Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-07-23
(continued.J


BE brave, girl" he said encourag-
ingly, though his own voice shook.
You have got to make seventy-fve
miles an hour, or better; but you've
got the machine to do it with. Give
her her head on all the grades except
Four Mile Creek-don't be afraid-and
give her little sand on Beechtree
Hill. Goodby-and God keep you!''
AS Sylvia stood beneath the great
black hulk of iron and steel which
drew the Overland" and glanced down
the long line OF mail, express and
sleeping cars, her heart almost failed
her again. The mighty boiler lowered
high above her in the darkness and
the steam rushed angrily from the
done, as though the great animal were
fretting under the inaccountable de-
lay.
You are brave little woman" she
heard the superintendent saying at the
cab-step. Don't lose yotr nerve-but
make time whatever else you do
Every minute you make up is money
in the company's pocket, and they
won't forget it. Besides" he added,
Familiarity, we've got big gun
aboard, and | want to show him that
little thing like this don't Illustrate
us any. If you draw into Stockton
on time, I'll add $50 to that check"
And he lifted her up to the cab.
The fireman, young Irishman,
stared at Sylvia as she stepped into
the cab, but she made no explanations.
and, glance at the steam and the
water gauges, climbed up to the en-
gineer's high seat. The hand she laid
upon the throttle lever trembled slight
ly-as we'll 1t might; the huge iron
horse quiffered and stiffened. as if brac.
ing itself for it's task; noiselessly and
imperceptibly it moved ahead. expelled
one mighty breath, then another and
another, quicker and quicker, shorter
and shorter, until its respirations were
lost in one continuous flow of steam.
The Overland was once more under
way.
The locomotive responded to Syl
Was touch with an alacrity which
thrilled her through and through. She
glanced at the time table. They were
twelve minutes behind time. The
twenty miles between the junction and
Grafton lay in a straight, level line.
Sylvia determined to use it to good
purpose, and to harden herself at once
to the dizzy speed required by the
memorable schedule. She threw the
throttle wide open, and pushed the re-
verse lever into the last notch. The
machine cnamad cnddopI1- NJ.
mated with a demoniac energy, and
soon they were shooting through the
black, storm beaten night like an
avenging bolt from the hand of a
colossal god The headlight-so
dazzling from in front, SO insufficient
from behind-danced feebly ahead
upon the driving cloud of snow. But
that was all. The track was illum-
mated for scarcely fifty feet, and the
night yawned beyond like some en-
quilting abyss.
Sylvia worked with the fireman with
fine intelligence which only the
initiated could understand; for an en-
CINE is a steed whose speed depends
upon its driver. She opened or closed
the injector, to economic heat and
water and eased the steam when it
could be spared. Thus together they
coaxed. cajoled, threatened, and
goaded the wheeled monster until, like
veritable thing of life, it seemed to
strain every nerve to do their bidding,
and whirled them faster and faster.
Yet, as they flashed through Grafton
they were still ten minutes behind
time Sylvia shut her lips tightly. 1t