The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-19


glass; casting queer, sna<y. shadows
upon the track ahead. Stevenson busted
| himself about the cab, wfDfng off tne
! gauges and tending the fire.
This reminds me of the night whep
Sammy Withers had the discussion with
kenesaW Bill he said as he wiped some
imaginary speeks off the reversing lever
Il was firing for Sammy then. and Bill
tagged. US down by the old bridge. He
told Sammy to leave the throttle alona
but Sammy was a cOmDany'S man and
tried to pull out, and of course he got
pumped full of lead Then Bill made
me dump the fire. so as not to take any
more risks They say his gang got into
the express that night for pretty near
SO. 000."
Bob Shaclzley 9eered out into the
storm. The rails stretched ahead in tive
black lines against a world of light
gray, telegraph poles and semaphores
flew by with a low drone. Bob drew his
head in and shook the snow from his
eyes,
Steve said he. this Christmas eve
reminds me of night four years ago
when was pulling freight. The COM
pany was trying a patent cross-over-
continuous rail affair then and it was
my luck to run foul of it. l was only
ten minutes ahead of the FLYER, and was
supposed to let it pass me at Bucks
port. 1 ran uD beyond the station and
then backed down on the siding. The
Ilrst car got over all rfght-it was a light
/ bog1e, but right next it was a Michigan
central furniture car, and the forward
truck missed the sDring-rail and came
down on the main line. OF course.
put on the air and started ahead again
and then got into trouble That switch
was one of the iumD-rail variety the
same as they use on the C. P Well,
cleared it all safe with the free truck.
put tie Other one struck foul and went
OH the rail with fiange on either side
My! but you should have heard US
| bless the inventor OF that cross over
And right in the middle of it ALL up
came the FLYER, her people swearing az
/ US Tor dropping across their path Pres
emily I'D comes the master mechanic OF
the division. old Ed Smith, it was and
there was young cocky-looking fellow
with him.
9 What's the matter here?' says Ed.
Matter says I, why this blooming
cross-over has got me straddled a rail-
AT TINS the cocky young fellow gets
very red, and says:
Sir, am the inventor of that cross
overi' 'iif'' oio'9-
was so mad clean forgot he was
Ed Smiths friend, so I rips out at him.
on, you are, are you. Well. you
oraughtlng-roOm idiot, suppose you get
your coat off and invent a way to get
that truck back onto the rail-"
he never made any reply. He just
oreW nlmself up haughtily and turned
away, when Ed Smith got started.
See here said he. you've got this
train off the track and you're blocking
the government mail. Now you walk up
10 the next tower and it was good
two miles-'and tell them to send the
wrecker or I'll have you jailed for de-
stroying the track
The cocky young fellow walked and
then Ed Smith sat down and laughed as
| II ned kill himself. That was Eds way
Steve, you'd better give her some
more coal. she's getting low
BOD, are you craZy?" asked the fire
man why, she's at $50 now. and if
you put on more you'll run shv''
Il SAID for
what [ say goes. Now get busy
stevenson obeyed, for that was his
duty But he watched Bob to see if he
| showed any peculiar signs for enei-
neers sometimes get so tired that thew
can't think straight, and he knew Bob
had been out before he took the I'm
perial"
By this time the engine had struck the
| ups grade, and the extra heavy train be-
mind commenced to drag harder than
ever. The roar of the exhaust gradual
ly changed to distinctly deliberate puffs
and the six great drivers revolved less
rapidly, while the needle of the steam
gauge moved steadily back toward zero
Three times Bob called out Pump
COAL" and three times Stevenson obaved
him under protest The sparks flew up
ward from the short stack and curved
gracefully to the snow-covered earth on
either side of the persistent train as it
drove on into the night.
ed, and on the level run Of soms 20 miles
that followed the great ten wheeler re-
gained its former speed, but at a fatal
cost of coal. When the down grade that
led to the other end of the long run was
reached there were scarcely half a dozen
| der.
Stevenson was worried. 81 don't see how
said ~
shaclley grinned broadly when this
line was new, he said, 4 rode from here
to town on runaway freight once, and
| the grade did it all. I'm going 10 trust TO
the grade tonight
When Stevenson was really convinced
that Shackley meant what he said, he took
| his seat and threw it out into the tender,
| of the cab in it's place Then he took off
his shoes and socks and lay down ON bis
improvised couch.
Good Lord but I'm tired, Bob. If you
want anything, throw a wrench at me.
m going to Sleep
the engineer. He was practically alone in
the cab and his engine was running will.
light tender pitched about like small
boat IN a stormy sea, the heavy engine
tonous regularity the wheels groaning to
the lonely engineer Behind MIN Bob
could hear the heavy Pullmans rafting
over the cold and rigid joints as they fol-
lowed the engine in its headlong rush
downward All seemed weird and strange.
for the engine itself was unresponsive and
dead There was no throb of steam. no
small kissing of leaky- valves. but only a
great, heavy mass of metal flying along
Shaclley glanced about the cab Ste
venson lay on the coal grating. sleeping
quietly. His socks hung on the latch Of
the fire box door. swinging desertedly
against the iron. This gave the Kind heart
ed engineer an inspiration and he slipped
down from his seat and deposited a silver
dollar in each sock. After that there was
q cheerful sound of life in the cab ana
it made the lonely watcher feel better 10
hear the cheerful 'chink-chink' of the
silver as it swung against the metal door.
Gradually the speed of the II ain COM
menced to decrease. so that by the time it
reached the yards at the end of the long
run it had barely Roadway enough to reach
the platform. When the glittering Pull
mans had at last come to a stop and the
porters had placed their little stocl Is below
the steps from the vestibules. The passeIl-