The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-04-29

sadly. "Al our money and all oul
prospects gone at one sweep, and al
owing to the rascatity of that Gleason
and our greeness"
Clayton | exclaimed a moment
later, springing up electrified with an
idea. "brlng me your rubber boots
and stew quick, too"
He brought them wonderingly, and
| quickly slit open the legs and then
drew veralicircles cutting them out
with my knife.
II guess this will work all right for
a little while. Itit does | cried, I'VE
may give them the slip yet. Break
up that old tar barrel and stick it into
the fire box. If / can get the cylinder
to hold its steam, I'll bet five to four
that we can out travel that apology of
horse the sheriff had"
Not breath was stirring, and the
dense, black smoke from the burning
tar barrel rose from our funnel per
pendicularly in the clear morning
sunshine, giving our pursuers an ink
ling of our intentions before they
could have otherwise imagined it pos
slble for us to escape The smoke
could be plainly seen at Fort Scott,
which was about three miles away. /
soon had the packing rings cut out
and the cylinder heads bolted back
into place again, and ali we could do
now was to wait for the steam to rise
before we could start, and it seemed
as If the indicator never moved SO
slowly before. Ii we could only get
back over the line into Missouri. the
laws theoe would protect us and we
would save the Comic. Onlyl twelve
miles lay between us and the border
line-could we reach it before they
overlook us?
The gauge showed 100 pounds pres
sure. l run the governor belt off so
that we could travel to the fall capa
city of our power without being auto
matically checked. then l pulled open
the throttle, and the next moment we
were rolling out across the open prai
rie toward Missouri, in race with the
stake of $1,000.
The Comic did nobly With a roar
like small thunder she belched up
huge clouds of black smoke and steam
and fairly quivering with full pressure
upon her, as she rolled along. Now
and then we ran afoul line of barbed
wire fence, but we tore through it
as If it were netword of twine
l looked back just after we bad got
we'll started, and saw on knoll about
a mile back the pursuing party-three
of them-the sheriff AMI two men
with him in his buggy. and their horse
at run. and then l opened the throt
tie ]itGle wider. 1t was now ques
ton of speed-if they overlook us be-
fore we reached the state line they
might take us and or machine. too;
If, however, we crossed first, we would
be beyond their jurisdiction, and they
could not serve the attachment. One,
two, four miles we passed over, our
engine at full speed, with an average of
80 pounds of steam on, and we could
plainly see that we were still holding
our own against them. Eight miles
we had travelled now, and l was be-
ginning to feel highly elated over the
success of our scheme, when l heard
Fisk utter cry of dismay.
The GOALS all gone,' he exclaimed.
1t was true. for in the excitement /
had not noticed its rapid depletion,
until now, and not more than four or
five shovelsfull remained This new
calamity almost stunned us both for {.
moment-perhaps we might be able
to make it hold out though doubt
ed it greatly. Ten miles-the coal
was all gone now, and l emptied one
OF the oil cans into the fire box to keep
up the steam, and then we began to
break 1p the wood work about the
tender.
Eleven miles only one mile more
now and we would save Comic, but
the last stick of fuel was gone even to
the last splinter, and l could see that
the speed was already beginning to
slacken down
The sheriff seemed to notice that
we were beginning to slacken up
little, for he now laughed sneeringiy
and rose to his feet and stood upright
in the buggy, and began to urge his
almost exhausted horse on with shouts
and free use of the whip. The light
vehicle swayed and plunged about
from side to side as his horse broke
into headlong gallop, while the two
men hung desperately ON as the horse
plunged frantically forward, still urg
ed by the whip and furious shouts of
the sheriff They were rapidly over
taking us now, and the Comic was lost
unless we could manage in some way
to keep up the steam a few moments
longer. | looked back again and
saw that the sheriff was still coming
and was now within 100 yards of us
and still gaining on rs at the rate we
we were moving. He saw me as l
glanced back at him, and he began to
shout something at me. but the engine
make SO much noise that l W, unable
t. understand what it was that he said,
but l could guess almost. for | could
see the look of exultant satisfaction
in his face, and hear his mocking
laugh as we began to slack down and
almost stand still-the fire in the fur
mace having died down to a few
smoulderirg embers. They were now
almost within speaking distance and
still coming nearer each moment. |
could plainly hear the labored breath
ing of the sheriff's exhausted horse,
and knew that be could not go on
much further at that speed. and then
l heard the sheriff shout tauntingly:
Hold on-you can't get away now.
We've got you all right"
This was almost too mucb-espe ci-
ally with neutral ground not mile
ahead, and then with grim determi
nation that | would make another eff
fort to save che Comic in spite of taem
all, l pulled off my haevv wcolen coat
and, pouring what oil there was left
in the can on it and saturatipg it
Thoroughly, 1 opened the fire box and
showed it quickly into the furnace
among the smouldering Goals.
In another moment it blazed furi-