The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-01
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that was fighting hard for it's con-
tract as public mail carrier.
The gong changed overhead, and the
| general manager stepped back and
! waved his hand. Mechanically Cutters
hand sought the lever, and the long
train started, the monster coming to
sudden life again with longer snorts
and coughs, as it drew it's tail of
coaches out from under the hood of
the station
Don't forget who's behind you"
The words grew rhythmic with the jar
and rumble Of the train over the yard
switches.
He was not likely to forget who was
behind him, but his thoughts added a
significance to the phrase which the
general manager had not intended.
particularly in his mind was Milfy
Prosser.
Cutler did not wonder that the gen.
eraI manager was attracted by her,
too. Milly, through her uncle's infiu-
ence and upon his introduction, met
many men far higher in the social
scale than a railroad engineer. New
ertheless, Cutler had known her longer
than these other admirers, and none
of them had turned her head. Al
though they were keeping 1t secret
from the gruf old uncle for the pres
ent Miily had promised herself to Cut
Ter, the engineer of the Bear River
mail. ,.sxs .
The thought sweetened his work.
and made even the long run from Led
ger to Pardoe Junction pleasant trip.
And today. with her aboard, Cutler
went about the task with more than
his usual confidence and skill.
An hour out of Ledger the mail was
| in the midst of watered country,
and following the curved shore of
Little Nomad lake. Above the noun
tain tops in the east hung heavy mass
es of vapor. Not a breath of air stirred
in the valley. excepting that caused
by the onrush of the train: but the
clouds portended sudden tempest.
After passing a squalid little cattle
town the mail rushed on toward the
larger lake. Here. to escape the ir-
Irregularities of the shore, the rails were
laid upon a treStle over the shallow
lake for more than twenty miles. In
the hot season the water was so shall
low that one might have waded from
the trestle at any point to the shore;
but at present the shore was, at the
widest point, nearly three miles from
the railroad trestle on the north, and
upon the other side the lake stretched
away like an inland sea, it's farther
shore scarcely discernable from the
train.
But the trestle was a long, straight
run, and an excellent stretch on which
to pick UP dropped minutes. Cutler
always .eIet her out" here, and today
he had every reason for making the
best time possible across the lake, for
he had been delayed by a repair gang
putting in new rail.
Meanwhile the clouds had spread and
plotted out the sun. The summit of
the range se-faEsahead was long since
hidden by the>ra8ged, writhing blanket
of moistureSWhieh. shot through now
and then with vivid flashes of light
ming, settled rapidly upon the valley.
Suddenly. with roaring that
drowned the rumble of the train. the
wind charged down upon them. The
life as though dashed by giant whip.
The prolonged explosions of thunder
set the air to palpitating between the
bursts of wind. The calm had chang
ed in a moment to wild and furious
gale.
His stoker crossed quickly to Cut
ler's side of the cab and clutched his
arm. He was pointing off to the south
ward. where. the lake. as far as could
be seen, was a mass of foam capped,
churningi waves.
From this direction the storm was
sweeping. the lower surface of the
thick. black clouds was torn to shreds.
which spun in the whiriwind like der
wishes. contracting and elongating as
the mass was swept above the water.
The waves beneath this writhing mass