Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1900-03-22

time, but according to the rules Of the
road, Engineer Quinlan shouid have
, sidetraeked at Edwardsville, a flag
station five miles west OF Muncie.
On the Rock Island west bound trains
have the right Of way, and II is the
duty Of conductors and engineers in
charge of specials or extras to keep q
lookout for regular trains. Bat in
some way Ransom and Quinlan mis-
understood each other. The former
expected to walt at Edwardsville; the
latter thought he was to make the
siding at Muncie.
Ransom was sitting In the smoking
car talking with a friend. when he
saw the depot at Edwardsville whIzz
past In the twinkling Of an eye. He
pulled ont his watch, glanced at IL,
then hastily replaced it In his pocket.
For moment be seemed to be calcu-
lating; then without q word he jumped
into the aisle and, selling the bell
cord, gave it long pull. He waited
to hear the grating OF the brakes
against the wheels, but 1t did not
come. The train only seemed to 60
faster.
His face suddenly grew pale, as that
of one dead. A look OF hopeless ter
ror shot from his eyes. He realized
the gravity of the situation.
Again be grasped the close woven
rope. This time he gave 1t two fran
tic jerks. Again there was no re-
sponse, save the spiteful click Of the
rails that came in quicker succession
than before. Was Quinlan dead or
had he gone mad2 Gould 1t be that
he had forgotten the fiier?
There was no time to answer. The
train was now making mile min
ute. Though Ransom knew it not,
Quinlan had seen his error when Ed
wardsville was a good mile behind.
To slow up and back to the siding
there in time for the fier to pass was
an impossIbillty. If the west bound
train happened to be few minutes
late he might reach Muncie in time.
He knew this was improbable, but 1t
was his one ray of hope, and he was
putting on every pound of steam. I'll
was race with death.
Only a hundred feet separated the
two men, but 30 far as communication
was concerned one might as well have
been IN heaven, the other in hell. For
the moment they were both In hell,
however.
Biting his lips until the blood almost
oozed from them, Ransom reached
for the air rope. This should have
lessened the speed of the train in
stantly, and the hiss OF the escaping
air would have sounded in his ears
like the song Of angels. But for some
reason this had no effect.
He was dazed with the thought of
his utter helplessness. Each second
was carrying the men and women who
looked to him for their safety hum
dred feet nearer the monster that now
loomed mp before him. 1t would
either snuff out their lives instantly
or give them lingering deaths and
months-perhaps years-of suffering.
He could see its huge, single eye
gloating over the feast ct hand; he
could hear the crunching OF its iron
jaws above the prayers and shrieks of
lite victims. There in front Of him
were bodies torn in twain. A score
of dead men fixed the stare Of their
signtless eyee in HE face and mooked
him with their lifeless arms out
stretched. In an instant the scene
was changed.
He could see into the sitting room of
q humble dwelling. A woman with
sweet face was sitting by window.
She looked at the clock and then
gazed out into the street. On the floor
beside her two children built wonder
ful castles with blocks, and called on
her to admire them. Presently they
tired of the play and went to the
womsn's side. They were hungry,
but the woman said they must walt. |
Something in her eyes seemed to
satisfy them, and they went to castle
building again. Then 1t faded, and
back came the awful realization.
Ransom wanted to shout, but he
dared not. What good would it do9
If they jumped from that train going as
1t was, death was certain. he wanted
to curse, but he had forgotten how.
He wanted to debut he had only
two minutes longer to live any way.
He would not give up yet,
He ran to one end of the car. There,
In the wash room, was an emergency
valve. This had never failed, though
1t was seldom used. It was his last
hope.
With hands that trembled like leaves
in the wind, he grasped the door
knob and gave II turn. Then, throw
ing his body forward with all his
strength, he fell against the door, but
1t stood as rigid as the tree from
which 1t had been cut. II was locked
and the porter had the keyl
As he turned to seek the negro, the
half crazed conductor looked out q
window. He had not noticed that the
speed ofthe train had slacksned some
whGt, though almost imperceptibly.
Quinlan was getting ready to Try to
make the siding, but the train ives