The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-10-25
20 nv the cab"

Tcac0 OI INC great, SHINING leNcT vi Ille
air-brakes, showed me how to brace
myself, rang the warning bell, blew off
the prescribed amount of water, and
sped his engine forward.
To me that was wild, weird ride
The sun shone in at the open cab win
dows, but the wind blew cold from
snow-cIad range at the right. pulled
up my coat collar, and pulled down the
sheItering brim of my manly Kossuth
Section men along the line-grimy,
stern-faced Caucasans and stolid cool
ics-leaned On their picks to gaze in
wonder at woman's face looking on
them from such unwonted masculine
surroundings, as we flew past. For
ward sped the engine along the ring
ing rails, fairly bounding over long,
straight stretches, painting up heavy
grades, reeling, swaying inward, as
the incline of the road fought the CEN
trifugal force around short, sharp
bends.
All that dreary, dry country, full OF II
dead monotony as it was, told tales of
"things that were, and are, and things
that are to be;' the mystery of the
desert; of thirst-smtten travellers, mad
dened by the trackless desolation, stray
ing from their bearings, TO die wretch
edly in those lonely deliles; of lost
leads and phantom placers; of the
ghostly mirage; of murderous Apache
bands scourging the wastes.
The dismal surroundings Mortified
me; | trembled that the great monster
mounted should 90 careering on, APP
parently unguided. wanted TO
know it dominated--to see the hand
of man on the curb of the insensate
creature. / leaned out of the win
dow, and spoke back TO the engin-
Ger, standing on the tender. "Come
and stand by me; am afraid He
smiled, indulgcnt to weakness, as
strong men are, and came in at once
He taught me the trick Of the throttle,
learned me the lore of the lever. and
showed me the secure index of the
water-guage, where the aerated, milky
fluid ran up and down the tube, with
our motion.
Suddenly / clinched his broad shout
der with nervous hand. "That man
on the track! You will run him down"
But his hand was already on the
bell-rope. That is trackwalker
Do you see his red flagP They are
stationed all along here every five to
fifteen miles. He will leave in good
timer
The man, but few rods away, step
ping from tie to tie between the rails,
swung himself leisurely aside as we
flew past.
tried TO excuse my cowardice.
you see, | have been weak and i'll,
and have seen two men killed by the
cars"
"Yes; / know what that horror t."
His voice dropped II once killed a
man so.'
Presently he opened sort of locker
beneath ny feet, SAYING: II must see
the time table. This is only my second
trip over the road"
AS drew up my feet to give way, a
gust of wind swirled in and swept my
skirts back from the low shoes and scar
let hose, that matched i'll the rest Of a
rather masculine costume. In despite
of himself the engineer smiled at my
CONSERVATION. Correctness of detail
is my pride and weakness.
Let me tel, you story" he said,
at can hardly seem impertinent, now
that we have laughed together, Before
the junction Of these roads / was run
ming between N-and M" He
named two stations on the Eastern line
Lacy, the station-man at Austin, had.
q daughter, half-grown girl, wild as
an antelope. Austin was no place at
all, Just the station-house, in part Of
which Lacy's family lived, and We new
or stopped there unless signaled. Il
was only four miles out of Las Milpas,
and Lacys daughter walked daily to
the Hueblo 10 school and back, We
passed Austin between four and five in
the afternoon, and used TO meet Mar
cha trudging along the ties homeward.
Sometimes she would bring my heart
TO my throat by keeping to the track
till thought she must be caught, sure.
But she always escaped just in time,
and stood hooking at us like an imp,
swinging her arms. and wh,r!iug about
like mad creature. ! spoke TO the
father about the risks she ran, but he
seemed TO have no control over her.
suppose it was Che solitude Of her home
that made her so wild.
Zone day 'hot box had delayed us,
and we were tearing along at unusual
speed, making up time. From the mo-
ment we flashed past Austin, was on
the watch for Marcia, fearing she Il be
caught if she should be careless or
slower than usual. About half u mile
beyond the station, on a long down
grade, saw her far away, just mere
speck on the sand, and, as well as
could Judge at the distance, all of a
heap on the ground. slowed up,
fearing something had befallen the
girl. AS we came tolerably near. she
jumped to her feet, and began waving
red flag, that had the singular APP
pearance Of being in two long, narrow
pieces. That was enough TO stop The
train; no man would be reckless enough
to disregard that signal, even from
such mad piece as Marcia, left the
engine to Joe, and ran to the girl; the
conductor had reached her already,
and held her where she stood, II brave
little woman rs ever lived, hot exhaust