The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-07-23
A WILD RACE FOR LIFE.

San Francisco Letter.-A locomotive
hs'neer's thrilling experience has lust
become known here. Six years ago the
Frisco road engaged us peanut boy a
.hnopy-cheeked lad named CLAW
Grouse, whose ready wit and willing
bands soon won him all hearts and
fapld promotion. In five years he was
The proud master of an ep.
slne' and developed "knack" OF
handling extra-long freight trains
other engineers pulling the same mum.
DER OF cars on the same track. would
meet with all manner of mishaps, but
oid Cash, as every one called him,
never made q break. One day the
company bought an enormous engine
OF new pattern, installed the
Doy engineer thereon and began
the special transportation OF live
stock IN longer trains and faster
runs than before known in rail
ROAD history. Other railroads ayailed
themselves OF the big engine and soon
1.-The Thunderbolt" ran into Teyas.
Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas as
occasion demanded Wherever it had
once been, people always knew when
1t was coming again by a peculiar
whistle, which its master had invent
ell TO resemble n mixture of maniac's
scream and coyotes howl. Strangely
enough. the chubby checked engineer
began to grow in proportion to the
SIZE OF his engine. By and by he tipped
@1o pounds OF flesh, solid and hard
DIS IRON. Whenever that peculiar
whistle blows, people flock to doors
and windows to wave to the engineer
who keeps everybody laughing at his
funny remarks. The mother OF this
champion whistler is Mrs. Fanny
Grouse, who runs n country postoflice
onher farm ten miles west of Oswepo.
Kansas. She Is now near 10 years OF
age, but her wonderful energy, coal
black eyes and hair, give her the ap-
pearance OF so. Between mother and
son exists q devotion that excites
much admiration and pleasant chat
ting by her friends. AS her big baby
cannot often visit her, she frequently
drives into town to see him during his
twenty minutes at the depot. At
such times she always brings him a
lunch and he always goes without din.
ner to talk to her, devoting his atten-
ton afterward on the engine to
Mothers farm fodder" Perhaps
they sit on the shady side OF the de
pot, or ii the day is cold, Clay closes
all the windows and lifts his mother
up into the "Thunderbolt's parlor."
The railroad boys wink as they pass
and whistle Pull down the blinds"
but little cares the son who sees his
big arm around "die mutter."
After recent visit the pair had a
strange experience. They parted in
great good humor, the son saying:
well. Fanny, I've been teaching my
best girl how to drive nail, and as
I'll get forty hours off from Saturday
noon, will bring her out on Sunday
and we'll build conservatory on to
your chicken house.
He went on duty on time, she after
her horse to return home. The wind
since morning had increased to q ter.
ritic gale, sweeping the open praries
with Il force that lifted people OFF their
feet III a way known only to Kansas
zephyrs on n rampage. Her friends
tried to keep her in TOWN over night,
but they might as well have asked the
wind to stop blowing as to try to keep
the courageous old lady from her do
mestic and government duties. The
hltcd man would be sure to neglect
her hundred little chickens; the west-
ern mail was due early next morning;
Topsy was like her namesake, 80
shlftless, and would be sure to leave
the clothes hang out all night and
whip to pieces. So Mrs. Grouse tied
on a heavy hood and veil and started
homeward across the lonely pralries
In the meanwhile the engineer had
been detained considerably beyond his
time at the depot, and coming on q
down grade about three miles from
town, saw the Missouri Pacific train
crossing his own track ahead, and
about half a mile away on the wagon
road, that also crossed his own line,
horse and buggy he at oncerecogniz-
ed as his mothers. He gave the fa-
nous whistle more for IL salute than
warning, as she knew the crossing
perfectly To his surprise there was
10 handkerchief waved as usual III re-
turn, and the buggy came right along.
he whlstled again, but the old horse
continued its jog trot toward the
crossing. The next whistle WAS loud.
but it, too, remained unheeded, and
then the engineer knew that the furi-
Gus wind was carrying all sounds
away from her back to him. and that
his own mother Was rapidly nearing q
dreadful death under his own engine.
He was pulling thirty-three cars OF
cattle, and it was impossible to stop
in time, that long train running at eN.
ira speed to cover the detention. But
one thing could save her-that was to
beat her to the crossing. Yet to at
tempt it with such a load would be
madness There remained one chance,
and the engineer took it. Out over
the engine he crawled, and at tie
risk OF his own life uncoupied the cars
so his engine might be unencumbered
for its work. Then began the terrible
race
Every nerve OF man and machine
was at it's tightest tension. On bore
the Thunderbot, and Clay could see
old Dobbin stop and throw up his
head, and the mother urging her
beast forward Not n word was spok-
en on the engine. The raging winds
gavelongdrawn shricks, that seemedto
cut themselves short in demon-like
laughter, or means full OF wailing
melancholy that died away in that
serpent-like hiss that has made the
heart stand still in everybody who
knows the wind of which is born q
prairie cyclone. Instantly they would
revive in mocking screams to chill the
narrow OF ones bones, so full these
winds of fcndish gee. The engineer
stood at his post, motionless and
co!oress as IL statue while the loco
1a4at i1.o t,.o.,allal thrQL Aiun tluuler