The record-union., 1891-03-17
THE CAT SAVED THE TRAIN
how 1t Was Done, as Innocently Re
lated by the Young Fireman.

laISO ny tuS 1Oung Fireman.
As the train was about to pull out of
the Broad-street station l recognized an
old friend in the engineer says writer
in the Philadelphia Inquirer. He nodded
to me and | jumped into the cab. Dick
and l shook hands and he introduced me
TO his fireman, a young fellow with large,
truthful, honest eyes, and the most inno-
cent-looking face l ever saw. Perched
on the seat was hugo black cat. ugly.
scraggy and with a ground plan of fur
that looked like a railroad map, it was so
plowed and cut up. Naturally | noticed
the cat and asked what it was doing there.
THAT'S a wonderful cat" said the
youthful fireman, land thereby hangs q
tale. Do you want it ?''
''Of course"
"Well, about week ago we-Dick and
me-were making the run between Phila-
delphia and Trenton. 1t was a dirty,
black night, cold and driving 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
that is, Dick-had a clear track and the
right of way. A few feet ahead OF tho
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 anything
we'd know more about the other world
than was ever written in books, and
said little prayer that / learned at Sun
day-school. The prayer didn't seem to
do me much good, and L asked Dick if it
was necessary to run so fast. Dick gave
me look of mild contempt, and then I
got on my dignity and felt as if I'd rather
like to strike something just to change
that look of Dicks to one of surprise.
This was wicked, knew, but couldn't
help it.
'Suddenly there was an awful crash
directly in front of me, a splintering of
glass in the cab window, and this cat
came tumbling in. My heart got right
| saw Dick turn pale, and, terrified as L
was, remember being glad of it. He
didn't lose his head, though-Dick never
doeS-but reversed the machine, and
when the train was stopped we--that is,
Dick-got out to Investigate, And what
do you think? There was rail mis-
placed within dozen feet of where we
mad stopped. The fiagman at the switch
had seen it and had stationed himself up
the track to signal us. He had a pet cat
which followed him wherever he went.
The cat was with him, as usual. When
ne heard us laundering down upon him
his lantern went out. He laid it down to-
relight it; gust of wind caught it and
rolled it down the embankment. Here
was state of things. The hagman wao
quick to act, however, and grabbing his
faithful cat by the tail he hurled it at tho
cab as it ratified by. Here is the cat that
saved our train. Didn't you, Danger?"
The cat bumped its ugly back in recog-
milton, and 1 looked at the frank, inno-
cent face OF the boy. He returned the
look with wide open, truthful eyes.
Shades Of Mount Vernon! What a
liar that fellow ISL said Dick to mo in o
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 his latest saved the train
business. / saw him fish that cat out of q
ditch two days ago.