Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1892-07-14

kAr tlFANAte While 4 ,A1TAF lEN1aG
stood behind him
The mayor looked again a. the boy
and heSitased
Hell take you through all right"
said the Agent Climb mp 20 the fire.
mans seat and keep the bell ringing
The mayo thouxhs Of The Scenes %
blootshed perhaps taking place in his
own town He stepped into the cab
See here said he 10 the young enzi-
aeer. If vog axe ne through In sew
euty minutes I'll give yoa a hundred
dollars. but IL you feel Uncertain about
your ability dont Try T. What do you
saw
"rH 60 sir
The passenger reached for the rope
and he bells cfzn~Or .oaHd~d through
the howl Of the storm Ben tired the
water gua<r% looked at the fir. and
then with hts slender white band drew
the lever 20 let the steam into the ella
der.
With an angry hiss the engine started
on its vav. followed BIZ load hurrzhs
and waving caps from the Office men
Gu shs SPED faster and flSter. down the
inclined track. clicking over the switch
50 and then on. On the two threads Of
steel that s<irted the edge % the noun
tain -id~ against which the storm was
beating
The mayor sat VERY stissv upright.
and the renz VA perchsd back on
the tender. whil- little ~miSshlPpen Fen
with hand on thc throttle. was piercing
through the rain and mist. guiding the
whirring wheels
The watchers NJ the station looked
after the locomotive until they saw IL
>hs-0s into the black opening % a short
tunnel a half mile down the canyon
Then they saw thu pus Of smoke or th-
other Sbte AMI kn-u that all wzs we'll
Soon they had returned To their duti-<
and had forgotten the trio taking the
long n dangerous fight
The old Pilgrim went t~hHsce-lsz %
down The road Two mis- hFe n''e~
ten miles His h0nc grew neTvou$
Never in hfs life bit he ridden ~ sus,h
A sped On hat~Uokei mountain road
now IN On. -<- Of the stream and now
on the a--er. now into a tunn~Ts dark
al no~ out % n trySsle over the
-.er-
Bat Ben vas calm The roar % M
chInery and laundering trad Of tho
whr~ls prevented them from taking
and the -bscUzzot5v~ bounded and
svayed as they rolled ferr-ly ovsr the
track
The Pilgrim seemed 70 eNuf- IN a cuu-
scrogs Power and us1y sstEnirinE Ezxe-
watched Il sp--a through the little
mining toms that afternoon The
storm hal h->s~n-d bat a muesv at
ms-Phere still enrouraSsed the valley
Ben< thin. white hand clfnrhed tae
lever ard his sharp sv-S ~sann~d eager
u the track ahead and the machinery
blow Town after town snd then came
Wootlavn. an ircipient summer resort
tor tourists jus. half way Hrrv thev
stopp-s5 Tor uatsr- The mems faces
ver~ Black With ciat-<
~>aall We g-s.o the Spring. IN tizneF
asked the mayor. IoosSn< ~ his watch
We ave es1ra- Tins FAR n thirry-nve
miuzte~ Can we r. the OF her half IN
th~Ir-y-Sv~g-
Ye~ said Ben. eh<erfIy. in Ie=S
time than that
Then yoa shall have two hundred
Sogla<
Beu secretly dessrnfus,i to x.s 20 the
Springs IN thirty minates-but he failed
- 10 a.
They rushed on again Cascade was
passed HaaitoG TIE Park-shev we're
BOW Only fifteen miles from the city
Th> mayor grew more and more anx-
b1us a they approached their destiua-
ts1u- In his minds ere he saw the eitv
IN the harris Of \ mob and fearful bat
ties gong on in the street
Twelve niles,
Ten miles.
Eight miles
In the region through which thew
we're now passing the storm had ragged
most f-reriy Of anywhere on the route
Although the clouds had now passed
away. except for u few hanging about
hehcary head Of PI<espeak.th the roaring
stream shoved how great had been
the volume of water poured down by
tn~ir force.
Just after they passed Lou<mont
there was n long descending grade At
the bottom. the little stream now
swollen into = river. which they had
been following made a sharp turn
crossing the railways course. surzIinc
under long hrid-e one hundred feet
fron side 20 side and supported on piIes
driven into the earth of the canyon and
the bed Of the river.
Down the grad. toward the bridge
rushed the engine with fearful velocity.
the cab swinging from side to side IN
I'll i, seemed that IL must throw the
three passengers out
All at ouee Ben s.raininz his eyes
ard the flying perspective Of rocks
and track ahead. perceived something
that made his hear. Lap into his
throat. The water on the lower side Of
the bridge wa thick with mud This
evidently from the banking behind
the piers Of the structure Was IL pos
siole that the brIixe vas giving wzvg
To stop the engine was now out Of tn
9usstion- Ben made up his mind fn an
Instant With qusc<. rvo ERIK he
pulled the lever and e. on a full head
ot steam The Pilgrim sprzng forward
Ike . frantic creature The mayer
turned ! rs-s6 AZ hrs trzil erxireer-
Ben was leanIrz forward with eaShfax
eyes Sanni1g b danger Hs Iipz
were set firmly and the concentrated
intensity Of his LOOK made the boy a.
most grand he said nothing He was
beat zPon rushing the engine across
ortdS- before Il had time 20 sink
even II the ahutnents were atreaSv
giving way
In moment they were upon u Ben
saw the turhid water ecFIrrx below