The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-12-27

suppressing yourself and giving me a
chance. You take much-needed rest aid
give me chance to run this train.
| mayn't do it as well as you would, but I
want to try. Go back to your car and keep
very qulet-yery quiet, indeed-for the
rest of this trip. Brooks, send message
back to Resaca to send forward those two
cars by the next train without fail and re-
port to Kingston when they start. Will
| lams, you'll have to ride common saddle.
Start the train at once, and tell the en-
gineer to push things. We've only been
crawling along Shake him up
The Generals sarcasm hurt Shorty
| much worse than if he had given him the
| lively cursing he expected. He could not
understand all the words the General used,
but felt that they meant something awful
he went back to his car in a wrathful
mood, but quieted down after awhile and
began to grumble at the slow pace of the
train. He shared the Generals impotence
to get on, and was not long in reaching the
conclusion that he could get more speed
out of the locomotive than the engineer
| was doing. If he could only do this, he
would win the Generals approval and re-
gain his lost honors.
| At the next stop for water he went for
| ward, ingratiated himself with the engi-
neer by pleasant story as to his abilities
and experience in running an engine, was
, invited up into the cab, and finally given
charge of the throttle over piece of clear,
easy track. The engineer had been worked
to the last limit during this driving time
| and he was frightfuly tired, nearly dead
for sleep, and welcomed any relief. He
watched Shorty run for a few miles, gave
| him occasional directions, and saw with
approval his management of the engine, re-
| Taxed his own strain of attention by de-
grees, and before he knew it was asleep,
sitting on the left side of the cab.
L
sped back under the wheels He made the
fireman rush up the steam, opened wider
| the throttle. and struck a pace that pleased
| him. He grew so self-confident that he
did not think it necessary to awaken the
engineer as they approached Kingston, but
decided to run in himself
| A freight train, loaded with Commissary
goods, vas i,uliing onto Il Switch to get out
of the way, just as he came around the
curve outside of Kingston. Shorty guessed
that it would get onto the switch in time
and did not slacken his speed, though he
blew the whistle, which Weakened the en-
gineer, who gave a quick glance and
sprang for the throttle and the whistle
rope, to give shrill call for brakes. He
was too late. The locomotive struck the
second car from the rear of the freight
| train, which was directly across the track
| Squarely near the center, and sent pork
and crackers flying all around that section
of the country.
Shorty skipped back to the boys and
said to 81:
Isl, lookout for my things and bring
them on with you. L guess I'll walk the
rest o. the way to Atlanta. | want to take
a look ut the country
Gen. Sherman walked forward and
looked at the wreck, and remarked:
Somehow, I've got a suspicion that n
certain redheaded Corporal is at the bot
tom of this. If L can get hold of him, I'll
make him sit down here and eat up all
these rations that he's spoiled.
| (rO be continued.)