The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1890-07-05
A WONDERFUL CAT.
An Ugly, Scraggy Creature Saves a Rail-
road Train from Destruction,

roau Irain from Destruction,
AS the train was about to pull out of
the Broad street station, says a writer
IN the Philadelphia Inquirer, recog-
nized an old friend in the engineer. He
nodded to me and jumped into the cab.
DICK and l shook hands and he intro
duced me to his fireman, young fell
low with large, truthful, honest ewes.
ana the most innocent-looking face |
ever saw. Perched on the seat was a
huge black cat, ugly, scraggy, and with
ground plan of fur that looked like
railroad map, it was so plowed and
cut up.
Naturally noticed the cat and asked
what it was doing there
That's wonderful cat," said the
youthful fireman, land thereby hangs
tale. Do you want it?''
''Of course"
Well, about week ago we-Dick
and me-were making the run between
Philadelphia and Trenton. 1t was a
dirty, black night-cold and driy-
ing rain, and we were-that is,
Dick was-behind time, and we
were-that is, Dick was-making
her hum for all she was worth
We-thatis, Dick-had clear track and
the right of way. A few feet ahead of
the pilot it was as black as nothing.
we were driving into chaos at the rate
OF sixty miles an hour. / could not help
thinking that if we ran into any thing
wed know more about the other world
than was ever written in books, and l
said little prayer that l had learned
IN Sunday-school. The prayer didn't
seem to do me much good, and 1 asked
DICK II 1T was necessary to run so fast
DICK gave me look of mild contempt,
ana then got on my dignity and felt as
II ia rather like to strike something
just to change that look of Dicks to one
OF surprise. This was wicked, 1 knew,
but | couldn't help it. -
suddenly there was an awful crash
directly in front of me, splintering of
glass in the cab window, and this cat
came tumbling in. My heart got right
up in my throat and l thought I'd
choke. saw Dick turn pale, and, ter
rlfled as was, remembered being glad
at 1t. He didn't lose his head though
DICK never does-but reversed the ma
chine, and when the train stopped we
that is, Dick-got out to investigate.
And what do you think? There was
rail misplaced within dozen feet of the
place where we had stopped. The flag
man at the switch had seen it and had
stationed himself up the track to signal
us. lie had pet cat which followed
him wherever he went. The cat was
with him as usual. When he heard us
laundering down upon him his lantern
went out. He laid it down to relight it
A gust OF wind caught it and it rolled
down the embankment. Here was a
state of things. The fiagman was quick
to act, however, and grabbing his faith
ful cat by the tail he hurled it at the
cab as we ratified by Here is the cat
that saved our train. Didn't you, Dan
ger?" ,...
The cat bumped it's back in recogni-
ton, and l looked at the frank, inno-
cent face of the boy. He returned the
look with wide-open, truthful eyes. -
"Shades of Mount Vernon! What
liar that fellow is," said Dick to me in
whisper. HE has the reputation of be-
ing the biggest liar on the road. He'd
finish FIRST in a race with Tom Ochiltree,
That cat story is the latest 'saved-the-
train business. saw him fish that cat
out of the ditch a few days ago." s.s,
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