The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-01-24

! telling them all good-by at the house and
walking over. SO i had the pleasure os
| seeing the train run away from u.s.
But what are you going 90 dof" de-
manded Harry utterly obvious % the
| fact that the tank was full. and That Nc
was losing precious seconds of the hard
| earned time.
Mr.. Mann says can 60 on tho way
freight" she explained. II am waiting
| for IT,"
THE way freight why Il will take you
! all day TO get nowhere"' ThSn he had
Z, daring hashlight Of an idea. and In Tie
dazzle of IL promptly broke one of the Sd
! man Bence's iron-ciad rules. There arc
only mail cars on this train. Miss Prissic.
bat II you'll trust tho cab OF the iols IN
carry you 20 Arroya where YOU can catch
. rs she comes along. We pass her this
side OF Arroya."
Miss Priscilla Cartwright was not one Of
those who dwell In the valley OF indeci-
sion on the spur OF the moment she ac-
cepted his offer. was lifted. first 20 the
footboard and then 10 seat on Harry's
box. and five minutes later the Lone Pine
station wag a r1ere blot on the brown
plain. and the big flyer was pitching and
rolling as only a high-framed camel-back
can when IL Is turned loose under the
hand of a man whose nerve is all that IL
should be.
For the first few heart-rending miles of
Il Priscilla was frankly terrified. For this
cause she shut her lips tightly, knowing
that II she opened them 1t must be to
scream. Then. BY slow degrees. the ter
ror Of II slipped into admiration for the
| caim-eyed young fellow at her side, the
man who was responsible for all this
, pandemonlac rush and roar and demon-
( clatter Just here she had a glimpse OF
| the ideal manhood; the something which
Is above all education and refinement
and is apart from either; the thing which
Il able 90 stand in its own strength. and
which has called the woman at all times
and tongues in commandings not to be
denied.
AS for Harry, apart from a warm glow
Of triumphant satisfaction born OF the
nearness OF her, II Is TO be feared that he
was more OF the engineer than the lover
just then The mail schedule was reck-
lessiy fast. and II was a point of honor
among the men 10 make its time-to
make up the time when II was late.
Hence. Harry was pretty well occupied
in getting the last possible wheel-turn OF
speed out OF the 1919: and when the chat
tering exhaust deepened to "A steady roar,
and the endless line OF telegraph poles
became reeing procession past the cab
window. he was still coaxing the big
flyer with added little jerks of the
throttle.
1t was on the great fill on Dump Noun
tain that the end came. At this point
the c. and G. r.. rounds the western slope
> i on q level grade, turns the northern
} shoulder on a long curve with a slight
descent, and then pitches sharply down
to cross thousand foot deep ravine on
the huge fill. What Harry saw on turn
ing the shoulder OF the mountain aged
, him ten years in half many seconds.
Just beyond the centre of the fill was tho
passenger train which he had been grad
ually overtaking-and IL was standing
still Three car lengths in its rear dis
placed rail broke the double line or
. | shining steel. And a hundred yards
nearer a fagman was racing up the
: grade, making frantic signals to the on
, | rushing mail.
4 What there was to be done was done
Z instantly and 10 little purpose. In the
: | turning OF a leaf Harry had the 1913 In
: the reverse motion and had given her tho
q air Then he realized that the 10l9s de-
mon was once more I'm possession. Some
!. thing was wrong with the air brake and it
' failed TO respond. With a quick yen OF
: warning TO his fireman he gave the whis-
Y tie signal which calls for the application
: OF the brake by the train crew. and the
q result of this was immediate and logical.
@ With the sudden checking OF the train,
4 brought about when every mail clerk IN
r the five cars Jumped for the cords 'of tho
v "automatic' the coupling between tho
h engine and the nearest car snappeo with
a report like pistol shot. Then freed
$ OF the train drag. the demoniac 1913 shot
n away joyously for the. plunge at tho
II broken rail regardless OF reversed steam
S and Harry's frenzied efforts to make the
i. driver brakes take hold He desisted
t when he saw It was no use and looked
2. up into Priscilla's face with smile that
: FOR all her Icy terror she saw and remem-
o bered.
/ "She's going to kill u.s." he said coolly.
: "but IL you love me as much as do you
!. well fool her and go together"
y She was too terrified to speak, but her
:, answer was in her eyes, and In quick
; out-reaching OF her arms to him. He saw
:; and understood; and at the catching OF a
!. breath snatched her from the box backed
y out Of the cramped cab to the running
board and leaped with her out into space
r. just as the broken rail was no more tnan
(, a short car length away.
4 II was the rear brakeman of No. who
= | witnessed the subsequent events.
!. Say AZ looked to me like she was hit-
. | tin il a mile minute when she struck
u the break. but guess was some ratified.
: She h'isted up on one side when she found
the rail gone. give grunt, and went
: rolin' down them there thousand feet a
- dump with her drivers a-spinnin' In the
= back gear like Fourth o. July fireworks.
= mo; there wasn't much left o her
~ worth pickin' up when she landed mongst
= the rocks at the bottom O. that giilcb.
I, you bet Aud when we'd all swallered
= once r twice We looked to see what bad
:. come O. Harry and his girl. Say, they
= wasn't hurt no moren was--nr half so
= bad scairt The dirt train'd been worktn'
q on their side o. the dump and II was all
= soft and slidey-like where they hit 1t.
"a Harry helped the schoolma' am up. and
they stood and looked down at what was
lt left o. the 10. The girl sort o. shivered,
,r but Harry he Jest laughed and said, 4
% told 'em I'd smash her II she ever tried
" to kill me. and guess I've done II right.
IN And she didn't get the mail, mr. she didn'i
% get us. Old Man Bence III give me 80 days
,f for IT, OH gen'ral principles. s'pose, but
81 / don't care. Prissie. if you don't I'll
put in the time gon' back home with
you and gettin' acquainted with your
u folks"
And that IS precisely what he did
hi Francis Lenide.