Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1891-11-10
ostylso ORDERS.
.,aI,r,n s,nsLr,,, LOO .n.,r.

I
Well. gentlemen. u vou vi.h will
tsll vou the story. WHEN vs. youth
% nineteen and lly,sl With INV parent. Ia
| a Isnu.Vlyani, town, I hsd . taste for
railrusding, aud hoyi.h ambition to BE-
coue q drive. although I hal bccu -iu-
caiei for iofil-r parsults.
Daring nv college vacation loungryi
about the station almost constantly.
makiug friend. with the trainmcn, and
esJpe,'i,lly with = driver named ~ila.
Msfkley. | hecame much attached to
il,l. mau. not q outstanding he wa. forty
year. old, ani by no mean. a .oci,ble
fellow.
lIe ws. NV ideal of hrs,e. skillful,
thoroughbred driver. and lookei up to
him a. something 20 hero. lie w,s
not = msrris,i man, but lived alone With
hl. old mother. wa. fr~quent Welt
cr ~ their hou.-, sni think they 18th
innk quite . fancy to me In their quiet,
uniemonstrsii,~ way.
wb.n Markley'. fr~msn left him In
duc-d him to lst me take hl. place dur.
Ing IN. remainder II my vacation. iIe
h~.ltai.i fof .Ome time b-forr h. con.
ssnis,l o. humor nv hovish shlm, hut
he nnallv yislde,l aud "a. In gr-st glc~.
/ Tho fact sas that IN nav ldleness ani
a.. o,sfvufkrl state of my brain !
/ Gravel th- excitement o.. conhrmsi
/ dunksri does liquor. aud, h~sii~s, hid
such longing dreams ~ the hcry riie
thruagh m. hills, mounted literally on
the Iron h1r.s. ~ b~,sme an expert
hfrman. ani lik~,i u rxcccilngly. Tor
the excitement morr than compensated
fof ~. rough work I va. required Ca 10.
Hut there came time when got my
| al 20 excitement. Mrs. MArklry one
day formed plan which .eemci Ia give
her q guoi deal 20 hspninsss. II wa.
her son. bir,hdsy. aud she wanted o. go
down o. rhll,ielphl, In th" train With.
out letting him know ANYTHING about IL,
aud th~v puphase pressni for him.
She took me Into her confidence aud had
m- to s..i.i her. arranged the pr-~
limlnsri~s aud -, her Into the train
Slthout being noticed by Msrklcv, Who,
~ course. va. busy With hi. engine.
III. old lady Vas Ia high glec over the
hit of Innocent deCcption sh. wa. prac-
ticlng on her 900. She snjoln.i mr
again not Ia tell sllss, and then ! left
her snd took my place.
IL Nss . midsummer day and the
weather sAs delightful. The train va.
neither an express nor an accommodation,
bat Que which stopped q, tho principal
station. on the route. ca thl. occasion,
a. there serc two special. on the lin", u
Nas run by telegraph. that IL, th. driver
ha. simply to otsy Instruction. which
h. receive. AZ each station, so that he u
put a.a machine In the hands ~ oDe
controller, Who directs all train. from a
ccnir,l point, and Ia. the whole line un-
der his eve. n the driver doe. not obey
to the least title hl. orders, u !. de
.iruCtlon "a th. whole.
Well. ~e started without mlsh,p and
up to tlme, and easily reached the sta
tlpn In th. time allotted to "a. ~ Ne
.toppei herr boy fsn Along.lic with
the Telegram which b. handed "a the
driver. The next moment heard
.mo,h-rrd exclamation from Markley.
eco back. 4" he .Aii Ia the boy; "iell
Williams Ia have the message repeated;
there's mistake"
The hoy dashed off; In ten minute. be
came nyiug back. "llad u repeated,
h. shouted. william. !. .torming AZ YOU;
.ay. there. no mistake. and you'd beet
ct on" lie thrust the second message
Ia q. he spoke.
Markiey rad I, AMI stood hesliating
for half q minute. There wAs dismay
aud sheer psrplexity la the expression
/ af his face as he looke,i NJ the Telegram
/ ani the long train t-hind him. Ills lips
novel "a II he wss calculating ch,ucc.,
| aud hI. eyes suddenly quailed a " he
l A "A. a All. lasaI.
I va. watching him With considerable
curiosity. I yentur-i to ask him whst
"a. the matter, aud what h- was going
I Ia 40.
II sm going 10 obey" be- replied curt.
I H.. The engine gave 9 long shrek of
/ horror that made ms start as N II were
Marklcy'. own voice. The next Infant
We ru.h~i out of ih. station aud dsshei
7 through the low living farms at a speed
Y which seemed dsng.rou, to me.
"Put In more coal" .aii Markley.
| I .ho,rlesl u In, but took time.
eve are going very fast. Markley."
! iie dii not answer. IIls eve. were
fixed on the steam englne, his mouth
shut close.
"Nor. coal" he aid; I threw II In.
The fieli. and hou.e. began Ia ny
past hall seen. We were nearing Dum-
irene, th" next station. Markl.y'. ey.
vent from th. gage Ia the face of the
tlme-pl"c. aud hack. lie moved Ike an
automiton. There was little more
meaning Ia hls face.
"Morr." be .sid without turning hi.
eve. took up the shoyel-hesitated.
"Niarkl.y, do you know that You are
going st the rate ~ sixty miles an hour
Coal
I was alarmed at the stern, cold
rightly of the msn. IIi. pillor was be-
cOmln. frightfnl. threw In the coal.
NJ least We must stop ~ Dumfremc.
That WIS the next halt. The little town
approached. A. the frat house came In
view. the engine sent out its shrek. of
warning; II grew louder aud louder.
We dsshc.i into the street, up Ia the
station, where group of passengers
wsits,i. AMI t,s.se'i II without the halt 81
an instant. catrhng a glimpse of the
appallei faces ani the waiting crowd.
Then Ne werr In the fields ag,in. The
spe..i nov became literally br,athless,
the furnace glirsi red hot. The heat.
the velocity. the terrible nervous strain of
I tUtu 'N-if' -sfhn't w W'tkt' '''
air. I found myself drawing stertorous
breathe like QUE drowning.
he,ped In the coal at Interval. as hs
babe me. did IL because ] Was opress-
,~i by an odd sense of duty, which never
hal In my ordinary brain work. Since
then I have understood how II IL that
dull. ignorant men, without q spark ol
enthusiasm, show such herolsm s sol
dirr.. flrrmen, and captains of wreckeC
vessels. IL IL this overpowering sens'
Of routine duty. it's finer thing thar
sheer bravery la my Idea. However,
begsn io think that Markley was mad
iaborlng under some frenzy from drink
though had never seen him touch lIq
uor.
lie did not move hand or foot. except IL
the mechanical control Of his engine
his eyes going from the gage to tn
tlmc-piece with = stesdiness that wa'
! more terrible and threatening than AM
J CLEAN Of insanity would have been
Once b glarsd back at The loag srsi'