Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-11-08

allow opportunity for securing the runaway
by plan which had just occurred to him.
"There it is!' cried Roger, as they swept
around a long curve. 'It's running nearly
as fast we are"
For the first time Ben looked out at the fly
ing telegraph poles, while counting the jars of
the wheels on the joints of the rails.
''Give her a little more, Roger" said he.
The engine seemed to drop from under them
with it's increased speed on the down grade,
rolling and pitching like ship at sea. Ahead
the fat 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 tunes 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, be crowded his machine little harder.
There was need of it, for the briGge was less
than mile away and 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
tv men-husbands and fathers, many of them
working away, unconscious OF the death
that was rushing upon them at fifty miles an
hour.
Clinging to tho brass railing and almost
choked by the fierce rush of air that the ell
CINE created it tore along, Ben crawled
slowly to the buffers and from there let him
self down till his feet rested upon the frame
of the pilot. Half sitting, half standing, he
held on to brace with one hand, and with
the other raised the heavy coupling rod
which hung along the front angle of the pilot.
1t was a terrible place Stunned by the
furious noise, smothered in dust and bewil-
dered by the dizzy sweeping OF the roadbed
under him. his head SWAIN, and for moment
he thought he should fall. But the weakness
passed away before the thought Of what de-
pended upon him.
He must save those lives. That was what
he was there for.
The engine was gaining rapidly, but still
not rapidly enough. A few seconds more
would render all this struggle useless.
He 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
-fifty--twenty-fve Now the rumbling,
swaying mass of timber was directly over
head. and Ben rose to his feet as cool as he
had ever been in his life.
With pin and coupling rod in hand, he
stood balancing himself on the narrow frame
that Jared and jumped beneath him, MOTTO
ing even then the steady skill with which his
brother was reducing the engines speed to
correspond with that of the car and prevent
q heavy shock. Another second, and he
dropped the rod in place, passed the pin
through and fell backward upon the pilot.
The wheels screamed and grated, the steam
roared. and the whole engine groaned under
the racking strain of the reverse, but the
cars way was being checked, and slower and
slower it went, until its impetus was finally
overcome and destroyed by the drag and pull
behind it. Right before, not fifty feet off,
was the bridge, but the car had stopped.
Well you can imagine what a scene there
was-the terrified workmen swarming cut
from among the timbers down in the ravine,
learning what they had escaped, who had
saved them, and how it had been done. And
you can imagine another scene: an hour OF
two later, when the shouting procession of
grateful men and wives and mothers and
sisters, crying for joy, brought the two young
heroes up 10 lne sIdtlon, where Engineer
Moore was waiting. But you cannot mag
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
"Hurroo! Didn't Oh till yea" he kept say
ing Didn't Oh say ye'd see what was in em
whin they had the chances An they'veshad
the chance. an ye do see! Hui'roo! "-Man-
ley H. Pike in Youths Companion.