The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-20
THEIR LAST STAND.
BY WESLEY A. sTANGER.


 Col
 Hopkins had run "99" ever since she came out of the car shops, and no one else seemed able to manage her. It may have been because Hopkins tenn perament and the temperament of the engine were the same. At any rate, Hopkins and "99" were always in trou- blo.
 If 1t had not been that he knew more about moving freights than any one else on the road he would have been dismissed from the service long ago.
 In the days when ''ss' was in her prime, moving freights was fine art. There were no air brakes, and the work of stopping a long line of heavy cars were purely manual. It took an engineer with keen sense of exact- ness and good judgment to handle them successfully.
 Competing with Hopkins in ability, and also in disposition, was old "BilP' Allen. Between these two men was the keenest rivalry and a feeling of intense hatred
 uess together when they were young, full of life and both in love with Sarah Perkins the winsome daughter of the depot agent
 Allen claimed the right of priority to Sarah's affections and when Hop- ISins began calling upon her he felt that he was encroaching upon some- thing that was pre-eninently his own. and ss q result friendship that had quickly changed to rivalry. finally in- tensifying into deepest hatred.
 In the meantime Sarah had married a young hardware merchant. leaving Allen and Hopkins nothing in common but their hatred for each other and a determination to square accounts some day.
 Bul. in his day. had run fast pass engers. but as he grew older he had been put on a switch engine, working in the yards.
 Hopkins had always hauled freights but he, too. was growing old and of late had been hauling long freights short distances. while younger men were given the heavier and more re- xponsible positions.
 The two men often came in contact with each other and friction always resulted. When Hopkins would haul long line of heavily laden box cars into the yards. Allen would have to switch them about and make up Hop- kin's next train. This was always done grudgingly. and Allen would tnuInp ana pump the cars together as though he were getting vengeance on Hopkins by doing 80. On the other hand, Hopkins was aways complain ing that Allen mixed the trains puR- posely, to make 1t hard hauling or to cause bim trouble in "shuting'' at way stations
 One sultry afternoon Allen had made up beef train and Hopkins had been ordered from a station six miles distant to haul 1t out Allen was to go to the station where Hopkins start cd from and pull Out some empty cars from siding. It was in obeying these orders that they met on the field of battle for the last time.
 "old Bill" figured that Hopkins would answer orders immediately and srart at once Hopkins had calculated Aliens situation just as carefully. and both determined to be first to cover the six miles of single track that lay between them.
 "O1d Bill" was driving his nartfnv switch engine at top speed, thinking ony of gaining the right of way over HopiinR
 ''ss" was pufrinR and roaring; her big drivers pounding the rails as though she were bent upon stamping them into the earth. A great cloud of thick. black smoke hung around her and swirIed in eddies behind her as she rushed on.
 Hopkins looked out nf the cab win