Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-08-16
A LOCOMOTIVE FAIRY.
in the G.. X. 1. 4 T.. Yards by Her
Risky Franks.

The switchmen in the c., R. l. & P
Yards were treated to a sensation tn
other day which was novel in the ex
IRENE. During the early part of the at
ternoon of the day alluded 10, one of th
pony engines was coming down the low
er yards at as rapid rate of speed as tn
law will permit. when, of sudden, tn
engineer noticed young woman stand
ing in the middle of the track only few
rods ahead. She was facing the engine
and her bright features bore an uncon
cerned and fearless look. Her eyes restet
steadily upon the approaching locomo
tive. The engineer was at first dazed b,
the sight; the fair one had made he
appearance so suddenly, yet he at onct
realized the horrors OF the situation
| His first and natural conclusion was tina
the woman had resolved upon a desper
ate and frighlful suicide, and he was go
ing too fast to avert the castrOphe. Al
these thoughts passed through his mine
in an instant. His first impulse was Il
reverse the engine and shrek the whistle
simultaneously but to his horror thu
girl did not move. BY this time the en-,
CINE had reached the spot where she
stood. In an instant il had passed, anC
by this time the locomotive had began tC
slacken up and soon stopped. The
engineer and fireman both looked Al
each other, neither daring to glance back
over the track, they could see in then
maglnahons fearfully mangleC
corpse. Finally they took the
dreaded look. And they were more
shocked than il they had seen ten thous,
and mangled bodies, for there was moth
ing TO be seen; the girl had disappeared
as mysteriOusly rs she had come. All
sorts of wild thoughts and suggestions
chased each other through the brains OF
those two engine men. They thought of
ghosts, fairies, and many wild hall
lucinations. II could not be dream for
both men had seen the woman. Finally
they dismounted and pursued an investi-
CATION. They walked back a WAYS and
examined the track and then resolved to
look the engine over. When they
reached the front of the locomotive
another surprise, and one fully as great
as the other two. awarded them. There.
seated upon the step. which upon switch
engines takes the place of the COW catcher
on the road engines, sat the fair creature
they had seen on the track few seconds
beforehand fully as uncoDcerned and
serene. This last surprise had so I'M
nerved the locomotive men that they
could not muster up the courage to speak
to the mysterious being They simply
stood and gazed upon her with awe. 1t
is quite probable that if she had moved
at that instant both men would have
made good and proper use of their pedal
eHtremities. When they had recovered
sufficiently to speak they addressed the
stranger with one voice:
What are YOU doing there"
"Oh, nothing much" came the cool
reply. IF you ever start up this engine
| am thinking about taxing a ride"
But you have taken dangerous
place for a pleasure ride; had you not
better come back into the cab" inter,
posed the engineer with all the gentle>
ness and ssuvity at his command.
"Oh, no. | am not at all afraid, be-
sldes-I pick nv company. Just go
ahead when you get ready and don't
mind about me"
"Bnt you certainly cant ride there"
Rats" See here, does the railroad
hire you to waste time discuss
ing matters with females? You attend
to your affairs and I'll attend to mine"
Under this crushing blow the engineer
went meekly back to the cab, followed by
the fireman. They ran the engine down to
the freight house for orders and Freight
Agent Stoddard and the boys in the of
fice were told by the engineer of his won
derful discovery When the engine
started back up the yard they went out
on the platform and saw for themselves
the strange creature. Going up the
yards. the fairy, as the engineer and fire
men had began to call her. was of course,
on the back end of the locomotive, and
the men in the cab realized that there
was not so mach danger there. and they
breathed with less discontinue
When the switches were reached back
Of the Cable mansion. where the upper
and lower yards join, the mysterious per-
sonage stepped lightly from her perch
and running across to another track,
Jumped upon the forward beam of an
other switch engine which was coming
down. The engineer, who was about to
pass through the experience of the other
engineer, promptly reversed the engine
and leaving the cab, hurried around in
front to investigate. By this time the
engineer of the other engine had come
back and he advised the newly surprised
engineer to go ahead and pay no atten-
ton to the graceful creature, The en-
CINE started down to the lower yards
hauling string of freight cars, and as
the Twenty fourth street crossing was
reached the engineer said to his fireman:
'1f one of our wives should chance to
be down this way this morning we might
nave to make an explanation tonight"
Il hope, by gosh. mine wont, was the
-eply, "but we are not to blame anyway"
On they went. but their fair passen>