Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-06-10
shall soon overtake them. -

shall soon overtake them"
"How long have they been gone p shou-
ted the fireman above the roar of the en-
CINE.
II don't know screamed the woman,
without taking her eyes from the hori-
zon, where the rails met the sky. ut may
have been two hours hours or more. They
were playing in the empty car"
Glow did she get off the siding ?'
(He meant the carry
cts one of the new switches, - said the
engineer. Gears can easily jump out upon
the main line."
All +! something ahead! was it the run
away car? No; the next station. What
a terrible pace! Twenty miles already!
sob, don't stop ~ cried the woman, as
she saw the engineer put his hand on the
Unbelievable.
II must, marin. We are getting out OF
water, and perhaps we can learn something
of the runaway
The sudden arrival of solitary engine
containing two men and woman startled
the station-master and he came out to see
what it meant. He seemed to guess at
the truth, for he said:
CATER the runaway ?"
eyes. There were three children in it. ~
s'Oh, marin, Pm sorry for ye. It 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 passed and didn't see it till
it had gone past the door,
How long it took to fill the tender The
engine stood hot and smoking by the wa
ter tank, and the water came out in a
slender stream, while the poor mother
looked on out over the prairie. The wa
ter-tank seemed to sink down in the earth
and the shining rails stretched longer out
behind.
All what was that ? A cloud Of steam
on the horizon, far ahead. The engineer
took his time-book and studied it carefully.
Freight No. 6. bound west, stopping
on the twO-mile siding.''
How swiftly freight No. 6 rose above the
grass and grew big along the way! Listen!
A whistle. The engineer whistled in re-
ply and shut off steam. Their engine
quickly slowed down, and they could see
men leaning out from the other engine, as
if to speak to them.
"It's ten minutes back. Running slow
on the main line-road-
'Thank Heaven!'' said the woman. The
engineer said nothing; but at that instant
"a IN q nd
ahead at the rate of fifty miles an hour.
up the easy grade. How long the minutes
seemed, and yet each meant almost a mile.
All! A speck-a black dot on the hort
zon! The car? Yes, it was the Car. 1t
grew bigger and bigger. Now they could
see it plainly. But the children! Where
were they? The fireman sprang out
through the forward window and ran
along the engine and down upon the cow
catcher. The monster began to slacken
its terrible pace, and in moment it struck
the car 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 the
corner of the car-Mary and Tommy fast
asleep and Kitty watching over them.
"Oh, mother, knew you would comel
Mary and Tommy cried themselves to
sleep, and IL"
Nobody could say word. The fireman
tried to rub his eyes, and only marked his
| face with black streaks.
The mother laughed and cried all at
once, and quickly took them into the cab
of the engine.
"There now, my hearties, you have had a
risky ride; but it's all right. Come, we're
more than thirty miles from home, and it
won't do to be late to dinner. Fire up,
jack"
faye, aye, sir" said Jack.-St. Nicho-
| las.