The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1897-11-11
RACING WITH TIRE

oostss sfsss. sresg wuh the iia'oi spflnl
.- saved btssst bigh Tbefe sss un touo
srctgi lbe mauotoooas best Of The shetl
tbsJ passed irom oue ~, 10 the Del
and TIE siesdy ssist Of the sisss "s
bspt bslrre ID, fastias vini Of The tfall
lsn nitlos 90 The platform OF ibe o
sefvstiou car. sitb half d.z other pa
ssuser. The conversation fell upa
ptsifie afss AID escb mao bad be say,
IL u1 slons iu 1874 ~heu tits roa
wss a.buiidins, ahd uas one OF the 81
slueet's as,isiaDts spoks up a stlzZled
bard ieslufrd men VITO bad taken bns u
tie part 10 the conversation. We teesI
1t The wettru cod. dean by Buctpbslus
sni y bad laii cot shout forty miles o
ttsck iu straight line ntht scfos' The
prairie, and had got 10 within ten miles
from where We are at this identical mo
mtnt II was 40 easy job, for we ius'
sid the sloepers down on the sround snd
spiked The rails to them, calculating TO
ballast the track when We got good spd
ready. bad big gang Of lrIshmfn M
der me aud We used to sversge mile =
day Of track laying. Oae July we had =
alike among the lsborers aud sll hands
quit work. was down 81 Bucephslns s'
the time and the chief engineer asked me
70 take locomotive over the line to see II
the strikers bad done any damage before
they left US,
| started ont 10 the morning with 20
body except the engineer 10 charge OF the
locomotive, | agreeing to take turns With
him in shovelins coal and vttcbing the
engine. We came along Glow and easy.
for the track wes too rolRh for any fast
running sni sbout noou We got to where
it ended, There were no signs that the
strikers had meddled with the track, and
as il was pretty hot day. S.m and ], after
We bad bad our luucb, lay down alongside
Of the engine and took nap,
woke up little before 2 o'clock and
as WAS filing pipe and making up my
mind to wake Sam and to start for home
big wolf boltsd out OF the grass and ran
across the track not two yards from u.s.
His tail was between his legs and the
foam was dripping from bis mouth and be
was Masking about IS good time as any
wolf ever made before or since, He never
so much as looked at me and when be bad
vanished | called Sam end told him | bad
seen mad volt While was speaking
about dozen prairie dogs rushed by us,
aud then there came smother wolf and q
couple OF hsres All OF them were doing
their level best and they paid no more
attention to us than il we had been 4
couple OF cOrpses
What on earth is the meaning OF this
circusi says |. Are those animals Just
racing for championship, or is there some
body after ,hem'
Sam didn't answer, bnt saw that be
looked scared. He s. rang mp. and climb
ing on his engine looked over the prairie |
to the eastward. Then he sang out to me
to get into the cab quicker than lightning {
aud started to open the draugbt and set $
the res blszing, |
What is it2 began TO ask, as climb
ed into the cab. But didn't need to dn s
ish my question, | could see for myself
what was the matter. The whole prairie Z
east Of US, as far as could see, WAS 10
blszs and as there had been a strong east u
wind all day and the FIRE wasn't more a
.han three or four miles away, | cslculst "
ID it would be down on us in very few
nu utes "
Hadn't We better start FIRE and burn D.
,ome Of this grass cfi before the fire ge's o
lere7 | asked Sam. You see, had read
.bout that way OF stopping prairie fire, "
.pd knowing that Sam had been born and c
,red on the prairie, | calculated be would 81
inow all sbontlt. y"
No, says Sam. Can't you see that the IL
Wind has sll gone dosn here, ttonsh hs D.
flowing 8 gale where the Gre is1 Hold
u, now for I'm going TO open hfr out IL
nd we're going TO do some tall running u
With that be pulled open the throtle, d
ud the engine started With big Jump, ss q
she had iust seen the are and was badly 10
cared. We went down the track for 10
bout mile ats pretty good gait and 10
hen We bad TO stop while Sam frightened oil
mt 10 the connecting roi. vi
Do you mean to run away from the 6fe5
asked. &C
| calculate TO try it, ssid Sam, since it's
ur only chance. but | doa't much be n'
eve that We can rup IS iss. 90 this track Ia
! the ERE csu. That FIRE is coming on at W
be rate OF twenty miles 80 hour and
hether this engine will keep on the 10
Ill st spy such rate as that | Lave my 90
o lbts. Hullol here come the snakes. "
Wsll. We started on sssin. running over th
,akes BY the dozen. We bad los, sbout ca
senty three minutes by stopping, bat sc
le Gre seemed TO have gained on as sbout be
ali the distance that it hsd been when We II
ret ssw II and We were nesr enough nov &c
bear the cracking and the roaring Of
ie 4 met, | saw tbs FIRE strike big N
ee, an5 II youIl believe 1t. thst tree in
lrst ~ II i, had been oiled vith gun oil
1w der and vsLisbed clean ont OF sight 10 TO
ss ,hsn minute after the lesVes begsu OF
irizzle The viud wss drawing towsrd pc
Ie Gre, bot We could see by the wsy The ~
.mes scled thst hish east siEd vss vi
ringing the ere dowu 90 us al AZ swiu sal
lie. The f inca wouli shoo, up Thirty
forty I, ct ito the ait spd wave jad ss ID