Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-19

But when Abel climbed aboard at Arroyo
with his running orders for Grand Butte
Pettigrew shook himself awake.
What are the orders, Griscom? he
asked.
Run to meet II at Guernsey
Pettigrew glanced at his watch. Pretty
narrow margin, isn't It? Let me take her
to Guernsey" And Herewith he swung
himself up to Griscoms box, dropped the
reversing lever into the corner and took the
slack of the long, loose-coupled train as
gently as If he had an eye on each OF the
chain toggles that were doing duty Tor
missing drawbars on the "cripples.
Say, boys. he's been givin' us the laugh
all along" said Abel recounting it for the
benefit of the round house contingent the
next day. What he doesn't know about
gettin' the last hair kink out of an engine
amt worth fndin' out. By Jacks! the way
he tolled that string o. 'eripples' around
the corners to make time was caution 10
sinners! Knowed right where he had to
ease off and right where he could turn her
loose for every jolt Of speed them 'cripples'
'u'd stand. Maybe, as you say, he amt no
railroad man; but I'm tellin' you, when 1t
comes to runnin' a played-out scrap heap
like the IT, he's Old Man Science hisself."
Pettigrew was at his desk as usual the
morning after the wrecking trip, and
when Miss Gray came In to take his dicta-
tion the thousand miles of rank and file
etiquette lay between them again. If the
man were grateful he was too well trained
and well bred to show 1t. And II the young
woman were curious to know what had
come of the momentary breaking down OF
the barrier 1t served only to make her
little more precise and machine-like Inf her
attitude toward Mr.. Arson Pettigrew.
For a fortnight after this the epidemic
paused There were smashes enough to
show that the microbe was still with US.
but the casualty report was shorter and
less frequent. Also there were signs of re-
turning loyalty, as when some OF the older
men began to speak of the superintendent
as "Old Man Ans" and to admit guardedly
that In exceptional instances college man
and gentleman might likewise be good
railroad man.
But the sick division went back to
health positive one moonlit night in De-
cember when all the dun plains and heaved-
UP mountains lay stark and glistening I'M
der mantle Of frozen snow, and the main
line of the western division was lost to
sight save for the endless procession of
ice-incrusted telegraph poles and two black
streaks in the snow to mark the parallels
of the rails.
Train No. 6, the east-bound overland
Farnham conductor and Jack Mccain en-
gineer, was fifty minutes late, and it car
ried precious freight to many, not least
of all to the black-browed man who
crouched on the engineers box of the flying
locomotive. BLACK Jack" as the men
called him, had been alternating between
two moods all the way from Lone Pine.
When he thought of the wife and baby
girl riding on pass in the rear sleeper,
las good as anybody, by Cdr the grim
ness went out of him, and you might have
smitten him without fear of instant death.
But when he thought of the superinten-
dents car added to the already overbur-
dened train at Lone Pine he swore vi
ciously.
Just like him. he growled, adding a
string of vicious expletives. failing his
blank blank car on to me night like this!
And like as not he'll have me on the car
pet tomorrow for not making time with his
(more unprintable adjectiyes) 'blanked pri-
vate sleeping wagon"
But if the rear sleeper of No. carried
two women-souls priceless to the black
browed engineer, 1t also carried another,
dent. For Agnes Gray was one of the
sleeper passengers, returning from visit
to her cousin in Salt Lake.
No word save of business had passed be-
tween them since that evening of barrier
breaking but in some indefinable way Pet
tigrew knew that he was fighting his bat
tie and winning it, partly for sheer man
hoods sake, to be sure, but also because
the high ideals of this clear-eyed young
woman were holding him to the mark.
So, while Mccain, sending the big en-
CINE headlong at the grades, was thinking
of his wife and child. Pettigrew, at the
blow in store for Miss Gray-thinking Of 1t
and cursing the hard fate that would make
him deal the blow with his own hand.
But fate lying in wait at the foot Of the
rail- had another word to say, and 1t was
said with terrible emphasis.
Mccain felt the broken rail when the en-
CINE shot over 1t, and what man may do
to stop a train going at a forty-flve mile
gait was done in a half-doZen choking
heartbeats. Then he leaned far out Of his
window to look back, with all the blood in
his veins turning to Ice. One after another
Of the cars in the slowing train lurched
over the break, righted itself and trundled
on securely until the turn Of the rear sleep
er came. That lurched, like the others, and
for fitting instant Mccain thought 1T
would pass the break In safety. He was
mistaken. While he looked the Pullman
swung out of line with a humping crash,
broke it's coupling and plunged down the
embankment, dragging the superintendent
car with 1t.
Mccain was off in a fash, yelling like
demoniac and racing back while yet the
brakeshoes were grinding sparks from the
moving wheels. But quick as he was, the
fire in the Pullman's heater was quicker,
and by the time he had run half the trains
length the wreck was vomiting fame and
smoke from the broken windows.
There was help a-plenty at hand, and
what was more to the purpose leader OF
approved temper. Pettigrew had come out
Of his overturned car with nothing worse
than a few cuts and bruises, and he took
command at once.
STAND by with three or four more to
help me, and set everybody else at work
piling on snow" he said to Farnham. And
with that he dropped through a broken
window and began passing the imprisoned
occupants of the Pullman up to the will
ing hands above.
AS it CHANGED, Miss Gray was one of the
first, Thank God!' he gasped when he
found her Are you hurt?'
mo, not badly, I think" she said. GO
to the others frst-there is a baby in sec
ton g."
mot If there were 100 babies! Come"
And he wrapped her up in the berth cur
tains and handed her up to Farnham
Happily the Pullman's load was light,
and three minutes later when Pettigrew
CROPPED and stumbled through the binding
smoke with the engineers wife in his arms
he had forgotten the baby and thought he
had them all. But when he was dragging
himself up out Of the smoking furnace
there was a tumult afoot, and a black
browed man mad with grief and despair
was shouting in frenzy.
MY baby! my baby! Out O. the way and
let me get down there! Oh, God in heaven!''
1t was too late. they said, and they held
him back. But there was no one to hold
Pettigrew, and he dropped once more into
the roaring furnace; dropped and CROPPED
fighting as only brave man can fight for
the life Of another. And In the end he won
as brave man will: and when they drew
him up through the open window his eyes
were shut and the iron hand of suffocation
was gripping at his throat, but he had the