The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-26

and its beams fell upon myriads of
swarming, crawling. beetle-like forms
that covered the road. full feet deep, in
a shifting, rustling mass.
UNI said Wozzleton, rather INSTEAD
lily lighting the stump of his cheroot.
Abr 1 replied, waiting for him to
give me a lead.
"'Aw-I say, old fellah,' commenced
Wozzleton, airily but with note of anX-
iety in his voice, do you notice anything
peculiar about the road tonight"
'Trife sandy, isn't it? 1 replied eau
tiously
"Wozzleton seemed relieved, and at
tempted to mount, but his machine stood
still, then slipped sideways and threw him
off.
Ugh! Gu-r-r-rr he spluttered, as he
struggled to his feet and fixed his mono
Gle in his eye with a critical frown. 'Aw!
Don't you notice anything-aw- peculiar
lin the sandiness of the road?'
II was not going to give myself away
Wozzleton's cocktails were certainly very
powerful-so 1 turned the conversation in
to a safer channel by proposing that we
should push our machines until the condi-
ton of the highway improved. So for
the space of half a mile we struggled on
ward, saying nothing. Wozzleton turn
ed out his lamp. He thought it best that
such a light as its rays showed were best
enveloped in darkness.
"As we pushed our machines painfully
through the eXecrable surface the dull,
booming sound which 1 had previously
noticed increased in intensity. 1t was
certainly the sound of a trap running at
high speed, and yet it seemed to come no
nearer to us. At length. as we rounded
a clump of tamarisks that stood hard by
the railway line, we saw the lights of
train. 1t was running at a speed of fully
60 miles per hour, yet it was making no
progress!
"Wozzleton gasped. I felt my hair
standing on end. There was something
too uncanny even to attribute to the po-
tency of Wozzleton's cocktails.
There was silence of some five min
utes' duration as we watched the train
painting, putting and snOrting, yet making
no manner of progress.
cat length Wozzleton spoke. 'Aw! Do
you notice anything peculiar about that
twain?' he inquired suspiciously.
81 replied without reserve that noticed
something exceedingly untrainlike in its
conduct
"Wozzleton seemed greatly relieved.
Let's come and ask the dwivah what he
means by such proceedings he said.
with our machines we waded through
the heavy ground to the railway.
'Hullo! said the driver, as he deserted
us in the glare of his furnace Pile In
some more coal, Bill, or she'll never clear
it, he continued to the stoker
THE engine was racing at a terrific
speed, advancing at the rate of some
three-sixteenths of an inch per second.
'Aw do you-ah-notice anything pc
culiah on the road tonight? shouted
Wozzleton to the driver, above the cough
ing and painting of the distressed engine.
Notice anything peculiar? No. IN
less you call bein' stuck in a swarm o To-
Gusts matter of two hours an a half pc
cullar,' replied the engine driver as he
swung himself down from his cab and lit
his pipe at the heated driving wheels as it
flew round on the locust creased metals
You'd best climb on board continued the
engine driver, or you'll get drowned in
'em; arr a mile down the road they're
standing nigh to six foot deep. I'm go
ing to stand the metals an turn 'er on to
100 bat in a mint
I'VE climbed on board with thankful
hearts and slowed our machines away in
the luggage van, while the speed and the
sand coaxed the train clear of the locust
swarm
"Wozzleton remarked gently how he
knew they were locusts all the time, and
that he was only chatting me, being
greenhorn and new to the country and its
wonders.
But 1 had my doubtsH' yawned the
man from Japan.
so have Ir' said the fat man, scratch
ing his head mournfully, while a scent Of
singing perVaded the air.