The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-17
THEIR LAST MEETING
BY CY U4RM4N

friend had resumed his seat, and, with his
gaze still on the audience, remarked
II lose half the pleasure of the play because
Of an innate dread of fire. I wish somebody
would invent something that would put out
fire without drowning people"
81 can do it, said the man at the man
ayers elbow.
Howe
How do you put out a candle?"
'Well, would blow it OUT
Exactly. First would lay system OF
air pipes under the building.
The manager felt chill creeping slowly
over him. Some where he had heard that voice
before. He began slowly to turn his head
but his neighbor put hand upon his shoulder
and bade him listen. 'You tremble when
your own life is in DANGER" said the man,
but you do not :remble for the hundreds Of
lives that are constantly endangered by your
carelessness narrowness and stinginess On
yonder mountain side tonight people play
at the open door of death as
'Ahem!' said the managers friend, re-
turning to the boy. The wind crank seeing
that he held the gentleman's seat, arose,
smiled bowed and walked away
Always after that the manager carried
about with MIN a haunting dread of the wind
crank. lie would turn a corner in a crowded
street and meet HIM face to face, and for the
brefest moment the man would search the
soul of the manager. Once in the city tina.
was headquarters for the company they held
a great exhibition, and the general manager
was chosen to welcome the president of the
United States. The moment he came to the
edge of the platform and faced the waiting
multitude waiting not to hear the railroad
man, but the president, he became embar-
raised. Ladies' and gentlemen" he began,
II see before me-
Here the speaker paused awkwardly, like
schooboy who has forgotten his lines Be
fore him rose the gaunt face of the Wild
crank, who stood in the front row, towering
| above his neighbors :.....-.
Pulling himself together, the railroad, man
| went His friends began to tremble fer
him. What he said had nothing to do with
the exhibition, the president or the people
there assembled. THE company has always
endeavored to keep abreast of the times We
have adopted every safety appliance that has
been invented, but so long as human hands,
guided by the brain of man"
| At that point man who was intelligent
when he was sober broke in on the orator.
Lob, come often tn perch an let som on
talk at talk sense!'' -.- .-.
Blushing to the very roots of his hair, this
| local orator. the man who had been called
| the Chauncey of the west" stumbled from
| the stage.
At last the long winter came to an end, and
the inventor went awav with the snow. At
! all events, the manager had been rid of him
| for a long while when one day his special
stood upon a short spur near the mountain
| top waiting for the east-bound overland ex-
press. Presently the party were made aware
| of the approach of the Opposing train, but
| instead of the low singing of the rail, for
| which the:- had been listening, they heard
| suddenly the roar OF runaway train and the
| frantic cry OF a Locomotive for brakes The
| fagman who haG opened the switch to let the
| special back in on the spur stood there wait
ing to let them out again when the express
| should pass. All the people had climbed
down from the waiting train to stretch them
| selves The engineer was oiling his engine.
The fireman had climbed up bank to gather
! some wild flowers that grew where little
stream of clear cola water gurgled from the
rocks. Seeing the tiagman still holding to
his SWITCH the general manager ran toward
him, calling to him to let go and stand back.
What might have happened If the manager
had remained quiet no man knoWeth, but
when the flagman saw him coming and heard
him shouting without understanding what he
was saying he glanced nervously in the dlrec-
ton of the approaching train. The wild en-
CINE at that moment rounded a curve ana
headed down a short tangent straight Tor tpe
switch. The fagman was seen to glance pack
at his own train. which stood we'll in the
clear, then throw his weight on the switch
lever Over went the rail for the spur, and
across it came the flying train. $751;
An air hose had blown off just as they
tipped over the top of the hill tthis was be-
fore the days of the self-acting, elf-adjust-
ing automatic air brake), and the few hand
brakes at the crews command had served
only to steady the train. They could not hold
the big mountain engine, and now she shot
in on the spur, wide open, splitting nre and
screaming like a wild fend. She hit the
special with a crash that shook the very
hills The special train. with its lighter
locomotive, was driven back three cars or
more and crushed like an eggshell against
the rock cliff that rose perpendicularly at the
far end Of the spur The heavy sleepers
the wrecked loo omotives. There were the old
familiar ynrieks of the broken engines, the
means of the mangled and the excited shouts
of the rescuers. The general manager had
succeeded in dragging a man from the ruins
and placing lin: in an easy position The
man appeared to be quite dead AS the
manager was about to turn away something
tugged feeby at his sleeve. The manager
stopped down, put his to the mans breast,
peered into his face and then stepped back
with a startled expression. Now, with the
superhuman strength that sometimes comes
to dying men, the wreck lifted his head
and looked with: strange, wild eyes into the
face of the manager Fl.
"Oh, you murderer! Do you still argue
that you can hole train with mountain air?
Now with a system of air pipes-running
I'D from the valley-all this wreck-and-
DEATH .-:.---
The general manager put his ear. down