Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-12-23

III IlS ClIOI 70 " ICoS4A Viz cOA4Ah5 "~'SA'
Jack shoveled in the big chunks of
coal from the tumbling mass on the ten
der. The pieces dropped black and
cold into the blazing mass where they
crumbled and Redeemed almost on the
instant, as they were absorbed by the
greedy flames Ike those through which
the Hebrew children were made to
pass. A locomotive, when laundering
across the country at the rate Of a mile
a minute, is an insatiate monster, and
the fireman had barely time to climb
upon the seat, pull the bell rope for
minute or two as they approached the
roadway, when he slid down again and
renewed his feeding Of the ravenous
appetite of the iron horse. Sometimes
he was thus employed when the famil-
lar landmark told the engineer they
were nearing a crossing. Then Jim
Gordon took his hand from the lever
and reached to the cord, which was
joined to the freman's place outside
the cab, and rang the bell for himself.
Again the iron ring over his head was
pulled downward and No. II gave the
several miles of surrounding country
an example of what she could do when
she took a notion to shrek.
Everything was nowrunning8 smooth
", and Jim seated himself on the lid
of the long box at the side of the cab,
which was covered with the green
glazed leather and intended to serve
him as a rest. He still kept his left
hand on the lever and from under the
fore-piece of his close-ftting cap he
peered out into the world Of gloom on
the alert for any and everything that
was right or wrong.
The first stop Of the Night Express
was at the Junction not quite twenty
miles out from Glenmore. At that
point were some of the repair shops
Of the company, and the down train
was due from Winwood three-quarters
of an hour after the arrival of the Ex-
press. Five miles from the starting
point and when the train was hum
ming, Jim shut off the steam and gave
the little horizontal lever slight turn.
This applied the brakes, though to so
faint an extent that the passengers
in the train were hardly conscious Of
any slackening of speed. Every one
accustomed to travel over the road or
who was acquainted with the engineer
knew its meaning and why he never
forgot it. Reaching up to the ellipti-
cal iron ring, he sent out two piercing
blasts from the whistle, Of so peculiar
pattern" that no railway man
could have made anything of them.
jim didn't intend that any railway
man should do so. They were not
meant for such folks but for certain
little woman, living in the cottage
Just outside of the village of Moore
vile, through which the Express was
spinning at tremendous pace. jim
slid back to the window Of his side
and thrust his shaggy head far out in
the darkness, where the arctic gale,
created by the speed of the engine,
seemed strong enough to whirl him
from the cab. These keen, piercing
eyes were looking for something which
they would not have missed for the
world.
There they were The door of the
cottage was wide open, and, thrown
in vivid relief against the yellow glow
of the room behind her, stood a small
woman with chubby boy in her arms.
She was waving one hand while young
jim was whirling both arms, as if be
were a windmill, and shouting at the
top of his voice, though had it been a
hundred times louder it could not
have reached the plunging engine:
"Helloa, pop Merry Christmas ~
Boy and mother saw the massive
shoulders, shaggy head and waving
hand for an instant, as family shown
by the lamp, in the top Of the cab
they heard another screech from the
ear-splitting whistle, there was the
rush and roar of the half dozen cars,
with their twinkHng lights, as they
whirled with the speed Of cyclone
into the night, fast diminishing red
point at the rear of the last car, quick
ly winding out of sight. The Express
had nearly half hundred miles to run
before she could pause for rest and
gather her energies for the return on
the morrow.
jim Gordon was in happy mood.
1t was Christmas eve and he had
planned a surprise for that little wife
and boy of his. 1t was hard for him
to keep the secret, which he had ar