The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1903-11-05

He turned quizzical glance upor
her. "Cut off the cars?' he asked
''There are hundreds Of people bach
there. There are only three Of us here
Would 1t pay to sacrifice the others?"
She was silenced and abashed, but
she did not know that the thought had
shot through his own mind first of all
One smashing blow Of the sledge Oh
the coupling and the locomotive and
tender would be free of the heavy train
| of coaches, and that white wall of wa
| ter was coming faster and faster.
Evylyn could not keep her own eyes
from it. She leaped down from the
seat. with shrek.
Instantly the long arm of the driver
reached around the lever. He caught
her and lifted her bodily back upon the
seat. "Stay where you arey' he com
manded hoarsely, and she, forgetting
the tidal wave behind, stared straight
ahead, her lips firm line Of white, too
angry for speech. Nobody in all her
life had ever touched or spoken to her
50.
She saw the fireman again lean over
the lever and shout in Lestrange's ear,
'AThe basin!' Jim nodded.
Suddenly the walls Of the canyon
spread apart. The train was flying SO
swiftly that it seemed the cliffs were
moving instead Of themselves. The
train ran out upon long trestle, for In
this wider part of the gorge, known as
''the basin,' there were rock shelves on
either side. The creek bed was wide,
and the water roared among the debris
fallen from the heights above.
Jim reversed the engine, and to Evy-
lyn's despair the train slowed down.
But she was too angry to speak. And
scarcely had the train stopped when
the tidal wave broke about them.
When it reached the locomotive the
water had spread over so great an area
that the only damage it did was to rise
into the standing room of the cab and
put out the fire under Ninety-nine's
boiler. Then it roared on down the
canyon, and unless it carried away
some portion of the iron trestlework
ahead the danger was over.
Jim, without glance at her, leaped
down to examine his engine. When he
was satisfied that the machine was all
right he came back. The fireman had
cleaned out the fire box and was pitch
ing in dry wood. Jim stood SO that she
was sheltered from the gaze of the
stoker.
"Well. are you sorry l didn't cut off
the train, Miss Evie?' he asked.
81 hate you" she declared, looking
determinedly away from him.
"Well, I'm real sorry for that. But,
you know, had the companys proper
ty to look out for-as we'll as the presi-
dents daughter" He was actually
smiling.
81 hate you" she declared again.
That's pretty tough" he observed
again. "And it's been SO long since
we've seen each other too! Do you
know, 1 couldn't ever bring myself to
the point of hating you. Fact is, feel
exactly the opposite and always have
since we played at sweethearts. Do
you remember, EvieY
She turned upon him then, but the
fire died out of her eyes. She remem-
bered how he had looked when he sat
her down again in that corner with a
command.
Her hands went suddenly up to cover
her face. IT'S too bad" said Jim,
"but the coal dust will settle on the
woodwork. Pm afraid you're getting
your face all smut from those gloves"
And he pulled the hands away and
held both in one of his.
1.-THE fires going again, Mr.. Lee
strange" said the stoker.