Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1902-01-14

Jaw. our. Darn sos. II xou ever go TO
sleep on this engine again I'll break
yon in two
Poor Noah was shall king Ike an as
pen for IL. knew how High Henry WAS
| tempered. and he promised never 10
nod aG:iIn.
About o'clock one morning t'iey
were coming down the mountain eI
freight Ii was Il warm spring Il ru
ing The frost had gone ont o. IL,
earth aud left the dumps ard nils ttht
road was comparatively new soft AMI
spriney They had been on he road
doubling the hill. for forty eight haiirs.
and ah was making the effort ~ ~
life to keep awake. The three lrstNs'
men were sitting at intervals al n A'
top of the train. looking like black crows
on fence. The time card gave them
two hours and twenty minutes To make
twenty miles. and all you hear Is the
clickety click of the idle valves the
squeak and cry of the hr.Ike shoes cp
the smoking wheels ard the ! W meas
ured shore of the airpump, and that
sound will put you 10 sleep like the
patter of rain on roof or the sound OF
horses munching hay when you're ly
ing in the haymow. Noah had nodded
once or twice. and Henry once had
yelled al him.
They had era wled down within i've
miles of the foot of the hill when Noah
broke the stiffness: "Wope. wopei Look
out therei Stop 'er. stop err"
Henry hooked the engine over. put
the air on full. screamed for brakes 10
no i'm -
against the train as mule sets back
at a bad bridge. her wheels going
round the other way and a food of fire
going out of her stack.
We'll" said Henry when they had
come to stop. what is it,
Il don't see nothin'" said Noah.
peering through his window
well. didn't you say stop"
81 never said nothin.'
Noah. do you want TO de-
''No, sir"
"S'matter. Henry" shouted the head
brakeman from the top of the train.
Il don't know Did you see any
thing?"
No
did you hear anything"
Yes; heard Noah yell TO you to stop
err
Come out of there. Noah
Il won't come out. Henry. cause
you'll kill me won't take lickin'
when amt done nothin.
Henry passed his bony hand over his
eyes as man will when not quite
sure of himself. He looked ahead
where the headlight shone on the two
thin threads of steel that turned three
cars away and disappeared round
high rock BY this time Henry's
wrath had cooled down. and without
another word he put the lever for
ward, released the airbrakes. and the
train moved forward again. When
the big black engine put her nose
round the curve. which was to Henry's
side. the engineer saw Il great black
gap in the track. over which the
rails sagged, holding the crossties.
Look out, Jump" 1t was Henry's
voice this time. and Noah. being wide
awske. wsnt out into TIE night. n I
the meantime 40 was holding and
straining against the heavy train that
kept showing her nearer and nearer
to the gap that yawned in the grade.
At last she stopped. with the soft
earth oozing away under her pilot.
She could not move the fifteen loads
that were behind her-that had climb
ed the hill with the help OF two other
engines-so there she had to stand I'M
til help came and pulled the ears back
to a sidetrack.
A little stream of clear water had
been trickling down the mountain side
for days aud days and soaking into the
grade. Finally the ill became mushy.
and when the two light engines that
had helped Henry up the hill went by
they shook the grade. and the musb
slid out and down TO the bottom of the
gulch 200 feet below.
When the trainmen and enciDemen
had come down and stood al the edge
of the break, little Tim Grady crossed
himself.
Noah. you dirty faced devil" said
High Henry, come here an let me hug
YOU"