The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-08-03
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Astrange Tale Of fAdvsnts1 E1Aa4 ss tas
Nea q IAreS e.

Nea q IArgS
pY nuTHvEMsI
The Chill Coast extjls1 Was thun.
dering southwark atsa spded Of SO
miles un hour through q o torm the
like of which had tbeIa 8 perienced
in that region for manyJ Srs.
The tempest howlcd ;il 3 hordso of
fiends let loose from hslli ouds lind
piled themselves uroIse ends until
the l;,st ray of departin days light
had been shut out; snfndescendcd
in floods that mal6sit seem as
though the train va u struggling
along the bottom of. u. .raging sea,
and through it oil tile storm kings
fiery tongues darted iiithefanl thith-
CT like hungry serpcnts hsearch Of q
prey.
Thus far the brave little engine had
breasted the fury Of tho elements
without misllap. The glare from her
fire slone upon the palitl faces Of the
engineer and .flelnial who, with set
teeth and quickcncd broaths, stood
ut their posts, not .knbwing Whit
moment might send them to flestrnn.
tion. The engineer, with his hand
upon the throttle, strove to pierce
the cavcrnous gloom, but he might
ms well have underworld to see
through the solid crust of the earth
into it's fiery interior.
Suddenly there came a flash of
lightning more vivid than any that
had preceded it; the entire heavens
seemed 4. blaze of incandesccnt light;
then came Al crash us though the
universe had been rent usunder, and
simultaneously IL fierce blast swept
i'll from the sc;l carrying with it Il
vast, towering wave that over
whelmed everything that lay in its
way.
The locomotive swaycd and trcm-
blrd and grotnal like Il thing of life
under the terrible strain; then it suc-
cumbcd. Tho hurricane lifted it up
bodily, carried it distance inland
and set ii down, right side up.
Tho engineer applied the brakes,
even while the engine was bcing car
r!ed through the mir; but they failed
to work, and when the iron monster
landed, it went crashing OH, over hill
and dale, through dense woods and
prinnval forests, whose monarchs
wept away before itsrcsistlcss power,
along prrcipitous cliffs, from which
it thrrntcncd every moment to
plunge into the fathomlcss depths
below; then over grassy plains and
fertile farming lands, ever and anon
tearing through, Al stray farmhouse
or bHrn-On, ON until it seemed that
IL demon had taken possession of the
mass of machinery and was leading
it u wild race to eventual tlestruc-
ton.
The engineer and fireman looked
Mt each other in mute despair. Not
IL word was sai'l, for the violence OF
the speech impossible.
The lnggage cai had been carried
long. The rest of the train had
been left behind when the locomotive
started on it's mad career across the
country.
In the baggage car were, beside
Miguel, the baggagcnan, a breaknnu
named Henrico and John Henry
Smith, the son of Il millionaire OF
Weelawken, N. j. He was cool and
collected, and while the two Spaniards
wercpouringforth prayer after prayer
for safety lie sat calmly upon his
vulisc:nd smoked Valparaiso stogics.
'Dont this beat alp" he remarked
scntcntiously, us the car gave !, sud.
den lulrh in leaping over Il mountain
torrent; Il haven't had such II Jolly
time since went to the last National
Conventional home. Iwonlcr where
we are, and where we are going, and
when we'll get there?"
"Ol, Scnor, we shall all bc dashed
to pieces; know we shall; We shall
never see our homes again." wuilctl
Migncl.
''Tlink SOP" nsked John Henry;
"well perhaps We shall; anyway,
there's no use troubling ourselves
about it until after it comes, We
won't feel like bothcring our heads
about anything any more lie lit
another stogy, pulled out his ticket
and clucklcd glcefully as lie realized
that lie was bcnting the company,
for the conductor had been left far
behind and could not collat his fare.
At length he dozed, and the train
still thundered on with unabntcd
speed:
There came q sudden crash: the
wheels Of the engine spun around i'll
mid nir for II few moments, and then
settled back upon the ground. The
iron horse had encountered an in
surlnountablc obstacle and stopped.
"Ah, we are there complacently
remarked John Henry, ns he picked
himself up out Of the corner of the
car, whittier he had been thrown by
the sudden stop; ''lct us see where We
are"
lie stepped out and surveyed the
scene. The storm clouds had taken
flight and given way to the glorious
sunlight ofanotllcr day. A crowd of
people gigantic stature and pale
brown complexion, whom he had
never seen before and whose clothing
was SO few that he judged them to be
in full dress, stood at II distance
curiously gazing at the invading en-
gine and car. Just ahead IL large in
junction lay upon the ground. 1t
was this that had stopped the train.
Juan and Jose, the engineer and
fireman, who llnd just picked them
selves up out Of the debris of the en-
ginc, came running up to join their
companions in the car.
"Wllelr are WEI" asked John Hen
ry of them.
"Damphinn," they replied in a
breath.
Just then IL deep, hoarsc sound as
though from AZ gigantic fog horn,
w,s waited up from the south.
John Henry listened; then u look
Of intelligence came into his eyes.
ave are near the Horn, and some
one is footing it," he exclaimed.
Brckoning to one of the natives
who seemed, from tlcfnct that hclnd
IL bulldog pliysioynomy, IL bad eye,
and IL deep crimson flush upon his
nose. to h !. person of some import
ance, possibly ward poli:itian, or n
saloonkrper, he addressed that per-
soDagc in pure volupuk.