The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-16

henQeQ MS 1OOI1SnneSS III l6btiHS utHA
go. What! Had he consented to be
separated from the man that he had
lust been following around the world!
His natural disposition got the upper
hand; he eliminated and accused him.
self; he treated himself as if he had been
the director of the Metropolitan police
an agent caught at a very
green trick.
81 have been a silly fellowi' he
thought. 1.-The other fellow will have
told him who was! He has gone; he
will not return! Where can l capture
him nowp But how have | FIX so al
lowed myself to be fascinated, when /
have warrant for his arrest in my
pocket! / am decidedly only an asst
Thus reasoned the detective, viii
the hours slipped on too slowly for his
liking. He did not know what to do.
Sometimes he felt like telling Mrs.
Aouda everything. But he understood
how he would be received by the young
woman. What course should he takeP
He was tempted to go in pursuit OF this
Fogg across the immense white plains.
1t did not seem impossible for him to
find him. The footprints of the de-
tachment were still imprinted upon
the snow! But, under q fresh covering,
every track would soon be effaeed.
Fix was discouraged He felt an al
most insurmountable desire to abandon
the party. This very occasion OF leav-
ing Kearney station and of prosecuting
4ba ;o,.rno1, 90 Tr,,;tf,,l IN ,,,ioba,o xtroo
opened to him.
About two o'clock in the afternoon.
while the snow was falling in large
flakes, long whistles were heard coming
from the east. An enormous shadow,
preceded by lurid light, slowlys ad-
vanced, considerably increased by the
mist, which gave it fantastic appear
ance.
But no train. was expected yet from
the east. The help asked for by tele-
graph could not arrive so soon, and the
train from Omaha to San Francisco
would not pass until the next day.
They were soon enlightened.
This locomotive, moving under a
small head of steam. and whistling very
loud, was the one which, after being
detached from the train, had continued
its course with such frightful speed,
carrying the unconscious fireman and
engineer. 1t had run on for several
miles; then the fire had gone down for
want of fuel; the steam had slackened,
and an hour afterwards, relaxing its
speed By degrees, the engine finally
stopped twenty miles beyond Kear-
ney Station.
Neither the engineer nor the fireman
was dead, and after ~ary long swoon
they revived.
The engine had stopped. When he
saw himself in the desert, and the
locomotive without cars attached to it,
the engineer understood what had hap
pened. He could not guess how the
locomotive had been detached from the
train, but he did not doubt that the
train, left behind, was in distress.
The engineer did not hesitates as to
what he ought to do. To continue his
course in the direction of Omaha was
prudent to return towards the train,
which the Indians were perhaps yet
.robbing, was dangerous. No matter!
Coal and wood were thrown into the
furnace, the fire started up again, the
head of steam increased again, and
about two O'clock in the afternoon the
engine returned, running backwards to
Kearney Station. This was the whist
ling they heard in the mist.
1t was great satisfaction for the
travellers, when they saw the locomo-
tive put Mt the head of the train
They were going to be able to con-
tinue their journey so unfortunately in
terrupted.
On the arrival of the engine, Mrs
Aouda came out of the station, and
addressing the conductor. she asked:
You are going to startP'
"This very instant, madame"
"But the prisoners-our unfortunate
companions"
II can not interrupt the trip" re-
piled the conductor. ave arc already
three hours behind time"
"And when will the next train COM
ing from San Francisco pass?"
Tomorrow evening, madame"
Tomorrow evening! But it will
be too late. We must wait"
Impossible" replied the conduct
or. IF you are going, get aboard
the car"
81 will not 60" replied the young
woman.
Fix heard this conversation. A few
moments before, when every means OF
locomotion failed him, he had decided
to quit Kearney, and now that the
train was there, ready to continue its
course, and he only had to seat himself
again in the Car, an irresistible force
fixed him to the ground. The platform
of the station burned his feet, and he
couldn't tear himself away from it. The
conflict within himself recommended
His anger at his want of success chokeC
him. He was going to struggle on tt
the end.
Meanwhile the passengers and some
of the wounded-among others Colone
Proctor, whose condition was very Sc
rions had taken seats in the cars. The
buazing of the overheated boiler wa!
heard; the steam escaped through the
valves; the engineer whistled; the TRAN
started and soon disappeared, minglins
its white smoke with the whirling o
the snow.
The detective, Fix, had remained
Some hours passed. The weathe
was very bad, the cold very keen. Fix
seated on bench in the station, wa,
motionless. 1t might have been sup
posed that he was sleeping. Notwith
standing the storm, Mrs, Aouda lef
every moment the room which haC
been placed at her disposal She wen
to the end of the platform, trying t
look through the tempest of snow
wishing to pierce the mist which mar
rowed the horizon around her, listenin!
if she could hear any sound But there
was nothing. She went in then, chilled
through, to return q few moments later
and always in vain.
Evening came. The little detach
.ment had not returned Where was i
at this moment9 Had it been able t,
overtake the IndiansP Had there BEEF
fight, or were these soldiers, lost il
the mist, wandering at ventureP TIL
Captain of Fort Kearney was very I'm
easy, although he did not wish to lie