The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-05-14

there with fence picket through the
seat of his first pair of trousers; and
it was all SO funny that now as the en-
! gineer recalled the circumstance he
threw back his head and laughed as
heartily as he had ever laughed in his
life. The fireman, casting u farewell
glance at his companion, saw him
laughing and concluded in his last
moment that the driver had suddenly
become insane, but as he glanced
ahead where death was awaiting he
was not sure that he was sane himself.
The driver, having finished his laugh
and still feeling no shock, looked
ahead. The track was clear He un-
| latched the reverse lever and threw
the engine in the forward motion and
the speed of the train, which had
been but little checked, carried
them away down among the sand hills.
The driver looked over to the fireman
and asked: "Did you see anything?"
"No," said the fireman. "'Did
you?" And the driver said no,
tried his water and opened the throt-
tie and the engine whirled away, while
the fireman returned to his place at
the furnace door.
The official in the special train felt
the resistance of the engine when the
engineer shut off and reversed, and
the general manager, turning to the
superintendent, asked with show of
surpr ise:
"When did you put in Tat sid
ing?"
"What, back there? That's Coyote
spur, and it has been there for six
months, was the reply.
81 know very we'll" said the man
ager, "where Coyote spur is, for we
waited there fifteen minutes for No.
Eight going down the other day, but
we just passed siding on the north. -
The superintendent was inclined to
be funny, but the colonel, stroking
| his long, gray whiskers, remarked that
he had seen locomotive standing at
the point mentioned, and Gas trains
are not in the habit of meeting and
passing between stations, / take it
that there must be a siding there"
There was just twinkle of mirth
in the colonels eyes, which, despite
the finger marks left about them by
| the touch of time, are still bright
with the sparkle of youth, but the
superintendent was utterly unable to
understand the general manager.
There was silence for little while,
but the general manager was by no
means satisfied. He pressed the but
ton and when the porter came in he
asked: "Did you see an engine on a
siding back aways, George?"
nv btu, uiNtA pdW III SdS III :.
D'aint no sidin' 'cept Ci-ote spur, an
dat wus clear.
''Send the conductor to me-" said
the official, and when the conductor
came In the manager asked to be al
lowed to look at the running orders.
''Run special to Grand Junction,
avoiding all regular trains Extra
engine 81 has until 5. 55 to make Coy
ote spur against you.
"What time did you pass the spur?'
demanded the colonel.
''Precisely at 5. So, said the con-
ductor, now somewhat alarmed at the
managers air.
'Is there siding between here and
Coyote?" asked the colonel, and the
superintendent being at loss to make
out what the manager was driving at,
started to leave the car, but his su-
perior officer called him back.
"There is not" was the conductors
reply.
"Perhaps," said the colonel, ''there
was not when we went down, but
there is now, for saw a locomotive
standing there.
The conductor laughed as the super
intendent had done, but the colonel
offered to risk a dinner that he had
seen no ''ghost" train, and the super
intendent took the bet as the easiest
way of settling an argument which
was about to become embarrassing.
When the special reached Green
river the party went into the eating
house, where supper had been
ordered, and, us was his habit, the
colonel sat at the same table with the
4 a.,.,i,,s aratv