SO long as l could
make out the form of my companion,
but now l could see nothing, and my
terror got the better of me. put out
my hand to press the machinist's arm,
as signal for him to slacken, when,
Judge of my feelings, he was not there!
My hand slid along the seat to the fur
Their end without meeting any thing,
and l comprehended that he had fallen
overheard when he raised mis- arm to
catch his hat!
This would have been a very shocking
occurrence, and should have been hor-
rified by the probability of the awful ma
iure of his death, had not been so
much occupied with thoughts Of my
own as now judged, no very remote
event Totally alone then, in thick
darkness and utter silence, l sat and
awaited my doom. l knew absolutely
nothing of the modus operandi of gov
erning or regulating the engine, except
that to pull out the little knob increased
the speed, and 1 had no desire to go
faster. The wind, too, was becoming
insupportable, in spite of the iron apron,
and altogether the only desire l felt
was to die quickly and without pain.
How long went at this tremendous
speed can not imagine. 1t seemed a
year-an age-but don't think it could
have been quite that. Probably about
two hours, but my suspense magnified
the minutes into months, and it really
seemed as if I should never stop. But
l did. After a time I found myself
losing sensation in all my members. 1
could no longer feel the handles in front
of me nor the iron brace under my feet,
SO was little surprised to perceive a
cold, wet sensation overcome me and to
find myself cleaving a body of water
somewhere, and going down, down,
with a slower motion than had expert
enced for some time. I'LL
A shock at my feet convinced me that
was at the bottom of a river or lake,
and upon striking out to swim was de-
lighted to feel that rose toward the
surface. Notwithstanding the confused
state of all my faculties could see, on
getting above the water, that l was sew
eral rods from the shore-say about 800
feet-in the bay near Firepan, the end
of my journey, some 2S0 miles from
Slingwheel. With considerable trouble,
for was stiff and sore, swan to the
railroad dock, and, climbing out of the
water, asked bewildered depot hand
how / came there. 1: =
"Shure, SIR said he, al don't
know; but I'm after belavin' twas the
devil that fetched YET"
BY dint of close questioning. learned
that he was "jist a-settin' on his thruck
a-smokin' his dhudeen," when he
heard a singular noise, such as he had
never heard before, and Immediately
after saw a tremendous splash in the
bay, many yards from the end of the
long dock. The truth was plain. My
internal machine had run the whole