The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-10-08
THE RED LIGHT.
BY II. |. CLEVELAND.

wy, and Ogden, Utah, was considered
tc 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 c%ordiality that their
drawing a rail, burning a culvert or
starting a loose mass of rock from it's
perch for q slide down to the track and
in the way of oncoming trains.
One of the early engineers was a 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 Eat" Griswold. They were
mutual admirers of each other. Eat
regarded "Short" as the bravest man
that ever touched a throttle, and he
could give reasons for his belief.
SuOlI dultlllSO Idl pCSdOSS AC lev
er failed in performing his duty.
"Short" was unmarried, but engaged to
q 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 o.
"Alice No. L." the first part Of the title
being the name of the sweetheart and
thu loot port tho oct;rofo p1oood ,,pop
her both by lover and friend. Just
west Of the cleft was a 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 40 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 a faster
schedule than they. They never swung
by "Alice No. L." day or night, but
what there was the figure of a young
girl standing at the bend waving a
hand and throwing kisses-the hand
was for Cat and the kisses for
"Short." II 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 it 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 Pm well and
that I love you"
So week after week the special
freight swept through the canyon,
whistling shrilly, and never a miss Of
the Alice of "Alice No. l." 1t was
something to see "Short" hang way out
of his cab when he caught sight Of her
and skillfully drop at 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
"Short's' 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. IL :.
Don't worry about that said Fat"
"Alice will watch that, and We'll get
he signal sure if there's trouble there"
So on a September night they came
plunging down to "Alice No. l" 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 a rumble up the mountain
sides, q 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 300 feet to work
in 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
do-jump? He was not built that way.
He and Eat" went with their engine
and train into the mass and staid there.
After a long time the sun came out
of the clouds around the peaks, the
larks in the damp valleys piped cheeri-
ly and the long "halloo' Of the. COW
men rang over the grass ranges. At
"Alice No. 1" the wreckers had taken
out of a ruined mogul the battered
forms of two men and laid them in the
I c,,r1s~I% FNIo n@1l f,aa - -