The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-25

like the route, 'twaa so awful gloomy
like. No big towns to go through. only
now and then little village, and they
would be as dark and quiet as grave
yard, when we struck 'em at night.
Summers it wasn't so bad, but winters
was awful. Well, one night in January,
when it was my turn to stay in Portland,
the Superintendent sent for me and
said:
dob, there's party of directors as
wants to get through the mountains to-
night, and they're going to start about
ten O clock. I'll have to send a special,
but haven't an engineer that | can
trust. Now, it's your night off, l know,
but if you'll pull the throttle for
them fellows, L Il make it all right with
YOU.
"'Well, says 1, III go, of course;
but it's goin' to be bad night on the
mountains
" That's so, Bob says the Super,
but | know can rely on you, and them
directors say they must 60 through,
anyhow
$50 | went back to our little cottage
and told Nell as how I'd got to 90. She
took on very queer like and seemed dis
tressed to have me away, though she
never acted like that before.
sit An awful night, Bob says she,
cant they send some one else? l don't
like to have you go
Nonsense says /, the storm
won't hurt me, and I'll be back again
tomorrow. The Super's promised to
do the square thing, and it will come
out ali right
''She seemed little treasured, and 1
got out my great coat and muller, and
in EN- prepared to start out.
"'Well, Bob says my wife if YOU
must 90, why YOU must, but, she
added, thoughttully, and there was
the queerest look passed over her face
'be careful of that Fankenstein,
treStle'
Il scarcely heard what she said, but
bidding her goodbye was soon on my
way to the rOund-hOuSe. 1t was wild
night and no mistake; seems TO me |
have never seen it blow harder or snow
faster. Once or twice | had to turn my
back to the blast to keep from BLOWN
over. Well, | was soon on board my
machine. and backing into the station,
hilched on to two cars which were to
make up the train. As ten o'clock ap-
preached the directors began to arrive,
pompous looking men, with plenty of
money and feeling all their Importance.
''Them fellerS, says l to myself, feel
their steam pretty well. | don't sup
pose they'd look at an engineer.
dan Smith, my fireman, was on the
watch for the conductors signal. and
when the clock struck ten we got the
swing of the lantern and off we started.
1--we seen some pretty bad nights,
but that one was the worst L ever re-
member. The storm tonight is hard
enough, but it don't begin to blow as it
did then. Why, every now and then
we would get a blast that would make
the whole machine tremble, and as the
country round Portland is pretty level,
we took the full force of the wind. AS
we got further inland, it WASH so bad,
and by the time We were forty miles
out, it had turned to summers gale
and was pouring torrents.
And now comes the singular part
of the story. We had the right of
way, and our dispatcher was to keep
the whole up to Fabyan's open for us.
my instructions being to stop only at
North Conway for water. SO | gave
her the throttle, and we bOwled along
at good rate of speed, making, per-
hapS, thirty or thirty-five miles an
hour. AS we went whistling through
Sebago Lake station had kind of
feeling come over me that there was
something wrong. | didn't notice it at
first, but every now and then it would
come back to me that all was not as it
should be, vet | couldn't think of any
thing that wasn't right. / alters eX-
anime my machine before | start, give
her good oilin', look we'll to the bolts
and parallel rods, try the levers and
such, and so l knew when we left Port
land old 40 was in perfect workin'
trim. Yet the feelin' grew on me I'M
I'll it was steady thing. | tried to
shake it off, but 'twan't no use. [ felt
it in my bones that sOmethin' was up.
"Now you gentlemen will laugh at
me for being fool, and l don't blame
yer, for we was a-goin' along all right,
everything from the water-gauge to the
cylinders was workin' in good time,
and l knew that it was only my imagin-
alton, but, to tell the truth, began to
fell uneasy. l had been an engineer
for ten years, and had been through
some pretty tough scrapes without
BLOWN for grapes, and the boys all
said as how | had a good deal of pluck.
Now began to lose all confidence.
Bob said to myself, this won't
do. You're gettin' nervous, and all for
nOthin'i You've no business to be SUI
perstitious at your time OF life. Brace
upn
"Twan't no use, however. l could
hev' stood up in court and sworn that
there was a kink somewhere. Well,
meanwhile we was sliding along, and
pretty soon reached North Conway,
where we was to give the machine 3
drink. Dan says l to my fire.
man, there's somethin out of the
way with this machine, and l don't
know what it is.
"'What makes you think SOP said
Dan.
81 can't tell 1 replied, she works
all right; but l feel it in my bones
Guess your thinkin' of your wife,
returned Dan,' with laugh.
But while we were gettin' in the
water took lantern and went round
the engine Looked at every part of