The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-07-24
NUMBER SO.

Before the m0gul could gather hef0eN
to back up and catch the breakaway
the fugitive section was slowly moving
OF, very slowly, down the head end Of
the Long Misery.
Back up, Irish! Back up and catch
'emr screeched Bitters.
You can't do itr' yelled a breathless
brakeman who came up from the rear,
because the gears just completely out
O. the head o. that section and there
wouldn't be nothin' to make a cour..n'
to IL you caught 'em, which 1t amt
likely you'll do anyway"
Bitters was thinking Of Hennessy
and No. 8. If No. were ON time, she
was just leaving Lyshon- Chances
were she was late. He knew Hennes-
sy. 1t was for him to reach Oldtown
In time to stop No. 8 at Lyshon. Bit
ters sickened at the thought Of the
Saturday night rush Of women and
children which had given Hennessy's
train the name Of the nursery ex-
press"
They worked quickly then. In thirty
seconds Bitters was in the cab, and his
Irish engineer was giving the mogul
steam enough and some to carry. Bit
tiers figured it was four miles to the
goal, and the way they paced 1t OF
made 1t impossible for him to say he
was disappointed when he jumped on
at Oldtown.
mo. 8. hold her at Lyshon. Ny
freight's busted, an thirty-three Of
'em are on the grade, goin' to beat
thunderv'
"No. 81 The dispatcher's face was
pie crust. "She left Lyshon six min
utes ago, late" He went back to his
instrument and sent Seventeen" the
clear out signal. to warn the road
south of him, but as he did so he knew
that No. was coming up Long Misery
ten minutes late, straight into the
teeth of the worst runaway the A. and
B. had known.
Hennessy was fuming at Lyshon,
for he couldn't afford another second,
yet Oldtown had seen nothing Of the
wild freight
"Better wait for another report from
Oldtown," said the operator. But
Hennessy was six minutes late then
and resolved to go on up the grade.
He signaled his engineer and jumped
on the rear. The brakeman was there
and grinned when the conductor cursed
his luck
Hennessy, half way through the
door, wheeled There, away back BY
the station platform, only a fading bit
Of dismal detail in the familiar view,
was old Tympan standing in the mid
die Of the track and waving crossed
arms.
Left and signaling us to come back
for him." said the rear brakeman
Hennessy spoke eloquently, looking
at his watch. The time frightened
him. "Tn not go back for him." hs
cried. Il can't be-
There was that In the rear brake
mans eyes which stopped Hennessy.
Suppose he should leave Tympan At
Lyshon over Sunday. with no trains
either way, and suppose the old man's
and suppose the young husband Of her
who was Nell Tympan, he who worked
in the G. p. AS Office, should
And there was old Tympan himself
standing in the middle Of the track
and signaling. Back up, back up.
back up" Could he afford to ignore
the old fellow? Though it hurt him to
do it. he said:
"No. 1 believe I'll 60 back for the
old guy, Bill"
The rear brakeman pulled the cord.
| and Hennessy went in to reckon just
how much over thirty minutes late
he would be into Oldtown.
There was no denying that old Tym-
pan was exceeding drunk. Hennessy
smothered his wrath with difficulty A
No. s backed into Lyshon, for he
hadn't relished what he had heard 60
ing through the day coaches. He leaned
across the platform and heard Tym-
pans idiotic laugh as he boasted OF
having called back the biggest train
on the road. 'T jus went out there
RI out there-and signaled, Back up
and yer backed up, didn' yer? I tell
yer. gents, there amt er man O. the
rod darst ter dis-disobey my orders."
There was a scramble on the plat
form behind them, and the dispatcher
came shrieking like a plow train at 9
blind crossing.
Back up, Hennessy, for all you're
WORTH he shouted. Runaway freight
thirty something cars OF the wild
train coming down the grade-be hert
In less than a minute. Oldtown wired
oh, Hennessy, look up the linew
1t was a cloud Of sand and dust ai
the first curve In the Long Misery
three miles away.
| Hennessy's knees wavered. The dis
patcher struck him with his fist be
tween the shoulders. crying: "Quick
man! Run her back into the siding and
let the freight go by"
The passengers knew only enough
to complain that they were horribl!
shaken up that afternoon near Lyshon
1t was Hennessy himself who switched
No. 8 into the siding and who thanket
heaven with all sincerity that IT wa
just long enough to take his train ant
leave the main line open. AS he threw
the switch his head went dizzy witt
the whirl Of the freight. When tn
threatening thirty-three banged pas,
Hennessy gave not one look after, bu
tainted over the lever and hung lik
) uniformed scarecrow until they gath
cred him up.