Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-07-17

train aud seemingiy quarter of mile
away.
By this time several men and boys
had gathered on the scene, apparently
wishing to go to Fargo. No one seemed
to want TO walk away back to the Gu
boose, and every one was very anxious
not TO get left At this moment another
freight train, hitherto unnoticed, came
booming along on the main track.
Things were getting muddled. Would
the second train stop? Would the first
pull up to the station to accommodate
those who wished to enter the caboose?
interrogated the engineer Of train
No. l. ASK the conductor. l don
llow," " he yelled. Then he relented and
said, THE other train is the one you
want. " Train No. 2 had rolled along by
the station and was now coming to a
standstill hundred yards away.
found the lady with the little girls
Said ], eve must take the other train -
Some of the men and boys now started
briskly to walk in the direction of the
train, which was away beyond on the
main line
Let me take a satchel, " said / chiv-
alrously as | grabbed one of her two
enormous travelling bags and started for
the train, followed by the lady, the lit
tie girls and the remaining men and
boys. The train, as l said, was hun
dred yards away We thought of the
nine long hours we had waited for that
train, and goadod by the fear of a
longer stay in Castleton we struck out
at a lively pace toward the caboose.
Two-thirds of the distance had been
accomplished, and was striding along
with the great piece of luggage banging
against my legs at every step, when the
train commenced to move away, slowly
now.
"Runp' | shouted. The men ahead OF
us were already on the run.
The lady began to scamper, holding
the 5-year-old by one hand, carrying in
the other her satchel and followed by
the l year old, who brought up the rear.
We gained, but not fast enough,
thought l.
LET me have the child, cried, and
grabbing mp the little one under my arm
1 began the chase anew, with the big
satchel still in one hand and making
me go hippity hop by its joltings.
Women were not made to run. Yet
the lady was doing well. The train was
getting some headway. dashed along
with my awkward burdens and in few
moments reached the steps of the NOV
ing cabooAo, swung the child up into the
arms Of one of the men who had caught
the train, threw my other charge, the
strange iady's satchel, upon the plat
form and jumped aboard.
Glory!. was on my way to Fargo at
last. But how about the lady? She was
now 20 feet behind and only holding her
own.
"Hurry!">
But she was puffing-out Of breath
and began to iag behind. The 5-year-old
on the caboose was dazed. The 11-year-
old back with her mother on the rail
road ties took in the situation and set
up howl to see ME, the strange man,
on board an eastern bound train with
her little sister and her mothers lug
gage.
The train was moving even faster.
There was but one thing to do. leaped
to the ground, caught the little girl as
she was almost thrown to me by kind
ly passenger, set her ON the ground,
then ran for the train, clutched the huge
satchel, planted that ON the ties and
finally by good sprinting caught up with
the caboose and swung myself aboard.
had done all l could for the poor
lady. 1t was sad to see her left behind
after waiting all day for the train. She
must now take her chances of getting
into Fargo tonight by means of the way
freight now standing at Castleton. Thus
l reflected as 1 stood ON the rear end of
the caboose and looked at the forlorn
trio standing ON the track in the midst
of their luggage, gazing after the reced-
ing train.
Then came jolt, jolt, jolt! 1t was
down brakes l clung to the guard rail
to prevent myself from being thrown off.
Quickly the train came to full stop
and didn't move for five minutes, dur
ing which time the lady and the little
girls got aboard, together with a little |
fat man and two boys, who had also |
been distanced i'll the race. Then the |
train steamed back to the station and |
waited half hour.
wiped the perspiration from my
flushed face, inwardly damned the rail |
road and rode the 20 miles on the out
side platform Of the caboose. We got to
T.