The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-04-22

Jat'np VI some twenty feet, and a slide
OF ten more, before the wheels cot into
revolving. The lights of the VILLAGE
gradually heightened out into long rib
oons OF flames, as we flew through the
suburbs, and by the time 1 could catch
my breath, some similar ones appeared
gliding swiftly past.
" hat lights are those?'' I asked.
Iarbucket Station" replied nv
companion.
"But Tarbucket is five miles from
Slingwheel."
Yes, and we have been nearly three
minutes on the road.''
Pretty good speedp"
Yes, but am going to try it a little
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
gale, although I had remarked, before
we started, how very unusually still the
wind was. My companion now turned
small crank, with ratchet upon it,
that was attached to the machine just in
front OF him, and sheet-iron cover rose
toward us in a slanting direction, so as
to break the force of the already
about as strong as we could stand.
Hold on your hair,'' he said, "and
look out not to move about. am going
to let her do her prettiest now."
With this he suddenly drew out some
thing like an organ stop, and l realized
for the first time in my life how the in
habitants of a comet must feel when un-
der full headway. I had been able to
see occasional objects before at no great
distance from the road, and could make
out the horizon very we'll. But now all
was blank. Sky, earth, woods, water
all were a plain mass. of gray indis-
tinctness. Directly my companion look
ed at his watch, and putting his mouth
to my ear, made an immense effort to
speak.
1--WE have probably passed Spear
mint bridget" he shouted" twenty
miles in eight minutes! :"
The words came very family to nv
ear, and [ began to wish that I could
see something, if it was only so as to
know where we.were, and how fast we
had really come. began to feel just a
le1i0 uuCOllIOI GdUlc-lG SccIucu SOul0-
thing awful to be sitting there in that
silence, seeing nothing and knowing
nothing, except that we We're liable to
go out of the world at any minute!
While these thoughts were passing
through my brain, | heard a faint
sound like q steam-whistle, and almost
at the same moment flash of light,
apparently under our wheels, and felt
slight jar.
6 / am afraid we have run over some-
thing! "yelled my companion.
"What do you think it is P" I
shouted. eetIs s.ss
" Probably a locomotive! he re-
piled.
I 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 I
found that it only came when / 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 I judged that our rate was
gradually augmenting in swiftness. As
we progressed it grew darker also, until
l 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 I 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. / was terrified now in
good earnest. I could stand the dark
ness and silence so long as 1 could
make out the form of my companion,
but now I could see nothing, and my
terror got the better of me. put out
my hand to press the machinist's arm,
as a signal for him to slacken, when,
Judge Of my feelings, he was not there!
My hand slid along the seat to the fur
ther end without meeting any thing,
and I comprehended that he had fallen
overheard when he raised his arm to
catch his hat! = q I 30 s.
This would have been a very shocking
occurrence, and 1 should have been hor-
rified by the probability of the awful ma
ture of his death, had l not been so
much occupied with thoughts of my
own-as l now judged, no very remote
event. Totally alone then, in thick
darkness and utter silence, sat and
awaited my doom. I 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 I had no desire to 60
faster. The wind,z 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 l went at this tremendous
speed / can not imagine. 1t seemed a