The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-28
Tales Of Life on the Rail.
1.-THE NIGHT RUN OF THE OVERLAND.
BY ELMORE ELLIOTT PEAKE.

possibility presented itself over and over
again, with it's train of horrors, in the
brief space of few seconds. She held
her breath and half closed her eyes as,
they Numbered down upon the other train;
and when the engine lurched a little as 1t
struck the. switch her heart leaped into
her mouth. The suspense was mercifully
short. though for in an instant they were
past the danger and once more securing
the open country
In spite Of the half pipe of sand which
she had let run as they climbed Beechtree
hill--the last of the Tallahulas-it seemed
to Sylvia as If the locomotive had lost all
its vim. Yet the speed was slow only by
contrast. and in reality was terrific. At
last, though, the high level of the Barren
Plains was gained, and for forty miles
which were reeled off in less than thirty
minutes-they swept along like an alba
tross on the crest Of a gale, smoothly and
almost noiselessly in the deadening snow.
Sylvia suspected that the engine was do
ing no better right here than 1t did every
night Of the year. Yet, when she glanced
from the time table to the clock, as they
clicked over the switch points of Melrose,
she was chagrined to discover that they
were still eight minutes behind. They
were now approaching the long twelve
mile descent of Four Mile creek, with a
beautiful level stretch at the bottom
through the Spirit river valley. Sylvia
came to a grim determination. Half a
dozen times previously she hi We
in her unfamiliarity with heavy trains, If
she were falling short OF or exceeding the
safety limit; and half dozen times she
had been on the point Of appealing to the
reman. But her pride. even In that mo-
mentous crisis, had restrained her. But
just before they struck the grade the re-
sponsibility Of her determination, CONTRA
ry, too, to her husbands advice-seemed
too much to bear alone. H[ 81
II am going to let her have her head!'
she cried out, in her distress.
The fireman did not answer-perhaps he
did not hear-and, setting her teeth Syl-
via assumed the grim burden alone. The
ponderOus locomotive fell over the brow
of the hill. with her throttle agape, and
the fire seething in her vitals with vol
canic fury.
1t seemed to Sylvia as though they
dropped down the grade as an aerolite
drops from heaven-silent, irresistible,
awful, touched only by the circumambient
air.
All Sylvia's familiar methods Of gauging
speed were now at fault, but she believed
that for the moment they were running
two miles to every minute. Under the
strange lassitude born Of her deadly peril,
she relaxed her tense muscles and drows-
lily closed her eyes. 1,.'-.. !
She was rudely shaken out of her leth-
argy as the train struck slight curve
half way down the grade: The locomo-
tive SHE'D like q frightened steed, and
shook in every iron muscle. The fanges
| shrieked against the rails, the cab swayed
and cracked For a moment the startled
girl was sure they were upon the ties.
But it was only the terrible momentum
lifting them momentarily from the track,
and in few seconds the fire. eating behe-
moth righted herself. Yet its beautiful
equilibrium was gone, and the engine
rolled and pitched, and rose and fell like
a water-logged vessel In a storm. The
bell, catching the motion began to toll.
The young fireman suddenly sprang tc
the floor of the cab with a face torn by
superstitious fear.
! What if she leaves the rails?" he cried
| But instantly recovering himself he
| sprang back to his seat, with the blood
Of shame on his cheeks.
| Am I running too fast?" shouted
mot when we're behind time!" he dog
gedly shouted back. 7''+'
AS the track became smoother the en-
| CINE grew calmer, but it's barred tongue
licked up the flying space for many mile
before the momentum of that perilous
descent was lost. AS the roar of their
passage over the long bridge spanning
the Mattunk. twenty miles from Stockton
died away, the fireman called out, cheer
lily:
ION time, madam!'
Meanwhile, in the general superlntend.
ent's private car at the extreme rear Of
the train, a party of men still sat up
smoking their Havanas and slipping theil
wine One member of this party was the
big gun," the president of the Missis
sippi Valley Omaha and Western railway
| 1or with 1,1x, ,r{o nm
white hair, and though his face was ben
evolent, even paternal, every line of 1
betrayed the inf1exible will which haG
lifted it's owner from the roof of a freigh
car to the presidential chair of grea,
road.
Mr.. Howard the general superintend
ent, was regaling the party with an &C
count of his experience in securing sub
stitute engineer at Valley Junction. Fo
reasons afterward divulged he suppressed
though, the most startling feature of hi
story, namely, the sex of the engine run
ner he had secured. But he compensate,
his hearers for this omission with a mos
dramatic account of the heroism of tn
sick man, whom he unblushingly repre-
sented as having risen from his bed an
taken charge of the engine.
Mr.. Stamford, the distinguished guest
listened quietly until Howard was done
Charlie, you are a heartless wretch,
he observed, smiling.
Sylvia returned from an inner roor
after an absence of scarcely sixty sec
onds. She bore herself with the firm, sub
dued mien of one who knows the gravit
of her task, yet her faith in herself TO
it's performance. One of her husband
caps was drawn tightly over her THO
hair and she had slipped into a shor
| walking skirt. Without hesitation sh
. stepped to the bedside and kissed he
husband good-by. g..
| "Be brave, girl" he said encouraging
!; ly, though his own voice shook. "Yo
have got to make seventy-flve miles a
hour, or better; but you've got the ma
, chine to do it with. Give her her hea
on all the grades except Four Mile Cree
, don't be afraid!-and give her littl
sand on Beechtree Hill. Good-by-an
God keep YOU"
, AS Sylvia stood beneath the grea
black hulk of iron and steel which Dire
i, the "Overland' and glanced down tn
: long line of mail, express and sleepin
cars, her heart almost failed her again
d The mighty boiler lowered high above hi
: in the darkness and the steam rushe
d angrily from the dome, as though tt
- great animal was fretting under the VI
" accountable delay. 2,t
g ''You are a brave little woman" ST