Evening journal., 1889-12-26


N, owed his eyes from the track ahead only
lor swift glance at the gauges Ben fed the
iire box with all the skin he knew, recalling
Mike Murphys instructions and doing his
best 10 keep steady. hot fire without smoth-
ering it by putting on too much coal, the
common mistake OF inexperienced fremen.
Never once since starting had he looked from
his work, or even taken a single glimpse
from the window directly in front Of him.
Yet all the time his mind was busy. He
had set upon this wild race with the single
idea Of chasing the fat car and in some way
preventing the destruction it was sure to
create if left TO itself
But now the question was whether the car
could be overtaken and. If it could, what
should then be done. Knowing how far the
bridge was away from the station, he mem
tally calculated the probable speed of the fat
and the time It would occupy in making the
distance. Then, between shovelfuls of coal,
he fixed the pace necessary to come up with
the chase sufficiently far from the bridge to
allow opportunity for securing the runaway
by o plan which had just occurred to him.
"S,Ass s. isiv cried Roger, as they swept
around a long curve "Its running nearly
as fast as we are"
For the first time Ben looked out at the ly-
ing telegraph poles, while counting the jars Of
the wheels on the joints Of the rails
"Giye her little more, Roger said he.
The engines seemed 70 drop from under them
| with its increased speed on the down grade,
rolling and pitching like a ship at sen. Ahead
the fiat was bounding along the rails, strew-
ing the track side as it ran with heavy ties,
| for its load had been shifted by the shock OF
rounding the curve. Several times the pur-
| suing engine struck and threw aside some OF
the ties which had fallen partly across the
| rails.
Fearfully dangerous it was, but Roger did
not even think Of slowing up. On the con
| trary, he crowded his machinea little harder.
| There was need Of it, for the bridge was less
than a mile away, ard a mile at this speed
| was only a few seconds over a minute.
Ben also knew that He threw down his
| shovel, caught up an iron pin, and opened the
| doors leading out upon the boiler Roger
looked at him anxiously, but never spoke.
The thing must be done if both his brother
| and himself gave up their lives in doing It.
| for there, down under the bridge, were TWEEN
| ty men-hushands and fathers, many Of them
working away, unconscious Of the death
| that was rushing upon them at fifty miles an
hour
CHnging to the brass railing and almost
choked by the fierce rush of air that the en-
| gine created as it tore along, Ben crawled
slowly 10 the buffers, and from there let him
self down till his feet rested upon the frame
Of the pilot Half sitting, half standing, he
hold on 60 a brace with one hand, md with
the other raised the heavy coupling rod
which hung along the front angle Of the pilot
Il was terrible place. Stunned by the
| furious noise. smothered In dust and bewil-
"a
| under him, his head swan, and for moment
be Thought he should fall But the weakness
passed away before the thought Of what de-
pended upon him.
lie must save those lives That was what
lac was there for.
The engine was gaining rapidly, but stin
not rapidly enough. A fow seconds more
would render all this struggle useless
lie leaned out and waved his hand In
stantly another Of those headlong leaps told
him that Roger had seen his signal, and that
all steam was on.
The distance decreased A hundred yards
--ffty--twenty- ty-fve Now the rumbling,
swaying mass Of timber was directly over
head, and Ben rose 70 his feet as cool as he
had ever been IN his life.
With pin and coupling rod IN hand, be
stood balancing himself ON the narrow frame
thnt Jared and jumped beneath him, notic-
ing even then the steady skill with which his
brother was reducing the engines speed to
correspond with that Of the car aud prevent
a heavy shock. Another second, and he
dropped the rod In place, passed the pin
through aud fell backward upon the piloE
The wheels screamed and grated, the steani
roared. and the whole engine groaned under
the racking strain OF the reverse, but the
cars way was being checked, and slower and
slower II went, until its impetus was finally
overcome and destroyed by the drag and pull
behind it Right before, not fifty feet of,
was the bridge but the car bed stopped
Wen, you can Imagine what scene there
was-the ferrihed workmen swarming out
from among the timbers down in the ravine,
learning what they had escaped, who bad
saved them, and how it had been done. And
you can imagine another scene, an hour or
two later, when the shouting procession of
grateful tlen and wives and mothers and
sisters, crying FOR Joy, brought the two young
heroes up to the station, where Engineer
Moore was waiting. But you cannot iInag-
inc what the fathers feelings were on hearing
the story, nor how he was proud and glad
and frightened and thankful all at once No
body could imagine that.
Mike Murphy was simply uproarious
"Hurrool Didn't Oi till yezf he kept say
ing. Didn't Oi say yed soc what was IN 'em
whin they had tho chancei An they've bad
the chance, an ye do seel HurrooF-Man-