The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-01

bewildered. were craning anxiously from
the windows. Horigan. opposite the round
house, jumped in a sprawl: the engine was
shot past A.loysius: boarding was out of the
question.
But on the siding stood a couple of flats.
empty; and with his hair straight on CELL
tiers the little wiper ran for them and
mounted tn" nearest. The steel train was
jumping. Aloysius punched his muscle, ran
the length Of the two flats for a head, and
from the far corner threw himself across
the gap. like "A bat. on a load of the runa-
way steel. Scrambling to his feet. he mo-
toned and yelled to the hoboes, who were
pouring frantic out on the hind fiat of the
string. to set brakes: then he made ahead
for the engine.
1t was a race with the odds all wrong. for
with every yard Aloysius gained the tram
gained 4 dozen. By the time he reached
the tender. breathless, and slid down the
coal into the deserted cab. the train was
heading into Little Horn gap. and every
Italian aboard yelling for life. Aloysius
Jumped into the levers, pohed his head
through the window. and locked at the
drivers. They were in the back motion.
and in trout of them the sand was stream
ing ,r'le open. The first thing he did was
To shut half Of il off-the hght could not he
won by wasting ammunition. over and over
again he jerked at the air. 1t was refusing
lis work. Where SO many a hunted runner
has turned for salvation there was none for
Aloyeius. He opened and closed. threw on
the throw on: IL was all one. and all use
less. The situation was as simple as II was
f;frhtful. Even If they didn't leave the
track. they were certain To smash INTO
Number sixteen. the up-passeEger. which
must meet them somewhere ON the hill.
Aloysfus's fingers closed slowly on the
sand lever. There was nothing on earth for
it but sand. merely sand; and even the
w!per's was oozing with the stream that
Toured from the tank on the whiskefed
rails. He shut off n bit more. thinking of the
terrific curves below. and mentally calcu-
Iated-or tried to-how long his steam
would last to reverse the d~rivers-how he
could shovel coal and sand the curves at
The same tilne-and how much Slowing the
Italians at the tail OF the kite could stand
without landing on The rocks.
The pace was giddy and worse. When
his brain was whirling fastest a man put
Il hand on his shoulder. Aloysius started
as If Davy Jones had tapped him, and be-
tween bounces looked, scared. around. He
looked into a face he didn't know from
Adams. but there was sand in the eyes
that met his.
What can l do?'
Aloysius saw the mans lips move. and.
without taking his hands from the levers,
beut his head to catch the words.
"Wha can / do" shouted the man at his
elbow.
'6lNP me Sltdm-Stedlu, tEltu the wiper,
looking straight ahead.
1t was the foreman of the steel gang from
the caboose. Aloysius. through the backs
of his eyes. saw him grab the shovel and
make a pass at the tender. Doing so, he
nearly took a header through the gangway.
but he hung to the shovel and braced him.
self better.
into the cab. but in the delivery passed 1t
well up Aloysius's neck. There were neither
words nor grins, but just another shovelful
of coal a minute after, and the tracklayer,
in spite of the dizzy lurching. shot it where
It belonged-into the furnace. Feeling that
# one shovelful could be landed. more could.
Aloysius's own steam rose. As they headed
madly around the Cinnamon bend the dial
began to climb in spite of obstacles; and
the wiper, considering there We're two, and
the steam and the sand to fight the thing
out. opened his valve and busted the whis-
kers on the curve with something more
than q CLEAN of hope.
If there was confusion on the runaway
train, there was terror and more below it.
As the specter fitted past Pringle Station. |
five miles down the valley. the agent
caught a glimpse of the sallow face of the
wiper at the cab window and saw the
drivers whirling backward. He rushed to
his key and called the Medicine Bend dis
patcher. With Il tattoo like a drum-rolI
the dispatcher, in turn, called Soda Springs. |
ten miles below Pringie. where No. 16, the |
up passenger, was then due. He ratified on
with his heart in his fingers. and the an |
swer came on the instant. Then an order
flashed into Soda Springs.
ITO No. 16:
Take Soda Springs siding quick. Extra
2O West lost control OF the train. DR."
There never was such a bubbiing at Soda
Springs at that bubbling. The operator tore |
UP the platform like a hawk in a chicken |
yard. Men never scattered so quick as
when No. 10 began screaming and wheeling |
and backing for the clear. Above the town. |
Aloysius, eyes white to the sockets. shoot
ing the curves like a meteor. watched his |
lessening stream of sand pour into the |
frost On the track. As they whipped over |
bridges and hills the caboose reeled like a
dying top-fear froze every soul on board. |
leave the track now meant a scatter |
that would break West End records.