Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-12-24

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when locomotive is first hatchcd'---
"Oh, are they Matched, papaH asked the |
boy.
"Well. we'll call It hatched," said the |
papa; but they knew he WAS just funning
"Theyr re about the size OF tcakettlcs ut
first, and it's chance whether they will
have CowCatcherS or not. IL they keep
their spouts they will, and if their spouts
drop oft they won't"
"What makes the spout ever drop OFF,"
ooh, sometimes the pip, ar the gapes"-
The children both began to shake the
papa. and he was glad enough to go on
sensibly.
"Well, anyway, the mother locomotive
certainly uughtn't to have deceived it.
Still she had to say something, and per
haps the little Pony Engine was better EN-
ployed watching its buffers with its head
light to see whether its cowcatcher had
begun to grow than it would have been in
listening to the stories of the old locOmo-
tives and sometimes to their swearing"
"Do they swear, papa" asked the little
girl, somewhat shocked and yet pleased.
"Well | never heard them near by. But
it sounds good deal like swearing when
you hear them on the up grade on our hill
in the night. Where was ly'
Swearing" said the boy. "And please
don't go back now, papa"
well, | won't It'll be as much as |
can do to get through this story without
going over any of it again. Well, the
thing that the little Pony Engine wanted
to be the most in this world was the loco
motive Of the Pacific Express, that starts
out every afternoon ut 3, you know. 1t in
tended to apply for the place as soon as the
cowcatcher was grown, and it was always
trying to attract the locomotives atten-
ton, backing and filing on the track
alongside of the train, and once it raced it
Il little piece and beat it, before the Express
locomotive was under way, and almost got
in front of it on a switch. My, bat its
mother was scared! She just yelled to it
with her whistle, and that night she sent
it to sleep without a particle of coal or wa
ter in its tender.
But the little Pony Engine didn't care.
1t had beaten the Pacific Express in 100
yards, aud what was to hinder 1t from
heating it as long rs it chose? The little
Pony Engine could not get it out of its
head. II was just like a boy " no thinks he
can whip "a man"
The boy lifted his head. "Well, boy
can, papa, if he goes to DO it the right way.
just sIUOp down before the man knows it
and catch him by the legs and tip him
right over"
"Uo! | guess YOU see Yourself" said the
little girl scornfully.
well, could" said the boy; land some
day I'll just show you"
Now, lt'le cock sparrow, now!" said
the papa and he laughed. "Well, the lit
lie Pony Engine thought he could beat the
Pacific Express, any way, and So one dark,
snowy. biowy afternoon, len his mother
was off pushing some empty coal cars up
past the luowuothing crossing beyond
Charlestowu. he got on the track in 'front.'
Of the Express, and when he heard the con
ductor SAY, All aboard and the starting
gong struck, and the brakeman leaned out
and waved 70 the engineer, he da,teI OF,
like lightning. He had his steam up and
he just scN't.cd.
"N ell, he was 80 excited for awhile that
he couldn't tell whether the Express was
gaining on him or not, but after twenty or
thirty mixes he thought he heard II pretty
near. OF course the Express locomotive
Was drawing heavy train of cars and it
he'd To make stop or twO-at Charles
town, and at Concord Junction, and at
Alcr-so the Pony Engine did really l;ain
on 1t 9 little, and when It began TO be scar
ed II gained good deal. BIT the lirst
place where 10 begun to feel sorry and 40
want Us mother was IN iloosac tunnel. 10
never was IN tunnel before, ana it SCENE;
as II II would never get ont. il kept think
ing what II the Pacific Express was 10 run
over it There in the dark, and its mother I
there IN The Fiichbur" depot in Boston,
looking for 1t among the side tracks? It
gave perlrrC shrek, and just then it Shot
out of the tunnel There were lot of
locomotives loaiins around there at North
Adams, and one of them shouted ouJ to it
rs it flew by, WHATS your hurry, little
one| and 1t just screamed back, Pacific
Express ana never stopped to explain.
They talked III locomotive lan1uage'--
oh, what did 1t sound Ihc| The boy
asked.
"Wel, pretty queer III tell you some
day. 1t knew il had no time to fool away,
and all through the lout,, dark night when
ever u locomotive hailed it il Just scre,, med
Pacific Express and kept on. And the
Express kept gaining on il. Some Of the
locomotives wanted to stop it. but they
decided they had better not get in its way.
and so il whizzcd along across New Yorl;
state and Ohio and Indiana till it got To