The Meeker herald., 1892-05-07
distance OF about twenty-five feet
from it. Charley shouted;


The tobos,an itself. freed of its bur.
den. jumped forward with a little
bound. struck the boards, recoiled,
and came 10 "A stop.
The boys We're unhurt. As soon as
they could stop themselves, they
Jumped up and started for the track,
their feet breaking at every step
through the thin crust, which lay IA
few inches beneath the powdery snow
OF the last storm.
They were ont of breath and pant
inn when they reached the switch.
They still had time. II they were
quick. Both together seized the bar.
Tho switch WIS not locked. It WAS
hard 10 move: but throwing upon IL
all their weight. they brought il over
little toy little, hitch by hitch. Tile
tram was saved.
They turned to hear the startled
whistle ol lie engine. whose engineer
had Just caught sight OF TWO boys do
Ing sons mischief. ar lac naturally in
| icrrc,l. to tine switch. aud to sec the
heavy line of passenger ears thunder
10y them at diminished speed. and
come 10 stop about a hundred feet
beyond,
The engine had barely come to
stand still. when tho boys saw the
engineer leap from hi, cab, aud turn
and run toward them.
lie Nn-, they felt sure. eomins ~
thank them for saving th. train.
Soon. they ior-shw. the people would
stream from tho ears. The moment
OF glory was come.
Charley, remembering his boasts.
I al a. Ia WF "a tn. la.
properly dignille,l in hi, refusal to
have his head pHitci.
hut ~ the engineer came nearer, the
I boys began 10 doubt. to wonder. aud
to fear. This man IN the biu. checked
oyernlls covered with grease. with -
rcd. angry face suirrlitd with black,
aud yellin; NJ them b. excited tones,
wa, no bearer OF thanks,
Here. YOU young seoundruls'" ho
shouted. what ara You doing with
that -witchg You lust wait a minute
| I'll Civ" you licLin' thnt'll learn you
10 leave switches alone
Tho boys could not comprehend
could hardly believe their ear-. stun.
ned los tai, unexpected reception.
they saw only two things clearly. that
this man was angry. aud that hc was
'pNil- tHl'hlN hNi Nht'AA'HiHEiS w.
ward them.
I; /, sad to chronicle; Lu, the fact Is
that they turned and lied. thus put.
tin; themselves cutirrly in the wrong.
They ran TO the toboasHn aud seized
their snow.shors. which they began
hastily TO put ON. preparatory TO
further flight.
1t was fortunate for them, perhaps.
tina, tn. engineers first business was
| with the switch. lie went strHish, to
that. saw that II was all right. and
snapped the spring paddock TO. Then
Ia hib anger Lee turned to chase the
boys.
Thanks to their snow..hocz. they
started nimbly away over the snow.
into which thccn,iuccr had l'oundcrrd.
lie had not attempted TO take two
steps before he saw that pursuit was
| useless,
lie stopped. therefore. and shook
his fist Mt the boys,
"iou wait till ! catch you" he
shouted in wrath. Don't you know.
you youngimp-, you, that YOU nearly
| wrecked thu, train, iooiins with this
swi,chy II you hadn't got II round
| again in time we'd all be In thu. ditch
there"
Meanwhile tho conductor OF the
train. the brakcmen and many OF the
passengers had gathered IN groups on
the ear platforms or in the snow be.
sid. the train.
Seeing two boys -tandin. in the
ditch. Mt present dciinn, vet ready for
instant flight, aud the cninccr in anger
| apparently about somrthin. con.
II 81 ,l. 81.
drew the natural ini-rcncc-thnt the
boys had been engaging IN mischief,
which had nearly mad "a disastrous re-
suit for the train they were on.
Dick and Charley could hear the
anxious questions and indignant com.
mcnts. they heard men nsk il ",hc
young rascnls couldn't lie caught"
and they heard the conductor say. in
Disguised wrath, that he couldn't
keep an overdue express train waiting
for anybody to chase through six feet
OF snow two young villains who had
snow. shoes"
They realized that their snow-shocs
s'onc saved them from punishment.
Yet these vindictive men, these mon.
steers OF injustice, all owed their lives
to them, Dick aud Charley-twos small
DONSs II WIS blIltTt
Then. finally, the boys saw the pco.
Pile climb into the train. aud heard
the engine give three or four prepare
tory pulls, and then the train started
heavily away.
Throughout the whole time { he boys
had st God dumbioundcd. doubling yet
believing in the reality OF the scene.
their hearts full OF bitterness. They
had an instructive feeling that to OK.
plain was useless; that the truth
would certainly not be believed.
The instant impression OF the en-
cineer. when he first saw them, had
been that they were trying to repair
danger which they themselves had
brought about; and this impression
had sunk indelibly into the minds
both of the trainmcn and of he pas
scngers. They could not believe that
the switch had been left open from
carelcssness.
The brave and unjustly suspected
boys stood there, in the attitude OF
preparation for flight in which tho
engineer had left them, staring stupid.
ly until the hateful train had disap-
peared from view around the corner.
Then silently, without looking at
each other, they grasped the toboggan
cord, aud side by side started back up
the hill. Their feclings in regard to
the incident were summed up in one
remark by Dick:
well said he, Eve saved their