Evening star., 1897-02-13

desk where the girl sat. Keep your seat,
said the dispatcher as she was about to
rise, and after glancing over the work,
turned blanched face to the Superinten-
dent.
There was moment of silence in which
the two men gazed helplessly into each
others faces and listened constantly for
call from East or WeStcreek. The Keys
clicked merrfly, and the girl whose cheeks
were now burning red gathered in the re-
ports from the various stations of the COM
ing and going of many trains.
Now the operator at Eastbrcok touched
the key ard said: No twenty minutes
late" and fresh color came to the white
faces in the dispatcher's office
When the operator at westcreek quit
ted the platform and re-entered the office.
he heard a hurry-up call for him. which
came in a quick. nervous way. and told
him that he was wanted. He answered at
once and got this in return: Hold No. g.
lap order" The last two words assured
him that compliance with this order was
recessary to prevent collision. NO is
came back to him in an instant The man
Is crazy. thought the operator, but he
would try. As he rushed from the office
light engine was Just pulling out OF the
siding to take water. This locomotive be
longed to the crew of a work train. but
the train had been left in the siding. The
operator sprang into the cab and shouted
to the engineer to pull out and catch No. &.
enough. The driver, without waiting for
his fireman. who was some yards behind,
tUgging at stiff switch in an effort to
close it. pulled the throttle open and bound
ed away up the steep grade behind the
passenger train.
Now they could see the rear end of No.
| Just whipping corner. The roadmaster
saw the approaching engine and as she
came nearer guessed that she was run
ming wild-rider1ess-or that her rider had
lost control Of her. 1t might be that the
engineer did not see them. Theirs was a
heavy train-they were losing time. He re-
membered that they had been two minutes
| late at Westcreek. He called the rear flag
man. who was "railroading with dead
head conductor in the smoking room Of the
sleeper. The hagman took in the situa-
ton at a glance. His business was to flag,
regardless Of circumstances and vague pos
sibilities, and before the roadmaster could
stay him the fearless f1agman swung him.
self round and dropped from the train. Ry
the time he had regained his feet and
found his flag the light engine. uttering q
wild shrek. dashed by him. The engineer
face to the fireman's side and refused to
see the danger signal. Now he was near
enough to whistle the other engines
down." and the enginemen pulling the
! passenger train shut on, and when the
| driver Of the light engine saw a chimney
| of white steam shoot up from each Of the
forward locomotives. he knew they had
| quit, and slowed his own machine accord
| ingiy. When they had come up to the train
| the operator ran to the rear OF No. D.
| shouted. Lap order, back up" and hur-
ried over to the head end. The road
| master reached for the rope and signaled
| the engineers to back up.
| The drivers opened their throttles and
1 whistles and began to Jam the train back
! The driver of the light engine reversed
1 at once upon dropping the operator, pick
ed up the hagman and was now backing
I away for Westcreek at a frightful pace
| His fireman, still at the switch, let him In
/ and just as the operator and conductor had
| forced the stubborn rails back to the main
| line. the presidents special crashed over
| the switch.
/ near they had been to death. Their orders
| read to meet No 8 at Westereek and there
| she was In to clear, just as the DARING
driver OF the special engine had expected
| to find her.
The conductor of No. 8, with his two en-
4 gineers. the readmaster and operator
wasted five minutes reading. checking
I comparing and examining the orders they
| had received. They were all signed .s,r I
| u by the trainmaster himself The thipe
was plain-he had given a lap order. hui
naa discovered his mistake in time, by tn.
| sood fortune that had left the light enein,
| at Westereek, to prevent an awful disaster
he was a good fellow and they were al
giad ne had saved himself. although fh,
| when he came up for promotion. Inci
| alive. e' "Si'
To appreciate the mysterious part Of tb,
tale, the reader should understand th,
value of time-not of hours and minutes
out oil seconds-in handling trains on ,
sahsie-track railroad. 1t will be remem
beret that Goodlough discovered his mis-
take at 81. No, was due to pass West
| creek at :2S. and at go the superintanden
had seen the trafnmaster collapse. II vii
oe remembered also that No. was twa
minutes late. but the man who had sen
| the lap order did not know 1t, and hi
nerve would not last until he could find 1
| Out. The order to hold No. 8-fhe orSie
| winch prevented the collision and doubles
1 saved many Iives-was sent at 9:3l. n va
| signed with the initials Of the trainmaster
/ eut AZ time when that gentleman wa
1.oead 10 the world and had been 80 for tw,
| whole minutes
| NO man was In a better position to knoy
these facts than the superintendent, VIII
| was the only man In the dispafcher,s of1ic
Al the moment when the mysterious mes
sage flashed over the wire, and who's
/ business 1t Was to investigate the wAol