Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-09-23
gave the answer that signifed that she

| SdNC lLC allchNA NAV E1AA-@-N - N~-N-N
was all attention.
"Look out for -" clicked the
sounder, and then it suddenly ceased,
and try as she would Polly could get
no further communication with the
station next to the eastward. What
could the trouble be? What was she
to look out for? Polly sprung to her
feet, remembering that the night ex-
press, of which her father was engl-
neer was the next train due. Could
anything be the matter? She ran out
on the dark platform to see that her
lights were all in place and that the
switches were properly set, so that the
express would slip past the station
without an accident. Then she went
back and called up Mercer.
"Can you get Pinokney?" she asked.
Pinckney was the station which had
sent her the warning dispatch so mys-
teriously interrupted. She knew the
operator at Pinckney well-every
night he told her of the approach of
her fathers train, and whether or not
it left his station on time.
"Pinckney quiet cant get answer,
was the report of the wires. whats
the trouble ?"
Polly answered as well as she could,
and Mercer made another attempt to
arouse Pinckney.
Her fathers train was now due. 1t
should be whistling cheerily at the
lower bend. Polly stepped out on the
platform and peered up the track.
Yes, there was the familiar headlight
she would have known it among a
hundred. Then came the whistle,
Hello, Polly" and Polly ran back in
to her office much relieved and sat
down to warn Mercer. At that instant
she heard peculiar cracking sound
that sent her heart quiverihg deep IN
her bosom. Then there was the shrill
scream of the locomotive whistle, sud-
denly interrupted, as if the hand that
had drawn the lever had been struck
from its place Polly knew it was
cry of distress. Ii seemed to say Help
in long, tremulous wall. Instantly
Polly darted outside and flew up the
track. Already the express should
have hundred past the station, but
she could see its headlight hundred
yards or more away. The train had
stopped.
With hundred terrifying questions
flashing through her mind Polly ran
on through the gloom. When she was
almost within range of the big head
light she saw a-half dozen armed men
swarming around the engine, she
heard fierce oaths, and then the en-
CINE started up again. She saw IN an
instant that it had been cut free from
the train. In the cab window, where
her father usually stood, there was a
big, unfamiliar figure, managing the
lever and throttle. Terrified, Polly
sprang to one side into a clump of
bushes. As the locomotive passed her
on its way up the track she saw that
the man in the cab wore black mask
on his face, and then she knew what
had happened. She understood why
Pinckney had tried to warn her and
then failed. Robbers had held up
the train and were preparing to rob
the express car.
For moment Polly was torn with
doubt and terror. Had they shot her
father? She knew that he never
would submit to have his train cap
tured without struggle. Should she
90 to him? Then she remembered her
station and the telegraph, and without
a moments delay she was flying down
the track toward the depot. She would
send for help to Mercer. But squarely
in front of the little depot the locomo-
tive stopped and the black-masked
man sprung from the cab window and
darted across the platform. Hardly
thinking what she was doing, Polly
ran up on the other side, the fireman 5
side of the engine, and, raising herself
up, peered into the cab. She had
half expected to see her fathers dead
body lying on the floor, for she had
heard much about the terrible doings
of train robbers.
Through the cab window she could
see the robber sitting at her own little
desk in the depot sending a message.
1t flashed over her all at once that he
was wiring Mercer that the express
was delayed, thus preventing any
alarm. The robber had pushed up
his mask and she saw him plainly.
What should she do? She dared