Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-09-02


and there, by his side, stood the
mother, her eyes straining ahea6
down the line in search of the
missing ones.
ooh, sir, open the throttle
wide. Don't try to save coal al
such time as thisv'
owe must keep cool, marin
and go steady, or we shall run
out of coal and come to a stand
still on the line"
The woman said not a word
but nodded mournfully, and
leaned against the cab for sup
port, and the fireman gave hel
This seat, where she could look
out ahead over the line. How
the engine shook and roaredl
The little finger on the steam
guage trembled and rose higher
as the steam pressure increased
over the raging fire. The en-
gine seemed to be eating up the
track in front, and behind them,
the rails spun out like shining
ribbons in the sun. The station
and train had already sunk down
out Of sight, and the grassy ho-
rizon On either side seemed to
fly away in gigantic waltz.
The wind died away to a dead
calm, and in a few moments a
breeze sprang up and blew in
the front windows.
"We are beating the wind, y
said the engineer. off we can
keep up this pace we shall soon
overtake them"
GLOW long have they been
gonew shouted the fireman a
bove the roar of the engine.
81 don't know" screamed the
woman, without taking her eyes
from the horizon where the rays
met the sky. '1t may have
been two hours or more; they
were playing in an empty car" !"
GLOW did she get out of the
siding?" He meant the empty
car.
EIt's one of the new switch
es," said the engineer. Gears
can easily jump out upon the
main line.'' y
Ali something ahead. Was
it the runaway carp No, the
next station. What a terrible
pace! Twenty miles alreadyl
ooh, don't stopp' cried the
woman as she saw the engineer
put his hand to the throttle
valve.
81 must, marin. We are get
ting out of water, and perhaps
we can learn something Of the
runaways."
The sudden arrival of the SOL
itaiy engine, containing two
men and a woman, startled the
station master, and he came out
to see what it meant. He SEEM
ed to guess the truth, for he
said:
",After the runaway carp"
"Yes, yes. There are three
children inside"
%Oh, marin, Pm sorry for We.
1t went past here going twenty
miles an hour. It came down.
grade all the way, but the up
grade begins about two miles
out. / was inside when it pass
ed, and didn't see it till it had
gone past the door,"
How long it took to fill the
tenderl The engine stood hot
and smoking by the water-tank,
and the water came out in a
slender stream while the mother
stood looking on fearful and i'm
patient
"Good-bye! I'll put up the
pipe. Heaven help ye-the up
grade"
The rest was lost, for the en-
CINE shot ahead on and over the
open prairie. The water tank
seemed to sink down into the
earth, and the shining rails
lstretched longer out behind.
All! what was that? A cloud
of steam on the horizon far a.
head. The engineer took out his
time book and studied it care
fully.
"Freight No. 6, bound west,
stopping on the two-mile sid
ing"
How swiftly freight No. 6,
rose above the grass and grew
big along the way. Listen! A
whistle! The engineer whistled
in reply and shut off steam. The
engine slowed down, and could
see men leaning out Of the other
engine to speak to them.
otis ten minutes back. Run
ming slow on main line-road
clear"
"Thank heavenw said the wo-
man. The engineer said moth
ing, but at that instant the en-
gine gave a great leap and shot
ahead at the rate of so miles an
hour up an easy grade. How
long the minutes seemed and yet
each meant almost a mile.
All! a speck--a black spot on