The Southern herald., 1889-11-22


car, and it'll fall right over upon theml
They'll all be killed. They'll all be
killed."
Roger could not say a word. He
stood staring after the car, pale-faced
and breathing hard. Ben looked around
helplessly until his eyes fell upon some
thing that made his heart leap with JOY.
It was the change engine waiting to re-
lieve their fathers when his train came
in. II stood on the main track near the
two boys, but with no one aboard, for
the engineer and fireman were eating
their noon lunch at the roundhouse, as
they generally did.
Jump aboard, quick, quickI" criep
Ben, dragging Roger toward the loco
motive. 1--WE can't stop to call the
crew-we must run her ourselves. I'm
the strongest. I'll fre-and you-you
start her upl Hurryr'
Roger instantly understood. He
sprang upon the foot-board after his
brother, and grasped the lever and
throttle. 1t was no time for careful
handling. and the great engine fairly
jumped on the rails as the abruptly
opened valves sent the steam rushing
through it. Ben seized the whistle
lover, and q long scream Of warning
sounded in the ears Of the astonished
men who were watching the runaway
car, while, almost at the same moment
with the sound, the roaring locomotive
leaped by them over the rafting
switches and shot down the line like q
meteor.
Both boys, now that they were actu-
ally at work to avert a disaster, the
very thought Of which had unnerved
them a minute before, were cool and
steady. Roger, with hands occupied
and feet braced firmly against the
heavy shocks and lurches of the flying
engine, moved his eyes from the track
ahead only for swift glance at the
gauges. Ben fed the fire-box with all
the skill he knew, recalling Mike
Murphy's instructions and doing his
best to keep steady, hot fire without
smothering it by putting on too much
coal, the common mistake Of inexperi-
enced firemen. Never once since start
ing had he looked away 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 out upon this wild race with
the single idea OF chasing the fiat car,
and in some way preventing the de-
struction 1t was sure to create II left to
ITSELF
But now the question was whether
the car could be overtaken, and, II 1t
could, what should then be done.
Knowing how far away the bridge was
from the station, he mentally calculated
the probable speed OF the fiat and the
time 1t would occupy in making the
distance. Then, between shovelfuls ol
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 plan
which had just occurred to him.
"There 1t isF' cried Roger, as they
swept around long curve. "It's run
ming nearly as fast as we are"
For the first time Ben looked out al
the flying telegraph poles, while count
ing the jars Of the wheels on the joints
Of the rails.
"Give her little more, Roger" said
he
The engine seemed to drop from un-
der them with its increased speed or
the down grade, rolling and pitching
like ship at sea. Ahead the fat wal
bounding along the rails, strewing tn,
track-side as 1t ran with heavy ties, fol-
its load had been shifted by the shocl
OF rounding the curve. Several time
the pursuing engine struck and threw
aside some of the ties which hat
fallen partly across the rails. Fear
, fully dangerous it was, but Roger dis
| not even think OF slowing up. On tn,
contrary. he crowded his machine
! little harder. There was need Of 1t, TO
the bridge was less than mile away
! and mile at this speed was only few
| seconds over minute Ben also knev
} that He threw down his shovel, caugh
up an iron pin, and opened the door
leading out upon the boiler Roge
| looked at him anxlously, but neve
, spoke. The thing must be done. II bot
r his brother and himself gave up thei
> lives in doing 1t, for there, down unde
4 the bridge. were twenty men-hus
bands and fathers, many Of them
working away, unconscious Of tn
/. death that was rushing upon them d
. fifty miles an hour.
Clinglng to the brass railing. and a
Q most choked by the fierce rush Of al
9 that the engine created as II tore along
. Ben crawled slowly to the buffers, ant
2 from there let himself down till hi
Q feet rested upon the frame Of the pilo
d Half sitting, half standing, he held 0
0 to q brace with one hand, and with th
other raised the heavy coupling-ro
4 which hung along the the front angl
5 Of the pilot
Itwas 3 terrible place. Stunned b
: the furious noise. smothered in dui
8 and bewildered by the dizzy sweepin
Of the roadbed under him, his hea
} swan, and for moment he thought B
o should fall But the weakness passe
. away before the thought Of what d
pended upon him.
n He must save those lives, that vi
g whathe was there for.
. The engine was gaining rapidly, b
still not rapidly enough. A few 50
}, onds more would render all this stru