Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-01-31
81 heard the conductors All aboard,


for man who drives train holds the
lives OF hundreds in his hand, and one
careless move may send them all into
eternity. So you see L hadn't much
time to think OF anything but my ma
chine, but l noticed that Jim was pref
ty talkative. At first thought it was
because we had woman aboard, but by
and by began to suspect it was some-
thing worse than that. His voice grew
thick and his movements uncertain, and
at last l could no longer hide from
myself the fact that he had been drink
ing. Still anticipated no trouble. We
We're already more than half way to
Fairtown, and I thought he would keep
up till he got there.
Sat A the station master handed
the conductor a telegram. He read it.,
and then handed it to me. It ordered
us to goon to N to meet the special.
l had expected to stop at the next sta
tion, and N was ten miles beyond,
but orders are orders and must be
obeyed. So I told Jim to pile on the
wood, and l put on all the steam I
dared, and we went spinning over the
road at a rate that must have astonished
the passengers.
I'VE had gone little more than half
way, and I was beginning to think we
might make the distance without much
trouble, when Jim sat right down on
the floor of the cab, and began to
whimper.
"'Get up, you fool, and go to work. I
cried.
"T can't he whimpered. I'm tired,
an mus go ter Sleep
"'Get up, you rascal ! I shouted.
Don't you know we We got to get to
N in ten minutess,,- or meet the
special tramp
"I caG't help it, let ther OIL train
come, tell ye l m tired. Now, look
here, Seaforth,' nodding his head with
drunken gravity. You re workin' too
hard. Why, man, you won't live out
half your days, if you don't take some
rest. tell ye what t is, you d better
take things easy. I'm goin' to, any.
way
"And he laid down on the floor of the
cab, and shut his eyes, muttering,
Take it easy, easy, Jim II take it
easy
81 suppose I must have acted like a
wild man, for I knew before could let
the conductor know the fix we were in,
and get help, it would be too late to
save the train, and l m afraid that l
used some pretty strong words, as a
man is apt to do when he gets in tight
place. Not that the words help him out
of it. l suppose they only let of some
of the extra steam, and make him think
quicker. So sto1med away there,
all the time trying to do nay own work
and Jim's, and knowing every moment
we were losing ground. The steam was
going down, and the engine slowing up,
spite Of all | could do.
T.tell you," and he passed his hand
over his forehead, "it makes the sweat
start on me now, when / think of that
run. 1t seems to me thatI lived a life.
time in those few MINUTES. It's all aw,
full thing to have so many lives depend.
ing on you. In the cars behind me
were hundrt DIS OF human beings, and
the other train had hundreds more,
and only q step between them and
eternity. All this time, the girl March
had put on the engine had been sitting
perfectly still, watching everything that
went on. and now, when everything
seemed lost, she threw off her shawl,
and stepped into Jim's place, saying
quietly:
"I II take that mans place, Mr.. Sea-
forth
"You? and I looked at the slight,
almost girlish, figure in astonishment.
"Yes,' she said. Il am stronger than
I look, and I've been watching the man,
so know | can do his work
"It was a forlorn hope, but our only
one, and, after one brief moment of
hesitation, said:
every well, you can but try, and if
you fall
81 did not finish the sentence, for, at
the thought of failure, the terrible pic
ture of mangled, bleeding bodies,
crushed out OF all semblance Of hu,
manity, rose before me, and / turned
away with a groan. A slight shudder
passed over the girl, and she seemed to
grow paler, but, without word, she
took her place, throwing on the wood
as l directed, and doing so we'll, that,
spite of my anxiety, I could not but
notice the dexterity with which she
handled the heavy sticks. The strength
OF half dozen men seemed concen.
trated in her slender arms, but, spite OF
her efforts, we hardly seemed to gain
ground.
81 looked at my watch, and fairly
groaned aloud as saw that it wanted
ten minutes OF six, and at six we were
expected to pass the extra train attn.
There was no time to put back, and nc
chance to stop till we reached N.
There was nothing for us to do but to &c
straight on, though I felt we were going
to destruction. As the hands of the
watch crept round, telling of the min
utes, ! watched them with sort OF
fascination, feeling as though were
turning to stone. Well, if you'll be.
lieve me, that girl, instead of making q
row, as most women would have done,
never said single word, though she
seemed to know just how things were
going, but after one look at my face
and suppose must have looked pretty
ad,-almost by inspiration it seemed
to me, she did one of those things man
would never have thought of. Right
behind her was the oil can jim had got
at D.. With steady hand she lift
ed the heavy can, and poured half its
contents on the wood, then she threw
the wood upon the fire, and it blazed up
with quick, fierce heat, that sent the
engine flying over the rails at rate that
fairly made one dizzy. Still she piled
on the oiled wood, and still we went on
faster, and faster. The train rocked
from side to side, and the engine seemed
hardly to touch the rails. looked at
my watch, and then anxiously in the di-
rection of NJ. 1t wanted three
minutes of six. Oh, if there might be
some delay, something to make the 9th.
er train even one minure late. But no,
away in the distance I could see faint
line of smoke coming nearer and nearer.
The girl saw it too, and reached for the
oil can.
"It's OF no use,' said. we can't
get there, and we've all the steam we Can
safely carry now