The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-03-04

He spfang to the door OF the depot
to telegraph the terrible news down tho
line, but, Just as he opened the door, he
saw faint white cloud on the western
horizon. It was a train. Help. was
coming. At the same moment his wife
appeared with new grief and terror in
her eyes. ~ Sc z. ~ y
II cannot get call in either .direc-
ton. The wires are blown down."
This OILY added to the danger, for
there was no means of sending WORD in
advance of the runaway car. 1T mist
60 on to it's fate without help or warn
ing.
Help is coming, mother. Here's q
train bound east" ,.. =.
Nearer and nearer came the train.
and the father and mother stood watch
ing it as it crept along the rails. Il
seemed as If it would never come. At
Inst it reached the platform, and proved
to be passenger train bound up the
Black River road, and not intended to
60 in tho 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 sta
tom! Tho idea was preposterous.
Some OF the passengers gathered neer
and asked what was tho matter.
~Three children lost blown away in
an empty car" Some one said, Yes,
60 at once. We can wait here till
the engine returns" The conductor
said that he must telegraph for in
structions; but some one said, The
wires are down." and the people only
cried out the more, I" 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, marm," said brakeman ;
It'll cast her off. You jump aboard if
you v INT to 60, too. Fire up, Jack, and
make her huml"
1t was all done in O moment, lad
away few the engine, leaving the con-
duct or and 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. cts no use to get ex-
cited, for we're in for long race"
"Its 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 tho missing ones.
ooh, sir! open the throttle wide.
Dent try to save coal at such time as
this"
"We must keep cool, raarm, and 20
steady, or We shall run out of coal and
water, and come to standstiu on the
line"
The woman said not word, but nod
ded mournfully, and leaned against the
side Of the cab for support, and the
fireman gave her his seat, where she
could look out ahead over the line.
How the engine shook and roared.
The little finger Of the steam gauge
trembled and rose higher, as the steam
pressure increased over the raging fire.
The engine seemed TO be eating up the
track in front, and behind the rails
spun out like shining ribbons in the
sun. The station and train had al
ready sunk down out of sight, and the
grassy horizon on either side seemed to
fly away N kind Of gigantic waltz.
T. 14nd died away to dead caL /,
anf n few moments little breeze
sprar : up, ard blew n at the iro~-t win
.dows.
I'VE ere beating the wind" said the
engineer. IF we can keep up this
pace, we shall coon overtake them.'
"How long have they been gomez"
shouted the fireman, above the roar
the engine.
II don't know" screamed the woman,
without taking her eyes from the hori-
zon where the rails met the sky. ut
may have been two hours or more.
They were playing in the empty car"
"How did she get out of the sidinQ?"
Gle meant the carr
"1ts one of the new switches" said
the engineer. Scars can easily Jump
ont upon the main line"
All! something ahead. Was it the
runaway car? No, the next sta
ton. What a terrible pacel Twenty
miles already.
20, don't STOP" cried the woman, as
Sue saw tho engineer put his hand on
the Unbelievable.
l must, marin We are getting
out of water. And perhaps we can
learn something of the runaway"
The sudden arrival of solitary en-
CINE containing two men and O woman
startled 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"
YES, yes. There ale three children
inside"
%, marin, I'm sorry for ye. It went
past here, going twenty miles an hour
1t came down grade all the way, but
the up grade begins about two miles
out. I 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 on, fearful and
impatient.
Good-by! I'll put up my pipe
Heaven bel p ye!-the up grade"
The rest was lost, for inc engine
shot ahead on and on over the open
prairie. The water-tank seemed to
sink down into the earth, and the shin
ing rails stretched longer ana longer
out behind.
Ali what was thatl A cloud of steam
on the horizon fur ahead. The engineer
took out his time-book and studied it
carefully.
Freight No. 6, bound west, stopping
on the two.milo siding"
How swiftly freight No. 6 rose above
the grass and grew big along tt Wy.
Listenl A whistlel The engineer
whistled q reply and shut of steam.
Their engine slowed down. and thew