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

this morning, says he,
speaking slow and dazcdlike, and
the Fanny wasn't there. You know,
she goes into tho engine house ovcry
night at $50, and last night put
her in as usual and stopped while
the fireman banked the fires. When
wc left, there was nobody III tho
place, and, a~ YOU know, nobody nov
CT goes near II during the night
Vi his morning at 5:l5 | went down to
bring her out, and Shu WASH there.
Tho fireman had been about five
minutes ahead of me, and no was as
much a-tOnI~hCl aS | was. Well, we
easy enough found that she WASH
anywhere III SpartanVillC, and then
We inquired after her by telegraph.
There WASH t a blessed station on tho
road that Scun hidC or hair of her.
Tho superintendent has started on II
special from AthrnsvillC and Is 60
ing the whole length of tho road to
sec if there is any sign of hcr hav-
ing been taken ont and ditChcd, but
hc'll never find her.
"'What on earth do you cal 'lato
has become of her. said l.
"'ThCr" was always something
queer about that engine, said Grid
Icy. You know what queer ways
she had, such aS you never knew
any other engine to have. It's my
belief that either Sho wasn't u gcnu
inc ut all, but just tho ghost of one
and that she's Como back to where
she came from, or else, if that isn't
what is the matter with her, she
has been St0lr.
llOw'S Il man going to steal n
locomotives says l. DO you cal 'lato
that some chicken Stcalor got into
the engine house ut night and car
ricd the Fanny off under his coat?'
mo, | don'+, says Gridley, but
mobile some of those chaps of the
Montana Southern road has got tired
of hearing us brag about the Fanny
and has como up hero and carried
her of.
Carried her off in n bag or Il
whCClbarrow?' says l, for l thought
Gridlcy was talking nonsense.
Didn't you ever hear how Tom
Sharpe-him that was supcrintend-
Cnt of tho Confederate railroad dur
ing the war-camc to Harpcr's Ferry
ono night with about 400 yoke of on
eli and dragged Il dozen locomotives
belonging to the Baltimore and Ohio
road off across the country till he
struck n Virginia railroad? What
been done once can be done again.
There was no use talking to Grid
ley about the thing, and SO let him
have his own ideas. As far as 1 was
concerned, l didn't hive any ideas
whatever on the subject. Ididn't be.
licvc that the engine was a ghost,
for ! had made too many trips on
her not to be Surc that she was good
honest steel and brass. And didn I
believe that She had been hauled
across the country by OK teams, for
i'll that case her tracks would have
been left on the road, and there
wcrn't no track visible anywhere.
The thing just seemed to me to be a
big mystery, and when n things !,
mystcry.the less you think about ii
the better. However, l couldn help
thinking about this thing, for the
whole road talked of nothing else
for the next week. 1t even got into
the Chicago newspapers, where, of
course, cl;c:' body thought it was
only II reporters lie. The superin.
tendcnt spoke to me about it him.
self, for | happened 20 meet him
down ut Tiberius Center when he
was on the search for the Fanny,
and l could see that it was his belief
that she had been stolen. l told him
fair and square that it was mystic.
ry, and that he would have to wait
till he got to n better world before
he would find out the truth about it.
"Gridlcy wouldn't take another
engine. He said that unless no found
the Fanny he would never touch a
lover again, and as he had nothing
particular to do he started in 10
make up lost time in drinking whis-
ky. / didn t. see him for pretty near.
ly two months, and they told me
that he was gone OH hunt for the
Fanny and probably wouldn't ever
return. But one day who should
come to my boarding house hero in
Jericho but Gridley, looking thin
and ragged and dirty. However, he
was sober enough, though he was
more excited than had ever known
him to be, engineers being men that
very seldom ever allow anything to
excite them.
five found the Fanny says he
in sort of whisper.
Well, l want to know" says 1,
for | was nightly astonished.
IT was the Montana Southern
that stole her, said he She's down
at West SaragoSSa, not ten miles
from here. saw her there yester-
day myself. They've lacquered her
brass work black, and they We given
her new Smokcstack, and they've
changed her name to the Pocahon-
taS, and her own builder wouldn' t
know her. But ! knew her Just as
soon as heard her puff. She's haul
ing the express on tho Southern road,
and she lays mp at West Saragossa
at night, and l want you to come
down with me tonight, and We'll
steal hcr
"'M ny don't you tell the superin-
tond"mt, and let him put in a claim
for her. / asked.
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