The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-03-09

Oh the engine 10 fdftOWH. one -
friend of Mr.. March. So he put down
his kerosene, and took his place on the
cab.
II heard the conductor All aboard, ,
and then we were of.
81 was busy with levers and valves,
for man who drives a train holds the
lives of hundreds in his hand. and one
careless motion may send them all into
eternity. So you see | hadn't much
time to think of anything but my ma
chine, but | noticed that Jim was
pretty laxative At first I thought
it was because we had woman
aboard, but by and by I began
to suspect it was something worse
than that. His voice grew thick
and his movements uncertain, and at
last could no longer hide from myself
the fact that he had been drinking
Still / anticipated no trouble. We
We're al eady more than half way to
Fairtown, and thought he would keep
up till we got there.
'sAt A - the station master handed
the conductor telegram. He read it,
and then handed it to ne. It ordered
us to go on to N--to meet the special
had expected to stop at the next sta
ton, and ~ was ten miles beyond,
but orders are orders and must
Re obeyed So told Jim to pile
on the wood, and put on all the steam
dared, and we went spinning over the
road at rate that must have astonished
the passengers.
"We had gone little more than half
way, and 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, :
/ cried.
- / can't he whimpered. I'm
tired, an mus 60 ter Sleep
90 Get up, you rasca1!' ! shouted.
Don't you know we've got to get to
N in ten minutes, or meet the
special tramp @
So can't help it, let ther OF train
come. Itell ye Pm 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 we what It is you'd
better take things easy. I'm goin' to,
anyway
''And he laid down on the floor of the
cab, and shut his eyes,. mutter ng:
'sTake it easy; easy. Jim il take it easy
8 suppose must have acted like
wild man, for knew that before / could
let the conductor know the fix that we
were in, and get help, it would be too
late to save the tFain, and Pm afraid |
used some pretty strong words, as a
man is apt to when he gets in a tight
place. Not that the words help him out
of it. i suppose they only let off some
OF the extra steam, and make him think
quicker. So | stormed away there, all
the time trying to do my work and
Jim's, and knowing ever moment that
we were losing ground. The steam was
going down, and the engine slowing up,
spite of all could do.
s. tell you," and he passed his hand
er his forehead, it makes the sweat
start on me now. when think of that
run. 1t seems to me that lived life
time in those few minutes. It's an
awful thing to have so many lives de-
pending on you. In the cars behind me
were hundreds of human beings, and
the other train had hundreds more, and
only 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 of her shawl, and stepped iu-
to jim place, say ng quietly:
+" q Il take that mans place, Mr..
Seaforth.' b 81 ~
'YouP' and | looked at the slight,
almost girlish, figure in establishment.
Yes she said. i am stronger
than | look, and I've been watching the
man, so know can do his work.
ut was forlorn hope, but our only
one, and, after one brief moment of
hesitation, said:
Very well, you can but try, and if
you fail s4
/ II did not finish the sentence, for, at
the thought of failure. the terrible pict-
ure of mangled, bleeding bodies,
crushed out Of. all semblance of human
ity, rose before me, and turned away
with 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 /
directed, and doing SO well, that, spite
of my anxiety, could not but notice
the deXterity with which she handled
heavy sticks. The strength of half-a-
dozen men seemed concentrated in her
slender arms, but, spite of her efforts,
we hardly seemed to gain ground
81 L, s..
groaned aloud as l saw that it wanted
ten minutes OF six, and at six we were
expected to pass the extra at N.
There was no time to put back, and no
chance to stop till we reached N.
There was nothing for us to do but
to go straight on, though / felt that we
were going to destruction. As the hands
of the watch crept round, telling off the
minutes, I.watched them with sort of
fascination feeling as though I were
turning TO stone. Well, il YOU Il believe
me, that girl, instead of making 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 bad
dAliOo0 Wy luS plIbblOu ~ SSCIl0u 10 lie, 4
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 lifted
the heavy can, and poured hall its cor
tents on the wood, then she threw the
wood upon the fire, and it blazed up
with quick, fierce heat, that sent tha
engine flying over the rails at rate
that lairly made one dizzy. Still she
piled onthe oiled wood, and still we went
on fasters and faster The train rocked
from side to side, and the engine
seemed hardly TO touch the rails. L
looked at my watch, and then anXiously
in the direction of N. 1t wanted
three minutes of six. Oh, If there
might be some delay, something tomake
the other train even one minute late.
But no, away in the distance / could see 4
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 all the steam we
can cafplv nal.l.xy povr , 4 ts