The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-21

not intended to 20 in the direction
which the car had been blown away. II
instant 1t stopped the station master ri
70 the engineer and told his terrible stor
The mother, with quicker wit, found u
conductor and demanded that the engil
be taken of and sent after the children.
The conductor vas a man OF regul
habits, and such a bold requeststruck hi
as something extraordinary. Take the 81
CINE of, and leave the train and passenge
waiting at this lonely station? The idt
was preposterous! Some OF the passel
gers gathered near and asked what WI
the matter.
Three children lost, blown away In a
empty car. Some one said, Eyes go {
once. We car wait till the engine n
turns" The conductor said he must telt
graph for instructions; but one sale
1.-THE wires are down." and the peopl
only cried out the more, "Let the engin
go!" So the mother ran to the tende
and began to pull out the pin, that th
engine might start.
"Hold on, marm,' said a brakeman
"I'll cast her oil. You jump aboard II yo
want to go too. Fire up, Jack, and max
her hum"
1t was all done in a moment, and ava,
few the engine, leaving the conducto
and station.master staring in surprise q
this singular proceeding. The station
master did not feel very happy. &c ha,
half intended to go with the engine, Blu
1t would never do to leave his post.
"Fire steady, Jack" said the enginee
to the fireman. "It's no use to get excited
for we're in for q long race"
ats enough to make a fellow excited Il
see that woman" said the fireman.
The engineer turned round, and therl
by his side stood the mother, her eye
straining ahead down the line in search
Of the missing ones.
ooh, sir! open the throttle wide. DOM
try to save coal at such time as tiis.
1--WE must keep cool, marin, and &C
steady, or we shall run out Of coal and
water and come to a stand,still on the
llne."
The woman said not a word, but nodded
mourrfully and leaned against the side o.
the cab for support, and then the fireman
gave her his seat, where she could look
out ahead over the line. How the engine
shook and roaIed. The little flngerof the
steam.gaige trembled and rose higher and
higher rs 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 the train had already sunk out
OF sight, and the grassy horizon OF either
side seemed to fly away in q kind of gigan-
tic waltz. The wind died away to a dead
calm, and in a few moments a little
breeze sprang up and blew in at the front
windows.
1--WE are beating the wind" said the en-
gineer. "If we can keep this pace up we
shall overtake them"
"How long have they been gomez"
shouted the fireman above the roar OF the
train.
az don't know" screamed the woman,
without taking her eyes from the horizon,
where the rails met the sky. at may
have beentwo hours or more. They were
playing in the same car"
GLOW did she get out OF the siding?'
He meant the carr
tits one OF the new switches" said the
engineer. Cars can easily jump out upon
the main line"
All! something ahead. Was il the rum
away car? No, the next station. What a
terrible pace! Twenty miles already!
"oh, don't stopl" cried the woman, as
she saw the engineer putting his hand on
the Unbelievable.
Unjust, marin. We are getting out OF
water, and perhaps we can learn some
thing OF the runaway.
The sudden arrival OF a solitary engine,
containing two men and a 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 carr"
ayes, yes. There were three children
inside"
"Oh, marin, I'm sorry for ye. 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: 1geas
inside when it passed, and didn't see 1t
till II had gone past the door"
How long 1t 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 poor mother
stood looking on, fearful and impatient.
"Good-byel I'll put up the pipe.
Heaven help ye!-the up grade"
The rest was lost, for the engine shot
ahead, on andon out over the open prairie.
The water-tank seemed to sink down into
the earth, aud the shining rails stretched
longer and longer out behind.
All! What was that? A cloud Of steam
on the horizon, far ahead. The engineer
took out his time book and studied 1t care.
fully.
"Freight No 0, bound west, stopping
on the two.mile siding"
How swiftly Freight No. Q rose above
the grass and grew big along the way!
Listen! A whistle. The engine whistled
in reply and shut of steam. The engine
Quickly slowed down, and they could see
men leaning out from the other engine, as
il to speak to them.
iIt's ten minutes back. Running slow
on main line-road-clear-o
'Thsnk heayen!" said the woman. The
engineer said nothing; but at that instant
the engine gave q great leap and shot
ahead, at the rate OF fifty miles an hour
up the easy grade. How long the minutes
eemeu huu yot eaSh IASeHV 'HSs .
All! A speck-a black dot on the hori'
ION! The carr Yes. 1t was the car. i
grew bigger and bigger. Now they could
see it plainly. But the childrenl Where
were they? The fireman sprango on through
the forward window and ran along the en-
CINE and down upon the cow.catcher
The monster began TO slacken in Its ter
rible pace, and in q moment 1t struck the
cal with gentle jar and stopped.
The fireman thought himself a lively
man, but the woman was before him and
sprang up into the car.
There they lay, safe and sound, in thu
corner OF the car-Mary and Tommy last
asleep, and Kitty watching over them.
"Oh, mother! | knew you Would come
Mary and Tommy cried themselves tc
sleep, and III"
Nobody could say q word. The fireman
tried TO rub his eyes, and-ehfy- aafSed
his face with black streaks. The mother
laughed and cried all at once. The en-,
gineer picked up the little one and quiet