Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-06-30

trip. When l2 wur ia the rOundhOuso
ngin. | went right of, bnt Del hung
round, polishin and fxin up. 1 felt /
war In for IL and made up my mind
Susan would have to settle which she
would have mighty quick II she took
Del, all right. But she had 10 come to
tho point. But. Lordr' and here jerome
glanced Mt the lady passengers. Il could
alters run IN engine, but manage a wom-
an wur moro than / could do.
"Ihe long and short NV It was that
Del and me run on IL for about two
year, and Susan would not make up her
mind. Del and me wnr good friends, so
FAR as the world hmowed, but we wur far
apart in our hearts.
1--WE never had q wheel OF before the
night when Del pulled 10 through on
Kane hill.
1--WE had stepped ut the tank fur wa
ter. Del wur at the spout, and / wur
leanin out, looking back fur his signal.
Susan had been sort of preferrin me nv
late, and | wur feelin good. Del wur
sulsy and stood with his head down,
waitiu fur the tank to fill.
Men will think the truth if they
don't speak it, and lookin at Del I says
to meself, He's q finer luokin Teller than
you, jerome Bonner, and Susan Briggs
knows It, / shut off the safety valve.
The steam had been BLOWN Off and
maxim a good deal Of noise. Tho moon
light made it very ghostly, and once in
awhile / looked up at it. When it were
shut off. there rose a rumble out NV tho
stiffness that reached Del quick rs it did
me. We both looked up the hill, and
there. roundin tho curve, wur a shad-
der. We knowcd at once it wur q run
away train comm down on US. WAL,
runaway trains with nobody on them
had happened before. and we knUwed
what to DO.
"'Cut her loose, Dell l yelled.
"Tle dropped on the platform and call
ed:
Back a little
Il reversed l2 and oased the link.
"'Go ahead he yelled.
"And as opened the throttle I heard
the link drop against the drawbar. We
wur free; IL wur loose, a-goin to meet
the train smashin down on her. Ipatted
the iron CURL, fur Iwuz fond NV her. and
she went up tho hill as a bird, and |. for
gettin all about Del, stopped over to lock
the door nv tho frebox.
"a great big hand grabbed me by the
throat, and looking up over my shoulder
1 saw Del. Ills fuce was as black MS mid
night when there's no moon, ind in his
right hand he had a couplin pin.
Eyer have got to jump, jerome Bon
ner, he said.
"'Let go Nv me, l managed to say.
while | hung on to the reverse lever.
Z" won't. Yer have got to jump and
ri pull - through.
Ale loosed his grip IN my throat.
"'Do you want to make mo talked wv
as a cowardY | asked.
1--WE both Of us could hear the train
gettin closer.
Jerome, If you Jump you'll save me
from bein a murderer If you don't get
out of my reach, I'll kill you and take
my chances NV gettin through all right.
Then I'll marry Susan Briggs. Quick
make up your mind. Promise me You'll
jump. er I'll kill yer, ard don't want
ter be yer murderer-and if die in the
bump you will be alive 60 marry Susan.
She likes You best and me next. Jumpl
"He pulled me off the box and showed
me across the cab. The train was leapin
on us. One more second, and all would
be over mebbe. Del was still behind
me holdin the pin up ready TO strike.
and | knew he would. He war strong,
and | had to go. Out | went, and ]
landed safe. No. 10 met the train plucky
and stopped it dead. The cars piled ali
over her and buried the cab. just be-
fore she struck Del throwcd the safety
valve open and shut her off. Then he
stood still.
"He wur knocked part through tho
window when tho bumb came. and
found him there. felt like a sneakin
coward. Del had pretended no would
kill me list to get me off the engine, and
there he wur dead and me livin. My
mouth wur shut to the world, but / went
home to Susan and told her how Del had
died for her. He believed you liked me
best, Susan, and if got killed you would
feel awful bad, so he jest drove mo of
~ with a couplin pin, and then stood 10y
her
"Tho tears came into Susan's eyes, and
sho wiped them on her apron. l VIM
holdin her hand. and sho took It away
liked her fur weepin and lettin so NV
me-. If she hadn't, I'd n turned agin hur.
Feelin that she'd like to be alone, ! went
away.
II met her at Dcls funeral. Sho wuI
quiet and sad, and | only nodded to her.
The people all wondered bout my jump.
in and thought me acoward, but nobody
dared say so. Susan knowed wurn't,
and | didn't care what the other people
thought.
81 didn't say nothin TO Susan about
gettin married fur aboui ix months after
D~elehanty wur buried, and when / spoke
NV it at last she made up her mind.
Jerome she said, 1 alters believed
I liked you better'n Del, but ever sine,
no died I've felt like his wilder, and
know you amt courtin me that way
"And wurn't. SO | left her. and
amt made up my mind yet to court hci
as D~elehanty's wilder, hut am wishil
all tho time that Del wur Twin and
wur dead. Then mcbbo Susan woull
be my wilder.
aLadies." said Jerome as he aros,