Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-06-24
The Daily Short Story
THE RED LIGHT. !
BY II. /. CLEVELAND.

In the days when the Union Pacific
railroad was fighting for traffic and ex.
istence the division between Evanston
wy, and Ogden, Utah. was considered
TO be about as dangerous for an engine
run as any between Omaha and the
Salt lake. The track was rough, the
curves almost right angles. slides nu-
merous and enemies of the road every
where. Miners, stOckmen. pioneers and
Indians did not meet early railroad
building with that cordiality that their
SUCCESSORS have. They thought little of
drawing a rail, burning n culvert or
starting a loose mass of rock from its
perch for slide down to the track and
in the way Of Oncoming trains.
One of the early engineers was man
by the name OF "Short" Tready, a
youngster OF %, full of ginger and
nerve and a capable employee. his
fireman was younger than he. is, and
by name Fat" Griswold. They were
mutual admirers of each other. Fat"
regarded "Short" as the bravest man
that ever touched a throttle, and he
could give reasons for his belief.
short admired Fat" because he new
er failed in performing his duty.
"Short" was unmarried, but engaged to
settlers daughter who lived with her
father in one of the mountain clefts
near the Devils slide. "Short" and
Fat" had given this cleft the name of
"Alice No. l." the first part of the title
being the name of the sweetheart and
the last part the estimate placed upon
her both by lover and friend. Just
west of the cleft was great bend in
the track, above which hung tons and
tons of mountain shale and rock, liable
under proper pressure TO descend and
bury not only the track. but any train
which plunged into it.
"Short" and Fat hauled coal west
from Evanston to Ogden and fruit east
from Ogden to Evanston. They ran
on no particular time card in those
days They were supposed to get over
the track just as fast as their old fash
toned mogul could and to keep out of
the way of anything that had faster
schedule than they. They never swung
by alice No. l." day or night, but
what there was the figure of n young
girl standing at the bend waving n
hand and throwing kisses-the hand
was for Fat and the kisses for
short" If it was night when they cir
cled through the mountains, they knew
the girl was there because she always
carried a red lamp. She had said to
short early in their engagement:
THAT red lamp won't mean danger,
as il generally does elsewhere. Reds my
color, and when you see that lamp be-
fore you hit the bend you'll know that
the track is clear, that I'm we'll and
that 1 love you"
So week after week the special
freight swept through the canyon,
whistling shrilly, and never n miss of
the Alice of alice No. II 1t was
something to see short" hang way out
of his cab when he caught sight Of her
and skillfully drop ut her feet some lit
tie package of trinkets which he had
bought for her in the town. 1t was
something also to see Fat" manfully
saluting his partners future bride and
giving a few extra tugs at the whistle
cord for her honor.
Everybody on the line knew of
Shorts" girl and the bend she watch
ed. Other engineers would look for
her, but she was never visible until an
engines scream way down the canyon
told her that shorts" mogul was COM
Ing. Then she took her place and then
she saw the man of her love.
This had been going on for about
six months, and Short" was beginning
to think OF his wedding day. when one
day the mountain rains set In and
tremendous slides descended on the
tracks. ''Short" escaped all harm for
the time. but he was very fearful of
the mass OF drift above the bend at
"Alice No. l."
Don't worry about that" said Fat"
"Alice will watch that, and We'll get
he signal sure il there's trouble there. T"
So on n September night they came
pIunging down to Alice No. Il through
the mist and howl of the wind, and
there was the welcoming red light and
back OF it the shadow of the girl She
was probably 300 feet from the bend
and the upheld shale. Just as the
engine was abreast of her and "Short"
leaning out so that she should see his
face a scream came from her lips.
There was n rumble up the mountain
sides. crashing of things. an awful
roar, and the bend at alice No. 1"
was suddenly buried in an avalanche
of mud. rock and flying stuff.
Short" had only 800 feet to work
I'm and bad brakes on his train. He re-
versed, Fat" working with him. He
dropped the sand and whistled for the
rear hand brakes. But what could he