The sun., 1893-03-09

you drink? No? Then l will tell you
wh1 without drink, Do you know
where we areT
"Yes; between st. Dominica and
Sigma"
"And do you know where we are
going?"
"Yes; to Leghorn."
mo, sweet Alexis, we are not; we
are going to Empoli; the train will go
no further. Look you, little fox; we
shall arrive at the junction one minute
before the Sienna goods train, and
there the engine will break down just
where the rails cross; for two blows of
a hammer win convert an engine into
a log; / shall get out to examine it;
that will take a little time; shall ex-
plain to the count the nature of the in-
jury; that will take little time; and
then the goods train will have arrived;
and as 1t does not stop there, this train
will go no further than Empoli, and I
shall be Count Spezzato tomorrow.
How do you like my little scheme, lit
tie fox? Is it not worthy of your
pupil? Oh, it will be a beautiful acci-
dent; it will fill the papers That beast
of an EngliShman who begged Ills place
in the train will be fortunate; he will
cease, for goods trains are heavy. Eth!
but it's a grand scheme-the son, the
mother, the servant, the stranger, the
engine driver, all shall tell 10 tales"
And tile Stoker?" said the courier.
"Oh, you and he and l shall escape.
We shall be pointed at in the street as
Alexis, my fox? I have told him that
ic hn xrrI,o 11nt 4 III
sister, He believes it, and is my crea-
ture. But, little fox, it was not my
cousin, it was myself, that took his
Beatrix from her home. Is it not good,
Alexis? Is it not genius? And Atkin-
son-he, the drivers now stupid: he
has drunk from his can the poppy
juice that will make him sleep forever.
! will be politicaE. l am worthy of
office. l will become the minister Of n
Bourbon when am count, my dear
fox, and you shall be my comrade
again, as of old"
I was for a time lest to every sens
alton save that of hearing. The fiend-
ish garrulity of the man had all the
fascination of the serpent's rattle. I
felt helplessly resigned to a certain
fate.
I was aroused by something white
slowly passing the closed window of
the carriage. I waited a little, then
gently opened 1t and looked out. The
stoker was crawling along the foot
board of the next carriage, holding on
by its handles, so as not to be seen by
the occupants, and holding the signal
lantern that had noticed at the back
Of the last carriage in his hand. The
meaning of it struck me in a moment;
if by any chance we missed the goods
train from Sienna, we should be run
into from behind by the train from
Florence
The cold air that blew in at the open
window refreshed me, and I could
think what was to be done The train
was increasing it's pace rapidly Evi-
dently the stoker, in sole charge, was
striving to reach Empoli before the
other train, which we should follow,
was due; he had to make five minutes
in journey Of foGty-five, and at the
rate we were going, we should do it..
We stopped nowhere, and the journey
was more than half over. We were
now between Segua and Montelupo;
another twenty minutes / should be a
bruised corpse. Something must be
done.
decided soon. Unfastening my bag,
I took out my revolver, without which
1 never travel, and looking carefully to
the loading and Gaping, fastened it
to my waist with a handkerchief.
then cut with my knife the bar across
the middle of the window, and care
fully looked out. / could see nothing;
the rain was falling fast, and the night
as dark as ever. / cautiously put out
first one leg and then the other, keep
ing my knees and toes close to the
door, and Lowered myself till felt the
step. l walked carefully along the
foot-board by the side steps, holding on
to the handles Of the doors, till / came
to the end of the carriages, and was
next the tender Here was a gulf that
seemed impossible. The stoker must
have passed over it; why not /? Mount
ing from the foot-board on to the
buffer and holding on to the iron hook
on which the lamps are hung, stretch
ed my legs to reach the fiat part of the
buffer on the tender. My legs swung
about with the vibration, and touched
nothing ] must spring. I had to hold
with both hands behind my back, and
stood ON the case of the buffer-spring
and, suddenly leaving go, laaped for.
ward, struck violently against the
edge of the tender, and grasped some
of the loose Jumps Of coal on the top.
Another struggle brought me on my
knees, bruised and bleeding on the top.
stood up, and at that moment the
stOker opened the door of the furnace,
and turned toward me, shovel in hand,
to put in the Goals. The bright red
light from the fire enabled him to see
me, while it blinded me. He rushed
at me, and then began struggle that
I shall remember to my dying day.
He grasped me round the throat
with one arm, dragging me close to
his breast, and with the other kept
shortening the shovel for an effective
blow. My hands, numbed and bruised,
were almost helpless to me, and for
some seconds we reeled to and fro on
the foot-plate in the binding glare.
At last he got me against the front Of
the engine, and, with horrible in
genuity, pressed me against it till the
lower part of my clothes were burnt
to a cinder. The heat, however, re-
stored my hands, and at last l man
aged to push him far enough from my
body to loosen my pistol. / did not
want to kill him, but 1 could not be
very careful, and I fired at his shoul-
der from the back. He dropped the
shovel, the arm that had nearly throt-
tied me relaxed, and he fell / pushed
him into y corner of the tender, and
sat down to pcover myself.
My object was to get I'd Empoll be.
fore the Sienna goods train, for knew
nothing of what might be behind me-
1t was too late to stop, but might, by
shortening the journey seven minutes
instead of fFe, get to Empoli three
minutes before the goods train was
due.
I had never been on an engine be.
fore in my life, but knew that there
must be a valve somewhere that let
the steam from the boiler into the
cylinders, and that, being important, il
would be in q conspicuous position,
therefore turned the large handle IN
front of me, and had the satisfaction
of finding the speed rapidly increased
and at the same time felt the guard
putting op the brake to retard thf
train. Spite of this, in ten minutes
could not tell where, and still pressed
on faster and faster.
In vain, between the intervals OF