The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04

the "g~unpowder charges" was ready to ex-
plode any minute. Her myers were iutter-
ing now over the reversing gear. now about
one of the handbrakes.
STEADY. now, he said. well be getting
of. l think. DadU be here in a minute"
She shot him one swift glance, then low
cred her eyes and brought a calmer note
into her voice.
"Of course" she added. dif1dently. its
silly talking. You couldn't drive her"
The soul Of the embryo engineer rose up
in arms in a second. Couldn't drive herr
he said. holly. That's all you know. l
know as much about her as father does. 1
believe 1 know more. 1 could drive her
anywhere-anywhere. l could make her like
a lamb with me, I could make her obey me
like Rover does. Why. you heard father
say only last night I could. On Wednesday
ne just stood by and brought her right
from Boondi home. She-she-I know every
bit about her. She-I-she-' He broke
down. suffering from want of words to
adequately defend himself.
oh" said Jan, that's easy enough when
fathers by. Hes let even me drive her a
little way. But you wouldn't dare take her
five yards without him being here"
Wouldn't dare.' snorted Burgo.
There's nothing | wouldn't dare with her.
She's as tame to me as our kitten is"
She looked at him under ner eyelashes.
"NVhy don't you try?' she whispered.
The boy trembled. looked. away from
her.
Wed better be getting down" he said.
Dads late. He'll get in a row for this
Let's see if you cam she whispered
again.
She caught at his loosely-hanging hand
and lifted it insinuatingly towards the
brake. But his sterling nature struggled to
the front, his young acquiescence in the re-
sponsibility attached TO these great iron
animals.
Come on down out of this at once he
commanded. and his voice was thick with
anger and temptation. He dropped to the
ground and began to move away. But Jan,
her eyes absolutely glittering with excite
ment and adventure. threw off one brake.
then the other, just as she had seen her
father do a thousand times; Burgo turned
back to look for her to follow him. and she
was stretching up and pushing over the
lever of the throttle valve. The next second
the slow throb of the machinery made itself
felt through the great inert mass, and-it
moved. With a catching of breath. Burgo
sprang after it, and just managed to clam
Der up i'm time.
Two stupeied men reached the station
yard just in time to see the tail of their en-
CINE disappear into the cutting TWO nun
dred yards away.
Not for one moment did Brown put the
enormity down to his grave. responsible
little nephew. Its the GAL he said,
gloomily. 'She wants ter live with her
Aunt Brown a bit to get tanned"
But the engine driver was purple with
anger against his son. and passed over his
daughter as an irresponsible creature. I'll
take the skin O. him off for this" he said,
and stood with helpless, hanging hands
gazing. almost witless, at that cutting.
What could he done? This siding was far
too unimportant for a telephone-the near
est one was thirty miles away. There was
absolutely no way by which they might let
it be known at WoOna and Bendooley that
there was a runaway engine on the line.
Vel. you've done it now" Burgo said,
and in a strangely dispassionate voice. He
had pushed his sister aside and gone in
stantly to take control of things.
Twice he put his hand up to shut off
steam. and bring the engine to a standstill.
Twice his hand hesitated to obey him.
The thing was done now, he argued to
himself. and nothing would avert the
wrathful descent of his fathers strong
right arm stick equipped. upon his help
less shoulders. Why not. as Jan urged and
urged, nave a little fun for all the pains in
store? He considered carefully. The first
hip station uraG forty miles await u-ac
across the great bare plains of the interior
this silver streak of railway ran-the in
tervening places had only primitive sid
ings for the landing of passengers and
freight and sheep.
And the line for all those forty miles
would be quite clear. 1t was a little past 4
now; there would be a cattle train at Woo
ma, shunted to the side for his fathers
train TO pass. nothing else all the way TO
the big station. Bendooley. where his
father always had to shunt and wait for
the mail train to pass.
She-this empress of trains-always left
Bendooley at half past 9. so two good
hours stretched in front.
Quicker" said Jan. "Shove her along
for all she's worth. Wen never get an
other nance like this as long as we live"
Burgo's breath came quickly. his eyes
burnt. his heart throbbed wildly; all his
caution dropped away. he was not far from
the pitch of recklessness at which Janet
had arrived.
On, on they flashed. The very sun burst
up TO see the wOnder-the gray fell away,
and the vast blue of the heaven stood
amazed. They shot past sidings, men lump
ing down the great milk cans gazed after
them with terrified eyes. They whirled past
~fettlers boiling their billies outside their
tents; when a man Stated up with arm
appraised in fear at the sight of the gayly
rushing engine and its strange crew, then
Jan tapped her nightgown and waved en-
couragingly with a dirty engine rag.
At Woona the cattle train was waiting
and the hustle of men and animals filled
the early morning with life. Burgo had no
intention of stopping and giving himself
quietly up here; he had made up his mind
to pull up AT the Bendon viaduct and go
home we'll in front of the mail train.
The Woona solicitors gaped when the To-
connective sailed by. The view that flashed
for one second upon their eyes-Of a boy