The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-06-17

AS these thoughts rushed with light
ning-like rapidity through the section
mems minds, and they realized that if
they remained where they were, they'll
too, would be crushed beneath the mass,
it is little wonder that Mike shouted:
Drop it, boys, and run for Your
lives!"
But not so with Teddy; for, swift as
the train was coming, his mind WAS
swifter, and when he saw the men were
going to drop the rail, he cried out, IN
as firm tone as he could commands:
Throw it on the ties, men-throw t
on the tics."
And almost unconsciously tibet
obcyed him, dropping the rail withi1
a few inches of where it belonged who
in position.
The construction of rail is such thai
It is heaviest on the bottom; and as il
fell right side up, it did not turn overi
but lay there ready to be placed in
position. ~
As the men ran down the embankdl
ment. on the inside of the curve, Tedds
picked up pinch bar and pried one
end of the rail into place. then RAD
quickly to the other end and pried it
over. Running now to the middle of
the rail, he drove one end of the bar
| down in between the ties, and then,
grasping the other end in both hands.
he threw all his weight against the rail-,
thus holding it in position.
And now his object was made q, d.
He was taking the one chance N Z
thousand-the only one that could be
taken, in fact, and he was risking his
life to do it.
As was noticed when the men took
up the old rail, they did not pull the out
side spikes, and as a train always
crowds over against the outside rail
on curve, he figured that if he could
only hold the rail in place until the
weight Of the train was upon it, the in
side fange on the wheels would then
keep the rail in position until the train
passed it. The rail was 80 feet long,
and he knew that if the train once got
on it there would be little possibility
Of it Slipping, because it is only about
IA feet between the trucks on car.
and before one truck would be off at
one end, another would be on at the
other, thus keeping a continuous pres
sure on the rail until the train passed
over it.
As he stood there holding the bar,
with the train laundering along with
in a few feet of him. thousand differ
ent thoughts seemed to pass through
his mind, but never once did he seem
to think of the danger he was in.
He thought of the consequences of
wreck, of Jim, who had gone back to
flag; but chief among his thoughts was
the one that his father was responsible
for this piece of track, and he would
be held to account for anything that
occurred. He must do as he knew his
father would have done had he been in
his place.
The train by this time had almost
reached him. He could see the look of
terror on the face of the engineer as he
leaned from the cab; for he, too, had
seen and realized what was about to
happen, and was taking the only change
open to him. n
Instead of attempting to stop o. to
slow down at all, he had simply hooked
her up" notch and pulled the throttle
open to its farthest limit, and was in
creasing his speed at every revolution of
the wheels.
In another instant they were upon
him. rush, roar, a mighty kissing
OF escaping steam. He felt the ground
rock aud tremble beneath his feet,
sudden shock as the bar was torn vio-
lcntly from his grasp and he was hurled
with terrific force to the ground
When he regained consciousness, he
was lying on the grass, pillowcd hy the
coats of the men he had last seen ram
ming away from him, with Mike bend
ing over him, bathing his face with
water from the pail, and there was
faint suspicion of sob in his voice as
he exclaimed, ferventlx:
THANK God, my lad, you are not
dead"
But Teddy was far from being dead,
and, although bruised and scratched
up to quite an extent, he was soon able
to sit up and watch the men, as they
finished spilling down the rail that had
been the cause of all the trouble, and
by the time they were through he was
on his feet, insisting that he be al
lowed to help load the tools on the
hand car.
But he was not permitted to dc cny-
thing of the kind, and, after the men
had hurriedly loaded the hand car flor
40 was almost due and they wanted
to get to town ahead of it), they COM
PEELED him to take seat, not ei.owing
him even to stand and hold o1 to the
handles.
When they were about halfway to
town, they met Hogan coming down
the track on the run, for the crew on the
freight had reported the incident the
mcment they reached town, and ne was
anxious to find out what had really
happened.
The expression on his face when he
saw his son safe and sound can be bet
ter imagined than described, and his
words of thankfuluess as he clasped
him in his arms we will leave unsaid.
The occurrence was reported official
lv to the road master and supcrintend-
ant of the division and the result WINS