The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-07-20
..uel and me didn't talk much

trip. When IL wur in h roundhouse
agin, / went right off, but Del hung
round, polishin and fxin mp. felt !
wur in for it and made up my mind
Susan would have to settle which she
would have mighty quick. If she took
Del. all right. But she had to come to
the point. But. Lord!' and here Jerome
glanced at the lady passengers, Il could
alters run an engine, but manage q wom-
IN wur more than I could do.
1.-The long and short nv it was that
Del and me run on IL for about two
year, and Susan would not make MP her
mind. Del and me wnr good friends, so
far as the world knowed. but we wur far
apart in our hearts.
1--WE never had a wheel off before the
night when Del pulled l2 through ON
Kane hill.
I'VE had stepped at 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
sulky and stood with his head down,
waitin fur the tank to ELL.
"Men will think the truth if they
don't speak 1t, and lookin at Del I says
to meself, He's a finer lookin Teller than
you, Jerome Bonner, and Susan Briggs
knows it. / shut off the safety valve.
The steam had been BLOWN of and
maxim a good deal Of noise. The moon
light made it very ghostly, and once in
awhile I looked up at it. When 1t were
shut off, there rose o rumble out nv the
stiffness that reached Del quick as it did
me. We both looked up the hill, and
there, roundin the curve, wur q shad-
der. We knowed at M 1t wur a run
away train comm down on us. Waal.
runaway trains with nobody on them
had happened before, and we knowed
what to do.
"'Cut her loose, DEL I yelled.
"He dropped OF the platform and call
ed: .'
Back a little
Il reversed 12 and eased the link.
"'Go ahead he yelled.
"And as / opened the throttle / heard
the link drop against the drawbar. We
wur free; 12 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 the hill as q bird, and l, for
gettin all about Del, stopped over to lock
the door NV the firebox.
"A great big hand grabbed me by the
throat, and looking up over my shoulder
I saw Del. His face vas as black as mid
night when there's no moon, and in his
right hand he had a couplin pin.
Eyer have got to jump. Jerome Bon.
ner,' he said.
LET go NV me- ! managed to say.
while | hung ON to the reverse lever.
81 won't. Yer have got to jump and
ri pull 12 through
ale loosed his grip or my throat.
do you want to make me talked nv
az a coward? | asked.
I'VE both Of rs could hear the train
gettin closer.
Jerome, il you jump youth a mt
from bein a murderer. II You don't gel
out of my reach, I'll kill you and taks
my chances nv gettin through all right
Then I'll marry Susan Briggs. Quick
make up your mind. Promise me you'll
jump, er III kill yer, and / don't want
ter be yer m~urderer-and If / die in thu
bump You will be alive to marry Susan
She likes you best and me next. Jump!
HE pulled me off the box and shovel
me across the cab. The train was leapi1
ON us. One more second, and all wouli
be over mebbe. Del was still behint
me holdin the pin mp ready to strike
and | knew he would. He wur strong
and / had TO go. Out ] went, and
landed safe. No. 10 met the train pluck,
and stopped it dead The cars piled al
over her and buried the cab. Just be
fore she struck Del throwed the safet,
valve open and shut her off. Then b
stood still.
He wur knocked part through tn
window when the bumb came, and
found him there. / felt like q sneakil
coward. Del had pretended he woul'
kill me jist to get me off the engine, an,
there he wur dead and me Twin. M,
mouth wur shut to the world, but ! wen
home to Susan and told her how Del ha1
died for her. He believed you liked m
best. Susan, and If / got killed you woni,
feel awful bad, SO he jest drove me Of
IL with a couplin pin. and then stood b.
her.
1.-The tears came into Susan's eyes, an
she wiped them on her apron. I wu
holdin her hand, and she took it away
I liked her fur weepin and lettin go u
me. IF she hadn't, I'd a-turned agin hun
Feelin that she'd like to be alone. I wen
away.
~ met her at Del's funeral. She wu
quiet and sad, and ! only nodded to hel
The people all wondered bout my jumy
in and thought me q coward, but nobod
dared say so. Susan knowed I wurn'
and / didn't care what the other peopl
thought
81 didn't say nothin to Susan abor
gettin married fur about six months afte
Delehanty wur buried, and when / spoil
nv it at last she made up her mind.
Jerome she said, I alters believe
I liked you better'n Del, but ever sine
be 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 hi