Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-03-25

q system Of air brakes.
This placaTd somehow arrested my
attention. read it again anil again,
idly, without much heed Ia the mean
Ing. even caught myself Feciting 1t
aloud in sing-song tone AS l dozed,
1t sometimes seemed to isav0 Its po-
sition and hover in the air neSr my
face. 1t was positively annoying.
shut my eyes to get rid Of 1t, but saw
1t just as plainly.
was still in this unpleasant, dreamy
condition, when felt light touch on
my arm. 1t thrilled me like an cleo
trio shock. l sprang to my feet, and
without knowing why, without any
clear idea whatever rushed forward
and showed up that lever.
The train came to sudden stop
with grinding jar. The startled pas
sengers leaped from their seats. A
brakeman caught me by the collar
while the angry conductor pushed
through the aisle toward me.
What's the meaning of this?" he
shouted.
stood dazed; / had not word to
say.
Are you an IDIOT" he continued,
roughly. What do you mean? Don't
you know that it's criminal offense
to stop train in that way, you young
| Jack-a-napes?"
Still was dumb. felt like a
drunken man, who Unexpectedly finds
himself in the grip of justice charged
with motiveless murder remember
ing the act but wholly unable to com
prehend 1t. Then something happened;
again | felt the light touch on my
shoulder.
AS that soft touch thrilled me, the
front of the car, the car before 1t, the
whole train, seemed to melt into mist.
l saw them In shadowy outline, but
they did not impede my view. Beyond
stretching on through the starlit snow
fields, lay the dark line of the track
which, at the distance Of about two
miles, swung out of sight behind q
rocky hill. Out of sight, but not out
Of my sight; for as l gazed the hill
also seemed to resolve itself into haze
and | looked right through 1t, And
there, swiftly rounding the curve" An
engine is coming!" / shouted. ut Ia
running wild. In half minute it will
be in sight"
You're drunk" cried the brakeman
cor crazy" and he shook me. The
girls hand slid from my shoulder;
the vision vanished.
But she caught the conductors arm
THE man is right" she cried
Don't you see? Be quick"
The conductor started as If stung
and his face whitened.
my Cod" he calculated. In an
other instant he was standing in thu
snow by the track straining his eye
up the line, and we were beside him.
The conductor ran toward the en-
CINE.
"Unshackle her, Hank" he shouted
Pull your throttle full open, Dave
and let her drive"
Almost as he spoke the big loco
motive gave a titanic gasp and heav
Of sudden effort; her mighty driver
spun and slipped, then caught the rails
and she started with bound like
race horse pricked by the spur.
Nov jump-for yer life, Dave
quick"
Dave swung himself off withou
haste; moment later he came towar,
us, shaking the loose snow out of hi
clothing.
TITS ole Thirty-three, an She
a-comin'," he remarked. "Ninety-nin
II do the trick right enough, but It.
her last rum" He gazed sorrowfull.
down the track, as If after departing
friend. She'll be maxim nigh sixt,
an hour afore they git together" h
added, renectively. She's about
minute an half left, and she's
thurerbred."
The passengers were now streaming
out of the cars and thronging aroun,
us. We ran little way out into tn
field for a clearer view. The approach
ing engine was now plainly visible
lighted by trailing pennant of fire a
it thundered on to meet its foe, lurch
ing and plunglng in its headlonI
charge until it almost leaped from tn
rails.
"Merclful heavens" cried the CIR
beside me. There's a man in tn
cab"
Then he's gone goose, lady," com
mented the engineer.
1t was even so. The doomed wretcl
leaned far out from the cab, waving
his arms in frenzy, uttering a shriel
of exultation so keen and vibrant tina
it cleft its way to our ears through
all the distance and the uproar tina
lay between.
STARK mad" growled Dave, "ant
the best machine on the line gone Il
eternal smash to head him off. Sh
won't be wuth her weight in scraI
iron"
And while he spoke the contendinI