The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-08-06


was tagged Monday morning, and poor
little Meg was bundled aboard in tears.
and placed in the conductors charge.
along with written report of the
breaking open of the caboose locker,
with orders TO deliver both To the SUI
perintcndent of the division at War
ner's Mills.
Meg, with the fear of some terrible,
unknown punishment for her crime be-
fore her fearful eyes. pressed her wet
face to the window OF the rear coach of
the accommodation for what might be
her last glimpse of the junction. She
saw the wcaiher-stained cabin that had
been all the home she could rcmem-
Der, with trembling. white-haired
Daniel standing by the switch before
the door. The switch was open, for
the freight engine was steaming slowly
down oil the side track. preparatory To
backing up to the waiting flats on the
branch. She saw Bill Thomas at the
the brake wheel ON the rear of the ca
boose
Suddenly something happened. The
long line of fiat ears Jared and be-
gan to move. She saw Bill clutch the
wheel and throw his whole weight
upon il i'm an enccavor to wind it up;
but the brake rod must have snapped,
for the next instant he was dashed
from his foothold by the recoil of the
wheel. and she saw him fall from the
moving train. In moment the ca
boose was over the switch and lis
wheels struck the main track. Meg
sprang up with a scream and rushed
TO the rear door. The conductor fol-
lowed her. fearing that the girl would
try to throw herself from the steps.
But when he saw the caboose be-
hind them he understood her excite
ment. Not a man appeared on the run
away train. which, having cleared the
switch, VAS gaining speed with every
revolution OF the wheels. A rear-end
collision seemed inevitable.
The conductor reached for the bell
rope and sgnaled the engineer full
speed
"Run for the forward carsl there's a
wild train behind us." he shouted, and
drove the passengers like frightened
sheep before him.
The accommodation sprang ahead,
and for few moments the distance be-
tween the two trains was rapidly in
creased But the runaway was now
tearing down the incline with yeloc-
ity frightful to behold
Little Meg was painting right behind
the conductor As he reached the plat
| form between the two rear cars.
stop. mister. set that bralSe!" she
cried, pointing TO that ON the second
| car.
"What do you want, child ?" he asked.
"Nou set that brake She said. I'll
Get this ere. an wen you kin uncouple.
1t:s CARL throw the wild train off the
rails. Quick.'
"God bless YOU, believe it will" he
gasped. an. seized the wheel.
The pressure retarded the train for
an instant and tie rear car bumped"
Instantly he pulled up the pin. and
Meg. her thin, childish arms like steel
cords, wound up the brake on the rear
coach. II fell behind AZ once. and TO the
horror of the conductor he found him
self swept away from that hardy little
figure on the platform Of the doomed
car. He saw her dart through the
coach and set the brake at the further
end. The runaway train seemed almost
upon il now.
With straining eyes he saw Meg re-
turn to the front platform, and screw
the brake up point or two. The car
slowed down; if there had been time i,
would have stopped altogether.
On one side OF he rail was a steep de-
clivity. on the other high bank. The
girl climbed down upon the steps on
the side next to the bank, and prepared
to jump. The conductor closed his eyes
TO shut out the sight, and uttered 6 fer
vent. if brief. prayer
God Almighty help herr" h,
groaned.
Perhaps in answer to that prayer
strength was given her. She glanced
back at the plunging cars behind. The
smoking wheels of the caboose seemed
scarcely to touch the rail. She leaned
as far out from the steps as possible.
closed her eyes and jumped. She struck
the bank and dug her fingers into the
clay desperately. Her face was buried
in the earth as the passenger coach
rumbled by. Close on its trail shot the
runaway. and, a moment later. the aw-
full crash reached her dullcd ears like
a roar of muffied thunder. After few
minutes she staggered TO her feet and
climbed down TO the track. Below her
the roadbed was strewn with wreck
age. and down in the cut were the shat
tered remains of the passenger coach
and the caboose. The accommodation
had stopped far down the track, and she
saw the figure of the conductorrunnng
toward her. Then she dropped between
the rails.
Conductor Adams delivered his
charge to the superintendent at the
mills as he had agreed. but the recep-
ton she received at that dignitary's
hands was not exactly what poor Meg
had feared when she started from the
junction. And the reception the super
;utapIapf va tho craxv ~ ~. a.. s..:..