The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-04-27
4 JUMP FOR LIFE.

the terminus, out of the rays OF the gilt
tering lamps and watched engine No. S6.
The engineer was cling her, and the fire
man. as he opened the furnace door and
shoyeled in the coal, stood out like red
Rembrandt picture in the cab against the
darkness beyond John knew every joint
and bolt in that contrary old englne-the
most cantankerous iron brute on the road,
and yet, if rightly managed. one OF the
swiftest and most powerful engines the
COMPANY had. Notwithstanding the many
improvements that had been put upon To-
comotives since old SO left the foundry.
The CRY OF "All aboardp' rang out, and
John Saggart :limbed into the smoking
carriage at the Itont part OF the train lie
found place III one of the forward seats,
and he sank down into 1T with a vague
feeling of uEeasncss at being inside
coach instead CT on the engine. lie gazed
out of the window and saw the glittering
electric lights slowly slide behind, then
more quickly the red, green and whlte
lights of the station lamps, and finally
there fiickered swiftly past the brilliant
constellation of city windows, showing
that the town had not yet gone to bed AZ
last the flying train plunged into the dark
country, and Saggart pressed his lace
against the cold glass of the window, I'M
able to shake off his feeling of responsible
ity, although he knew that there was an
other man at the throttle.
He was aroused from his reverie by
touch on his shoulder and a curt request,
''Tickets, please"
s'Hello, John, is this your" cried the
conductor as soon as he saw the face turn
ed toward him. "Hang it, man, you did
not need pass travelling with me"
s'I know it, said the engineer, ''but
they gave it to me to take me home, and
may as well use it as not. I don't want
to get you into trouble. "
ooh, I'd risk the trouble, " said the con-
drctor, placing his lamp on the floor and
taking his seat beside the engineer. Il
heard about your worry today. It's too
cursed bad If a man had got drunk at
his post, as you and have known 'em to do,
Ii wouldn't have seemed so hard, but at fts
worst your case was only an error of Judg-
ment, and then nothing really happened.
Old Sc seems to have the habit of pulling
herself through. I suppose you and she
have been in worse fixes than that with
not word said about it, -
ooh. yes. % said John. "We've been in
many tight place together but we won't
be any more. It's tough, as you say. I've
been Is years with the company and seven
on old Sc, and at first it comes mighty
hard. But I suppose I'll get used to it. "
s'Iook here, John, - said the conductor;
lowering his voice to a confidential tone,
"the president of the road is with us to-
night. His private car is the last but one
on the train. How would it do to speak
to him? If you're afraid to tackle him,
I'll put in a word for you in minute and
tell him your side of the story"
John Saggart shook his head.
ssIt wouldn't do, - he said He would
not overrule what one of his subordinates
had done, unless there was serious 1nJus-
tice in the case It's the new manager,
you know There's always trouble with a
new manager He sweeps clean. And l
suppcso he thinks by bouncing one of the
eldest engineers on the road he scare the
rest
ssWell, L don't think much of him, be-
tween ourselves, said the conductor.
tsWnat do you think lie has done to-
night? He's put new man on 86-a man
from one of the branch lines, who doesn't
know the road doubt if he's ever been
over the main line before. Now, it's an
anxious enough time for me with all tbs
Christmas traffic moving, with the Their
mometer at zero and the rails like glass,
and I like to have man in front that
can depend on"
''It's bad enough not to know the road, "
said John gloomil5, "but it's worse not to
know old &c. She's brute if she takes
notion"
III don't suppose there's another engine
that could draw this train and keep her
time''
"No She'll do her work all right if
you'll humor her, admitted Saggart, who
could not conceal his love for the engine,
even while he blamed her.
ssWeu. -" said the conductor, rising and
picking up his lantern, 1.-THE man in front
may be all right, but I'd feel safer if you
were further ahead on this train than the
smoker. I'm sorry 1 can't offer you a
berth tonight, John, but we're full clear
through to the rear lights. There isn't
even vacant upper on the train. ="
ooh, it doesn't matter" said Saggart,
~ couldn't sleep anyhow. I'd rather sit
here and look out the window"
''Well, SO long" said the conductor,
"I'll drop in and see you as the night
passes on"
Saggart lit his pipe and gazed out into
the darkness. He knew every inch OF the
road-all the up grades, and the down
grades, ana Gle levels. III hH0W ~ OsOli
better in the darkest night than in the
clearest day. Occasionally the black hulk
of barn or clump of trees showed for
g moment against the less black sky, and
Saggart would say to himself, Now he
should shut off an inch of steam, or,
''Now he should throw her wide open.
The train made few stops, but he saw
that they were losing time-S6 was sulk-
ing very likely. The thought of the en-
CINE turned his mind to his own fate. No
man was of very much use in the world
after all, for the moment he steps down
another is ready to stand in his place. The
wise men in the city who had listened to
his defense knew so well that an engine
was merely combination of iron, steel
and brass, and that given number of
pounds of steam would get it over given
number of miles in a given number OF
hours and had smiled incredulously when
he told them an engine had her tantrums,
and that sometimes she had to be coddled
up like any other female, and that even
whsn man did his best there were occa-