The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-08
THE AeE-HERA1D. SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 8, 1903.

weak and his fingers trembled over his key Then he was neither dreaming nor insane? With his brain awhirl. he waited the reappearance of that spectre train. The next half hour seemed an age to him. before he distinguished the rear coaches backing up to Wheeling in a perfectly natural manner. Crimson light was yet pouring out of the windows Leaning from the cab Strickland could see a demon, with all the leer gone from his face.
 The special backed slowly into the open siding. A flagman ran down the track to throw the switch very com monplace-looking conductor whom he recognized, descended from a car and made his way toward Strickand's win dow
 "Whewf the other exclaimed, when he saw the operators white face That's was about as close shave as I ever got into, and l wouldn't go through the ex- perience again for all Rockefellers money"
 Strickland did not say anything. He could not One of those devils was has tening up the platform with an oil can in his hand.
 What has happened?" Strickland gasped at last. The conductor was not surprised to see his pale face and con tinued excitedly:
 It's a miracle that the Overland is not smashed to Smithereens, and this train in the same fix" he said How we got bungled up on our orders I don't know. We should have stopped at the siding above Cloverdale, but the operator at that station gave us a clear track and was open and we shot into it before we gave you such q scare when we came ufsx Ixrh hn,.1 ,I,1 How did we escape? Well, you won't believe me, and l doubt my own eyes, ESat old coal line this side of Oakhurst was open and we shot into it before we knew what had happened. We were making sixty miles an hour. Jones' that's the engineer -
 Oh" said Strickland.
 Jones knew something must be wrong by the awful crealIing and lurching. He says his heart almost stopped beating when he saw before him rusty rails and crossties overgrown with weeds and realized that he was tearing down that rotten track at lightning speed. The en- glne careened fearfully. Jones expected every moment that it would jump the track and go cavorting over a cotton field He put on brakes and shut off steam, but with little hope of coming to
 
 with us, however, and we slowed up within hundred yards of a string of coal cars. Jumping off, I heard the Overland limited she passed along the main line nearly two miles away. l shuddered to think what would have be- come of us if we had not run off on the spur"
 The hdeous-lo looking engineer had now come up, and it was really Jones. He bore on his face a very natural expres- sion of anxiety. Strickland looked at him in amazement.
 The conductor laughed.
 Are you wondering where this out landish train came from? This is the Ragtime Minstrels' special They call her the Crimson special She's painted bright red to the last coach. but paint does not show up well at night, so they use red lights It's great advertising scheme originated by the advance agent. He's a hustler, too People come from miles around to see the Crimson special go by, and you can just bet an enormous crowd gathers when the company gives a show. The manager had lot of trou- ble persuading Jones and the fireman to dress up in his red togs, but finally worked it by giving each pass. Jones was having a fine time playing devil un- til we ran into that siding. The Rag time Minstrels are due to play in Musco- ten tonight but l hardly thing they will get there"
 So saying, the conductor walked away to confer with one of his passengers, who wore a high hat. while Strickland heaved sigh of relief.
 The Crimson special was held at l Wheeling for three hours until the track was clear and then proceeded to Muscoten, where it's arrival was waited with much interest by the natives.