The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-03-06
AN AsroN1sHED ENGINEER.
New York Times.l


 Over in Jersey City one day last week two or three locomotive engineers sat talking over strange experiences, and this was the story that one told: was a young man working on southern rail- road as fireman when the war broke out. Before the war was over got an engine of my own 1; but before was reg ularly promoted the engineer of my train fell sick of sudden and was ordered to take the engine out myself. shipped brakesman to do my firing, and started away at six o'clock in the moining, pull ing one passenger and half dozen freight cars. There wasn't any fighting along my line, but there was a deal of bad feeling everywhere, and lots of law less dee Is were being committed. The track on this road had been torn up in two places only week before and there was good bit of talk about train wreck CTS and the like. At about eight o'clock at a way station got telegram from headquarters to drop all my cars and hurry right on to the end of the line with only my locomotive and tender. It was queer order, but knew that it was off cial and made ready to obey orders, WACA d LAItAG Ahnu WIIu a QtOWn StOUSaS0 hat, who did not look as if he weighed over hundred pounds, climbed up into the cab, and said to me that he wished would let him ride in there with me, he was so anxious to go forward as far as he could. told him that my orders were to let nobody ride, and explained that l didn't think could let him go. Didn't you expect me2' he asked. told him didn't. It will be all right he insisted, but when asked him what was his name and what was his business he couldn't be induced to tell me, Then it's all up,' said l, 'I'll go right along without you Then he suggested that he was willing to pay me we'll for letting him remain aboard, but wasn't taking any chances, and told him so. was only waiting while my fireman attended to some business that he had gone down the track about; and then was going to shoot ahead and leave everybody behind. You ought to have seen the sparks in that little mans eye. You needn't wait for your helper,' he said, in that kind O quiet tone that had whole battlefield in it's very quietness. You needn't wait for your fireman. I'll do his work. Co aheadl' looked at him, wondering whether or not he was crazy, when he calmly took out shiny pistol and tapped gently on one of the brass rods of the cab seat, aud he repeated once more, Go ahead Y l was knocked clean out. What could the stranger mean3 That sparkle in his eye grew brighter and brighter, and seemed fairly to dance like diamond in the sun. Do you understand p he inquired, in the quiet tone that pierced me like bullet. Go ahead, say.' went ahead. On, on, and on we dashed, through the fields and forests and by the villages, stopping nowhere, my passenger -l felf that he was madman-keeping close watch on me all the while. Twas scared. That pistol was still in his hand, and like the little hand of a watch its rat s-tat-tat on the brass rod kept counting of the seconds and the minutes till grew almost crazy myself. was rattled. A sort of film kept coming up before my eyes. He said not one word, but felt that his searching gaze was on me all the while. And finally could stand it no more. There was rush of blood to my head, staggered and fell-with the town l was bound for just in sight What remember next was buzz of voices over me as lay in doctors office. Aside from a nervous shock had suffered nothing. My engine had brought me into town all right, and had come to a halt at the station as gently and amiably as any old family horse. The man who had rode down with mo had known enough to govern her, but he had waited at the depot after arriving only long enough to tell bystander that was in need of help in on the engines floor. A week after learned the reason for the strange order that had been given me to hurry on with my locomotive and no cars, and learned too the name and the mis- sion of my passenger. A telegraph oper- ator had blundered. My dispatch should have read: Take on little man with brown slouch hat; drop all cars and rush forward with no stops The operator had carelessly left ofi the first phrase about 'the little man with brown slouch hat,' and given me only the last part of the order The man? He was Alexan- der H. Stephens, and he had important war information that he had been willing to trust to nobody else. He apologized to me afterward for his strange actions, but he said he felt that only in such a way could he ever manage to make me go on, for he didn't know what the text of my orders was, and he was afraid to ask for fear that he might find me either unfriendly or untrustworthy. Those were days when everybody was suspected, you know"