The Republican., 1890-12-12

every day. But seventy-four such miles
are mighty trying on a machine, now 1
tell ye, before ye get half through; and
nigh on to the end you don't know
what minute the poor old creature may
break her heart on ye. l looked the
Sycamore over as l took her out O. the
shop-I always do that with my own
eyes; but If had known what we were
to try on, I'd given those connecting
rods more attention. We used to wedge
them on the wheels; you have seen the
steel keys? Nowadays they are fastened
in the shops so the men can't wedge
thcm too tight, every station or two
1t is this new way Of fastening that
causes tho ringing noise you now hear
as the big drive-wheels pass you. Did
you never notice?
"Well, I soon began to feel of her
wind. She was not long in making
that fireman's box too uneasy for my
general manager He danced like toy
man. Then he closed the window ahead
Then he shut the one at his side, though
they ratified open, and he lost his hat,
which tho fireman caught on the bag
gage-car brake; but Mr.. Manager could
not let go his clutch on the scat to
replace his hat. The hat was all coal
dust, any way, so it was put into the
tool-chest. Now we were just flying.
l never took my eyes off the iron, but
out of the corners of my eyes saw how
distressed he was. ae undertook to
holler something but paid no atten-
tion. The fireman showed in the sprink-
lings fine; he knew exactly how. Fir
ing is half the battle in big run.
Well, we were going so we'll that was
afterward told the paymaster's car,
which we were pulling home, could not
keep the dinner dishes on the table!
No, sir! Twice, going round curves,
every dish the boys had was swept on
the floor. If VIC had had dining-cars in
those days, wouldn't the soup have been
spilled"
81 should have thought your conductor
might have intcrfered," suggested.
II expected he would" was the re-
ply. But as time went on, and our
rate grew simply fearful on the passen-
gers, knew we'll enough that the con-
ductor had been scolded as we'll as the
rest of us. No; he told me afterwards
that he simply sat down and said his
prayers. But to go on; l saw that we
had made up twenty-eight minutes,
then thirty, then rty-three-being
ing only seven minutes behind. But
there we hung. She could not increase
her lead do my best.
81 knew then that we should soon be-
gin to lose again, Cor she was heating.
Whether the boxes were Juggling on tho
cars or engine l could not be suro.
Then, too, it might have been tho
curves, at all events we were Juggling
and losing. We fell off | calculated
some five minutes, when we struck the
tunnel 1t was a heavy rail and
straight track there, and pulled her
clean out for one more spurt live or die,
as we dashed into the steam and dark
ness of that long hole. In there you
can't see any thing but signals. The
Sangamore answered me for Just one
plunge. But the next instant, crash!
God help mo! The whole side of the
cab was flying in splinters knew
what that meant. | jumped from my
scat in front of the fre-box. There,
under my scat, was the general man
ager. He had been mercifully knocked
in instead of out, but he was senseless.
My drivers held their rod yet, but
knew the strain could not last long
without swapping that rod, too, rs l
could not find the throttle to shut
her off. 1t was so queer about that
throttle. / turned round and round try
ing to find it; kept turning to tho left
l thought had an extra eye just over
my ear, and my other two eyes were
blind. That new eye showed me
beautiful clear light, but not the throt-
tie. Round and round that fearful
steel hammer, the broken rod, kept
crashing and tearing out tho shreds of
the cab on that side. Then the other
one twisted, which throw old Sycamore
plump into the granite wall. We wero
all piled up there, dark as pitch all
about, and finally stir. Now, the curl
Gus thing about it all is that with my
new eye over my ear l actually read the
time by my watch, and we were only
seven minutes late. Yes, sir, we had
made up thirty-three minutes in the
seventy-four miles, slow-ups and stops
included; and minute more would
have brought us to the station. | just
yelled: 'How's that, old English?" and
my new eye seemed to go out in dark
ness"
The new eye was the result of fear
full cash on the side of the head, from
the effects of which tho poor man lin
gered on the borders of death for weeks
That postponed the wedding. The
peculiar effect of that blow on the head
tie writer can not explain, but the fact
that he read his watch correctly is sub
stantiated by the conductor of the train,
OF whom l asked information.
Were there many injured?' 1 added.
in the pause that followed his conclu-
sion.
Don't ask me-yes. Thank God I'm
alive! Now Mollie," addressing his
wife, who just entered, "Ive told that
story for the last tino, except in my
prayers. Emory J. Haynes, D. D., in
N. Y. Ledger.