Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-03-22

aYerted and felt exceedingly queer as I
| looked. Had we not pulled up just when
we did we should have run into the rear
| Of that stationary train, we should have
| telescoped and been telescoped then. be-
| fore Il hand could have been held forth in
rescue, the Portsmouth express would have
| dashed into the piled up wreck, and-but
| dared not farther follow my chain of
| thought.
| The voices of the singing, shouting ex-
| eursionists, their concertinas banjos and
| whistles, Jared Oh my nerves TO such an
| extent that / felt like throttling some of
| them. But of course they We're not to
| blame. No anxiety had been aroused
| among them, for those who had wished to
| alight at tho stations we had passed de-
| cded they had got into the wrong train,
| and the others had moi needed anything.
AS we came to IA standstill | jumped
| down on the track, intending to ask the
engineer the cause of our extraordinary
| run, but / had not taken three steps when
| l saw the figure of man come out of the
| cab and spring to the ground. 1t was not
| the engine driver or the stoker, but the
| father Of the two little girls still asleep in
| my yan He came toward me, and point
| i.g to the local just putting it's way out Of
| the station he said quietly:
''Time we came to stop, wasn't it?"
ut was indeed" | answered "But
| what does it mean? How did you come
here? Where's the driver?'
Driver and stoker fell out some dis
lance back. Somebody ought to go and
SEQ after 'em. But, guard, hadn't you
better get this train up to the PLATFORM
| III tell you about it afte,ward"
Stokes uttered the foregoing in such a
| cool, matter of fact tone that for the mo-
ment l was completely deprived of the
| power of speech.
AT this juncture the station master
came up. He had just received o wire
| notifying him of our eccentric behavior
and desired to know the reason.
1t must be remembered that though the
| incidents l here relate have taken some
| time to describe, they in reality followed
each other very quickly.
The station master was soon made &C.
quainted with the unique dilemma in
| which we were placed, and though he was
as much astonished as myself, he acted
promptly The wire was speedily at work
| on behalf of the unfortunate engineer and
| stoker.
1t happened that a company's driver
and his mate had just come in by the To-
| cal, and as the station master knew where
| they lived he dispatched a messenger after
| them. They did not fail us, and in a very
| short time we resumed our broken journey.
In the meantime, however, while wait
| ing for the drivers arrival, several of us
| entered tho booking office, and Edward
| Stokes told us how he came to be on the
| engine.
when you jumped up and looked
| through the window u no said, addressing
! me, 81 looked through the other. Just as
| did so | saw the driver and stoker fight
| ing like mad on the edge of the engine,
| and the next instant they both fell out on
| the track. Then [ knew there was danger
| ahead, and also that there was no time to
| be lost Thinking maybe could do the
| job as we'll rs you and have the benefit of
| the little extra time 1t would take to tell
| you what was the matter, | opened the
| door, got out on the footboard, shut the door
| after me so l could pass and called to you
| to keep your eye on the kids.
| II didn't hear you interposed.
Every likely Perhaps l didn't shout
| loud, for felt a bit upset. Besides, you
| were half out of the window. Well, l went
| toward the engine, and l think the poor
| chaps in their struggle must have knocked
| up against the handle, setting on more
| steam, for we seemed to 60 faster and fast
| en- l had all I could do to hang on You
$780," he added apologetically, "I'm not ex-
| actly used to that kind of thing I watch
| ed my chance and at last / managed to
spring on to the engine. Then 1t didn' t
take me long to reach the stand. But m
/ blest it l knew one handle from the other
| when I'd got there. l turned this and
| twisted that. Then had a 60 at the big
lever, but that seemed to shake my arm
out of joint, SO let go. / was just begin
| ming to think I'd better have let you come,
after all, when | struck the center wheel,
l felt sure we went faster, SO turned it
the other way, and we began to slow up;
just in time, too, though | didn't know
| it, for didn't stop to look ahead Funny
things, them engines"
"You're brave man," exclaimed the
station master warmly; "a very brave
manv'
"Well hold on minute" said Stokes
deprecatingly. "It's this way, sir: I'm
out for holiday with my two little ones.
Coming home see the engineer and stoker
of the train fall out of her. Then thinks
to myself, If that engine goes on far
enough, it'll most likely knock into some
thing, and then my girls are going to get
badly hurt or maybe killed So says to
myself, Not if can help itp And away
| goes to try and stop it. That's how it
stands, you see. Why, sir" he continued,
with sudden strong emotion-"why, sir,
the missus would have broke her heart and
| died il I'd gone home without her little
! kids.
| The mans simplicity was SO astound-
ing, though his words were clearly sim
cere and open revelation Of his character,
| that for an instant we were all struck
| speechless.
"But, my good fellow cried, chad it
| not been for your prompt and courageous
| conduct you never would have seen your
home again. But for your ready action,
| you, l, your children and God knows how
many more besides would now be lying on
| the track deadr'
! He looked at me for a second or two in
something like amazement, then, as the
| truth of my words dawned upon him, he
| said slowly:
"Of course! To be sure! never thought
| of that. No. The Riddles was all l had in
mind at the time. Well, I'm blowed"
Had the engineer and stoker fallen off
| on my side of the train might have at
tempted the feat that he accomplished, but
I fear the knowledge Of the tremendous
issue hanging to my success would have
| made the attempt abortive.
need scarcely say that Stokes was
handsomely rewarded by the company,
though he protested all through that his
little girls were all he'd thought about.
He is still as quiet and unpretending as