The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-27

Ws4N@sI fG# CiubAOHs o. - hV "a
ready had wings. He had said to himself,
ever ince the day that Chattorton had
given him = ride on the new railway, thai
he would drive an engine himself there
aoons or later. And when his request had
been laughed to scorn by the authorities of
the yard, he had simply resolved that it
should be sooner rather than later, and
had watched his time and chance. He had
dragged poor little Tim Doolan after him.
not exactly by force Of hand. but by force
of his own stronger will; and when fatigue
overcame the weary Waterman, they had
seen to the fires and tho water, had set
open the gates. and glided ont upon the
main track, regardless, after the first mo-
ment Of motion, Of tho noise they made;
for oncc upon the way, as they were then,
not all the kings horses nor all the kings
men could overtake them. "And there
aren't any kings men here" said Laddy,
answering his own thought"
''There's the railroad men," said little
Tim; and they'll give it to us when they
do como up with u.s."
''They'n have to catch US fist said
Laddy. Nov, Tim. You hold your breath.
A shooting star isn't a circumstance to the
way we're going to take this engine into
San Antoine. suppose we'll rot a hiding
at least 1 shall. But there amt q rod big
enough for us to be afraid of, once I've
driven this engine across the prairie. I
guess pail soc whether I'm aver going to
DO \ man or not. Keeping a fellow at
school when he's able to take q train from
one end of Texas to the other! If they
say much I'll drive right through San An
tons full tilt and out to the border"
E sSVr,x. ry11 1S,9 y ~ar1" NJ SkNNnSJl L~ryn
to stop for coal and water. And whsn We
stop, then you be sure we're in for it!' And
with that, and NIL the now thoughts it in
volved, Tim burst into a loud vail.
Now, Tim said Laddy, "you shut up!
or I'll pitch you right out on the prairie.
and then wherell you be-wolves and all!''
And Tim. more AFRAID of Laddy-and tho
prairie wolves-than of the dim ~whippings
of the future, stopped his wall and dried his
eyes, and prepared to take h pleasure he
might in his excursion-tolsrably sure. for
the rest that tho heavier part Of the blow
leader of all the mischief that boys could
perpstrate. Thersupon, Tim having reached
this conclusion, Laddy pulled out some
sticks Of sngarcane that he had provided,
and for the time being Tim was oonsolsd.
The soft, deep bark had lifted, with a
ing star, like \ coal of fire, had burned it,
self into a gray ash and was 2one and of q
sudden all the sky was rose, tho sun was
up, the day was on them. A herd of
horses shook all their tails and names c.
the engine darted bv, aad went galloping
away with a thunder that almost matched
that OF tbs engines tread; now they
plunged through fields of white peoples,
and, outlined with strange white lilies far
away, they saw the creeks in which swan
ducks blus as the deepest midnight blue.
Now Z troop of jack rabbits fed 10 %precipi-
Fatally Tint T,0dHv uhr1aRNH 18th 1O,rl,E>u
and made the engine give q whistle equal
to soaring any living creature throughout
that vast horizon. What a vast horizon it
was-how high up in the heaven they
seemed to BIO AZ they shot along! What
crystal clearness was this air, how sweet
and bright and beautiful this morning was,
as If the werld had been just made! How
every leaf upon the live oaks in the river
bottoms sparklsd, on the great, sweet mag
nolias, the Expresses, the unknown growths
all swathed in passion flowers, az they
clided through the thick forests and over
passed a cotton plantation whore the hands
were not yet aneld, or 4 lonely sugar plant
er's house, with its ialousies and galleries,
and it's works on the knoll behind it. How
sweet it was to have the fresh. shining,
dewy world all to themselves! Now they
shot through miles and miles Of s%un1owsrs;
here were long stretches purple with the
hsliotrope, scarlet and orange with the
lantana, golden with the yellow indigo,
creamy white with the rain lilies. Now ont
of a canebrako q horre's head uprearsd
itself, now a pair of great white horns; now
what seemed a field of primroses suddenly
took wings and flew away at their approach.
Here, again, were forests, every huge tree
of which was hung with the dark cobweby
moss swaying wsirdly and fuperally; and
here again they ware nearing a river, q
bridge, a town, dashing BY and out upon