Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-01-03

tho main track we climbed aboard
and let her run down the grade,
which is middling steep just out of
tho village, while l worked at tho
fires and got them to going good and
bright.
1--WE had about IS miles to run,
and Gridley said that, according to
tho time table, thcro was no train
that would be in our way unless it
might be wildcat. That's just
what 1 cal lated there would be, and
the idea of running full speed along
a strange track in the dead of night
didn't suit m.I 30 vol aS some things
might. We got the Fanny up to
about 40 miles an hour, which was
pretty good considering that l was
not by any means u first class fire
man. Long before we got to sta
ton Gridloy would turn on the Wills
Ito and keep it Screeching loud
enough to wake the dead. l shut my
eyes every time We came near sta
ton, for l expected that something
would DO in the way or that switch
would be turned wrong, or that
something would happen 70 smash
Gridlcy and me for good and all.
But everybody at the stations
thought that we were u special and
had everything made clear for us Us
soon as they heard tho whistle.
"Wo had been running about half
an hour when all of Il sudden Grid
Icy sings out, Brakes, quicker II
lightning, and reverse tho engine.
We came to n halt, and Gridley says
to mo: There was Il tramp lying
asleep with his head on the track.
We've cut him into u thousand
pieces. The man was trembling, and
began to understand that the drink
had been telling on him. Let her
go, says he in another minute.
What's done can't be helped So in
u few minutes more wo were boom
ing along again, old Gridlcy leaning
out strahing his eyes ahead and
keeping his hand Oh the lever Pres
emily he sings out brakes again and
brings the engine up with II Jump
Another tramp, says he. What in
all creation do they mean by sleep
ing on tho track i'll this way?' Then
saw that Gridlcy had the horrors,
and l was mighty sorry l had ever
agreed to como with him.
Tho same thing happened five
minutes later. Says Gridley: Tho
whole blessed track is covered with
tramps. I can sec seven ahead of us
now With that he seemed to get
into a sudden rage and turns on his
whistle and says to me: III stop no
more for them fellows. They are
doing it on purpose to hinder us, SO
that we can get caught. Then lie
pulled her wide open, apd we swung
along, the fires roaring and the whis-
tie doing its level best
"Gridley kept looking out ahead
and muttoring. There's more of
en-, said he without turning to look
, at me. There's more than l can
, count. Women too. They re lying
every one right straight across tho
track. There! felt her jump when
she struck that fellow! Come here,
Harry, and take this lever for u min
} ute while ! AXE a drink. This here
} slaughter In more than l can stand.
Il told Gridley to take his drink
and mako sure that it was Il big one,
for 1 saw that he had got the TRAN
giles pretty bad and hoped that whis-
ky might pull him through till we
should get quit of the Southern
road. 1t didn't do him any good,
} however, unless it was to make him
more reckless than he was before.
He insisted on my shoveling all the
coal into the furnace that she would
burn, and before long we were GO
ing good 60 miles or more.
! Nov, Just before we got to the
place where the two roads run paral-
lei there was IL siding that had been
built to reach u gravel pit. The sid
ing began at u little station called
Pckin, and was, rs l should Judge,
about two miles long. The Montana
Southern folks had taken the alarm
by this time, and n dispatch had
gone to every station OH the road
warming them that runaway loco
motive was coming and telling them
to stop her the best way they could
The station master at Pekin got this
order just before we hove in sight,
and he thought of the old siding.
He got to work and turned the rusty
old switch that had been spiked
down, and when he came along we
shot on to the side track, and away
wo went for the gravel pit.
1.-THE track was mighty rough, and
I begged Gridley To slow her down,
for / thought every minute that we
should be off the track. But he
would not listen to me. That there
massacre of the tramps that he
thought he had made excited him
more and more, and now he had tax
Ell to singing and shouting at The
top of his l'lnyS. The Fanny wa.,
swaying from side to sido and Jump
ing almost clear of the rails when
she struck II particularly rough
place, and don't mind saving that
l just went TO saying my prayers
with every inch of pressure could
put on 'em.
1T had been II cloudy night, but
as / was prnyi..G for iii l WAS worth
the moon came OIt, AMI l saw that
just ahead of us tho track c.lmo to
an end, and there was Il deep hollow
of some sort. l made up my mind
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