The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-13
HOW POLLY SAVED
THE EXPRESS.

no further communication with the
| station next to the eastward. What
could the trouble be? What was she
to look out for? Polly sprung to her
feet, remembering that the night ex-
| press. OF which her father was engi-
neer, was the next train due. Could
anything be the matter? She ran out
on the dark platform to see that he,
lights were all in place and that the
switches We're properly set, so that the
express would slip past the station
without an accident. Then she went
back and called up Mercer
| "Can you get Pinckney?" she asked.
I Plnckney was the station which had
sent her the warning dispatch so mys.
teriously interrupted. She knew the
operator at Pinckney well--eyery night
he told her of the approach OF her
| fathers train, and whether or not it
left his station ON time.
"Pinckney quiet; can't get answer"
was the report OF the wires. "What's
the trouble?"
| Polly answered as we'll as she
could.
Her fathers train was now due. It
| should be whistlinS cheerily ut the
lower bend. Polly stepped out on the
platform and peered up the track. Yes,
there was the familiar headlight-she
| would have known it among q hun
dred. Then came the whistle, Hello
Polly" and Polly ran back into her
office much relieved and sat down to
warn Mercer. At that instant she
heard peculiar cracking sound that
sent her heart quivering deep in her
bosom. Then there was the shrill
scream Of the locomotive whistle sud
denly interrupted, rs If the hand that
had drawn the lever had been struck
from it's place. Polly knew it was a
cry of distress. 1t seemed to say,
Help i'll long, tremElous wall. H.
Stantly Polly darted outside and flew
up the track. Already the express
should have thundered past the sta
tion, but She could see it's headlight q
hundred yards or more away. The
train had stopped.
With hundred terrifying questions
nashinS through her mind. Polly ran
OH through the gloom. When she was
almost within range OF the big head
light she saw :; half y dozen armed men
SW:irmlnS around the engine. she heard
Hefcc oatiiS. ana ti:2n The engine start
ed up again. She saw in TN instant
that 1t had been cut free from the
train. III the cab window, where
her fathe" usually stood. there was
bio. 41,te, ilo.. A.
lever and throttle. Terrified, Polly
sprung to one side into 4 clump o
bushes. AS the locomotive passed
her on its way ND the track she saw
that the man in the cab WOKE Il uiac,l
mask Oh his face. and then she knew
what had happened. She understood
why Pinc!lney had tried TO warn her
and failed. Robbers had held up the
train and were preparing to rob the
express car.
For moment Polly was torn With
doubt and terror. Had they shot her
father? She knew that he never would
summit to have Ills train captured
Wlt!io"t 4 struggle. Should she 90
In him? Then shA remembered her
station ana the telegraph, and with
out q moments delay she was flying
down the track toward the depot. She
would send for help to Mercer. But
sIuareiy in front of the little depot
the locomotive stopped and the black
masked man sprung from the cab
window and darted across the plat
form. Hardly thinking what she was
doing, Polly ran lin on the other side
tn" 1iremnn's side OF the engine, and.
raising herself UP. peered into the
cab. She had haIs expected to see
her fathers dead body lyin. OH the
floor. for she had heard much about
the terrible doings OF train robbers.
Through the cab window she could
see the robher sitting Mt her own
little desk in the depot sending
message. 1t flashed over her all at
once that lie was wiring Mercer that
the express was de!aved, thus pre-
veEtin. ary alarm. The rohber iad
pushed up his mask and she saw him
plainly
What should she do? She dared
not enter the Office, and she, mere
girl. could be OF no service where the
robbers were making their attack on
the train. If only she had the little
revolver that lay III the drawer of
her desk-she set her teeth rs she
thought what she would do with it.