The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-07-31
A PHANTOM ENGINEER.
Come Back to Save Train Jim PAGES
Ghost Story.

told it one dark night to little crowd
that gathered in the round-house.
Jim's veteran of the rail. He was y
last week, and has pulled throttle as
many times as any living man, "How
he used to make old Six walk, is the
common expression wherever Jims
name is mentioned in crowd He
loved the engine better than anything
else in the world, and it nearly broke
his honest heart to give her up. Jim
never had an accident, but that wasn't
his fault" he always said. 1T wasn't
time that missed 'em, it wuz ole Six.
She wouldn't ever go into the back end
of a train o the blacklist night an ali
lights out. You couldn't drive her.
Couldn't git 'er nigh er broken bridge
or trestle or washout.
Jim never got any further with his
explanation until that night al the
roundhouse. when some of the boys
begged him to tell them why old Six
would't get into trouble.
LAS I've quit the track, boys be
began, Il don't min tellin' yer why.
Reckon y all know took to tirin' with
Dave Griffin, and all l know about er
engine l learnt from him. He was
like er father ter me, an when he diea
lost the hest frin lone boy ever
had. Lost, did l say? No, not lost,
but
| He looked out into the night and the
little audience waited for him to finish
the sentence. But he went on anew.
II worked mighty hard an faithful
but wuz'n ole man when they gimme
the best engine on the road. You've
all heard of ole Six? She's scrap-iron
ten year ago. l had run along for er
good many years 'thout er accident of
any sort, an'-y'all know how It's
had got sorter careless, like. |
knowed every rail an cross-tie in the
road. to say nothin' of bridges an tres
ties an culverts. an could shet my
eyes an tell where l wuz by the way
ole Six carried herself. Well, one
night-it s the darkest night | ever
saw; the moon an stars seemed as If
they gone out for good, an the black,
| thick clouds set so close to the earth
that yer could feel 'em as yer plowed
through EN-. Headlights didn't
amount to much them days, no how.
but that night mine didn't do good at
all Sump'n must We blacked the
glass. for l couldn't see ten steps
ahead of the pilot, an what dim light
ther wus flashed sickly against er solid
front uf cloud. BY an by it began to
rain. The rain came down like the
bottom had fallen ont. an in less'n
five minutes could hear it roarin' in
the bitches alongside the track. The
noise it made tearing through the cul.
verts drowned the rattler er the train.
Ao.>
Lightnin' every minute an less split
the darkness on all sides. an the thun.
der doomed 'mong the clouds as if the
old earth was exploiting from the in
side fires. At every boom the clouds
gave down more rain, an old Six
trembled as if she was skeered to &C
ahead.
ssCn we went, up hill an down, forty
miles an hour an no stops fur way
stations. We climbed the summit al
Pinson's an flashed by like ske4ed
deer, on down the long grade toward
Dykes run an the big trestle.
knowed it's the best on the road, an
wasn't afeered to go over it er mile el
minute, so 1 didn't slack up. l leaned
back in my seat an listened to the rag
, in storm outside. My fireman opened
, the furnace door an stepped back il
the tender for some coal, when sud
denly a big, white headed man got be
! tween me an the red light of the fur
mace fire an leaned over toward th,
front O the cab. One long arm reached
out. an takin' hold o the throttl,
shut off the steam The other pulled
three long blasts to the whistle. th,
: signal for brakes, an then before
4 could say word the man caught th
9 lever in both hands an reversed he
clean back to the lowest notch Th
same long arm again reached tn
> throttle an pulled her wide open. Oh
SKIS drivers began to spin arouu
backward and the train begin to slaci
I up. Jumpin' up l made lunge a
t the old man, but instead of hittin hir
c fell fat across the cab. | got up an
J. saw him still standin' there lookin' ou
q ahead. l throwed my arms aroun
him to pull him away, but they passe
), right through his body and fell at m
:. side He turned an looked at me. al
q back from the grave,
. when my senses come back tn
train was standn' stu an Dave wa
o gone l l,nowed there was somethi1
o wrong ahead. so got out an wake
IS down the read. A hundred feet ava
l. came to er great gap in the track
e the big trestle was gone! The cree
% was growed to mighty river roari,
! and rushin' and etlrglin' over the pile
'' Bows, didn't feel skecred then, bt
E. sonchow l could't stan up. l.
J. didn't 70 to sleep, ] couldn't ha' dor