Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-03-21

he asked, as l climbed up beside him.
s'I found it pinned to my cushion"
On it was scrawled, with lead
pencil, the words:
Danger! Don't pull the wild freight
to night if you value your lives.
A TRUE FRIEND.
81 make it that some one beside the
superintendent and us knows of it,o
replied, the cold shivers beginning
column.
'9There's danger ahead!"
Gay, there is danger ahead, my
boy,' and old Matt spoke softer than
1 had ever heard him before. eff you
want to-
'sI'll go where you lead,'' replied
quickly, knowing what he was going
to say.
ssThen we'll go through if it takes
the wheels out from under! Ring up
the wipers?"
And without waiting for the host
Ter to run the engine out, old Matt
backed her on the turn table, where
the wipers swung her around, and
then we backed down to the Office,
where four trusty men soon had the
safe under the coal.
'sThere's your orders!" cried Jim
my O'Connor, the conductor, show
ing up the yellow sheets of paper.
Old Matt looked them over, and we
began to move out of town.
"We've got clear track" he said,
looking across at me, and then he
drew up the corners of his mouth, and
I looked for quick run.
Before we reached the outskirts Of
the town the rain began to come down
in perfect deluge.
Great drops, mixed with hail, and
in such quantity that the dry drains
were soon transformed into raging
creeks.
The wind howled and shrieked
above the rumble of the train and
threatened to lift 81 off the rails.
When the telegraph poles began to
snap off MATHS face began to length
en-.
"Good night for washovers" he
said, s'and washovers are as bad as
washouts!"
1t was all down grade, and all the
steam used was to run the air pump.
I had only to keep the fire alive.
Eight miles down we ran past
small station where freight train
Ci1 tpo ha6
dozen cars.
Just before we reached it I saw
man dart in between two of the cars
to escape the headlight.
/ thought him either a trainman or
a tramp, but have since changed my
mind.
We were half way down the Ha
versack grade, with a straight stretch
of track and long curve before US,
when Matt looked across and said:
''I'm afraid the little pasteboard
was only a scare. If''-
There was a flash of light behind,
a rattle of coal, and Bob Duncan, the
forward brakeman, stood in the cab.
His face was as white as a sheet.
s'Shut her down-shut her down, for
heavens sake!" he shouted. GA
freight's broke loose, and is coming
down the grade two miles minute!"
Before you could snap your fingers
my face was as pale as Bob's.
Matt Irwin never lost his head, and
with a GOODNESS that comes to few
men in time of danger, he asked,
elbow do you know?"
'sSeen her by flash of lightning
O'Connor and Billy have jumped!"
And then he swung out on the step
and disappeared.
"Jump if you want to, Harry" call
ed old Matt. 'I'm going to stick to
her,
darkness and concluded that I would
stay with old Matt.
s'Keep your eye peeled for her." he
cried, and commenced to let 81 out
t'There she is'' I shouted
And there it was, sure enough. 1t |
had just come out Of a cut. One of |
the boxes was on fire, the fame
back half a car length, and
cutting through the air like meteor.
"She's four miles behind,'' said old |
Matt "and coming four feet to our
one. If we can get around the curve
there's a show Of her jumping.'
And then began that terrible ride.
He hooked 81 up to the first notch
and then opened the throttle.
down the grade Of IT'S feet to the
mile.