Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-08-30

of the order to hold them for No. %.
This would be sufficiel,t, and they
would wait until No. % arrived. IfNo.
% should arrive first, the execution of
the order would be yet more simple.
No. % would take siding, and as soon as
they were clear Lily would be at lib
erty to take down the red signal Ian
tern. and allow No. 81 to pass without
stopping. No. % having arrived, the
object of the order was already fulfilled.
If both trains should happen to arrive
at the same time. the red signal light
would stop No. 81, and as No. % had in
structions to approach carefully" they
would do so, expecting to find No. 81
occupying the main track.
Lily perfectly understood the import
ance of the order she had just received,
and during the long hour, which wore
slowly away, she kept careful watch OF
the signal light, which, however, con-
tinued to burn as brightly as ever. At
last she heard rumbling noise away in
the west, which gradually became
louder and more distinct. By this she
knew that No. % was coming, and
would probably get in on the siding be-
fore No. 81 should arrive.
The rumbling became louder and
louder each moment; the earth began to
"a enlnfe, ana the peculiar vibration in
the air which gives warning of rapidly
approaching train hummed loudly in
her ears.
She began to feel anxious, as they
were evidently coming at high rate of
speed and not approaching as carefully
as their orders had instructed them;
she also had not yet heard the whistle
which is always sounded by trains
when approaching station, and this
omission increased her fears that some
thing was wrong.
But she was given no ti..1e for further
reflection, as the train now suddenly
dashed around curve not a hundred
yards distant, running at full speed.
Lilly flew out and stood between the
rails swinging her hand lamp wildly
across the track and shouting at the top
of her clear young voice. But no atten
ton was paid to her signal, the train
coming madly on, with such rattle
and clash that it drowned the sound of
her voice.
The roaring, rushing train was now
upon her and she barely had time to
spring from the track and escape with
her life. With rattling crash and an
awful rush of air the kissing, throbbing
monster sped swiftly past her, while the
clank, clank, clank, of the car-wheels
passing over loose splice near by was
so rapid that it resembled the rapid
hammering on the anvil in blacksmith
shop.
For moment Lily was unerved and
bewildered, but suddenly arousing her.
self to action, she rushed into the office
and Selling piece of friedrich that
did duty for stove-leg, she turned and
hurled it through the window of the
caboose which was just passing. An
instant later the red lights on the rear
end of the train had disappeared around
a curve in the cut and the rattle of the
runaway train quickly lessened in the
distance.
Lily's heart throbbed painfully and
she was seized with a sudden fit of
shivering which most persons of delicate
organizations are subject to when under
great excitement. AS soon as she had
somewhat recovered, she went into the
Office and calling the train dispatcher,
who answered at once, she said
No. % passed at full speed and No.
81 not yet arrived"
"My God!" telegraphed back the dis
patcher as swiftly as his frightened
fingers could form the letters; "the
crew must be asleep. They will strike
in that cut and pile up fifty feet hight
Heavens, this is horrible!"
Lily then went on to explain that she
had attempted to awaken them by
throwing brick through the caboose
window, and on hearing this the dis
patcher opened his key without waiting
for her to finish and said excitedly:
"Run to the east end of the siding,
and if you see them backing up throw
the switch and let them on the siding.
No. 81 is not due here for five minutes,
and there is chance for them yet"
Il have no switch key" said Lily.
"Break the lock with hammer, a
rock, OF anything" was the quick reply.
"Run, fly"
Lily seized an old axe that was lying
handy, and, with vague idea that she
might also need the red light, she took
/ it in her other hand and flew up the
track with the speed of the wind, at the
imminent risk Of falling and breaking
her neck in the inky darkness.
Once she stumbled and fell, and the
lantern was dashed from her hand and