Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-12-13
gone far down she went, and raised a

along IN tho dark. feelin' of her way
with her hands.
Finally sho got over. but she was
that bruised up from fallin'. and she'd
lost so much time kneelln' OF her way
| across the trestle. that she knew she d
got to strain every muscle in her body
to get beyond Dugan's in time to stop
No. 81; and tell you she just laid her.
self out to get theie.
"Twas plain sailin' now til she got
down to the telegraph shanty. which is
jest this side o the pit, and though
twas almost dark Mary made good
time and when she got 10 the shanty,
where the long stretch o straight
track begins. old 81 wasn't in s,ght
yit.
"She could hear the tally.mens' a
signin' and raisin' the or Ned over in
their shanty. but that didn't stop her.
She only grippod her crutch the harder
and hurried TO get BY. Thoy's path
along the pit O. the main track. be.
tween the telegraph shanty and the
east end of the sidin' where the swamp
begins. and Mary thought she could
get along faster by follcrin' that as
far as { went.
"Shc was stunpin' it along as fast
as God'd let her. when of n sudddn
her foot hit suthin' layn' in the path.
and she fell head.frst across it onto
The ground.
The thing grunted and rolled over
and she knew twas u man layin' there
but he was so drunk no didn't wake
up.
Mary was 50 startled. though by
the suddenness o the thing. that before
she knew it she let out yell.
"Threc or four Italians that was
standin' outside o the shanty door
heard the screech, and they picked up
some torches, such as they use for dig
ging gravel b. at night and started
over to see what was the matter.
Mary d picked herself up, aud she
crawled along down the path, hidin'
o the red lantern under her ovcrsk rt,
til she got out o range o the torch
light and when the Italians was all
gathered round their partner a lay
in there dead drunk, she lit out for
dear life.
"When she got on 10 the end of the
path. she got up on TO the road bed
again. aud hadn't gone more'n forty
yard when she run onto the ties that
the tramps had piled on the track.
"lnstead of Den' one or two, though.
there was dozen of EN-, for the Teller
meant b zness. an he'd made sure
that there was no way o the train
gcttin' b. tho ties without runnin, off.
They WASH t all piled up together.
but was laid along one by one.
MARY stopped down and tried to
lift the first one OFT. but somehow
other she couldn't make it bulge!
She tried agin' but twas no 60.
and then she saw that the ties was all
wedged down to the track by havin'
two stakes drove slantin' across each
end of 'em.
Just rs she was beginning to real
ize that sho couldn't move EN-. she
heard No. 81 whistle for Swartzville
curve. bout mile N half away.
"She grabbed the lantern and start
ed down the track, a swingin' of 1t
from side to side as she saw SIS head
light a loomin' round the curve.
".Here! W a: yer doin' W til that yer
red light?' somebody hollcred at her;
and when she looked round she saw
man get up from the shadder o the
fence and come ruunin' arter her.
at didn' take her no time to guess
the Teller was the one what was dom
the wreckn' but she thought she
could keep ahead o him till she got
the train stopped.
He wasn't goin ter have it that
way though, and he was gain n on
her at every step
She WAS desprit then, and sir. | be-
lieve God was a guidin' of her and Civ
in of her strength, for such weak
creatures as her couldn't stand no secl
strain rs that lessen they was given
strength from some ares.
so just rs the tramp got within ten
feet of 'er and she see she couldn' /
keep away from him any longer she
stopped OF sudden aud set the lantern
down on the track.
"Then she grabbed her orutch by
the small end. aud, swingn' it around
she brought it down ca thump on the
critters head. and he dropped in his
tracks without kick.
Twas all done in second, sir, but
at such times us that every second
that's wasted is worth year of ordin-
airy time. and when Mary picked up
the lantern again 81 had closed up the
gap between 'em until she thought she
never would be able to stop 'em quick
enough.
Dick Richards, the engineer, was
lookin out, though, and when he blew
a short blast on the whistle Mary knew
he'd seen the light. aud after she d set
the lantern in the middle o the track
she stepped off on the side OF the road.
bed
Dick put on the air-brakes and
threw the lever over and 81 gave a
jerk like horse balkin' on the
race track. and then eased up slow-like.
and stopped just before she got to the
red light.
Dick aud Tom Baker and Jack
Wheeler run up ahead to the lantern
and found Mary layin' there on the
side o the track where she'd fell in a
faintin' fit when she heard the last ex
haust OF SIS engine US it pulled up and
stopped.
while Jack and Tom was takiu'
Mary back to the train, Dick walked
down the track and found the tramp
a-layin' right where he d fell.
'ihey picked him up and put him il
the baggage car, aud the next time he