The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-31
THE PHANTOM TRAIN
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that was the way 1t would have seemed
to you II you had been aboard that
car. l went TO the forward door to see
I If there was any chance of getting into
or over the baggage car anu so reach
& ing the engineer, but II would have
taken a monkey in first-rate training TO
have climbed over that baggage car
without breaking his neck at the rate
at which we were running. | went back
into the sleeper again, and, holding
on to a BERTH tried 10 light up a cigar
but somehow the match didn't seem to
to take much interest In the thing.
felt confident that in a few minutes
more the car would leave the track
and go to everlasting smash, and ! re-
member feeling thankful that l had
gone over my accounts just before leav
ing Jericho, and that nobody could fail
to understand them. Just then
thought of the brake. If should go
out on the platform and put the brake
on, the engineer would feel the drag
ON the car and would stop the train,
unless he was stark mad. AT any rate,
the thing was worth trying.
I II got out OH the platform. hanging
on for all I was worth 10 the hand rail.
until got hold of the brake wheel. 1t
was as rusty as if it had been soaking
in water for week but didn't mind
that. ] damned that brake down good
and hard. but the brake chain snapped
almost as easy as the bell cord and
there was an end of that plan for stop
ping the train. OF course. i knew that
"a brake chain sometimes snaps, and you
can't prevent ii, but ii was curious
that both the bell cord and the brake
chain on that car should have been
good for nothing.
Wen, got back into the car again
and took middlng good drink of
the 'whiskey, and II sort OF warmed up
my courage. l never was a drinking
man. even in my younger days, for
despise a drunkard, especially il he is
q railroad man. But hadn't had above
Blk or seven drinks that day. and l
knew that another moderate one
wouldn't do me any harm was be-
ginning to feel a little better when I
remembered that ] had never heard
the whistle of the locomotive since we
mad started from Manlius station. That
showed me that the engineer wasn't
eltner drunk or mad, for in either case
ne would have blown his whistle about
sWo-thrds OF the time, there being Moth
Ing that a crazy man or a drunken en-
glneer finds as soothing as a steam
whistle. couldn't explain our flying
around curves and over level crossings
without sounding the whistle, except on
+ the Hneory that the engineer had drop-
PED DEAD in his cab But then there
would have been the fireman. Both al
/, me men couldn't very well have died
4 o. me same minute, and If there was
ahything the matter with the engineer
lne nreman would naturally either have
Eoloppeo the train and tried to yet helm
OF ne would have run it very cautious.
y ~, that not being his usual business
ana would have been very particuln
: apout whistling at the proper places
MOI nearing the whistle was. on m,
s Whoie, more astonishing to me thar
+ nnulng a Pullman car without ma
s senger, or without a niger porter. am
L with the bed clothes soaked with wa
I: Ter. and the bell cord almost too rotte,
( 10 pear Its own weight.
lnere wasn't a thing to be see,
y through the car windows, for they wer
Il thick with dirt. So. wanting to %
Il some idea of the locality that We he.
4 gqt e, went out on the rear platfnrr
4 again. and getting down on the lowe
IS step !. leaned out to have q Ioo io" g
aEound. Just then we started srn,,n q
& another curve, and what with mn, e.
~ gers being little numb. and what ut.
8Ht the swaEing of the car. I lost nv, ~ =.
b and was shot off that train Iike . ~.
y. bag that Is chucked on to our MATES,
81 Wnen the Pacif1c express goes boomin
Luckily I fell into q snowhan,, -
3S wasn't seriously hurt HoweWarN en- ~
shock stunned me for q while an
i$cSWAen came to, and found that h.
IS no bones broken, and that my skuI, NJ.
"a oil right, picked myself up and start
70 walk down the track till I shnn
come 70 a house. After walking. as
n $ehould Judge, about half mile, / car
IS 70 70 East Fabusville. where there is
s. 81 tAittse tavte1n, and mighty glad waa
u