Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21
NUMBER rs LAST TRIP
written for The Evening Star by Rodney eisrse.
ME WE'RE wArfING-MY TWO BOYS

Il
at little station not far from that great city
There were several side tracks near the depot
and upon one Of these an engine stood. pua-
ing and painting as though tired out from a
long run. Ny boy Frank having expressed .
desire to inspect the grim iron monster took
him over TO il. and the engineer. seemingly at
tracted by his bright face and inquiriug glance,
invited him to come up into the cab
And You, too sir. " he said pleasantly to me.
''an' bring up the other youngster with YOU"
Having alb out an hour to wait before the ar
rival of the train which was to bear us home
ward, | readily accepted the engineer hospi-
tality and soon was seated opposite his seiled
but genial face. After asking him many ques-
tions concerning the mechanism of the engine
and lingering to his hesrt's content the vari
Gus handles upon which his curious eye rested.
Frank turned TO him and said:
Have you ever got hurt and have you ever
beer in an ACCIDENT"
I've had my leg broke" replied the en-
glneer, can twas in a purity serious accident,
/ too"
"Oh. please tell MS about it, please. cried both
| the boys at once. and adding my request to
their entreaties he laid aside his pipe rather
an uncommon thing for story tellcrs to do, 1
thousht-and began,
Il used to run No. then-it was about ten
year aeo--an she was nice a ingine as ever
| man wants to pull the throttle of. She never
| broke a shaft, nor had hot boxes nor nuthin
| o that kind. O. course. L took good care Of
| her, but she alus seemed to try an do her
best. Me an Bill-Biil was the fireinan-was
very proud of her. an the superintendent used
! to compliment us considerable about the neat
way in which we KEEP her. Well. We used to
haul the Chicago an N accommodation.
we'd run up to the city in the mornin an
leave there in the evenin at $50, jest afore the
express which left at q. My hoase is at B.. a
little town about fifteen miles outside of
Chicago, an when I'd get near there
I'd blow long blast an end it up
with a short one, to let my wife know as how
we was all right. Sometimes she'd be down to
the depot an talk with me Tor the minute We
had to stop in an now an then she'd run mp TO
the clty-not on the ingine, cause Z was agin
the rules, but in the cars-an' arter No. was
housed we'd go roun together an buy some
thin for the little 'uns at home.
We'll 1t was one winter along about the mid
die OF February that as we stopped at B. my
wife comes down to the station an says she.
John - johns my Christian name. sir
John, says she, I'm goin' to the city this
mornln': meet me after you've done with No.
4. All right, Martha answers /, feelin'
kind o glad that we goin' to have a little
fun together in the city. 'Twa'n't no very
pleasant day fur sight seem, leastways for
them as makes a business of It, but Martha an
L didn't mind the weather. 1t was BLOWN
purity hard an a little snow oncet in a
while showed that some kind Of q storm
was brewin'- Bill an me had won prize
for havin the best lookin' ingine a
few days afore, an it bein' cash, an havin' a
little left, took Martha into purity fine eatin'
house an treated her to a bang-up dinner
Then we bought some toys an things for tine
youngsters, an soon it was time to oil up No.
al get her ready for the trip back BY this
time the snow was comm down mighty thick. an
the wind was BLOWN that hard as you d think
every wind bag in the heavens had bust loose an
was poufin all its contents on the city. 1t
was mean-loekin afternoon, an Bill
was the glummiest man you ever
see. l kinder felt uncomfortable my
little afore $50 backed up to my train an was
ready, but it was quarter 70 6 when hauled
out o the depot, the delay bein' caused by some
repairin' on the track. We went hummin'
along, the wind helpin us, an l was tryin' to
make up time between stations; but the stops
were long an the train WAS heavy loaded. Il
was snowin now SOS you couldn't see more'n
few feet ahead, except switch lights, an they
only showed up when We was almost onto 'em.
well, SIR. jest as we was goin roun' gentle
curve an i was tbiBkin how railroadin
ain { allus the pleasantess thing in the world
an Bill was thinkin' about somethin too. fur
he WAS awful quiet. heard q long whistle
about four mile behind us. as pear as could
judge, allowin' for the wind which was BLOWN
so as to carry any SCUM to us from that direc-
ton.
There rays Bill: there's the express.
which must have left on time. The block lights
has blowed down, an she's comm right onto
tis. knowed somethin was goin' to happen;
I've felt it all day.'
Jest then the whistle blowed aein an fhis
time it seemed = little nearer.
1T amt no gerry pleasant feelin' to be in a
1ngIne hauan heavy accommodation train an
know that right behind, comm along at forty
five mile an hour. is Il express that can't know
ynr 1'ror frnr IL
wrong way for them to hear your whistle and
the SHOWS too thick for them to see the red
lights on the back car. knowed nv wife was
on the train was runnin, too, an my voice
was little shaky as 1 says to Bill. Fire up
quick an take care o yourself. for it was
BLOWN wuss' n ever. We've got to race the
express, an heaven only knows where we'll
bring up In eternity hunters Bill, an
the way he said il gave me a cold chill, he was
80 uncommon downcast
Well sir, pulled out the throttle as fur "a
1t would go. an we few along at a purity good
pace, tell you. We went by STATEN where
We ought TO have stopped an Ibeard nv ineine
bell ring, an l knowed as how the conductor
was tryln to stop me- but l also knowed he
was ignorant of the express bein' behind him.
an tho l never djsobeyed orders afore did
this time, for the fac that my wife's life as well
as the life OF the otter passengers was in nv
power was ailns in my mind. We was goin'
about fifty mile an hour now. an as looked
aHeao, strdlfil my eyes 10 see ythIn that
might como in the way, l see the block signal
was UP at section house No. f. shown me that
there WAS train on the track somewAeres
within rive mile ahead OF Ele. Well, sir. YOU
kin imagine my feelin s-or p'raps you can't
for it was the awfulest moment of nv life-Tye
ben in many "A hard run afere an senes that
time. but never anythin like il have felt A
train ahead, the express behind, an my wife
on the train that was boun' to smash up any
how. I'm afeard l wasn't never much of a
prayin' man, but 1 prayed then, sir,
with nv whole soul, an Eve ben a
good churchman senee. In danger, as youknow,
sir, man will either lose his common sense
intire, or think quicker he ever thought
before. That was tho way with me- an I
thought of sidin that run along by q station
for little ways. then between two platforms
an stopped with u big bumper made o. wood
an strongly braeed.
'.'Bill says /, we've got to run on the sidin'
at S, If 1 can make Jim hear me- Jim was
the swItchman at tho sidin an had a little
house to stay in while he was tendin' switch in
rongh weather Bill never said nothln', but
looked gloomier than ever
''Bil, says l sgiR I'm goin' TO crawl along
the guard to the ketcher an yell to Jim TO open
the switch, an You shove in the throttle an
clap on the brakes as soon You feel the switch
curve. knowed we could check the speed
considerable afore We struck the bumper an
rather than smash the train ahead an nav train
too. resolved to try the switch, t. possible
Il squeezed Through the cab winder an how
ingiHe, steadyin myself as best could. Then
ingines ten year ago had big guards an 40
had purity fair surface to keep nv balance on
L Wouldut be here now II ho;.