The suburban citizen., 1901-12-28

tank wanted instructions. Grimes en-
gineer was ready to go back, but re-
Quested additional orders to take
on his train at the cut, and then go
rolling down the line to Janesville
without waiting for further tele-
graphed instructions.
If Casey had been thoroughly him
self he would not have granted it,
because such a thing is irregular in
railroad practice, and two trains nearly
! always get into trouble when they
try to pass on the same track. But for
ten seconds it slipped his mind that
he had given O'Connor the right Of
way. And in that ten seconds, hay
ing Annie's smile before his eyes and
being benevolently inclined to all, he
told Grimes engineer to go ahead.
Then he looked out and saw Annie
waving at him from across the track.
She, too, had forgotten something. Did
he prefer beef tongue or ham in his
sandwiches? That was all, or nearly
all, and it was quickly settled. He
preferred ham.
But when Casey got back and looked
at his order book he turned white.
According to the stories In the maga-
zines he should have drawn a gun on
himself or died of heart disease. This
is a true account, however, and Casey
did nothing of the sort. He shut his
lips tight and all the sunshine Of the
day turned black, and all the pretty
things he had been thinking about the
girl turned black with it. He jumped
to the ticker and tried to rouse the
operator at the cut
The brute was slow and when he did
answer he said that Grimes train had
gone. Gone! Casey was almost reach
ing for the gun in the top drawer But
he didn't, He worked the instrument
again.
"Chase it?' ratified Casey, and the
operator chased.
In the next ten minutes Casey got
his first gray hair
Now, from the cut to Janesville it
is down grade all the way. The gravel
train had stood on a siding, and the
brakeman had to jump to catch the
caboose after ne had locked the switch
The track was bad and good sprint
ing was out Of the question. The op-
orator was a long-legged chap, how
ever, and he had a chance.
Meanwhile Casey sat still and wait
| ed. He saw the wreck vividly-the
steaming ruin Of the engines, the
heaped up train and the bodies lying
side by side under blankets. Then the
inquest and all the rest Of the night
mare. There was murder on his hands
unless that train was stopped. And
if it was stopped-well, there would be
words Of comment by trainmen, mes
sages over the wire to the division
superintendent and orders not ordered
by Casey, and it would be all over
with Casey's railroad career, to say
nothing of Annie and the picnic.
OConnor had left Janesyille long ago
and now was plugging along up the
grade, with numerous curves ahead
and fifty dagoes behind. Grimes train
was rapidly gaining headway, string
ing out Of the siding and rafting onto
the main track, going faster with every.
yard.
The long-legged operator ran rapidly
Just as the train Strengthened out for
the down grade Of the main line he
caught the last hand rail of the ca
boose and was flung off his feet, but
hung on and climbed aboard.
And there they stood, the engine
putting and blowing off, and Grimes
talking very earnestly with his engi-
neer when the OConnor train pulled
in. 1t was the long-legged operator
who saved the trains-but it was the
backyard quarrel that saved Casey.
Grimes scowled, O'Connor glowered,
conversation was out Of the question,
and official joint reports not to be
thought Of In the feud that had dis
rupted the neighborhoOd up on Lynn
street, the poor train dispatcher who