The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-04-17
JIMMY'S DEVICE.

oi tne bfOtncfnuou OF Locomotive Engi-
ncers sat in the rotunda at tho Palmer
| House in Chicago telling stories
Among them was a grizzlcd, oldish
man from the Old Colony, who had a Gu
| rious rcd scar bending around from his
forehead across his right temple and down
upon his right check, with almost as reg
ular curve as If 1t had been marked
there with compass. Tho redness of its
color indicated that the mark had been in
hicted not very long ago.
The man who wore the scar had taken
no part in the conversation. Presently one
OF the western delegates said to him:
Come, Brother Hawkins, you ought to
have story to tell. How did you get that
scar, nowf"
Tho Old Colony man colored little and
looked uneasy.
You fellows can tell stories," he said
and i can't, but i Will say this-I was
never thankful for n hard blow in tho face
but once, and that was when l got this
scar.
Then he subsidized into silence, apparent
ly surprising that there was nothing moro
to say. OF course tho engineers about
raised loud demand for tho rest of the
story, which seemed to surprise tho Old
Colony man. Under this pressure be went
Olii u Httle uWkWaruly.
Il hain't had the scar more'n about
year, he said. Il wns running the $3.50
passenger out of Boston, on the Cape Cod
division, as l am now when I'm at home.
We bud passed Wareham one clustering,
blowing, rainy November afternoon 1t
was half past by that time, and as the
sky was thick with clouds it was just us
dark as pitch
Between Wareham and Buzzards bay
there's stretch of woody, scrubby coun.
try where tho track is pretty tolerably
crooked crossing and lodging the salt
water inlets. You can't see far ahead of
you any time
But II I'm going to tell you this story
anywhere near right I've got to get you
out of my cab and on to the Flying Dude,
and that's great privilege, / can tell
you, for they say IL takes patent of no
bility TO make you eligible to ride on that
fast express It's swell affair that runs
down on tho east shore of Buzzards bay.
by the hour l mentioned the Dude
should have been at Woods Holl, her run
made, but she had stopped at Mlddleboro
OH account of IL hot box and was way be.
hind time. She had gone on and was fly.
Ing along through tho woods between
NarelIaln and Onset, not more than 10
minutes ahead OF our time when that
same box began tu smoke again, hotter
than fire.
There was nothing for them to do but
haul up and cool hor off, but thoy knew
that we were coming right bchind Tho
Dude had just made curve whore tho
track follows the bend Of the bay, and 1t
was bad place | shouldn't have seen
the Dudes rear lights around that curve
until we wore right on her OF course
L.. l. HI
signal ms, The mnn they took for tho duty
was young brakeman, not over 10, by
tho name of Jimmy CHswcll He hadn't
been working for the road moro than two
years but he came Of very good family
Of folks down to Falmouth and was a
mighty bright, gcntleInunly sort of a
yuunSsteT, Just the kind that tho swrlls
WHO travel down to the bay like to hayo
on the Flying Dude
He'd hcon put forward good deal for
a follow Of 10, aud il was somewhat tho
result Of favor, | dare say, that he was on
that train, but they all Ind Il great deal If
confidence in him. III leave it to you to
say whether the confidence was justified
Well, Jimmy set ont in tho dark and
Iain and wind with his red lantern back
along tho track, flo had 10 go quite u
piece, for there's second curve along
there and after that long clear stretch
and he wanted to get around tho second
curve aud warn us there.
He was making pretty well toward the
stcond curve, running his head against
tho Storm and was just whore lie wns out
OF sight OF both trains, tho Dude standing
slill aud we n coming with woods along
the inner side of the curve, SO that Meth
ing whatever could be soon of him OF his
lantern at that point from either train.
Then suddenly he heard my train rolling
up in the distance
He started TO run. Jimmy did, to get
around thr second turn In season to signal
me thprc, 1t seems tint he knew he had
plenty Of time To make tho bend, as he
owned up afterward, but he wanted 10 br
mighty SURF
Iust rs he started up, what do you
suppose haHBtHCdY a stronger gust Of
wind than any Of thu rest came whistllng
through tho scrub and that and the mo-
tlun ui Jimmy start 10 run blew out his
lantern Ihnn my train coming along
roHnd louder yet, for the wind was com
ing TO him from my way
Jimmy wAsn / at all scared He knew
he had timU to strike light. He put lis
fingers In his upper vest pocket after
matches No matches there. That made
him feel kind Of qHrug. Then he put his
Fingers in Ids other upper vest pocket
Nam, there eilhrr
Yhcn he felt In tlo lovv,r ,,sst mediate
in The inside or,.-. i'm cycyy hIr.sed nocl,et
that lie Ind in his rl.lbe- Thsrs I.nsn,t
"A match On him
lie hard nv train rnorine noorcr ,rd
ncarpr Ii Wa c5,nII,. nroapI thc s,.e@,J
b1Hl TLap. b,..,yu,,l,I Hmm, -,
gond deal scared
IIo iiIul,s.d rigEt dow, tbo ,,idd,o -
the track In tho dnrk rny,ard ~, ,r,,ir
not knawinI wbnt bo oas I'm, ta.ln
Int f,oling tbof .Gr,rIa,y or ttbar ha ,,'.,s s
pufng Ia sion fhe trniu II, fFrs II ,yant On
and crashed int,ftJ,, 'av,,r,ss A. r.,
-. sh'3'''tf' - iio t"l'