Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-07-30
THE NIGHT RUN OF THE OVERLAND
ELMoRE ELLIOTT
Co

81 am going to let her have her
headi" she cried out, in her distress.
The fireman did not answer-per-
haps he did not hear-and, setting
her teeth, Sylvia assumed the grim
burden alone The ponderous locomo-
tive fell over the brow of the hill,
with her throttle agape, and the fire
seething in her vitals with volcanic
fury.
1t seemed to Sylvia as though they
dropped down the grade as an aero
lite drops from heaven-silent. ire
sistible, awful, touched only by the
circumambient air.
All Sylvias 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 drowsily
closed her eyes.
She was rudely shaken out of her
lethargy Us the train struck slight
curve half way down the grade. The
locomotive shied like a frightened
steed, and shook in every iron mus
Gle. The f1anges 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 lift
ing them momentarily from the track
and in a few seconds, the fire-eating
behemoth righted itself Yet its beau
tiful 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
to the floor of the cab with 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 upon his cheeks.
Am running too fast?" shouted
Sylvia
Not when we're behind time!" he
doggedly shouted back.
AS the track became smoother the
engine grew calmer, but it's barred
tongue licked up the flying space
for many a mile before the momen-
tum of that perilous descent was last.
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:
"On time, madam"
Meanwhile in the superintendent
private car, at the extreme rear of
the train, party of men still sat up,
their wine. One member of this party
was the big gum" the president of
the Mississippi Valley, Omaha and
Western Railway. He was a large
man, with luxuriant, snow white
hair, and though his face was benevo-
lent, even paternal, every line of it
betrayed the inflexible will which had
lifted its owner from the roof of a
freight car to the presidential chair
of a great road
Mr.. Howard, the general superin-
tendent, was RECALLING the party with
an account of his experience in secur-
ing a substitute engineer at Valley
Junction. For reasons afterward
divulged he suppressed though, the
most startling feature of his story;
namely, the sex of the engine runner
he had secured. But he compensated
his hearers for this omission with a
most dramatic account of the hero
ism of the sick man, whom he I'M
blushingly represented as having
risen from his bed and taken charge
of the engine.
Mr. Stamford, the distinguished
guest, listened quietly until Howard
was Zone Charlie, you are heart
less wretch" he observed, smiling.
The party dropped off to bed, one
by one The general superintendent
himself finally rose and looked at his
watch Three cars ahead he met the
conductor, who also seemed a little
nervous, and they talked together for
some moments. The train, at the