Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-05-07

| the conductor with him, and they
icrawled in under the engine and in
spected it, and then climbed into the
cab and looked everything over, and
worked the levers and put on full
steam, and my grandfather kept talk
ing about the fireman and getting ex-
cited, but not one of them was smart
enough to see what was wrong.
Nobody can puzzle this thing OUT
said my grandfather finally, except the
man that built it, but if had such and
such tools'-and he told them what he
Wanted-'and some logs of wood |
might fix it myself. AS a last resort
he concluded to send the brakeman and
/ the conductor back to the nearest sta
| ton for the tools and assistance, while
| he took an axe and went into the wood
after the logs. He chopped and chopped
for about ten minutes, and when he had
as much wood as he wanted he re-
turned to the train-that is. he went
back to where he thought he had left
it-but the locomotive and the three
cars had disappeared"
Disappeared" cried the farmer and
jthe schoolmaster in one breath.
Yes said Bob my grandfather
was SO astonished that he iustS sat
down on the track and cried Then he
thought it was foolish for him to be-
have it that way; perhaps the conduc-
tor and the brakeman had found out
the trouble while he was busy chop
ping and had taken the train and pas
sengers away. But he reflected that
they would have known better than to
get themselves into trouble with the
directors by such an action, so. not
knowing what else to do, he shouted so
loud and so often that the people all
came running out of the wood. think
ing that the locomotive had been re-
paired and that this was the promised
signal.
My! those biscuits are certainly
good, Mr.. Blossom" said Bob, as he bit
into another that he had been holding
in his hand
Yes, yes, l know" said the farmer
impatiently; hurry your story along
Bob, and tell us what was the matter
with the locomotive, and I'll see that
you get whole painful tomorrow.
Thank you, SIR" said Bob "all
right, then; I'll cut it short. MY
grandfather and the passengers start
ed to run along the track as fast as
they could-all except the sadfaced
man, they could not find him, for they
thought the train might stop again af-
ter short run. My grandfather was
terribly frightened, for he thought of
the accidents that might happen with
no one to manage the LOCOMOTIVES; but
in spite of that he said that he could
not help laughing when he looked
back and saw the people running mad
ly after him with their hands full Of
flowers and their faces as long as his
arm.
at all turned out just as my grand
father had expected; they had found
| the locomotive standing still again,
and putting and blowing, about a
| quarter of a mile from the station,
and they had to get another locomotive
to pull her in.
''Then," said Bob, ''they found out
the trouble. "The machinery was run
ming Independent of the lever because
it had slipped cog
Slipped cog!" exclaimed his hear
ers incredulously.
yes said Bob, any grandfather ex-
planned it all very clearly in technical
| terms. It was in the early days Of
| locomotives, you know, and they were
| not so well built as they are to-day,
when such a thing could not happen.
You have seen betting slip off a pull
| ley and stop moving, while the ma
chinery kept on going, haven't you,
Mr.. Birch?"
"Oh, yes" answered the school
master.
"And both you gentlemen" added
Bob, have probably noticed the hands
of a clock get caught and lose an hour
or two, and then go on again, while
the clock kept ticking all the while?"
Certainly" they answered.
"Well, that's the way this was. You
recollect, l told you my grandfather
had the forward lever on when he left
his engine, so the parts came together
| again. allo." cried Bob, suddenly;
its half-past seven, and 1 have an en-
gagement. Goodnight, gentlemen"
and off he went.
| That's a strange tale" said Mr..
| Birch, as he rose and stretched HIM
self preparatory to his departure, but
it is plausible and probably true; still,
prefer a story wherein the moral is
evident and well directed"
Farmar Blossom was disappointed
with the conclusion of the tale. He ex-
pected that Bob would get mixed UP be-
fore he got through-thinking that the