Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-11

thirty now. What have you, Georgie?"
wo-thirty-two," answered Sinclair,
leaning from the cab window And we're
ready"
Then gor' cried Pat Francis, raising two
fingers.
"Go!" echoed Sinclair, and waved back
ward smile to the crowd, as the pistons
took the push and the escapes wheezed.
A went up. The little engineer shook
his cap, and with flirting, shaking slide
| the McWilliams Special drew slipping away
between the shining rails for the Rockies.
Just how McWiliams felt we had no
means of knowing: but we knew our hearts
: would not beat freely until his Internal
special should slide safely over the last OF
the 266 miles which still lay between the
distressed man and his unfortunate child.
From McCloud to Ogalalla there is good
bit Of twisting and Slowing; but looking
east from Athens marble dropped be-
tween the rails might roll clear into the
Ogalalla yards. 1t is sixty-mle grade,
the ballast of Stag, and the sweetest,
springiest bed under steel.
To cover those sixty miles in better than
fifty minutes was like picking them off the
ponies; and the Five-Nine breasted the
Morgan divide, fretting for more hills to
climb.
The Five-Nine-for that matter any of
the sky-scrapers are built to balance ten or
a dozen slecpers, and when you run them
light they have a fashion of roofing their
noses into the track. A modest upgrade
just dDOul counters lnlS tellueICS, Dul OH d
slump and stiff clip and no tail to speak
Of you feel as if the drivers were going to
buck up on the ponies every once in while.
However, they never do, and George
whistled for Scarboro' junction, and $50
miles and two waters in 1913 out of ST
Cloud: and, looking happy. cussed Mr.. Nc
William little, and gave her another hat
full of steam.
1t is getting down HILL like the hills of
the Mattaback valley, at such a pace that
pounds the track out of shape. The Five
Nine lurched at the curves like mad wo
man, shook free with very fury, and If the
baggage car had not been fairly loaded
down with the grief of McWilliams, it must
have jumped the rails dozen times in as
many minutes.
Indeed the fireman-it was Jerry MacEl-
roy-twistirg and shifting between the ten
der and the furnace, looked for the first
time grave, and stole a questioning glance
from the steam-gauge toward George.
But yet he didn't expect to see the boy,
his face set ahead and down the track
Straighten suddenly up, sink in the lever
and close at the instant on the air. Jerry
felt her stumble under his feet-caught up
like girl in a skipping-rope-and grabbing
a brace looked, like a wise stoker, for his
answer out of the window There far ahead
it rose in hot curling clouds of smoke down
among the alfalfa meadows and over the
sweep of willows along the Mattaback
river. The Mattaback bridge was on fire
with the McWilliams special on one side
and Denver on the other.
Jerry MacElroy yelled - the engineer
didn't even look around only whistled an
alarm back to Pat Francis. eased her down
the grade bit, like man rejecting. and
Watched the smoke and flames that rose to
bar the Nc " ii,.sS-ms special out of Denver
The Ffve-Nine SKINNED across the mead
ows without break and pulled UP q h"-
dred feet from the burning bridge. 1t was
an old Howe truss, and snapped like pop
corn the flames bit into the rotten she'd
Pat Francis and his brakeman ran for
ward. Across the river they could see half
a dozen section men chasing wildly about
throwing impotent buckets of water on the
burning truss.
We're up against it, George" cried
Francis.
mot if we can get across before the
bridge tumbles into the river" returned
Sinclair.
"You don't mean you'd try it?'
would I? Wouldn't I? You know the
orders. That bridge is good for an hour
yet. Pat If you're game, I'll run it,
Holy smoke" unused Pat Francis who
would have run the river without any
bridge at all If ordered. They told us
to deliver the goods. didn't they?'
1--WE might as well be starting, Pat" sug-
gested Jerry Mac Elroy. who deprecated los
ing good time. ''There'll be plenty Of time
to talk after we get into Denver or the
Mattaback."
S.Think quick, Pat" urged Sinclair; his
safety was popping murder.
Back her up. then. and let her CO." cried
Francis: I'D just az lief have that bag