The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26

but I'll sit back here. where knew there
are at least four Pullmans between me
and eternity
when was it? Back in the old days
when first went on the road for the old
house, and when l believed my sole mis-
sion in life was to drink all the rum there
was exposed between Omaha and the At
lantic.
Il was on hny way to Jacksonville, Fla,
and we got stalled at Washington with a
hot journal, or something like that. They
held us up outside the capital from 10
O'Clock at night until ! in the morning. l
tried TO amuse myself by putting the men
or the train under the table, and sue
ceeded so well that by 70 o'clock the
porter was the only survivor.
Then l got II into my head that a
pam, ordinary sleeper was too slow for
me. j wanted to go where 1 could ride
last, and know that / was riding. So I
bought four of these little Pullman TASKS
OF rye, nlled my pockets with cigars ana
went UP to the engine
only the engineer was in the cab. The
delay mad put him in nasty humor. I
Jollled him along, however, offered him a
cigar IN my best mahogny-top, fall de-
sign voice, and finally he asked me to
climb up into the cab.
whether 1t was because he knew we
were alone or because the long stop had
upset him, don't know. At any rate he
accepted my invitation with alacrity to
lasted he more than kept his end up.
. win the assistance Of the CONVERSE
b honal water It did not take us long to
become chummy, and when the break or
not journal was finally repaired and the
tired-out conductor came up with the or
ders TO start, my friend told me to sit
D that fireman., he said. with a
leer that at any other time would have
warned me, he never was any good
Wen pull her out without him. You and
| can shovel all the coal that's needed be-
tween here and Lynchburg.'
Il couldn't fire a chatting dish but he
already had pulled open she throttle, and
with the big frame shuddering with every
spin OF the drivers it was too late for me
70 make any protest. and besides 1 was
in that condition where 1 didn't care
whether Sunday school convened or not
Let her CO. l shouted across the
sputtering row of valves and stop cocks.
." Don't you worry about that he
shouted back. I'm going to give you a
ride for yer money
He had jumped down from his perch
and was throwing coal into that fiery
furnace with might and main. Each time
the door opened and the lurid glare light
| ed up his face l could see delirium blaz-
ing in his eyes. and instead of being
frightened by it, seemed to catch the
contagion, and urged him on.
ALREADY we were racing through the
city. with it's labyrinth of tracks, at
Whirlwind speed. The little red and
green eyes of the switch targets blinked
Wickedly at us as we shot past them
Just as If they knew our secret and were
jeering us on l tell you It was a fast
game NV friend sat there with his hand
on the throttle and with a smile so grim
and CHASTITY that, maudlinly reckless as
was, it made me shudder every time
looked at him.
when we crossed the Potomac bridge
with rush and a roar that made the
heavy trestles culver and shake they
must have realized back in the train that
something was wrong. There was a vio-
lent pull at the bell rope and the little
signal gong rang loudly. My friend heard
it. too, and laughed.
% we got EN- on the run back there 8"
he cried, jerking his head toward the
swaying coaches. 1 bet Jim was never
yanked over that bridge so student he
fore. oh, Wen show EN- thing or two
yet. Just wait till we get her started.
He pulled open the throttle another
notch just to start her. / guess, and then
jumped down to hurl in more fuel Every
fresh throb of that iron heart sent us
faster and increased the alarm behind us
There was another tug of the bell cord
and the gong rang again. There was no
let up this time or attention to the sig
nails. l thought my friend would heed
the warning, but he didn't. He sat there
with the same grin on his face and winked
at me.
Suddenly he reached up, and before I
realized what he was doing, he had I'M
fastened the cord from the bell and was
tying II firmly around the throttle, with
the little ratchet pinched open, so that
there would be no check to the lever.
Now damn YOU he shouted, pull till
you drop and see how much good 1T does
you. I'm running this caravan tonight,
and We II ride as fast as you want to 60
"Then he leaned back and folded his
arms, and l sat there bumped up and
shivering like a monkey on a circus pony.
Each tug at the rope now opened the
throttle little wider and sent another
pound of steam into the cylinders.
Did say my prayers should say not.
| Why, it would have taken a corps of re-
cording angels scattered over sixty miles
of heaven TO have caught Now l lay me-
in shorthand. / took a drink instead and
D fl1n of frTfn hot
the headlight revealed. The rails were
fluttering up and down in the night like
black satin ribbons, and the old telegraph
poles were staggering past in wild and
drunken dance. Every time we passed
an empty freight car or a tool house a. lot
of demons inside were let loose, and how
/ they did shrek and curse at us.
Il shut my eyes every time we went
round a curve, and braced myself to land
/ somewhere in purgatory, with the baggage
! car on the back of my neck. My soul but
| how the old girl chats what the eng1-
neer called his engine) did plunge. The
1 exhaust no longer came in short, separate
/ throbs, but in a jumbled up roar that
| had nothing but madness in it. l guess
! that the old girl must have known about
that bell rope and shared the spirit of her
master
"Of course. the poor idiots in the cars did
/ not know that every time they pulled
/ that cord they were sending themselves
| a little nearer to perdition and they kept
| Juggling away all the time. Just to show
them that we were still living l caught
] nOlu OI the whistle rope anu pulleQ IL
| Every ounce of steel was racing through
| those steel arteries below us. and the an
| swer came in long. trembling shrek
that seemed to voice the despair of the
/ passengers.
ut frightened me, and I looked over to
/ see how it effected my friend.
| 'TIe was still sitting there with his arms
| folded, but his head had fallen on his
/ breast and his eyes were closed. The IL
| quor had overpowered him, and even in
| that wild ride he had gone to sleep.
1T must have been the same kind Prov
| idence that watches over the innocent
| babe and the volunteer fireman that made
! that man go to sleep.
| Il knew enough about an engine by
| that time to shut off the steam, and it
| didn't take but a precious short time to
crawl over to the other side, unite that
| rope and close the throttle.
| After mile or so we slowed up suf-
| ficiently for a brakeman to climb over
| the tender and put on the air brakes
| That's the only ride / ever took on an
| engine, and it was the best gold cure
! that's ever been discovered