The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1897-12-07

"i'h thc uuO Oh spring, waved breast
hl8h. There was no sound except the
monotonous beat of the wheels, as
they passed from ono rail to the next,
and the steady swish of the grass. as
1t bent before the rushing wind of the
train
was sitting on the platform of the
observation car, with half n dozen
othec passengers. The conversation
iell upon prairie fires, aud each man
had mis- say.
lt was along in 1874, when this
ROAD was a-building, and / was one of
the engineers assistants" spoke up a
grlzzled, hard-featured man who had
taken bu5 little part in the conversa-
ton. I'VE began at the western end.
down by Bucephalus, aud we had laid
out ABOUT forty miles of track in n
straight liae right across the prairie,
ana mad got to within, say, ten miles
from where we are a this identical
minute. 1t was an easy Job, for we
Just laid the sleepers down on the
ground aal spiked the rails to them.
calculating to ballast the track when
we got good and ready had big
gang OF lrishmen under me, aud we
used to average Il mile day of track
laying One July we had strik e
among the laborers, anI all hands
quit work. / was down at Bucephalus
n the time, aud the chief engi-
neer asked me to take locomo-
tive over the line and see if the strikers
had done any damage before they
left us.
81 started out in the morning with
nobody except the engineer in charge
OF the locomotive, | agreeing to take
turns with him in shoveling coal and
watching the engine We came
along slow and easy for the track was
too rough for any fast running, and
about noon we got to where it ended
There were no signs that the strikers
had med He'd with the track, aud as if
was pretty hot day, Sam and |. after
we had had our lunch, lay down
alongside of the engine in the shade
of the cab and took n nap.
woke up n little before o'clock.
and as | was filling pipe aud making
up my mind to wake Sam and to start
Tor home big wolf bolted ont from
the nigh grass and ran across the track
not two yards from us His tail was
between his legs aud the foam was
dripping from his mouth, AID he was
making about as good time rs any wolf
ever male before or since. He never
so much rs looked at me, and when he
he'd vanished ] called Sam aud told
him ! had seen n mad wolf. While I
was speaking about n dozen prairie
dogs rushed past us, an I then there
came another wolf aud couple of
hares. All of them were doing their
level best, and they paid no more at
tention to MS than if we had been n
couple Of corpses
What ON earth is the meaning of
this clrcusY says l. Are those ami
mails Just racing for the championship.
or IS there somebody after them?'
'Sam didn't answer but I saw that
he looked scared Tie spraug M. and
climbing ON his engine look ed over the
prairie TO the eastward Then he sang
out TO me TO get into the cab quicker
than lightning, and started to open the
draught and set the fires blazing
What is it?' / began 10 ask. as I
climbed into the cab But + didn't
need t. finish my question. / could
see for myself what was the matter.
The whole prairie east Of us. as far ms
] could see, was in u blaze. aud as
there had been 70 strong east wilma all
day, and the Ere wasn't moro than
three or four miles away. ] calculated
IT would be down on az i'm very few
minutes
Hadn't we better start ~ fire and
burn some OF this grass or before the
fire gets here; asked Sam You see.
/ had read about Tint way Of stopping
q prairie fire. and knowing Cha. Sam
had been born and bred on The prairie.
calculated be would know all
about 3D.
"'No. ny SAM. Can't You sec
that the wind has all gone down here.
though i's blowing gale whore the
fire is? Hold ou now, for Tm going
to open her ont. and we'ra qoing To- do
some lIl ruuuiug
With that ho puIlcdopou the tho.
tie. and the engine started with biz
jump. rs If she had iu seen the fire
aud was badly scared We went down
Che tact for about mile so pretty
good gail and then we bad TO- stop
while Sam frightened nut iu the con.
meeting rod