The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-04-01
o o o o

tremulOuS wall. Instantly Polly dart
ed outside and flew up the track. Al
ready the express should have thun-
dered past the station, but she could
see it's headlight a hundred yards or
more away.
With hundred terrifying questions
flashing through her mind, Polly ran
on through the gloom. When she was
almost within range of the big head
light, she saw half dozen armed men
swarming around the engine, she heard
fierce oaths, and then the engine start
ed up again. She saw in an instant
that it had been cut free from the train.
In the cab window, where her father
usually stood, there was a big, unfa
miliar figure managing the lever and
throttle. Terrified Polly sprang to one
side into a clump of bushes. AS the
locomotive passed her on it's way up
the track she saw that the man in the
cab wore a black mask on his face, and
then she knew what had happened.
She understood why Pinckney had
tried to warn her and failed. Robbers
had held up the train and were pre-
pairing to rob the express car.
For a moment Polly was torn with
doubt and terror. Had they shot her
father? She knew that he never would
submit to have his train captured with
out struggle. Should she go to him?
Then she remembered her station and
the telegraph, and, without a moments
delay, she was flying down the track
toward the depot. She would send for
help to Mercer, but squarely in front of
the little depot the locomotive stopped,
and the black masked man sprang from
the cab window and darted across the
platform. Hardly thinking what she
was doing, Polly ran up on the other
sde-the fireman's side of the engine
and, raising herself up, peered into the
cab. She had half expected to see her
fathers dead body lying on the floor,
for she had heard much about the ter
rible doings of train robbers.
Through the cab window she could
see the robber sitting at her. own little
desk in the depot sending a message.
1t flashed over her all at once that he
was wiring Mercer that the express
was delayed, thus preventing any
alarm. The robber had pushed up his
mask, and she saw him plainly.
At that moment three shots rang out,
clear and istinct, from the detached
train. The man at the telegraph in
strument sprang to his feet and ran to
a side window in the waiting room and
looked up the track.
Now was her chance. Hardly think
ink what she did Polly sprang to the
engineers cab, threw back the reverse
lever and opened the throttle steadily.
The big steel wheels began to turn,
very slowly at first. Farther and far
ther the throttle opened and faster and
faster turned the wheels, and vet they
did not go half fast enough to suit
Polly, who was now glancing fearfully
over her shoulder.
Suddenly the depot door was thrown
open, and she saw the robber darting
up the track. He had a pistol in his
! hand. He was pointing it at her and
shouting for her to stop, but the engine
was now going at good speed, and, run
as he would, the robber could not catch
it, but he stopped and fired, the bullet
ripping through the cab over Polly's
head.
! The engine was now tearing down
the track at full speed. Polly knew
that it must be fired or it would not 20
! far, and so, leaving the throttle open,
she sprang to the coal pit, flung open
| the firehole, and with the heavy shovel
in her small white hands threw in load
/ after load of coal. When she returned
| to her place she could see the first sig
nal light of Mercer already blinking
into view She pulled down on the
| whistle cord and the engine shrieked
/ it's distress.
Five minutes later Polly strained al
+ the heavy reverse lever, turned hard
on the airbrake and brought the great
| iron horse to sudden standstill. How
she ever managed to stammer the story
! she never knew, but in a few minutes
| the engine was headed back with a
| half dozen armed men aboard of her
! Behind them came another load of mer
on switch engine and two men were
racing up the street of Mercer calling
! the alarm.
hey IIIc llAS UGlOIS they
reached Kane Greek, but it ceased soo1
afterward. The robbers had gone
They had taken with them much plum
der from the passengers, but they hat
not been able to get into the express
safe, although they were at work drill
ing it open when relief came.
From the time that the engine
stopped Polly was missing. When TIT
rescued and excited passengers and eX
press messengers began to GROVE
around and inquire, the Mercer Incl
remembered her. A party of them wen
out to find the girl who had brough
help to the beleaguered train.
In little clump of bushes they hear,
a man moaning, and an instant late
they saw Polly kneeling in the SAN
with her fathers head in her lap, cry
ing bitterly, and they gathered up tn
brave engineer and his daughter an
carried them down to the train, cheer
ing all the way.
- Engineer Marshall was not badl
hurt, and he was able TO be in Merce
when the general manager of the roa
y thanked the blushing Polly officiall
and offered her a new and better pos
ton in Mercer, and, of course all til
passengers and express messenger
heard about Polly's brave deed an
said a great many pleasant thing
about her, but Polly, being a sensibl
girl, only blushed and said that she ha
to do it, and that any other girl woul
have done the same under like circum
stances. Which no one believed, o
course.
Later, when the robbers were car
tured, Polly was able to identify one o
them positively-the one who had ru