The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-01-22

The engineers manner was strangely
altered. Instead OF being silent and
morose he was now excited aud talk
alive.
That's itp he cried, and / could
barely catch the words above the roar
ing Of the engine. Now we're travel
ingl Ha! ha! The President faster
than the Grantp Not likelyl I'll catch
up to her yet. see II / don'ti"
Shall / W. forget those terrible
words! They actually seemed TO par
alyze ME. As stood there. clingiug
for support to the side of the cab, the
awful truth flashed through my mind.
The engineer was madi And, worse
still, he was under the delusion that
the President was on in front. With
this insane idea in his head he deter.
mined to try the speed of the two en-
gines.
My first impulse, when I had partly
recovered from the shock, was to
spring forward and grasp the reyers-
ing rod. But a moments reflection
showed me that this might instantly
seal my doom. Norris would have
grappled with me, and if it came to a
struggle I was lost. He would fling
me headlong from the engine.
Then another thought occurred to
me. Heaven forgive mel-but 1 must
strike him from behind in order to
Il v my life. l looked around for a
weapon. As / did so he seemed TO
guess what I was at, and turning
round thrust his hand into his breast.
The next moment he held n revolver
toward me, while his blazing ewes
threatened instant death if l did not
desist.
After that | gave myself up for lost.
Unless providence interposed on my
behalf a horrible end awaited me. Up
to this / had felt the heat oppressive,
but now I shiyered. My hands were
cold and clammy. A band of iron
seemed to encircle my head.
On we tore. the engine swaying
fearfully. Every moment l expected
to be blown to atoms by the bursting
of the boiler. Norris never ceased ia
rave about the race with the President.
And yet, though he was so absorbed
in his work, he kept his eye on me the
whole time.
Then it was that an idea flashed
across me. A faint hope sprang up in
my mind. l must overcome him by
cunning: it was the only chance.
| advanced to examine the Indicator;
and, though my heart sank when ]
saw the hand %quivering at $50, 1 made
it appear as If | were delighted.
Good" l cried, well beat her yet!
But we want more coal"
l made toward the tender, placed
my left hand upon a lump of coal and
struck it across the back with the
sharp edge of the shovel. The blow
left Il cash from which the blood flowed
freely. l gave a cry and Norris in
stantly turned round.
/ held up my right hand that he
might see the blood dripping from it.
Then I stood with my back toward
him and pretended to bind up the
wound. But | only wrapped a hand
kerchief round it, and quick as light
ming drew out my pocket-book. l tore
away the leaves which were written
on, and placing the book upon my
knee sorawled these words across the
first page:
Driver mad, wire. grease rails"
Then, holding it in my injured hand,
l thrust it under my jacket and re.
turned to the engineers side.
We were now rapidly approaching
Weston, but I knew that Norris did
not intend to stop. And I was right
He blew a long whistle. as if to startle
the officials, and the engine sho
through the station like a rocket.
But l had managed to drop my
pocket-book at the side of the track.
l did not dare to look back or make
the slightest sign to the Weston
officials. If I had done SO l certainl,
would have got a bullet through me
Still l fancied l had caught a glimpse
of a man hurrying forward to where
the book had fallen.
The suspense was terrible. Even il
they noticed the pocket-book, they
might not be able to understand whal
was written inside; for it may be i'm.
agined that under the circumstances
the scrawl was barely legible.
| had made up my mind what to ex.
pect. The next station was Red Fork
but fifteen miles farther on. l was
sure the track would be clear as far al
this place, but one past it wo might
encounter an up train at any moment.
If the Weston people discovered nv
message they would wire at once to
Red Fork, and there would be time
enough for the officials at that station
to grease a portion of the rails before
we came Oh the scene. Should this be
done on any sort of an incline the
wheels would slip on the track and the
engine soon cone to a standstill. 1t
was with a thrill of Joy l remembered
that there was such q piece of road
just outside Red Fork station.
But if it turned out otherwise. and
we passed the place without neing
stopped. I resolved to lose no time in
graphing with the engineer. Come
what might, / would spring upon him
and try to wrench the revolver from
his HAND. The case would then be des-
perate; and it was as well to die in a
fight for life as to wait patiently and
be mangled in a collision.
When | arranged all this in nv
mind l endeayored to resign myself to
fate. l could do no more at present.
But the agonies I suffered during that
short run from Weston to Red Fork I
can never describe. The terrible
strain of suspense. the wild rush, the
swaying from side to side, made me
feel sick and faint. I clung on with
out daring to look on either hand; if 1
had done so l think / could not have
withstood the temptation to fling N.Y.
self from the engine.
1t was getting dusk. I was dimly
conscious of hedges. telegraph poles
and bridges %skimming past ME like
so many flashes. The hoarse shouts
OF the mailman made my blood run
cold. He seemed to be working him
self into a regular frenzy.
Red Fork n mile aheadl
One minute more would decide the
question of life or death.
1 drew my breath hard; I trembled
like a child. We had reached the in
cline. The engine went at it with a
dash. l glanced out to see if any
friendly figures were on the track.
Not a soul was in sight! l groaned
and almost fell on the floor of the cab.
The surrounding objects seemed to
fade from nv view. and in tho;r nl.oo