The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1881-03-17

but swiftly as the clouds are going,
We can give them long odds III the
race |"
And even with the last speakers
words the train again felt the impulse
Of Ben Miles hand on the lever. There
W. no sudden jerk, but . gradual and
giant-like onward sweep that brought to
their seats the last who had been trying
to stand. The momentum was becom-
ing fearful. II seemed to make them
swerve with dizziness even in their seats.
by Jove, this has passed the point
where il was interesting l"
"Life insurance companies would
scream il they knew Of this T.
"Great Scott, I'm afraid we're in dam
ger Of foreclosing the mortgage T.
my landscape gone in dizzy maze. :"
But the speed increased and the alarm
was no longer concealed. One inquired
for the conductor. Another seized the
bell-rope ani. pulled .down brakes T.
Two more, with blanching faces, cried
to each other:
The locomotive is running away"
"Or else the engineer is drunk s"
The message reached the cab and
rang its imperious "halt ON the gong.
"Ha, ha, hal Brave boys back there.
Jake! Stood it better than I thought
they would; but they may MS well screw
their courage to the sticking point;
there's more speed left in the shorter
yeti"
The stoker heard the implied threat
with terror that shook him to the
center. Any further increase Of his
reckless speed would put the lives Of all
to the brink OF criminal hazard No, it
should not be! Jake Saunders was a
strong man and desperation pushed him
TO daring resolve
He crept close to the engineers back
with huge lump OF coal in his hand.
Ben had adjusted the lever after giving
it another forward movement, and was
watching intently the track ahead Of
them.
mo, no; / can not hit him with
that 4" And Jake laid down the chunk
Of coal to use only in extremity he
loved his chief too much to use it even
under this pressing need
Then quick as thought Jake seized
Ben from behind and threw all his
strength into one huge effort to wrench
him to the floor. The powerful jerk
bent him backward but ben's muscles
acted with his mind. The instant it be-
came apparent to him that he was at
tackled, he turned in the arms Of his as
sailant, released himself, and Jake, in
stead of Ben, went crashing to the floor
| of the cab with terrible force.
"What do you mean, Jake Saunders ?"
cried Ben, STOPPING over his fireman.
His rage at first bodied i'll to the fallen
man but Jake did not get up, and it as
| rapidly gave way to kindness, and he
raised him bodily to his feet !: "What,
man are you hurt Z"
NO." answered Jake, after feeling
Of himself, "only at my failure"
"Ah, see You wanted to run her
yourself. Well, it was brave attempt,
but exceedingly rash See, you have
broken the lookout; now keep your
eyes on the road ahead and III stoke
myself till you're rested"
The bell-rope sounded another signal
on the gong.
THAT thing makes me nervous, =
said Ben, as he disconnected the rope
and fastened it to hook in the ceiling
Of the cab. "Now they may jerk to
their hearts content. Poor fools !! Do
/ not value my life as much as they do
| theirs 2"
Look-look cried Jake. rs he
s.aeped ben s arm. ''Aneau on the lett
rail
Robbers, as I'm sinner!" And
Ben seized an iron bar and started to-
ward the front Of the engine, shouting
| to Jake as he went, "Let her run! It's
our only chance"
Jake knew that Ben was right, and
that even that chance was small. He
gazed with shuddering horror at the
superhuman task that Ben had taken
upon himself.
The broad plain they were crossing, q
wilderness without trees but with more
terrors to those who knew its dangers,
was dotted with clumps Of high grass
and infested in places by robbers and
rufiians Of the worst type. They had
mistaken this short Especial for the
pay train, and had practiced common
device to throw it from the track. They
knew large obstruction could be seen
far enough ahead to admit Of stopping
the train, and they had no time to tear
up enough track to serve their purpose !;
50 they had taken up single rail, bent
it to right angle two feet from the end,
and put it back very near its place but
just outside the range Of the cowcatcher,
with the bent end sticking up. This
obstruction was difficult to discover and
sure to do it's work, unless it could be
thrown down before the train struck il.
When the fireman spoke, it would
have been impossible to stop had the
speed been forty miles an hour, and
they were running seventy.
Ben had gone forward to throw down
this rail--a thing no man in his senses
would have attempted. Perhaps you
have not thought Of the feat. A fly
might cling with little trouble to the
outside Of locomotive, for the mass
carries along to . slight extent its own
atmospheric surroundings but Q man
is clear outside this small sphere of at
traction. and must possess the force
himself to displace the dense air. At
| mospheric pressure, at standstill, is
fourteen and seven-tenths pounds to the
square inch. A locomotive going through
it ut rate Of seventy miles an hour is
therefore mammoth cleaver. Ben
Miles was barnacle that chung to its
side by mere force Of muscle.
He had but few seconds in which to
get down to the cowcatcher. At first he
was fiattened against the front OF the
cab. He saw he must exert himself. He
writhed, twisted, tugged himself along
by the hand rail. The muscles on his
bare arm knotted themselves like
bundle Of withes. It was the work Of
giant, but Ben went forward.
He never could do that but for the
liquor that's in him, said the astonished
fireman.
Ben reached the front Just in time to
poise himself and swing his iron bar. lie
struck the blow. The rail rolled over.
A click Ct the huge wheels as they
cleared the spot with scarcely depres-
sion told that the speed Of the train and